A year or so ago I posted this question on Facebook,”What is your favorite Charleston restaurant.” A wide variety of friends chimed in with their favorites.
Like everything else, if you ask 5 different people this question you will get 5 different answers. To get the conversation started here I’ll list some of our favorite places to visit when we are in town.
Marina Variety Store Restaurant This restaurant is near the campus, right on Lockwood Blvd. They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They have a terrific menu, and is right on the river at the Charleston Marina. Great food at a good price and it is a casual restaurant. We eat here for Sunday brunch before driving home. 
The Wreck Right on the river off of Shem creek. Extremely casual, with paper table clothes and plastic utensils. The food is off the boat fresh. Check their operating hours and get there right when they open.
Virginia’s On King – Not far from Marion Square, Very good Southern cooking.
Jestine”s Kitchen – a traditional spot for tourists to visit. The food is good, but expect a wait.
Charleston Crab House on James Island – Great location with none of the parking hassles of downtown Charleston. The food is consistently good. We went here with 30 people on Ring Weekend.
Vendue Rooftop – a great view, live entertainment.
Tommy Condon’s– A Irish pub with good food and atmosphere.
Sticky Fingers – A great place for barbecue and wings. Several locations.
Melvin’s – Not too far from campus terrific barbecue.
West Ashley Crab Shack – across the river from The Citadel campus. We’ve never had to wait for a table and have enjoyed all the meals we’ve eaten here. A good place to go for seafood without the parking hassle and crowds of in town.
Hominy Grill – An award-winning restaurant. We ate brunch here the Friday of Ring Weekend. The restaurant is close to campus.
Ye Old Fashioned Ice Cream & Sandwich Cafe – We stop at the location just over the bridge from The Citadel once each visit. The ice cream is great, but the sandwiches and salads are too.
Poe’s Tavern On Sullivan’s Island. A great pub with terrific burgers and sandwiches.
My friends favorites:
SNOB (Slightly North of Broad)
For a good listing of Charleston area restaurants visit the Charleston Area Convention and Visitors Bureau “Where to Dine” web site. A number of websites give reviews on area restaurant’s. Fodor’s is just one I check.
Please leave your tips in the comment section of this entry.
Filed under: cadets, Corps Day Weekend, Knob Year, Military Mom, Parents Weekend, Recognition Day, The Citadel, Uncategorized | Tagged: Corps Day, Dorie Griggs, Dorie L. Griggs, Knob year, Matriculation Day, Parents Weekend, restaurants, Restaurants near The Citadel, The Citadel |
Dorie Griggs 
Hyman’s Seafood Co. Est. since 1890. Located at 215 Meeting St. Southern Living Magazine, Readers Poll Survey: Out of 18 states from Delaware to Florida to Texas, Hyman’s rated #1 in the Southeast, 9 years running. Oprah loves it! Must have the fried green tomatoes!
Nick’s ‘N Rick’s B-B-Que located at 288 King St. The Cadets LOVE this place. Great menu, reasonable prices, great atmosphere and got to have their Cheese Biscuits!
Bowen’s Island Restaurant located on Bowen’s Island Rd. at Folly Beach. Open since 1940’s. All-The-Oysters-You-Can-Eat and then some. Oysters only available in the month’s with R. (Parent’s Weekend in October and Corps Day Weekend in March). The fried seafood platter is a real favorite among the locals.
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Thanks for the additions, Jack. We went to Hymans once. While I have friends who like their food, I found it didn’t meet the hype.
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Fleet Landing Restaurant located at 186 Concord St. It is right next to Charleston Harbor. I love going there when I go with friends to their son at Citadel. The shrimp and grits are my favorite!
California Dreaming Restraunt and Bar also located on the water overlooking the Charleston Harbor and Ashley River, but not sure where. It kind of reminds me of the Citdel (as in the building looks castle-like). Went there Will’s Knob year. Very good food as well!
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Our last visit we ate at Jestine`s Kitchen. Fantastic Southern Style food. Small , quaint, gernerous portions, service is fantastic, Bonus: you don`t break the bank eating here. . Save room for dessert. Depending on what time you arrrive you may have a wait, OH the line forms outside on the side of the building underneath the awning. Just down the street, is Jestine`s Bakery. All I can say is, ” Um Um Um.. ” http://www.yelp.com/biz/jestines-kitchen-charleston
We have also eaten at the Wreck, several time. Love their Boiled Peanuts, and She Crab Soup. Extremely casual place to dine, a little pricy, but well worth it. Located on Mount Pleasant. http://wreckrc.com/home.html
Absoutly love the Hominy Grill. Just around the corner from the Citadel. We have eaten both Breakfast and Lunch here. Always a wait, but so worth it. Food is delicious, service is fantastic. We really enjoy eating outside on the patio, if it is available. You should at least try the Hominy Grill once. http://hominygrill.com/about/
My brother took my son, recently to the Tattooed Moose for Lunch. They absoutly loved it. Food was very good, they definetly want to go back again. They loved their Duck Sandwich. They smoke all their own meets on site. They open at 11:30am http://tattooedmoose.com/ http://www.diningaroundcharleston.com/2011/07/tattooed-moose-charleston-sc.html
You have to try Fleet Landing Resturant, right on the waterfront..Located on 186 Concord St, Charleston, SC It is in a 1940s retired naval building. Food is excellent, the view is spectular, prices are reasonable. Dress, I would say, is casual nice. After your done dining, take a walk down N. Market Street, or along the Waterfront. http://www.fleetlanding.net/
So many place to discover in and around Charleston. So far every place I have gone is Well, UM UM Um LOL.
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My favorite place in Charleston is Husk. http://www.huskrestaurant.com Named best new restaurant in the US by Bon Apetit in 2011. The chef is a James Beard winner and also is the chef for McCrady’s. Lunch is decently priced and the menu changes somewhat everyday. The cheeseburger is fantastic and don’t skip the paired dessert/bourbon menu. And if you can’t get a reservation, go to the Husk bar next door where most of the menu is also available.
Near the school, try Taco Boy (http://www.tacoboy.net/), Hello my name is BBQ (https://www.facebook.com/pages/HELLO-my-name-is-BBQ/129130557123680) and Rutlege Cab Company (http://rutledgecabco.com/)
A hidden gem of the Charleston area is Park Circle in North Charleston. There are some great places to eat without the downtown crowds or prices. Madra Rua (http://www.madraruapub.com)- my favorite Irish Pub – yes better than Tommy Condon’s. EVO. Pizza (http://evopizza.com/) which was ranked in the top 50 pizza places by Food Network Magazine. Sesame Burgers (http://www.sesameburgersandbeer.com/) which is a gourmet burger place that has since expanded to Charleston and Mt Pleasant.
Also, if you are looking for an inexpensive place to take a hungry cadet head over to Bessingers (http://www.bessingersbbq.com/). The Bessinger family are BBQ royalty in SC and trace their roots to the 1930’s. Different branches of the family own different restaurants throughout the state but you can’t go wrong with the buffet.
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[…] Each time we visit Charleston we try to find a new place to eat. On a recent trip we enjoyed dinner at The Coleman Public House in Mt. Pleasant. A good friend recommended it and we were not disappointed. You can read about a few other restaurants we enjoy in this previous blog post: Where We Dine When We Visit The Citadel […]
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ye olde ice cream shop is owned by citadel grandparents, they have a band17 and will have a band 19 as well, he’s already been accepted and is prepping to go.
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How fun! Ye Old is one of our traditional stops each visit to Charleston.
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