Diners' Choice: Best Overall restaurants in South Carolina

OpenTable

Updated June 05, 2025

Looking for the best overall restaurants in South Carolina? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyzes nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favorite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Frank's Restaurant - Inside Dining

4.9

4.9 (1240)

$31 to $50

American

Pawleys Island

About the restaurant

Frank's Restaurant in Pawleys Island, South Carolina is an Italian-influenced American steakhouse and seafood joint that serves a range of traditional dishes for dinner. Frank's Restaurant has been featured in national press such as Bon Appétit and Southern Living and its kitchen strives to provide tasty dishes made with only the freshest, local and seasonally available ingredients. The atmosphere is elegant and refined and the full bar and extensive wine list complement the meals at Frank's Restaurant.

Start with an appetizer like fried oysters, Caribbean sautéed conch or a low country egg roll. Larger dishes include seafood like pan-seared New Bedford scallops and sautéed veal scallopini.

Top review

Stephen

Dined 4 days ago

Excellent dining experience in every way! Thank you

Maison

4.9

4.9 (1823)

$31 to $50

French

Downtown Charleston

About the restaurant

Maison is a French Bistro located in downtown Charleston, SC. Our concept is food forward with bright, balanced beverages to compliment. Maison's cuisine is inspired by classic French fare recreated with a breath of modernity and local influence. Tradition meets au courant innovation. The space is intimate and paralleled with energy.

Top review

Hannah

Dined 4 days ago

My boyfriend, Tony, took me for a beautiful birthday dinner and Nate and Johnathan were amazing! The experience was phenomenal!

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Experience

Happy Hour at Maison

Top of Carolina

4.9

4.9 (144)

$50 and over

American

Columbia

About the restaurant

Embark on a culinary adventure unlike any other as you ascend to the pinnacle of indulgence at the Top of Carolina rotating restaurant for Sunday brunch. Nestled high above the cityscape, our panoramic views are only rivaled by the sumptuous spread awaiting your arrival. As you sip on mimosas and bask in the morning sunlight, let the world below become a mere backdrop to the feast unfolding before you.

From the first bite of freshly baked pastries to the last sip of artisan coffee, every detail is meticulously curated to tantalize your taste buds and elevate your brunch experience to new heights. Indulge in a symphony of flavors, from savory classics to inventive culinary creations, all while being gently spun around to witness the ever-changing landscape below.

Join us at the Top of Carolina, where Sunday brunch isn't just a meal—it's an unforgettable journey through taste and sight, leaving you with memories as delightful as the dishes themselves.

Top review

Erica

Dined on May 11, 2025

My son treated me to the Mother's day Brunch, very beautiful atmosphere, food was excellent and service was top notch.

Mill Pond Steakhouse

4.9

4.9 (1744)

$31 to $50

Steak

Rembert

About the restaurant

Window seating is first come, first serve depending on how early you make your reservation. Parties larger than 5 are unable to be seated next to the window. We do our best to accommodate all requests but aren't always able to seat everyone that requests a window seat by the window.

Mill Pond Steakhouse is the only up-scaled steakhouse in the midlands. We have a well developed staff that is committed to your dining needs. It starts from the time you pick up the phone to make a reservation to when you are welcomed at the front door and lasts forever. When you arrive to the Mill Pond Steakhouse in Boykin, SC you take a step back in time. Mill Pond Steakhouse offers rustic elegance with southern hospitality and a one of a kind dining experience.

Parties of 6 or more are required to call the restaurant at 803-425-8825 and ask to speak to management.

If you can't make your reservation on time, please call to let us know or else your table may be given to someone else. Thank you!

Top review

Mary

Dined on Jun 25, 2025

Great food and service! Love this place. Highly recommend

O-Ku

4.9

4.9 (2881)

$30 and under

Japanese

Downtown Charleston

About the restaurant

O-Ku, a Japanese restaurant in Charleston, South Carolina, is a triumph of execution and concept. The restaurant's menu is a modern take on traditional Japanese cuisine, and it features fresh, seasonal ingredients that are prepared with care. The dishes are beautifully presented, and the flavors are both complex and delicate. Focused on incorporating authentically Japanese flavors into the fare, O-Ku's menu is comprised of signature contemporary Japanese entrées and traditional sushi of the season reflecting the uniquely designed space. Guests can enjoy chef specialties including kurobuta pulled pork don-buri, braised short rib with shiso pesto, coconut curry, and hakozushi a box-style sushi. A wide variety of nigiri, sashimi and crudos are also available. The beverage program at O-Ku is a sophisticated blend of specialty cocktails, premium sake, bubbles, red and white wines and unique beer selections.

Top review

BobVIP

Dined 2 days ago

Great service! Champagne for our anniversary was very special!

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Perrone's Restaurant and Bar

4.9

4.9 (359)

$50 and over

Steakhouse

Pawleys Island

About the restaurant

World Cuisine with a Mediterranean Focus - Complete Chophouse Menu with USDA Prime (In-House) Dry Aged Beef, Local Wagyu Beef, Complete with Compound Butters, Sauces, and Steakhouse Sides - Responsibly Sourced, Fresh Local Seafood - Craft Cocktail Bar - Extensive Award Winning Wine List - Upscale Dining in a Casual, Laid Back Atmosphere with Local Art Laden Walls, Low Lighting, and Relaxing Jazz Music (P.S. We are not an Italian Restaurant! )

Top review

DebbieVIP

Dined 2 days ago

We love the vibe and the food at Perrone’s! This visit we enjoyed the octopus appetizer and the salmon rillettes appetizer, and the fish du jour was Golden Tile prepared in a delicious lemon butter sauce…to die for! All paired with outstanding wine selections. Love!

The Market Cafe at Michael Anthony's

4.9

4.9 (1647)

$31 to $50

Italian

Hilton Head Island

About the restaurant

Michael Anthony’s Market Cafe, the sister restaurant to Michael Anthony’s Cucina Italiana, features casual, trattoria-style dining for lunch and dinner plus an Italian specialty shop. Located just across the breezeway from Michael Anthony’s, we cater to almost all of your culinary desires.
Here we showcase a menu of lighter fare including sandwiches, salads, pasta, pizza and smaller portions of our chefs’ acclaimed meat and seafood dishes. We also have Italian coffees and a full bar. "Hilton Head Monthly" readers have voted us their “Favorite New Restaurant” and “Favorite Lunch Place.”
Join us for Happy Hour (4:30pm-5:30pm), when we offer specially-priced cocktails, wine and perfectly-sized snack plates.
Or stop in and browse our carefully-curated specialty foods. They include cheeses, fresh meats, house-made pastas, olive oil, tomato products, heat-and-serve entrees and homemade desserts.
Please visit our website or call for dining reservations.

Top review

MichaelVIP

Dined 3 days ago

Excellent place. Great food and service. Prices are also great. Really enjoyed it.

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Popular dish

Chicken Parmigiana

Anson

4.9

4.9 (5083)

$50 and over

Southern

Downtown Charleston

About the restaurant

Anson was named one of OpenTable's 50 Best Southern Restaurants in America for 2018 |

Top review

Laurie

Dined 2 days ago

It was beautiful! The service was wonderful and we enjoyed the night.

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Popular dish

Whole Crispy Flounder

4.9

4.9 (1466)

$31 to $50

American

Pawleys Island

About the restaurant

Bistro 217 offers an eclectic menu that features seafood, steak, pasta and other delicious dishes. Owners Anne Hardee and Adam Kirby who was elected Chef Ambassador of South Carolina have created a culinary haven. Guests can gather indoors or in the newly renovated courtyard where you may enjoy libations and savory cuisine. You can begin your dining experience at Bistro 217 with an appetizer of Asian ribs or petite crab cakes with a lemon aioli. A main course of Herb-encrusted Grouper with a caper brown butter or Grilled Filet Mignon with seared shrimp will please the palate. The lunch menu offers sandwiches and burgers, as well as tasty fish tacos. Don't forget the incredible array of in-house made desserts and icecreams, you won't want to skip! Bistro 217 has reviews in publications like Southern Living and Grand Strand Magazine.

Top review

SherriVIP

Dined 2 days ago

We enjoyed a nice bottle of Cites Du Rhône wine and shared 12 ounce steak with mashed potatoes and okra! It was fantastic!

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Popular dish

Bistro Burger

Popular dish

Tomato Crab & Jalapeño Soup

SeaBlue Restaurant & Wine Bar

4.9

4.9 (2465)

$50 and over

Contemporary American

North Myrtle Beach

About the restaurant

SeaBlue Restaurant and Wine Bar is the finest restaurant on the Grand Strand, featuring Contemporary American cuisine rooted in classic French cooking technique. We aspire to be among the best restaurants in the country, using locally sourced ingredients and displaying five-star service to all our guests. We are proud of our many awards, #1 Restaurant in the Country in 2014 by OpenTable and Best of Award of Excellence 2012-2024 by Wine Spectator, just to name a few.

As owners, Kenneth Norcutt and Tracy Smith are involved in every aspect of the restaurant. Our travels, extensive background, and passion for food and wine enable us to share our experiences with you in our small community of North Myrtle Beach, SC. We are a small family dedicated to an intimate culinary adventure, a playground for lovers of wine and fine cuisine.
We invite you to Drink, Dine & Discover.

Top review

LynnVIP

Dined 2 days ago

We have been dining at SeaBlue’s for years. The food and service were excellent.

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