Cru Cafesmall but powerfulkept the cozy, warm ambience of the old Pinckney Cafe, where I first ate with my then-college student daughter ... we all cleaned our plates which meant, sadly, no room for dessert ... next time a dessert date!6/11/2013 12:00:00 AMEverything fabulous!Loved our dinner at Cru! Amazing food and impeccable service. Thanks, Sara, for a great experience.6/8/2013 12:00:00 AMAwesome lunch!We truly enjoyed our lunch! We ordered the oyster wrap with fries for the side. It was delicious!!! The portion was generous; it was large enough that my husband and I split the dish, and both left the restaurant full. Highly recommended!6/8/2013 12:00:00 AMAnother fine Charleston restaurant.Another fine Charleston restaurant. Fresh, well prepared food with excellent service.6/7/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat spot for a great dinner!My wife and I recently ate at Cru cafe for our 4 year wedding anniversary. This is a cute little spot of Pinckney street not far from all the carriage tour places. The food was great, the ambiance was bright and cheerful and the service was also wonderful. Our server was very knowledgeable about the menu and was able to thoroughly answer all of our questions about the food. The flavors of each dish worked well together and were very well thought out. All of our proteins were cooked perfectly, our entire meal, appetizer, mains and desserts were very well executed. I would dine here again in a heartbeat. The food was also reasonably priced, while not cheap of course, we spent more money on worse meals in Charleston.6/7/2013 12:00:00 AMWe go to the Cru Cafe everyWe go to the Cru Cafe every year when we visit Charleston. The food is always fantastic and they make you feel very special. The staff are all very knowledgable and they work well as a team. Our son has joined us the past few years and he talks about how good the food was for months afterwards. We will definitely be back next year.6/7/2013 12:00:00 AMWonderful Staff and Food to Match.Can you compliment wait staff too much? Not at this place, they are friendly and efficient and personable. We had a few minute wait for our table and once seated, nothing seemed too much trouble. We elected to have a few small plates and share and the number was recommended by the waitress and was perfect. The special of the day was Baratta filled with pesto and feta and wrapped in prosciutto before being lightly cooked - this was a daily special and was so amazing I hope they keep it on the menu. We only had the 3 plates and a couple of glasses of wine, but even though there were people walking in for a table, they never hurried us or pushed us to leave. We felt comfortable at all times and would go back again and again.6/7/2013 12:00:00 AMSmall But PotentAt Cru Cafe, my wife and I enjoyed the most delicious meals of our coastal SC vacation, and some of the best ever. It's small and somewhat hard to find, but worth the effort.6/6/2013 12:00:00 AMLovely lunch, but plan aheadFirst, PLAN AHEAD and make reservations! I can recall about 8-10 tables indoors and 4 on the porch, so it's not a big place. I made reservations for a weekday lunch about 1 week before visiting Charleston. The Cafe was ready for me when I arrived, but believe me, it is a popular location for visitors and locals, and the reservations manager was busy out of his mind! Even so, the wait staff was friendly and efficient, and you did not feel rushed when ordering. I had the grouper cake with zucchini, portabello mushroom, and goat cheese "fritter" (I'll call it that), which was a special, and was very fresh and an excellent mix of flavors. Plus mint julep iced tea, flourless chocolate torte and cappuccino for desert. Lovely lunch!6/6/2013 12:00:00 AMYumThe salads are wonderful. The peach bread pudding was phenomenal and I don't even like bread pudding.6/6/2013 12:00:00 AMFabulous brisket sandwichI though brisket was brisket, good of course, but how could it be different than any other brisket? All I can say is wow, it's like a magic brisket sandwich it's that good!6/5/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat LunchHad lunch with my wife who had a chicken sandwich and macaroni and cheese. Liked both very much but mac and cheese was not the best she ever had. I had the special which was cornbread encrusted talapia sandwich with parmesan truffle fries. Both were great and the fries were addicting. We will be back.6/4/2013 12:00:00 AMSmall gemReally delicious meal. Tried the praline encrusted tile fish. Excellent blend of flavors. All in our group were more than pleased. Alex was a most pleasant and competent waitress.
Highly recommend you seek out the Cru!6/4/2013 12:00:00 AMspecialJohnny was our server did a very nice job of making us feel at home.6/4/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat place (make reservations)This was our second visit to Cru Cafe and we are still raving about it! Cute historic house with open kitchen, indoor and outdoor seating, wonderful menu with great flavors, friendly and efficient service.6/1/2013 12:00:00 AMYum!I took my best friend here for her birthday and we each tried one of the specials and they were just amazing! It's pretty pricey but it is absolutely worth the money. We went for an early dinner and it wasn't crowded at all.6/1/2013 12:00:00 AMVery good dinner in CharlestonWonderful dinner in a very charming restaurant. My only complaint is that we were rushed. Because the restaurant is so small, I felt pressure to finish fast and leave. The food arrived too fast. But I would definitely go back!6/1/2013 12:00:00 AMShrimp BLT to dream aboutThe best sandwich ever! I had to go to the bakery to get the bread they used after lunch.6/1/2013 12:00:00 AMA local treasure!This place came highly recommended for "foodies" and it doesn't disappoint. Reservations are a MUST - the space is small and it gets busy. We didn't find the service to be all that attentive but they were very busy when we were there. The food is very good and the menu is interesting and creative. The restaurant occupies the downstairs of an old house in the heart of Charleston. Highly recommend Cru cafe!5/30/2013 12:00:00 AMWonderful overall experience.Wonderful overall experience. We only managed lunch at Cru Café during our busy Spoleto Festival visit to Charleston, but glad we worked it in. Definitely looking forward to a return visit next time we are in Charleston--Spoleto 2014 or sooner!5/29/2013 12:00:00 AMA pleasant surprise!Very southern atmosphere-enjoyable evening. The food was very well presented and tasty. The staff was most helpful and accommodating.5/29/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat little lunch placeParking is the only possible negative that I could say about the Cru Cafe. Reservations recommended because it is a small place, but the food, atmosphere and service is great. We had lunch and the portion size was generous too. Everything that I saw being served while we were there looked so good. Special of the day was soft-shelled crab and it was beautifully prepared. Look forward to the next time.5/28/2013 12:00:00 AMAlways epic. Every trip IAlways epic. Every trip I make to Charleston includes a meal at The Cru Cafe.5/25/2013 12:00:00 AMBest mealThis was probably one of the best meals the four of us have ever eaten!5/24/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat Charleston Lunch SpotExcellent food and service. Enjoyed the soft shell crab.5/24/2013 12:00:00 AMA perfet tucked away gem!You may need to call ahead to check for seating availability at this tiny little cafe but any wait you have is absolutely worth it!!! I had the sauteed flounder over pappardelle pasta with mushrooms, pancetta, dried tomatoes and roasted cauliflower cream sauce and it was simply divine! If you are into rich chocolate then have the chocolate torte for dessert it is yum yum yum!!! This is a great spot for a nice meal where you can take the time to savor every bite. The staff is friendly and this kitchen works like a well oiled machine. You can even watch it work if you are interested in sitting at the chefs table where you are perched on a stool at a bar top facing the kitchen. I hope everyone enjoys this as much as I did! :)5/24/2013 12:00:00 AMTiny but always goodThey may not seat many people, and yes you should ALWAYS make a reservation here, but they always have your table ready. The food is wonderful and the service is excellent. If you want to see what's going on in the kitchen sit at the counter.5/24/2013 12:00:00 AMExcellent!Excellent as always! Great food, service and drinks. We'll be back.5/24/2013 12:00:00 AMCharleston CharmWonderful neighborhood dining in dowtown charleston. Great service. Sat outside without a very long wait at all. Inside smelled a little fishy to me but then I am not a seafood person. Meal was great. Would definitely recommend it. Not very loud at all. On a quiet street. Dining room felt a little crowded not very romantic5/23/2013 12:00:00 AMOne of the best in CharlestonCru is on our list of the top three places to dine in Charleston. Never disappointed. Consistent, interesting and yummy~5/23/2013 12:00:00 AMWe had a very enjoyable lunchWe had a very enjoyable lunch here! We sat outside and everything was very pleasant. Food was very good, nice atmosphere on a beautiful day. Would definitely recommend--just be sure to make a reservation.5/22/2013 12:00:00 AMVery niceWe travel to Charleston area as often as possible & always try to have lunch or dinner @ Cru. Reservations highly recommended.5/21/2013 12:00:00 AMOur favorite!We ate at several great restaurants during our 5 day stay in Charleston, but this was by far our favorite. So much so, we ate both dinner and lunch here and we enjoyed everything we ordered. We highly recommend Cru Cafe.5/21/2013 12:00:00 AMReserve Cru Cafe in CharlestonEnjoyed a fabulous dinner at Cru Cafe on May 18th.
I ordered the Duck Confit Salad and my husband ordered the Soft Shell Crab (featured appetizer) and both dishes were Out of this World! For entrees, we ordered the Red Snapper and the Pork Chop (featured entrees) and both were DIVINE !!!!
The service, food and ambiance made for a lovely evening filled with warm Southern Hospitality. Make a reservation and enjoy an evening at Cru Cafe....One of THE BEST in Charleston!!!!!5/18/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat food with a spinCru takes classic dishes and puts a delicious spin on the traditional. Excellent service and menu variety5/18/2013 12:00:00 AMCharleston lunch spotAmazing food with excellent service. A fairly small house in Charleston serving small fare with HUGE flavor and great variety of novel dishes. You must have the duck confit salad and fried green tomatoes. Throw in a bottle of sancerre and the mussels and you are in heaven! Strongly advise reservations.5/18/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat food with great atmosphere...Great food with great atmosphere... Always a great place to dine every time we are in Charleston.5/18/2013 12:00:00 AMAn enjoyable evening.In Charleston celebrating our anniversary and discovered a terrific spot with the Cru Cafe. Food and service both impeccable. A small menu but very interesting choices and terrific execution.5/17/2013 12:00:00 AMGreatWe had wonderful food at this charming restaurant!5/17/2013 12:00:00 AMA Taste of The SouthOld South charm with a new southern twist-The selection-The presentation-Dinning on the "Piaza" with the fan overhead supplying a "cool" breeze- while overlooking the street-without the hustle & bustle of the inside-an entirely different atmoshere-Charming & delightful-Believe it or not the stables slightly down the street added an unbelievable Antebellum ambiance-5/17/2013 12:00:00 AMCounter seat a mixed blessingDined on Thursday evening; had the square-shaped salad with pear to start with, followed by the duck breast with Carolina rice and green beans. All the food was very yummy, although a little bit salty for me. As a single diner, I was seated at the counter
overlooking the kitchen. While it provided a bit of an entertainment, I would have preferred a small table if there was an option.
If you are seated at one end of the counter near the passage (as I was initially), the foot traffic would have been quite distracting and would have spoiled my dining experience. I was lucky to be able to move over to the other end of the counter when another customer left the place.5/16/2013 12:00:00 AMExcellent lunch!I had the Garlic Marinated Chicken Club sandwich with shoestring fries and cannot wait to have it again! This sandwich was absolutely incredible. Tendor chicken, perfect amount of lettuce and tomato, and the sourdough bread was perfectly grilled. Try. This. Sandwich.5/15/2013 12:00:00 AMWonderful restaurant in old houseCru Cafe was a delight! The historic house was the perfect setting for an intimate dinner or casual lunch. We chose dinner. There is a large porch, on which you can choose to eat if the weather suits you. The service was outstanding. The food came out quickly and our drinks were always full. The meals were fantastic, with many different types of flavors included on one plate. It was a magnificent experience and if we're ever in Charleston again, we'll be sure to visit again!5/14/2013 12:00:00 AMHopping little cafe with great foodWe booked a 12:15pm Tues. lunch. Glad we did or we would've had a 1hr wait. They were super busy, hence a check-in delay. With no obvious out-of-the-way place to wait, we filled up the entranceway and awkwardly blocked traffic of the waitstaff to porch tables.
Once we were installed at our table the service was fast and efficient. Tables are close together, so people needing a lot of space are going to feel crowded.
We had the brisket BBQ sandwich and the shrimp BLT and both were super tasty. Sides were also delicious. Nice touch was the option (in addition to soft drinks) for tea, lemonade, or the Arnold Palmer (my fave). Portions were large, so we were too stuffed to try out the desserts.
Overall, great experience and outstanding food.5/14/2013 12:00:00 AMPut This Gem On Your ListExcellent food and service. Great value. In other places, you pay way more for this quality. It's like a quality Montreal or French bistro where all the workers have good skills and experience. I'll be back.5/11/2013 12:00:00 AMyummy southern foodGot to try a variety of small plates. The mac and cheese was divine! Tried fried oysters and fried green tomatoes. Bread pudding was fantastic. Very cute atmosphere-two rooms and a porch of a house. Good service.5/10/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat little gem of a spotSix of us ate there and each raved about each appetizer and entree we had. Our server, Alex, was knowledgeable, friendly, and sent us in the right direction for food and wine choices. The food is fresh, well-prepared and thoughtful. Not pretentious at all, just well done and fresh. On this trip we also ate at Trattoria Lucca and 39 Rue de Jean. Cafe Cru won out as our unanimous favorite, even though there was stiff competition from Lucca.5/10/2013 12:00:00 AMDowntown Charleston's Hidden GemGreat food, great service, and worth every penny! Great place for local dining and the feeling of Charleston.5/9/2013 12:00:00 AMBest Meal During Charleston Trip!Loved it! Favorite dish was the Chinese chicken salad!5/9/2013 12:00:00 AMCreative and deliciousReally delicious low country food. The setting is a charming Charleston house with a few tables on the porch tucked away from the busiest streets. Delightful. Would definitely return!5/9/2013 12:00:00 AM