Highest-rated fine dining restaurants in Charleston, South Carolina by diners

Fine dining in the U.S. isn’t what it used to be. Many customers are no longer interested in classic white tablecloths and 16-ounce New York strips; instead, it’s about cutting-edge culinary experiences.

Although steakhouses have defined fine dining in America since the 19th century, that started to change in the mid-1990s. Elite chefs like Thomas Keller at the French Laundry unearthed a whole different kind of tasting experience (with 40 courses), and a new age of fine dining was born. Soon, prix fixe meals—a French style of serving with a set menu—became the norm for fine dining in the U.S.

Between the rise of chef’s tasting menus and consumers’ continued desire to have diverse culinary experiences , the restaurants that grace the pages of top-tier restaurant reviewers like Zagat or the Michelin Guide look very different today than they did 30 years ago. Restaurant goers aren’t just looking for high-quality food. They want the type of menu that will tell a story. They want creative ingredients they’ve never tried before. They want to be transported into a whole new world.

With so many innovative menus and restaurant experiences popping up across America to choose from, it can be challenging to choose where to go for a special evening. Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated fine dining restaurants in Charleston using data from Yelp. Businesses were selected using Yelp’s ranking system, which calculates an adjusted rating value that takes into account the number of ratings as well as the rating score itself.

Only businesses with at least five reviews and at least level 2 pricing (i.e., $$ to $$$$) were considered. Also, in an effort to highlight independent businesses and local chains, those with five or more locations nationally (based on Yelp data) were not included. Restaurants in certain lower-cost categories (like “diners,” “buffets,” and “food trucks”) were excluded. Data is as of Aug. 19, 2024.

Read on to find a potential restaurant for your next special meal out!

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#30. The Palmetto Cafe

– Rating: 4.2/5 (131 reviews)
– Price level: $$$
– Address: 205 Meeting St. Charleston, South Carolina
– Categories: New American, Seafood
– Read more on Yelp

#29. Brasserie La Banque

– Rating: 4.2/5 (94 reviews)
– Price level: $$$
– Address: 1 Broad St. Charleston, South Carolina
– Categories: French, Brasseries
– Read more on Yelp

#28. High Cotton

– Rating: 4.3/5 (1198 reviews)
– Price level: $$$
– Address: 199 East Bay St. Charleston, South Carolina
– Categories: Cocktail Bars, Seafood, Wine Bars
– Read more on Yelp

#27. Barsa

– Rating: 4.3/5 (449 reviews)
– Price level: $$
– Address: 630 King St. Charleston, South Carolina
– Categories: Tapas Bars, Cocktail Bars, Tapas/Small Plates
– Read more on Yelp

#26. Basic Kitchen

– Rating: 4.4/5 (531 reviews)
– Price level: $$
– Address: 82 Wentworth St. Charleston, South Carolina
– Categories: New American, Bars
– Read more on Yelp

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#25. Pearlz

– Rating: 4.4/5 (1404 reviews)
– Price level: $$
– Address: 153 East Bay St. Charleston, South Carolina
– Categories: Seafood, Bars, Live/Raw Food
– Read more on Yelp

#24. Bar167

– Rating: 4.4/5 (114 reviews)
– Price level: $$$
– Address: 5 Fulton St. Charleston, South Carolina
– Categories: Cocktail Bars, Mediterranean
– Read more on Yelp

#23. Tempest

– Rating: 4.3/5 (337 reviews)
– Price level: $$$
– Address: 32 North Market St. Ste C Charleston, South Carolina
– Categories: Seafood, American, Cocktail Bars
– Read more on Yelp

#22. Revival

– Rating: 4.3/5 (255 reviews)
– Price level: $$$
– Address: 162 East Bay St. Charleston, South Carolina
– Categories: Southern, New American, Seafood
– Read more on Yelp

#21. Mondo’s Italian Restaurant

– Rating: 4.3/5 (309 reviews)
– Price level: $$
– Address: 915 Folly Road Ste U Charleston, South Carolina
– Categories: Italian
– Read more on Yelp

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#20. Chez Nous

– Rating: 4.3/5 (307 reviews)
– Price level: $$$
– Address: 6 Payne Court Charleston, South Carolina
– Categories: French, Spanish, Italian
– Read more on Yelp

#19. Peninsula Grill

– Rating: 4.3/5 (632 reviews)
– Price level: $$$$
– Address: 112 North Market St. Charleston, South Carolina
– Categories: New American, Steakhouses, Wine Bars
– Read more on Yelp

#18. Anson

– Rating: 4.3/5 (450 reviews)
– Price level: $$$
– Address: 12 Anson St. Charleston, South Carolina
– Categories: Seafood, Southern, American
– Read more on Yelp

#17. Maison

– Rating: 4.3/5 (113 reviews)
– Price level: $$$
– Address: 708 King St. Charleston, South Carolina
– Categories: French, Wine Bars, Cocktail Bars
– Read more on Yelp

#16. The Darling

– Rating: 4.4/5 (1466 reviews)
– Price level: $$
– Address: 513 King St. Charleston, South Carolina
– Categories: Seafood, Cocktail Bars, Live/Raw Food
– Read more on Yelp

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#15. Magnolias

– Rating: 4.4/5 (3060 reviews)
– Price level: $$$
– Address: 185 East Bay St. Charleston, South Carolina
– Categories: Southern, Wine Bars, Salad
– Read more on Yelp

#14. The James

– Rating: 4.4/5 (118 reviews)
– Price level: $$
– Address: 1939A Maybank Hwy Charleston, South Carolina
– Categories: American
– Read more on Yelp

#13. Slightly North of Broad

– Rating: 4.4/5 (1820 reviews)
– Price level: $$$
– Address: 192 East Bay St. Charleston, South Carolina
– Categories: New American, Southern
– Read more on Yelp

#12. Zero Restaurant + Bar

– Rating: 4.4/5 (144 reviews)
– Price level: $$$
– Address: 0 George St. Charleston, South Carolina
– Categories: New American, Cocktail Bars
– Read more on Yelp

#11. The Establishment

– Rating: 4.5/5 (215 reviews)
– Price level: $$$
– Address: 28 Broad St. Charleston, South Carolina
– Categories: Seafood, New American, Cocktail Bars
– Read more on Yelp

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#10. Burwell’s Stone Fire Grill

– Rating: 4.5/5 (532 reviews)
– Price level: $$$
– Address: 14 North Market St. Charleston, South Carolina
– Categories: New American, Cocktail Bars, Steakhouses
– Read more on Yelp

#9. FIG

– Rating: 4.5/5 (1558 reviews)
– Price level: $$$
– Address: 232 Meeting St. Charleston, South Carolina
– Categories: New American, Bars
– Read more on Yelp

#8. Circa 1886 Restaurant

– Rating: 4.5/5 (367 reviews)
– Price level: $$$
– Address: 149 Wentworth St. Charleston, South Carolina
– Categories: New American, Southern
– Read more on Yelp

#7. R Kitchen

– Rating: 4.5/5 (510 reviews)
– Price level: $$
– Address: 212 Rutledge Ave. Charleston, South Carolina
– Categories: New American
– Read more on Yelp

#6. R Kitchen

– Rating: 4.6/5 (102 reviews)
– Price level: $$$
– Address: 1337 Ashley River Road Charleston, South Carolina
– Categories: New American
– Read more on Yelp

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#5. Sorghum & Salt

– Rating: 4.6/5 (434 reviews)
– Price level: $$
– Address: 186 Coming St. Charleston, South Carolina
– Categories: Tapas/Small Plates
– Read more on Yelp

#4. Edison James Island

– Rating: 4.6/5 (284 reviews)
– Price level: $$$
– Address: 1014 Fort Johnson Road Charleston, South Carolina
– Categories: Seafood, New American, Wine Bars
– Read more on Yelp

#3. Charleston Grill

– Rating: 4.6/5 (396 reviews)
– Price level: $$$$
– Address: 224 King St. Charleston, South Carolina
– Categories: New American, Southern, Wine Bars
– Read more on Yelp

#2. 167 Raw Oyster Bar – Charleston

– Rating: 4.7/5 (3046 reviews)
– Price level: $$$
– Address: 193 King St. Charleston, South Carolina
– Categories: Seafood
– Read more on Yelp

#1. Halls Chophouse

– Rating: 4.7/5 (2966 reviews)
– Price level: $$$$
– Address: 434 King St. Charleston, South Carolina
– Categories: Steakhouses, Seafood, Bars
– Read more on Yelp

This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Kiersten Hickman, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 299 metros.

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