How is Laurel restaurant rated?

Name: Laurel
Address: 161 Rutledge Ave, Charleston, SC, United States, 29403-5831
Telephone: (843) 974-5159
Price range: $31 to $50
Rating: 2.8

Laurel

2.8

171 Reviews

$31 to $50

Spanish

Top Tags:

Laurel brings Spanish & Portuguese inspired fare to Downtown Charleston. The menu features Pintxos (small plates), Tapas and Josper charcoal grilled dishes complemented by an expertly curated wine list and cocktail program. Nestled on Rutledge Avenue, Laurel welcomes you to taste and experience handcrafted cuisine. Stop in for a nice bite in the afternoon or enjoy an evening with friends.

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Dining areas

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
$31 to $50
Cuisines
Spanish, Portuguese
Hours of operation
Tue, Wed 4:00 pm–9:00 pm Thu–Sat 4:00 pm–10:00 pm
Phone number
(843) 974-5159
Website
https://www.laurelcharleston.com/
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Casual Dress
Executive chef
Trae Wilson

Location
161 Rutledge Ave, Charleston, SC 29403-5831
Neighborhood
Downtown Charleston
Parking details
Street Parking
Additional
Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Vegan, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine

What 171 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

2.8

2.8 based on recent ratings

2.8Food
2.9Service
3.3Ambience
2.8Value

Noise • Moderate

171 Reviews

OT
OpenTable Diner
Los Angeles
1 review
vip
1.0
1 review
Dined on October 21, 2023
overall1food1service1ambience1
We had a reservation but arrived to a dark restaurant with locked doors. Their website and social media mentioned that they had been closed for their chef to be out of town, but we’re reopening the week before our reservation. Clearly a disorganized group.
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m
mmmmm
Charleston
3 reviews
1.0
3 reviews
Dined on October 20, 2023
overall1food1service1ambience1
Had a 7pm reservation. Showed up and restaurant was closed. So we had to scramble to find a table at another restaurant last minute. I should have gotten a call to let me know the restaurant was closed rather than be surprised.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Atlanta Metro
1 review
vip
1.0
1 review
Dined on October 13, 2023
overall1food1service1ambience1
This restaurant is closed. Unfortunately, I was able to make a reservation on Open Table and didn't realize it was closed until we got there!
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Raleigh
2 reviews
1.0
2 reviews
Dined on October 10, 2023
overall1food1service1ambience2
Laurel canceled our reservation ONE HOUR before our reserved time! Something about the chef having to leave town. Do they only have one chef? We had this reservation for several weeks. Try getting a reservation in Charleston with one hours notice!
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DW
DWC11
New York Area
5 reviews
5.0
5 reviews
Dined on October 3, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
An exceptionally delightful early dinner! Excellent tapas! Great service! Highly recommend!
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JB
JBMACQ
New Orleans
11 reviews
5.0
11 reviews
Dined on September 28, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
Classic neighborhood corner eatery. Hip and sophisticated. Warm service and clearly a local hangout. All hightop and very comfortable. The window was perfect for us to watch the folks inside and outside the restaurant. The croquette was a must-have. Delicious.
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LS
LillianS
Miami
1 review
1.0
1 review
Dined on September 2, 2023
overall1food1service1ambience1
I made a reservation for 4 people 2 weeks in advance. When we got to the restaurant we were told they couldn’t take us because they had overbooked. Mind you it is Labor Day weekend in Charleston at 730 pm. They had also asked me to confirm at 1230 the day prior. It would have saved a lot of issues if they had caller and told me that they wouldn’t be able to accommodate instead of telling us once we got the restaurant. I won’t be back.
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d
damian
Charleston
1 review
3.0
1 review
Dined on September 2, 2023
overall3food3service2ambience3
Only one server for e tire restaurant. He did his best. Octopus was over cooked and had to be sent back
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B
Beenthere
Charlotte
29 reviews
vip
2.0
29 reviews
Dined on August 24, 2023
overall2food2service5ambience4
Laurel's new menu dropped the delicious entrée-scale features that have been excellent during previous visits. Sorry, but tapas-only failed provide an interesting, satisfying, and economically practical dining experience when we were hungry.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Greater Boston
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on August 12, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience4
We had the best experience! The food was out of this world. Our server Matt did everything perfectly to make sure we had an excellent meal. Only down side was that it was almost unbearably hot inside, making for it to be difficult to feel comfortable enjoying the meal!
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Charleston
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on August 2, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
AMAZING! Matt is the best bartender ever. Will definitely be dining and drinking here again! Delicious & refreshing cocktails.
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M
Marley
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on July 29, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience4
Great food, atmosphere, service! There were only two servers and one chef working at the time of our reservation, so it was a bit chaotic and slow but the staff did an incredible job managing the busy night.
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EC
EdwardC
Charleston
4 reviews
4.0
4 reviews
Dined on July 15, 2023
overall4food5service5ambience4
Delicious food! Attentive service. Too loud. Seats too small. We will come back.
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F
Flanker6
Charleston
2 reviews
4.0
2 reviews
Dined on June 7, 2023
overall4food5service5ambience4
Great food and service. Very noisy. They need to install some noise reduction features as was done at Trattoria Lucca some years back with marked improvement.
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SQ
SuzyQ
Charleston
3 reviews
4.0
3 reviews
Dined on June 2, 2023
overall4food5service5ambience3
We were a party of 6 and even though the food and service were great, we were not physically comfortable. The stools you guys use (they can’t be called chairs) need to go. People need to sit in a real chair for dinner. Also, if you can’t sit 6 people comfortably, don’t take reservations over 4. Cramming people at the ENDS of a small table meant for 4 is not proper seating.
1 person found this helpful
AF
AFokas
Charleston
2 reviews
3.0
2 reviews
Dined on May 27, 2023
overall3food5service1ambience3
Great food but they need to have bussers filling drinks and clearing plates because two servers for the whole place is ridiculous. We waited so long with empty drinks and empty plates that it’s almost not worth it but the food is delicious. Koudo to the chefs. I’m sure the servers like having less servers on the floor so they can make more tips but when customers aren’t happy with the flow, then what good is it.
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F
Francine
Raleigh
28 reviews
vip
5.0
28 reviews
Dined on May 27, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
Great neighborhood upscale vibe . Trendy and great atmosphere. The drinks were wonderful( Paloma and Sangria!) the octopus yummy. The butter beans amazing ! The ceasar salad plentiful! I had the pork with mash potatoes super yummy and friends has the steak - serious delicious! Go you won’t regret it!
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Charleston
6 reviews
4.0
6 reviews
Dined on May 26, 2023
overall4food5service5ambience3
Too, too, too LOUD!!!!! Couldn’t hear ourselves think!!!!!! Please put in some sound controls! Crowded- had to wait about 20 minutes past our reservation time to be seated. Also, received drinks AFTER our food! Servers were doing the best to keep up- they earned their money last night!!!! Food was great- hats off to the chiefs! Thank you!— but please do something about the LOUDNESS!!!!
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Mexico City
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on May 21, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
Great food, great service and awesome place… the only negative it’s too noisy
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ET
EmTip
Chicago
2 reviews
1.0
2 reviews
Dined on May 19, 2023
overall1food1service1ambience1
Reservation not honored. We arrived early for our reservation and the table wasn’t ready, which was expected! The hostess said to try back, so we did in 10 minutes or so and we were told it would be 30 minutes for a table. So we walked around and waited. 40 minutes later still no table for two was available. We bailed at that point and snagged a table at Coterie. Delicious choice in the end.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
New York Area
3 reviews
vip
3.0
3 reviews
Dined on May 14, 2023
overall3food5service3ambience3
We had a wonderful experience and DELICIOUS FOOD, but the stools were incredibly uncomfortable and no one took our order for almost 30-40 minutes.
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D
lisaD
Charleston
11 reviews
5.0
11 reviews
Dined on May 13, 2023
overall5food5service4ambience4
Love the new look and the food is amazing! Delish delish but there was one waiter for several tables and it took bc awhile to get service and then find him for more drinks.. Maybe he needed someone to clear plates and ask if the table needed anything
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JS
JenniferS
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on May 12, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
Fantastic food, beverage and service. We will definitely return!
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F
Fitfoodie
Minneapolis
22 reviews
vip
5.0
22 reviews
Dined on May 6, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
Food was excellent. The shrimp was the only thing I didn’t like and we got a lot of food!
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P
Phil
Charleston
11 reviews
3.0
11 reviews
Dined on May 6, 2023
overall3food4service4ambience3
Restaurant is attractive and my meal was very good. However, seating very uncomfortable. Can't lean back in banquette because ledge digs in your back and chairs have no back you can lean on. Also very noisy.
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J
Julie
San Francisco
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on April 28, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
The food was amazing. The service was great. The wine list was very good and reasonably priced. We would definitely go back.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Detroit
9 reviews
vip
5.0
9 reviews
Dined on April 15, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience4
Every dish we ordered was excellent. Pulpo, lamb meatballs, ham and cheese croquettes, steak, the chocolate dessert...all fantastic. Great sauces accompanied the food and the service was really friendly and welcoming. They have good Spanish wines on the menu, reasonably priced as well. Would definitely go back. We really appreciated, too, that they didn't pump the restaurant with loud music over the already energetic banter of the tables. We could actually hear each other! :-)
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M
Margaret
San Francisco
3 reviews
5.0
3 reviews
Dined on April 15, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience4
Delicious food! Can share all meals which expands the delicious experience and makes it fun. Bartender was great too (we ate at the bar). Friendly restaurant. Plan to go back!
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GL
GeorgeL
Philadelphia
4 reviews
4.0
4 reviews
Dined on April 12, 2023
overall4food3service5ambience5
I was excited to try Laurel after reading about it in the Charleston Magazine. The restaurant itself is lovely and the service was excellent. The food was okay. The patatas and the croquetss were a bit bland. I thought there would be larger pieces of ham in the croquettes but they were so small, I couldn’t remember what kind they were. I didn’t care for the spices in the lamb meatballs but that’s probably just me. My husband ate them up. The mixed mushrooms were very good. Our friend had the Wagyu coulotte. My husband tried it and thought it was burnt on the outside and very rare on the inside. He also thought it was very chewy. The pork shank was very good but the accompanying sweet potatoes tasted odd. All in all we had a great time catching up and tried some new foods. We probably will not revisit.
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p
patrick
Charleston
5 reviews
vip
4.0
5 reviews
Dined on April 8, 2023
overall4food4service5ambience5
Menu very limited. Service very fast. Decor beautiful. Loved the octopus on the ceiling.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
New York Area
9 reviews
vip
4.0
9 reviews
Dined on April 2, 2023
overall4food5service4ambience5
The food was excellent, but the restaurant uses both Open Table and Resy for their reservation platform. This leads to chaos, including double booking and in our case, no table. We got one eventually. This seems very ill advised and frankly I’m surprised that it is allowed.
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AL
ALnTA
Charleston
8 reviews
5.0
8 reviews
Dined on March 31, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience4
Everything was delicious. Good GF selection. Solid wine list. Server was very friendly and helpful. They didn’t rush us even though we were the last table served and trying to finish our meals. Very accommodating. Not the most comfortable seats, but we weren’t in pain when done with our 2 hour dinner. We’d go back, and our out-of-town family will definitely ask to go back when they come through next time.
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TM
TaraM
New Mexico
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on March 31, 2023
overall5food5service4ambience5
Amazing and delicious. Perfect vibe and quality tugetehr.
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L
Local
Charleston
1 review
4.0
1 review
Dined on March 31, 2023
overall4food4service3ambience4
Our waitress seemed unhappy to be there and didn't seem to know much about the menu, but we love this place! Though it was not too busy, It took forever to get our drinks & food. But did I mention that we still love this place? It's so nicely tucked out of the way and, in this increasingly tourist-centered mecca, it's nice to know that you can go to dinner and almost always recognize local friends. The food is good and hopefully the waitstaff will continue to develop.
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WT
WorldTraveler
Charleston
47 reviews
vip
5.0
47 reviews
Dined on March 25, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
Amazing food by all standards Food: The Best Tapas place in Charleston area - Appetizers/Tapas dishes: the Joseph grilled octopus is perfect, one of the best of its kind as a dish. Shishito peppers, simple but very good. The croquetas is good. The butterbeans as a side dish is just amazing. - Entrée/main dishes: the masterpiece is the pork shank…. Perfectly cooked and seasoned. - Desserts: the modified cheese cake is delicious. Drinks: I recommend (if still available) Vina Arana Rioja Gran Reserva vintage year 2015. It is only twice the marked price and pairs very well will majority of the dishes, specifically the pork shank Service: Proper service, very courteous and friendly. Ambience/atmosphere: very, very small place, and energetic, although not loud or crowded. Value: decently priced, food and wine Overall rating: a solid 5 (out of 5) Recommendations: Highly recommended. The best Tapas place in Charleston and Way Way Way Way better than “Barsa Tapas place”, if you have to compare both restaurants for food, service, and definitely the ambiance.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Austin
6 reviews
vip
5.0
6 reviews
Dined on March 21, 2023
overall5food5service4ambience5
Best octopus ever! I say that with mixed feelings about eating octopus now, but if you're going to this is the place.
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g
graceatwood
New York Area
6 reviews
vip
4.0
6 reviews
Dined on March 11, 2023
overall4food5service3ambience4
The food was GREAT -- it's the best tapas in Charleston, I think... but the service was not good. The server who waited on us is not regularly a server (which we felt badly about, it stinks when a restaurant is short sited), but that shouldn't be our fault. She did not seem to care about providing good service. Took forever to order a second drink, get utensils when we were missing things, etc. I love the food but am not sure I will go back after this.
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AC
ACHR
Phoenix
4 reviews
5.0
4 reviews
Dined on March 10, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
Great service for lively Friday night dining. Tasty small plates and great wine.
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G
Gigi
Chicago
1 review
4.0
1 review
Dined on March 5, 2023
overall4food5service3ambience3
Good meal but everything was brought out at once instead of staggered as tapas normally is
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Tampa
3 reviews
5.0
3 reviews
Dined on March 3, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
Outstanding unique food, great wine pairing , a rare gem in CHS. Had all tapas, two mains and found each well prepared and plated and the vibe was as good as the food. A must for anyone. We are local and the food is as good as Le Farfalle or better.
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Safety precautions

Cleaning & sanitizing
- Surfaces sanitized between seatings
- Digital, disposable or sanitized menu provided
- Common areas deep-cleaned daily
- Sanitizer or wipes provided for customers
Physical distancing
- Distancing maintained in common areas

Screening
- Sick staff prohibited in the workplace

FAQs

Laurel is rated 2.8 stars by 171 OpenTable diners.

Not available on OpenTable

Unfortunately, this restaurant is not on the OpenTable reservation network.

If you like, we'll notify you by email if this restaurant joins.

Is this your restaurant?

Claim this listing

161 Rutledge Ave, Charleston, SC 29403-5831

Dining areas

Additional information

Neighborhood
Downtown Charleston
Hours of operation
Tue, Wed 4:00 pm–9:00 pm Thu–Sat 4:00 pm–10:00 pm
Price
$31 to $50
Cuisines
Spanish, Portuguese
Dining style
Casual Dining
Dress code
Casual Dress
Parking details
Street Parking
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Executive chef
Trae Wilson
Additional
Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Vegan, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Website
https://www.laurelcharleston.com/
Phone number
(843) 974-5159

Laurel

Not available on OpenTable

Dining areas

Additional information

Overall ratings and reviews

Cleaning & sanitizing

Physical distancing

Screening

FAQs

How is Laurel restaurant rated?

Not available on OpenTable

Dining areas

Additional information