Dining Information

Though the historic district crawls with mostly undistinguished seafood places, the town's elegant ambience lends itself very well to the classy "New" Southern cooking served up in a variety of innovative, upbeat restaurants. Cappuccino bars and cafés line Market and King streets.

Charleston Grill 224 King St tel 843/577-4522. Classy restaurant at the Charleston Place hotel with renowned chef Bob Waggoner and nightly live jazz. If you want to splurge, this is a good choice.

Gaulart and Maliclet (aka French and French ) 98 Broad St tel 843/577-9797. Wonderful French bistro, seating only nine people. Fondue dinners and croissant breakfasts. Lunch only on Mon, closed Sun.

Hyman's Seafood 213-215 Meeting St tel 843/723-6000. Excellent seafood served in a very casual setting; the fried green tomatoes are great, too. Still a family-owned business and has been consistently expanding down the block since 1980.

Magnolias 185 E Bay St tel 843/577-7771. Splendid nouvelle Southern cuisine - shrimp with grits and such - in a stylish monochrome setting with a circular bar.

Mickey's 137 Market St tel 843/723-7121. Stylish Sixties diner with good-value all-day breakfast deals.

Mimi's Café 1241 Harborview Rd, James Island tel 843/795-4090. Family-owned restaurant not associated with the popular franchise. Good value with a broad menu and hearty Sunday brunch.

Old Towne Restaurant 229 King St tel 843/723-8170. Great-value Greek restaurant with excellent grilled seafood, chicken and steaks. Very centrally located.

Poogan's Porch 72 Queen St tel 843/577-2337. Delicious local food in big old Charleston house, including Low Country Boils, crabcakes and catfish. Very popular for Sunday brunch.

Slightly North of Broad 192 E Bay St tel 843/723-3424. One of the best, most fashionable restaurants in town, for truly great nouvelle Southern cooking - scallops with smoked sausage, Low Country sampler with Hopping John and butterbeans and the like - along with adventurous world cuisine.

Sticky Fingers 235 Meeting St tel 843/853-RIBS. Established Southern barbecue eatery that attracts tourists by the coachload.