The Darling Oyster Bar
Anchoring The Darling Oyster Bar is a stunning raw bar showcasing fresh, made-to-order seafood. Guests can enjoy the lively raw bar scene while overlooking historic King Street from The Darling’s iconic storefront. The Darling raw bar also offers full service dining.
Located in the heart of Upper King Street, The Darling Oyster Bar is housed in a 115-year old historic building that enjoys a storied past. A mix of the original 1900’s reclaimed wood, whole exposed brick walls, classic tile, antique molding, and nautical theme combine to create a setting that is all at once convivial, charming, and comfortable.
Overall a delightful experience. Our server was exceptional. The good was well done and the drinks flowed easily. I would definitely recommend
I enjoyed the food, but the service was slow. It was a Sunday when I image they aren’t that busy. Still, I feel like the waiter could have been around more. Also, they gave our desert to the wrong table, so we had to wait longer to get ours. By the time we got it, we were ready to go.
We ate at the bar. The bartenders were amazing, very good at what they do. Food was sensational. However, there was a shrimp entrée that had a little too much sauce, it was a little too rich.
Excellent oysters
Delicious drinks and food with great service. Dim lighting in dining area, perfect for a date.
Amazing brunch! And the oysters are unreal!
All fried Foods taste the same, salty. Over the top salt and too fried.
Thank you so much for taking the time to write in about your experience. While I wish your experience had been better, our kitchen team can learn a lot from reviews like yours. I've shared your comments with our chef and we will be making all the necessary improvements we can!
Got this seafood plateau for $90 and two of us finished this in 20 mins! Ask for the butter. Amazing!
Had a great New Years dinner here! Was sad because they ran out of the lobster ravioli but everything else was great.
Had the best New Year’s Eve dinner!!
My husband and enjoyed dinner very much our favorites were the pimento cheese baked oysters and the crab cakes. He ordered the grouper special as his entree which he enjoyed but felt the pesto sauce slightly was slightly heavy for the mild fish. We were both impressed by the s'mores dessert.
Great atmosphere, service and food. Limited entree selection, but the raw bar can make up for that.
Fantastic experience! Loved the vibe and the raw bar was absolutely delicious. We had made dinner reservations, but were concerned when we saw how crowded it was and there’s no outdoor seating. Instead we booked for happy hour. Went at 4:00 for drinks and the raw bar and weren’t disappointed. It wasn’t busy and sat in a booth so safely distanced. Service was pleasant and lobster, crab and clams were some of the best we’ve ever had! Will look forward to returning for dinner post-COVID.
I'm sorry to bash a place especially during Covid but if you're in town for a few days only do not eat here. We came here for dinner and decided to have a bunch of appetizers. Unfortunately, none were good. We started off with Clam Chowder. Now the soup was ok but having lived in Boston, this definitely did not compare to a New England Clam Chowder. The mussels were again ok but completely forgettable. Oyster Shooter was horrific. And I have to leave for last the worse scallop ceviche I've ever tried. One bite was more than enough. You know it's not a good night when the tortilla chips and bread were the highlight of the night. We came here after seeing many good reviews but I can't stay quiet and have someone else experience this restaurant especially if only here for few days. There are many other options
We went during happy hour and had some 1.00 oysters which were delicious. I had the lobster king crab roll and my husband had the burger everything was delicious. We will go back again next time we are in Charleston.
The food was excellent. I had Creole shrimp appetizer, and Scallops entree, and my wife had the green salad with scallops. Everything was cooked perfectly. The staff attentiveness and attitude was even better.
Really enjoyed this dinner. Would definitely recommend this place for a great experience.
The best place for oysters
Chris Gardner was a great server
Even if you aren't much for Raw Bar their composed dishes were really good. The crab tagliatelle and shrimp with rice cakes were our favorites. Our server Beth gave awesome recommendations and anticipated our needs perfectly.
It was our first time at Darling but won’t be our last. Everything was delicious! We recommend the chowder fries & eggs Benedict with crabcake for brunch.
Extremely poor COVID precautions. No social distancing whatsoever and didn’t require guests to wear masks when moving about. A sad sight.
Great service and delicious food at reasonable prices.
Food and service was very good. My second time there.
We were there on Christmas Eve and the place was packed (but socially distanced where we sat). Food was great - especially the local oysters. Very enjoyable.
This is one of our favorite restaurants in Charleston. The food, drinks, and service are always top notch. If you are an oyster connoisseur, you will love this place even more. If you are not an oyster person, they have plenty of other delicious options. If you are going out as a couple, try to sit at the oyster bar and people watch everyone walking on king Street.
We took our kids for dinner on Christmas Eve, and they really enjoyed it as well. The Darling is no doubt, one of the best places to dine in Charleston!
A good time, every time. The food always tastes amazing and the restaurant is beautiful.
Wonderful! The place itself is so cute. We sat at the raw bar right on King Street and had a great time talking to the raw bar staff. Ordered the smoked salmon for an appetizer and the seafood platter for dinner and it was delicious! Seriously changed my seafood eating experience.
Amazing! Food and service were amazing!
The food is delicious, they worked around my dietary restrictions. Server was helpful and attentive.
We have been here only a few times bc we are “out of towners”, but we love it each time. The food is delish. I actually forgot to take any “before” pics, so I only got an “after” pic of our dinner. Our server was the best. She was attentive, not hovering or overbearing, and she somehow seemed to appear every time I needed anything! Plus, trying the seasonal cocktails is a fun thing to do with your date.
Somehow this was our first time dining at The Darling and I'm sad we hadn't been previously. This will definitely be our "go-to" dinner restaurant downtown. The food was phenomenal, the wine was delightful and our server, Cole was the best we've had in years. Can't say enough good things about The Darling.
Sat at the bar and had oysters. Food was excellent and service was professional. Many thanks
No complaints, but being on a vacation in Charleston you expect to be blown away by restaurants. Nothing special I’d go home and brag about- I got the scallops and the flavor was just really strange. When you get scallops you expect savory and it was entirely too sweet. The lobster roll was fantastic though, and the hush puppies were great!
Wonderful experience overall! Service was great and the food/drinks were fabulous!
We had a fabulous meal Friday night. It was the perfect girls night out. The king crab, creole shrimp and tuna tataki were delicious. Cocktails and wine were perfect too. Chris took wonderful care of us and offered thoughtful suggestions. Cant wait to go back and try more goodies!
Great Vale! $1 Oysters from 5-7, even on Saturdays!!
Our personal Charleston favorite! The service is spectacular and the seafood is heavenly! The baked oysters in Alabama white sauce with bacon is a must try!
Awesome local oyster bar; super night out. Thanks Darling Oyster Bar ! ! !
Tasty oysters and friendly staff
FAQs
The Darling Oyster Bar is rated 4.7 stars by 1892 OpenTable diners.
Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable. Due to local restrictions, this restaurant may not be accepting reservations at the moment.
