Charleston's Culinary Renaissance: Chefs, Icons, and Must-Try Bites

Food Scene Charleston

All eyes are on Charleston, where the kitchen lights stay bright well after sunset and flavor chasers are never left wanting. It’s never been a better time to loosen your belt buckle and dive headfirst into the city’s culinary renaissance, driven by bold new restaurants, boundary-pushing chefs, and a deep respect for local heritage.

Arguably the headline stealer this season is Sorelle, a white-hot newcomer making seismic waves on the Italian food scene. Helmed by the formidable duo of chefs Adam Sobel and Nick Dugan, Sorelle plates Southern Italian dishes buzzing with coastal Carolina ingredients—think pillowy gnocchi, sun-ripe tomatoes, and crudos so fresh they almost wink at you. Not to be outdone, Costa’s arrival ushered in a new era for coastal Italian fare, with chef Vinson Petrillo’s imaginative takes setting palates ablaze in a plush space nestled near Colonial Lake.

For those in pursuit of pure Lowcountry soul, the city’s commitment to seasonal, sustainable produce is on delicious display. Chubby Fish, tucked into the Elliotborough neighborhood, delights with a shifting slate of just-caught seafood—bibb lettuce, chili garlic shrimp, and inventive ceviches—earning a loyal local following by letting ultra-fresh ingredients take center stage.

Plant-forward cuisine has found a foothold, too, courtesy of operators like Chasing Sage, recently reinvented as a hotspot for bright, produce-packed plates and creative pop-up dinners. Meanwhile, Sorghum & Salt continues to turn out vegan-friendly tasting menus so good, even the most devoted carnivores swoon.

Charleston’s chefs don’t simply cook; they orchestrate sensory symphonies. Xo Brasserie wakes up the local scene with modern Cantonese and Sichuan flair—savory Ma Po tofu and salt-and-pepper shrimp are destined to become city legends. At The Grocery, community comes alive through events like “Hands That Feed Us,” where farmers and fishermen join forces with Chef Kevin Johnson to spotlight the Lowcountry’s bounty.

What would this city be without its icons? She-crab soup, rich and laced with sherry, is omnipresent—a creamy salute to blue crab heaven. Shrimp and grits, chunky with bacon and best made from Anson Mills’ stone-ground grits, are to Charleston what bagels are to New York: nonnegotiable. Fiercely local staples like okra soup, Frogmore stew, and benne wafers speak to centuries-old traditions simmering alongside contemporary ambition.

Peppered with festivals like the Charleston Wine + Food event and buzzy collaborations—Zero George’s courtyard caviar feasts and Bintü Atelier’s Afro-futurist brunches—Charleston entices with a plate for every craving. Here, culinary progress doesn’t erase history; it lifts it. That’s what makes Charleston unique. For anyone hungry for a city where the past and future mingle in every bite, this is where you’ll find your next unforgettable meal..


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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
All eyes are on Charleston, where the kitchen lights stay
bright well after sunset and flavor chasers are never left wanting.
It's never been a better time to loosen your belt
buckle and dive headfirst into the city's culinary renaissance, driven
by bold new restaurants, boundary pushing chefs, and a deep
respect for local heritage. Arguably, the headlined Steeler this season

(00:23):
is Currel, a white hot newcomer making seismic waves on
the Italian food scene. Helmed by the formidable duo of
chefs Adam Soble and Nick Dugan, Currell plates Southern Italian
dishes buzzing with coastal Carolina ingredients, thank pillowy niocchi, sun
ripe tomatoes, and crudos so fresh they almost wink at you,

(00:44):
not to be outdone. Coasta's arrival ushered in a new
era for coastal Italian fair with chef Vincent Petrillo's imaginative takes,
setting palettes ablaze into plush space nestled near Colonial Lake.
For those in pursuit of pure low country soul. The
city's commitment to seasonal sustainable produce is on delicious display.

(01:04):
Chubby fish tucked into the Elliott Borough neighborhood delights with
a shifting slate of just caught seafood, bib lettuce, chili, garlic, shrimp,
and inventive saveches, earning a royal local following by letting
ultra fresh ingredients take center stage. Plant Forward Cuisine has
found a foothold too, courtesy of operators like Chasing Sage,

(01:26):
recently reinvented as a hotspot for bright produce, packed plates
and creative top up dinners. Meanwhile, Sorghum and Salt continues
to turn out vegan friendly tasting menus so good even
the most devoted carnivores swoon. Charleston's chefs don't simply cook,
they orchestrate sensory symphonies. So Brasserie wakes up the local

(01:47):
scene with modern Cantonese and Sichuan flair. Savory Mapo tofu
and salt and pepper shrimp are destined to become city
legends at the grocery. Community comes alive through events like

(02:09):
Hands But Feed Us, where farmers and fishermen join forces
with chef Kevin Johnson to spotlight the Low Country's doughty.
What would this city be without its icons? She crab soup,
rich and laced with sherry, is omni present a creamy
salute to blue crab. Heaven Shrimp and grits chunky with

(02:29):
bacon and best made from Anson Mills. Stone ground grits
are to Charleston what bagels are to New York. Non Negotiable,
fiercely local staples like oakre soup, frogmore stew, and ben
wafers speak to centuries old traditions simmering alongside contemporary ambition,
tempered with festivals like the Charleston Wine and Food Event

(02:52):
and buzzy collaborations Zero George's Courtyard Caviar Feasts and Bintu
Atala's Afrofuturriis Branches. Charleston entices with a plate for every
craving here. Culinary progress doesn't erase history, it lifts it.

(03:14):
That's what makes Charleston unique. For anyone hungry for a
city where the past and future mingle in every bite,
This is where you'll find your next unforgettable meal.