How to Eat Like a Local in Charleston: a Guide to the Best Restaurants, Culinary-Focused Hotels, and More

Charleston, South Carolina, is selling its summer charm with a food-forward itinerary that spans Italian wine-and-steak sophistication, coastal Indian seafood, Lowcountry classics, and more. The guide frames the city’s cuisine as a blend shaped by West African ingredients and farming traditions preserved by the Gullah Geechee community, alongside regional oysters, clams, fish, and barbecue. It highlights restaurants and food-focused stays, plus markets and shops for building picnic baskets. Among the early mentions are Sorelle, opened in 2023 with multiple townhouse spaces and “pillows of gold” ricotta tortelloni, and Rivayat Creative Indian on Rutledge Avenue, opened in September 2025, with Kerala chefs specializing in seafood.