Where to Find Romance in Charleston’s Restaurants

Located in historic downtown Charleston, Husk was initially made famous by chef Sean Brock, who is no longer with the company. Reservations are still highly coveted by both tourists and locals alike and a new spin on Southern cuisine from executive chef Travis Grimes brings seasonally local ingredients from the South to every plate. Daily dishes like the cornmeal fried catfish or the Vermillion snapper are alway prepared with Southern flair in mind.

One of the few Lebanese restaurants in the Lowcountry, Leyla’s Fine Lebanese is a quiet oasis on busy King Street. Experience this family-run and -owned restaurant with a friendly staff and extensive menu that caters to vegetarian, vegan, meat, or gluten-free diners, giving couples an inclusive option for date night. Dishes range from hummus and baba ghanoush to falafel, kabobs, and shawarma.

A destination new American restaurant, Sorghum and Salt is tucked off the main streets of Charleston in a renovated house with limited seating. All menus are updated daily based on local availability and seasonality, and dishes could include a mushroom tart, Parisian gnocchi with cauliflower, marigold butter, dehydrated buttermilk, and herbs, or short rib with sunchokes, black garlic, and persimmon. With an open kitchen, diners can see the house-made pasta in action while enjoying their chosen dish.

This small but popular French bistro in Charleston sits on trendy Upper King Street and is led by chef Vandy Vanderwarker (formerly of The Ordinary). Vanderwarker mixes traditional French fare, such as burgundy escargot and rabbit en croute, with more casual dishes like the onion soup croquettes and steak frites. Local patrons mix with tourists throughout this lively restaurant.

Sibling to Church and Union (formerly 5church), Tempest sits across from the historical open air vendors market. Executive chefs Jamie Lynch, Adam Hodgson, and Will Cammer lead the way in seafood cuisine on their raw and roast menu that utilizes seasonal local ingredients such as Lowcountry oysters from the Ace Basin in South Carolina. Dishes include clam risotto with scallion butter; whole fish with tahini, pickled blueberries, and bitter greens; and all manner of raw bar.

Oak Steakhouse sits in an unassuming historic building surrounded by offices and artist studios on Broad Street. What lies behind is this traditional steakhouse that provides signature steak options including filet mignon, prime ribeye, and a porterhouse to share with upgrade options such as scallops Oscar and King crab Oscar. Servers are dressed in upscale attire allowing for a more elegant evening for two.

This popular restaurant brings the sea to the city with highly sought-after fresh seafood leading the menu options. The always coveted seafood plateau allows for the adventurous couple to try a variety of different raw options, followed by dishes such as fried clam strips, blue crab tagliatelle, or shrimp and grits.

Located on the water in Daniel Island, this newly opened seafood restaurant provides one of the only waterfront dining options in the area. Executive chef Kevin Getzewich partners with local farms and fisheries to provide fresh and seasonal menu options to the dining table such as seafood towers, lobster Cobb salad, crab fried rice, and Lowcountry chowder.

Asian cuisine is the focus at O-Ku, mashing up ingredients from many Asian countries, resulting in creative dishes such as chicken wings with a gochujang barbecue sauce, braised beef short ribs with pickled butternut squash, and truffle edamame. But the focus here is on sushi, with all sorts of rolls and sashimi available. Sitting at the sushi bar and putting your meal in the chef’s hands with an omakase makes for a particularly fun date night.

Executive chef Mark Bulchoz focuses on rustic Italian cuisine with hand-crafted pasta, housemade salumi, and wood-fired pizzas at this classic date night spot. Favorite dishes include the black pepper tagliatelle with a runny egg yolk and pancetta and the burrata with tomato bacon jam.

Coterie is perfect for the couple looking for a delicious dining experience different from ubiquitous Southern fare. One of the few Indian restaurants in Charleston, it’s a collaboration between chefs Viraj Borkar and Flint Spencer, who meld Indian fare with ingredients from other cuisines. Shared plates include saag burrata and Bombay shrimp and grits, while entrees turn to pan-seared local fish with lentil rice and Caribbean curry or tandoori masala spiced quail.