The Establishment

We were there for brunch on Sunday just prior to the afternoon show of Steel Magnolias. The service was great, the decor is elegant with low lighting and a no rush feel....the food was delicious....I was with 4 ladies and no one left one morsel on their plate....the waffles are to die for and the egg in a whole is way beyond what my mama made :-)

For service, food, and ambience, this has become our "go to" for special occasions. Special occasions include "Hmmm, we haven't been to the Establishment recently." A huge attraction for us is one of the most interesting wine lists in town with excellent advice from sommeliers Andres and Kathryn. Our best trick - pick the vegetable risotto main course and split it as a side dish. Amazing.

Although some of the reviews we read indicated that service was lax, we experienced exceptional service throughout and it was a Saturday night.

Our dinner was excellent. Ask to sit in the front room with the piano if you enjoy singing along to music like Sweet Caroline and Piano Man. We had the best time! The entire room was participating which made for a fun experience.

Pleasant atmosphere. Staff was very friendly and attentive. Food was creative and tasty

The Establishment does not look like much from the outside but once you get in it opens into a beautiful and thoughtful space. We sat in the front eating area which was much quieter than the area back by the bar so loved that. Our service was provided by Chad and he was beyond excellent. He was attentive but not annoying. He knew the menu and the flavor profiles of all dishes. When he didn’t have an answer, he sent someone who could answer our questions. The food was some of the best I’ve ever experienced in Charleston. I had the whole Local snapper. The best tasting fish I’ve ever eaten! The other three in my party also had amazingly prepared dishes. There wasn’t a dish I wouldn’t recommend or order again. All staff was friendly and helpful, often going out of their way to assist us. I will be back! Wholeheartedly recommend anyone give it a try.

The food and decor are both top notch... however..
The piano man takes it over the top!!
Love the tunes!!

Sister and I came into town for garden tour and Antique show.

Eight people with time constraints proves a challenge for any server. He was up to that challenge and we had plenty of time to get to the Dock Street. Drink orders were taken and food arrived all in order. Several of our party ordered gnocchi and the servings arrived luke warm. All the other dishes were as expected. The Establishment is a beautiful restaurant convenient to the Dock Street and pre theater guests are cared for. We are going back.

Fantastic flavors and dishes. Great service from an attentive waiter and manager. Lovely ambiance created by a live piano player. Will definitely be back.

We were a party of 6 and all of us agreed that we would definitely return. The service was excellent and the food was beautifully prepared and creatively presented. The absolute favorite was the duck - crispy with a variety of textures and tastes. The blackberry sauce completed the dish. The greens salad was also delicious with the chunks of blue cheese. The baby beets salad was beautifully prepared - as was the carrots salad. The main course of Coq au Vin was not only tasty, but also creatively served. Some in our group liked the monk fish but nobody would order the grouper again. Our only negatives were the fact that there was no bread on the menu. For those prices, it would have been a nice touch to have some delicious bread to soak up the tasty sauces. The portions are small and everything is a la carte. On the other hand, it was nice to leave the restaurant comfortably satisfied instead of uncomfortably stuffed!

Great atmosphere and even better food!

Excellent meals - monkfish and swordfish. Cooked to perfection and great flavors.

This is a very nice place with an upbeat staff and very accommodating. It is a bit noisy but not overly so,and we enjoyed the crowd. Our only real complaint was that the portions are very small , so it is not a place to go if you are really hungry. An offering of bread would also have been nice. Having said that, the food was very well presented and quite excellent tasting. Great bar. We will go back.

My fourth time there and equally good as before.

Atmosphere was incredible, a hidden gem. Food was very good as was service. Piano was perfect volume.

My wife and I went there for the first time based off the recommendation of a friend and the fact that we had randomly met Eric (the piano player) outside of the restaurant.

We had an awesome meal. Terrific customer service. Very attentive staff and really appreciated their dedication to keeping the pace of the meal moving.

The highlights for us (food wise) were the monkfish, duck appetizer and the sommelier’s wine pairing. The local chocolates at the end were a nice tough.

Great ambiance (love piano is a great touch) and a wonderful evening. Thank you!

The venue was very cool, great layout and configuration.
Service was excellent initially, but decreased as the evening went on as it became busier.

Outstanding Restaurant!!! Couldn’t have had a better experience. The local newspaper food critic need to be retiring very near term is she cannot appreciate what this restaurant presents. We had without question The Best Seafood meal that a restaurant that focuses on that fare could offer. Will absolutely return & highly recommend this restaurant!!!!

So positive, great service and delicious suggestions made for a memorable meal

Excellent food and wonderful wine selection at a very reasonable price.

Good food. Digital art over the bar is very distracting. I sat facing away so it wouldnt bother me.

What a great experience! The bartenders (Shane and Matt) were awesome and very engaging. Thank you Shane for your recommendations on what to order. Everything was DELICIOUS!!!!

Excellent in every way. This may be our new "go to" downtown restaurant. It's a little pricey but did not disappoint.

We have been here several times. Always great food and wonderful wait staff.

Celebrated an art opening. Restaurant was lovely and we enjoyed the pianist. Waiter was great. Food was outstanding! We’ll be back next time we’re in town.

Dinner for two dining with swordfish and monkfish entrees, both of which were excellently prepared with balanced flavors and tasteful presentation. The Establishment has a lively vibe with the young and younger enjoying the busy bar as well as the more relaxed front dining room. Definitely a must on a Charleston visit.

My first time and it was great. the atmosphere was fantastic, the food was excellent and the team on duty could not have been any better. This is one of my new favorite restaurant in Charleston and will be headed that way again this next month. my friends thought it was just as good as I did.

thank you
scott

We had a wonderful evening at The Establishment, our second visit. Seafood freshness and preparation were simply excellent. And a lovely environment.

I am a repeat diner and wrote a review from my last visit. Zack attended us well. My wife and I are not big eaters. We shared a unique appetizer of multicolored carrots, mushrooms, and onions lightly cooked with a taste of ricotta and herbs. For our main courses we split a vegan entree and the seared whole striped bass over purple rice, deboned. A chocolate EVO cake rounded out the meal. Everything was tasty and nicely presented. My wife ordered a glass of adequate Viognier that was complimentary to the meal. Tab and tax with tip puts The Establishment clearly in the high dollar category, even if it is in downtown Charleston. It makes for pleasant occasional dining.

We had a delicious dinner, capped off with a treat of the best chocolate! Would have liked a little bread to sop up the tomato fennel broth of the seafood stew. Our waiter was very attentive. Wonderful evening!

Everything was fantastic. Great value wines, every one of the “taste” dishes (smaller plates) was amazing and the main course meals were out of this world. One of the best meals I’ve had while living in Charleston the last 4 years. Would highly recommend and will be returning for more date nights!

This was our second visit and was just as good as the first time. Our server Nick was excellent and very attentive to our needs. Will definitely go back!

Unfortunately we were seated at the last booth before the bathrooms and their must be a waiters station right behind that booth because at least 3 times during our dinner a server either dropped or broke some glasses and the noise was loud enough that our entire party jumped. Not particularly pleasant!

Anniversary

Absence of bread service was important and mentioned to Manager

great vegetable starters; fish seems to be the specialty; extensive interesting wine list.

Food is always delicious and service is on point! Had another wonderful experience!

My Mother and I chose to spend an evening on the town together this past Friday. Our dinner at The Establishment was one of the best dining experiences either of us has had in a long while. The reservations were made, and a very polite call came through to confirm. Upon our arrival at the restaurant, we were greeted pleasantly by the hostess and seated immediately. Our server, Justin was attentive, knowledgeable and appropriately funny. He made some wonderful suggestions, and replaced my Mother’s cocktail when she did not find it to her liking. Justin suggested some menu items that we had not considered, and we chose to order them. The food was fantastic. My Mother and I do not care for duck, but we took a chance, and it was outstanding! The coordinating wine selections were also on pointe.

Sadly, the pianist began to play just as it was time for us to leave for a performance at the Dock Street Theatre, but we were happy to hear him play for a few minutes, and will certainly remember that there is live music on Friday and Saturday evenings as we make future plans.

Lisa was lovely to us as we left (especially to my very senior Mom (which is always greatly appreciated). She actually walked us to the door as if we were visiting her in her own home.

The evening was a wonderful experience, and we will happily share this information with friends considering a dining venue, and we will return again ourselves. Thank you to the entire staff for making my evening with my Mother into something very special.

Deborah

The establishment is the perfect place for celebrations, birthday, or just a romantic date night. The actual decor and layout of everything was stunning and warm.. made you want to stay a little longer. Our waiter, Chad, was outstanding and very kind. We loved all of his recommendations. The food was unbelievable. We shared the duck appetizer, poached fish, and the chocolate cake.. cant stop talking about how good it was with coworkers and friends. We will definitely be back!