Charleston’s restaurant scene moves at the speed of a Formula 1 race. A few years back, the Holy City had only a handful of serious Italian restaurants; this year, at least a half dozen contenders have opened. Global flavors once meant take-out Thai or Chinese.
Now, chef-driven kitchens are pushing cooking from across Asia in new directions. With so much changing so fast, here’s your short list of where to eat now—including a hidden Parisian-style bistro and an osteria that might ruin you on other bread for life.
The already legendary house bread at Cane Pazzo is worth an order.
Photo by Andrew Cebulka
Cane Pazzo
- Location: 1276 Yeamans Hall Rd, Hanahan | Find on Google Maps
- Hours: Dinner, Monday to Saturday
Cane Pazzo is the easygoing Italian osteria we all wish we had down the block. Luckily, it’s only 15 minutes north of the peninsula—and yes, you can actually park your car. Founded by former Indaco chef and Indigo Road culinary director Mark Bolchoz, the restaurant sets the tone from the start with its must-try “Daily Bread,” a gorgeous wood-fired sourdough disc with a Neapolitan-style crust. Order it topped with ricotta and local honey or slathered in Calabrian honey butter, which happens to be the best choice.
“I’m a big sourdough fan,” says Bolchoz. “We made the decision to develop this bread recipe based on my chef de cuisine Alex’s and my love of pizza and naturally fermented dough.” If you don’t ruin your meal on carbs—and it’s okay if you do—the rest of the dishes lean into seasonal Italian comfort. Think al dente strands of bucatini, topped in Raven Farms mushrooms and swirled with whipped taleggio and pancetta, or a pork chop so juicy, it just might convert skeptics of the “other white meat.”
The food at Merci has a Parisian vibe; the 1820s building screams charm.
Photos by Lindsey Shorter
Merci
- Location: 28 Pitt St | Find on Google Maps
- Hours: Dinner, Wednesday to Saturday
Who needs the City of Light when you can slip into this candlelit bistro on one of Charleston’s most romantic blocks? Gas lanterns flicker against a historic façade, ushering you into the space that feels like someone’s home. Chef Michael Zentner and designer Courtney Zentner opened Merci in March 2025, creating a 26-seat dining room that’s part Parisian hideaway, part stylish Charleston dinner party. “28 Pitt Street was the perfect foundation for our first restaurant,” says Zentner. “The 1820s building set the tone. The intimate space, warm woods, and glowing lights give it a jewel box feel.”
The menu borrows from French tradition but nods to Southern and Italian flavors. Bites like stracciatella-stuffed focaccia with Benton’s ham and hot honey, an absolute must, should be followed by a perfect beef Wellington swaddled in a golden puff pastry crust. With its vintage-chic interiors, antique details, and a cozy six-seat bar, Merci is as much about atmosphere as it is about the food.
Chef Daniel Humm is just passing through Charleston—for 12 months.
Photo by Blake Shorter (L); Jovani Demetri (R)
Daniel Humm x Charleston Place
- Location: 224 King St | Find on Google Maps
- Hours: Dinner, Wednesday to Sunday
Charleston hardly needs big East Coast energy to validate its dining scene, but it’s no footnote that one of New York’s most famous chefs has landed in the Holy City. Daniel Humm and his team from the three-Michelin-star Eleven Madison Park have partnered with Charleston Place for a 12-month pop-up, reimagining former Charleston Grill with new wood floors, elegant floral sprays, and custom plates by EMP ceramicist Jono Pandolfi.
“Charleston’s connection to the land and sea offers endless inspiration,” says Humm about his new venture. “I’ve loved immersing myself in this community, learning from its traditions, and exploring how small but meaningful shifts in how we eat can help shape the language of food,” he says. Echoing this sentiment, the menu reflects Humm’s plant-forward, climate-conscious ethos, here shaped by Lowcountry ingredients. Start with a seafood tower or caviar service before the $135 prix fixe, which might feature the rarely-seen local fish tautog thin-sliced into a crudo brightened with finger limes, a celery root schnitzel, or a whole-roasted chicken for two with lemon butter and brioche.
Grab a stool at Two Bit Club, and order yourself a plate of green papaya salad.
Photos by Andrew Cebulka
Two Bit Club
- Location: 93 Society St Unit 101 | Find on Google Maps
- Hours: Lunch and dinner, daily
Charleston-based The Indigo Road Hospitality Group has expanded again, this time bringing Vietnamese cooking to the newly opened Hotel Richemont. The restaurant takes its name from an 18th-century Charleston society whose members pledged “two bits” (16 pence) a week to support neighbors in need—a spirit of generosity channeled through the restaurant’s fine-tuned service. Designed by B. Berry Interiors, the dining room reads moody and refined with rich wood details, warm brass lighting, and indigo-hued cushions strapped with leather buckles that hint at vintage train travel.
The menu includes fragrant pho, spring rolls, noodle dishes, curries, and papaya salad. Standout plates are a yellowtail crudo in a coconut cilantro vinaigrette and clay pot chicken with caramel fish sauce. From the playful cocktail list, lead beverage director Charlie Coale suggests trying the Autumn in Hanoi, which marries soju, lemon, ginger, coconut milk, and Thai chile. “I wanted to create a bourbon-based cocktail with a Southeast Asian feel,” he says.
Salmon, anyone? Snow Monkeys would be happy to provide.
Courtesy of Snow Monkeys
Snow Monkeys
- Location: 3297 Maybank Hwy Suite 302, Johns Island | Find on Google Maps
- Hours: Dinner, Wednesday to Monday; Brunch on Sunday
Beneath the moss-draped oaks of Johns Island, three friends from Chicago teamed with chef Zach Woody to open Snow Monkey. Named for the playful Japanese macaques, the cuisine merges Woody’s French techniques—he trained with Chicago’s Alinea Group—with the team’s reverence for Japanese culture and Lowcountry bounty. The dining room borrows its palette of greys, pinks, and blues from the macaque itself, with Woody’s art adorning the walls. “My food is based deeply in art,” says Woody. “Sometimes I’ll build a dish around a single color palette, other times I’ll use multiple techniques to explore one ingredient and show its full potential.”
That spirit carries through each dish. Start with oysters chilled under yuzu–pear ice for a frosty citrus kick, then try roasted kabocha salad layered with red pear and pepitas for a sweet, nutty bite. Other standout plates include lobster soba, short ribs, and roasted barbecue duck. Snow Monkeys still flies under the radar, with no PR push or marketing blitz behind it; just word of mouth from Johns Island and Wadmalaw locals, who prefer to keep it that way.
The masterminds of Tutti Pizza know how to make precisely the kind of pizza you crave.
Photos by Ryan Belk
Tutti Pizza
- Location: 700 King St Suite A | Find on Google Maps
- Hours: Dinner, Wednesday and Thursday; All-day, Friday to Sunday
From the team behind Graft Wine Bar, Tutti fills a gap in Charleston’s otherwise deep culinary oeuvre: pizza. Opened last year by co-owners Miles White and Femi Oyediran with pizzaiolo Anthony Guerra and chef Michael “Rod” Rodriguez, the concept grew out of a shared nostalgia for Andolini’s, a no-frills hometown joint that is now shuttered. The duo wanted a laid-back spot for 18-inch pies built on a highbrow/lowbrow idea: Share a salty, greasy, foldable slice over a couple of cold Cokes or a bottle of Barolo. “A great pizza shop and a great wine shop are things that are always part of a great neighborhood, and putting them next to each other with our little spin is pretty fun,” says Oyediran.
The menu centers on old-school New York–style pies with a savory sauce and light crunch, and olive oil–baked squares that fall between Sicilian and grandma style. Director of operations Kirsten Bhattacharyya keeps wines priced for the neighborhood with a list that includes chilled reds, grower Champagne, and crisp whites. “There’s something about an extra-large pepperoni, whether you’re eight or 80, that makes people happy,” says White.
Courtesy of Rivayat
Rivayat Creative Indian
- Location: 210 Rutledge Ave | Find on Google Maps
- Hours: Lunch and dinner, Tuesday to Sunday
Meaning “tradition” in Hindi, Rivayat brings the coastal flavors of southern India to downtown Charleston, in the old Makan space. Opened by Sujith Varghese with three chefs born and raised in Kerala, the restaurant reflects their shared backgrounds. “I grew up fishing with my father on the coast of India, so seafood has always been a part of my story,” says Varghese. “Charleston shares that same coastal spirit and love for fresh ingredients.”
That connection shows up across dishes like tandoori oysters, flame-seared and brushed with a smoky butter, then finished with pickled shallot, chile oil, and cilantro microgreens. Other favorites include butter chicken and konju moilee, or prawns simmered in coconut curry. At the bar, cocktails feature Indian spices in familiar forms, like the Tikka Martini made with gin, dry vermouth, and spiced tomato water. “The response has been incredible,” says Varghese. “Guests have been so open and curious, and seeing them come back again and again has been the most rewarding part.”
