Charleston, South Carolina – What to Eat + Where to Stay

3 January | Fashion

Hello!

We had the most wonderful time in Charleston, South Carolina recently. One of Chris’s best friends turned 30 so we all went to celebrate his birthday and ring in the New Year. It was such a blast to catch up with old friends.

Chris and I decided to go to Charleston a day early. We love visiting this city and wanted a little bit of time together before everyone else arrived. We are Marriott Rewards Members so we used some of our points and booked a night at the Grand Bohemian Hotel in Downtown Charleston. What a dreamy hotel! They had so much to offer including, a gallery with wonderful art, a rooftop restaurant and bar and the most amazing wine blending tasting room. That room would be so much fun for a girls weekend or Bachelorette party.

Once our friends arrived on Friday, we checked into our Airbnb. We rented a loft/condo that was located on Calhoun right across from the park. This location was ideal because we walked everywhere. The only negative was that it is located on top of a night club. So the music was bumpin’ until about 2AM. We did know this going into the rental. We figured since it was New Year’s Eve we would be staying out late and the music wouldn’t bother us too much. I would definitely stay in this rental again because of the location and space. It sleeps 7-8 but you could definitely add a few more to that. Here is the listing: Charleston Airbnb

Now onto the food – Where to Eat!

One main reason I love Charleston so much is because of the food! There are so many delicious restaurants. Below are a few that we ate at on this visit to Charleston.

Paw Paw – Thursday night we went to dinner with some family friends of ours who live in Charleston (lucky!). We ate at a brand new restaurant in Charleston called, Paw Paw. They just opened right before Christmas and are located on East Bay. They serve southern plates, have amazing drinks and the ambiance gives off a local feel. We started off with Davee’s Buttermilk Biscuits, Ahi Tuna Tartare Bites & a Charcuterie Board. The biscuits were so tasty, especially with the jalapeno jam. For dinner, I ordered the shrimp & grits and Chris had the Catch of the Day – Salmon. I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone traveling to Charleston.
Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit – On Friday morning, Chris and I walked over to grab biscuits for breakfast. I had recently enjoyed Callie’s biscuits at their Virginia Highlands location and knew Chris would love them too. I forgot to mention that there is usually a line waiting for these delicious & fluffy biscuits. The biscuits are worth the wait, let me tell you! We ordered the peppered bacon, buttermilk, jam and cinnamon mini biscuits and then Chris ordered a bacon, egg and cheese one as well. They were so so great. If you are willing to stand in line, then you must give Callie’s a try!
Amen Street Fish & Raw Bar – I go to Amen every time i’m in Charleston. We usually go for lunch and cocktails before we go shopping. This time we enjoyed Amen’s on New Years Eve for Lunch. The best part about Amen in the raw bar. I’m personally not a huge Oyster person however our table ordered almost four dozen oysters to share. They LOVED them! I ordered the Fried Green Tomato BLT and it was just as I remembered – delicious! Amen is located right next to Paw Paw on East Bay and just a short walk from King Street.
The Grocery – We decided on The Grocery for our New Year’s Eve dinner. We had a party of 10 and they accommodated us perfectly. The menu is seasonal and full of local veggies, meats and seafood. They have a “sharing” option which is honestly enough food for about four people. I ordered two small plates for my meal. I started with the beef tartare and finished off with the sea scallops – I love scallops and try them almost every time they are offered on a menu. I definitely want to try The Grocery again, maybe even for Brunch next time!
Stars Rooftop & Grill Room – Stars is probably my favorite restaurant in Charleston. They have a great bar, their dinner is phenomenal, they have a great rooftop to enjoy a drink with a view of the city, but my favorite part about Stars is their Sunday Brunch buffet. Don’t be scared by the buffet part – it’s amazing! They have multiple stations with cook to order options. I always start with the fruits, cheeses and salad – you have to try their Kale Salad. Then I move to the hot foods such as: biscuits and gravy, chicken and waffles with a poached egg, shrimp and grits, and the best southern potatoes. They also serve waffles and made to order omelettes (yes, I enjoyed that as well….). But don’t forget to save room for the desserts. Their sea salt chocolate cookies and s’mores shooters are just as amazing as it sounds. To top it all off they serve mimosas for $3! That alone makes this brunch spot amazing to me.