The culinary scene in Charleston right now is as thrilling as a high-tide shrimp run on Shem Creek, with new restaurants and bold chefs turning the city into a gourmet playground. Let's start with the headline-makers: Merci, opened in March 2025 by chef Michael Zentner and designer Courtney Zentner, is an intimate Parisian-style bistro tucked along one of Charleston’s most romantic historic blocks. Listeners are whisked off their feet as soon as gas lanterns flicker and candlelight dances on antique brick. Merci’s menu is part supper club, part French fantasy, with dishes like ricotta gnudi and crispy duck ballotine that feel both luxurious and irresistible.
Adding Michelin-star clout, Daniel Humm of New York’s Eleven Madison Park fame has landed in Charleston Place for a year-long residency, bringing a plant-forward, Lowcountry-inspired menu. The signature experience opens with a seafood tower or local tautog crudo brightened with finger limes, followed by a velvety celery root schnitzel or a whole-roasted chicken that feels like a love letter to both French technique and Charleston’s rich larder.
The city’s hunger for global flavors is surging. Rivayat, a newcomer helmed by Kerala-born chefs, brings the vibrant seasonings and seafood of southern India to Rutledge Avenue, marrying Charleston’s coastal bounty with the masala magic of spice-laden curries and smoky clay pot chicken. Meanwhile, XO Brasserie is shaking up the peninsula with clever Cantonese and Sichuan-inspired plates such as vegetarian ma po tofu and salt-and-pepper shrimp, set within a dining room buzzing with energy and innovation.
Italian cuisine is staking its claim, too. Sorelle, guided by chefs Adam Sobel and Nick Dugan, sashays onto the culinary stage with fresh, elegant Southern Italian fare—think handmade pastas and bread that could ruin you for the competition—crafted from local Lowcountry ingredients.
Still, Charleston never turns its back on tradition. Iconic dishes like shrimp and grits, she-crab soup, and Charleston okra soup remain essential, their flavors deepened by centuries of local farming, fishing, and African and Caribbean influences. Institutions such as Chubby Fish showcase sustainable, freshly caught seafood, while Benne wafers—a nutty, crisp legacy from the Bantu word for sesame—are a sweet reminder that history is woven into every bite.
A city as obsessed with its food festivals as with its historic charm, Charleston tempts listeners with oyster roasts, chef pop-ups, and collaborations that set palates buzzing season after season. What sets Charleston apart isn’t just the pristine seafood, the soulful Lowcountry produce, or the storied Southern recipes reinvented by bold new hands—it’s the electric fusion of old and new, where every meal feels both a homecoming and a revelation. For anyone who savors discovery, Charleston is where the culinary story never sits still..
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Episode Transcript
The culinary scene in Charleston right now is as thrilling
as a high tide shrimp run on Shem Creek, with
new restaurants and bold chefs turning the city into a
gourmet playground. Let's start with the headline. Maker's Mercy, opened
in March twenty twenty five by chef Michael Zenner and
designer Courtney z Ener, is an intimate Parisian style bistro
tucked along one of Charleston's most romantic historic blocks. Listeners
(00:23):
are whisked off their feet as soon as gas lanterns
flicker and candlelight dances on antique brick. Mercy's menu is
part supper club, part French fantasy, with dishes like Ricotta
gnudi and crispy duck ballatin that feel both luxurious and irresistible.
Adding Michelin star Cloud, Daniel hum of New York's eleven
Madison Park Fame has landed in Charleston Place for a
(00:46):
year long residency, bringing a plant forward, low country inspired menu.
The signature experience opens with a seafood tower or local
tatau crudo brightened with finger limes, followed by a velvetye
celery roots Nitzel or a whole roasted chicken that feels
like a love letter to both French technique and Charleston's
(01:07):
rich larder. The city's hunger for global flavors is surging. Riviot,
a newcomer helmed by Krola Born Chafts, brings the vibrant
seasonings and seafood of Southern India to Rutledge Avenue, marrying
Charleston's coastal bounty with the Masala magic of spice laden
curries and smoky clay pot chicken. Meanwhile, Exo Brasseria is
(01:29):
shaking up the peninsula with clever Cantonese and sichuan inspired
plates such as vegetarian Napo tofu and salt and Pepper shrimp,
set within a dining room buzzing with energy and innovation.
Italian cuisine is staking its claim too, Surrell, guided by
ches Adam Soble and Nick Dugan, Sachet's onto the culinary
(01:49):
stage with fresh, elegant Southern Italian fair think handmade pastas
and red that could ruin you for the competition, crafted
from local Low country ingredients. Still, Charleston never turns its
back on tradition. Iconic dishes like shrimp and grits. She
crab soup and Charleston Okra soup remain essential, their flavors
(02:09):
deepened by centuries of local farming, fishing, and African and
Caribbean influences. Institutions such as Chubby Fish Showcase sustainable freshly
caught seafood, while ben wafers, a nutty crisp legacy from
the Bantu word for sesame, are a sweet reminder that
history is woven into every bite. A city as obsessed
(02:31):
with its food festivals as with its historic charm, Charleston
temp's listeners with oyster roasts, chef pop ups, and collaborations
that set palettes buzzing season after season. What sets Charleston
apart isn't just the pristine seafood, the soulful low country produce,
or the storied Southern recipes reinvented by bold new hands.
(02:53):
It's the electric fusion of old and new, where every
meal feels both a homecoming and a revelation for anyone
who savors discovery. Charleston is where the culinary story never
sits still
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