South Carolina

Legend Deli, Charleston, 12/6/25

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exterior – 41 George St, Charleston, SC 29401-1464

Legend Deli is in downtown Charleston making sandwiches from local ingredients.  Near Charleston College they opened in Spring 2023 by Chaz Wendel and Chef Tyler Hunt, formerly sous chef at Husk.  They serve a selection of custom sandwiches and salads.  Opening early they also offer breakfast sandwiches, but go for the lunch ones.  Their breads come from Normandy Farm Artisan Bakery in West Ashley and their produce from Limehouse.  There are a few tables in the space but a lot of the business was to-go.  Howerver we were on our way to the airport so stopped to fuel up before that.  Inside on one wall is a giant mural with references to lots of Charleston landmarks and the bathroom was full of carticatures with sandwiches.  A fun and friendly place with great sandwiches, it’s one I’d highly recommend to you. Continue reading →

Chubby Fish, Charleston, 12/5/25

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building – 252 Coming St, Charleston, SC 29403-5433

Chubby Fish holds about 40 guests, so large parties are limited as well as timing for each party.   Founded in 2018 by Charleston native, Chef James London, they offer small plates of Lowcountry food with a spotlight on seafood.  The daily changing menu is on a board above the bar in back by the kitchen.  There is no printed menu so take a photo to look at if you need to.  This place is extremely popular and takes no reservations so people start lining up about an hour before opening to secure a space and to reserve one for later in the evening.  You can choose between tables, counter, or standing tables.   They offer beer and wine but not a full bar.  (However next door is a bar Seahorse where you can wait).  Music was in the background and service was friendly, helpful and efficient.  We had read that they will ask you to leave after an hour as they turn the tables but we were never told that we couldn’t order more as our time was up.   Nevertheless diners need to be mindful that someone is waiting for your seat.  It’s definitely worth the effort and is a solid recommendation for your next meal in Charleston. Continue reading →

MERCI, Charleston, 12/4/25

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building – 28 Pitt St, Charleston, SC 29401

Merci is a tiny place run by Chef Michael and Courtney Zentner.   The place has about 26 seats and opened in March of this year.  There are 6 tables and 6 additional seats at the counter.  The French style bistro has closely set small tables and a seasonal menu.  The three story building used to house a corner store on this first floor and but the Zentner’s have done a complete rennovation of the place with the upper floors housing unrelated tennants.  Cherry cabinets line the back wall and are the same wood used for the tables.  There was one piece of art above the fireplace and several windows with curtains to the outside streets. Music was in the background and service was directive in that many of the plates are small and meant to be shared.  Parking was on the street, if you can find it – I recommend taking a ride-share.  The wine list was small and didn’t offer much breadth but they haven’t been open long.  There is no full bar.  The food was mixed and on the pricey side but the place has potential. Continue reading →

Vern’s, Charleston, 12/3/25

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exterior – 41 Bogard St, Charleston, SC 29403-5760

Vern’s serves contemporary American cuisine in a small restaurant and received a Michelin star in Nov. 2025.  Daniel and Bethany Heinze opened Vern’s in July 2022 and named it after his late grandfather.  We were at Vern’s in Feb 2023 and had a great dinner but planned this trip too late to get a regular reservation.  However, they were hosting  a collaboration dinner called Volume’s that we could get a reservation for, so we did.  The dinner was in combination with 10 years of Maloof Wines and BLVCK SVM, a rapper from Chicago.  This was a new one for me as I’ve been to other collaborations with chefs and vintners but to introduce music was another level.  The was BLVCK SVM’S Michelin Man album from which he chose 2 selections to play with each course and they repeated if necessary.    It was one seating for about 24 at a long table with Sam talking with each guest and the Maloof folks presenting their wines.  The group of people was wonderful, as we were all into food experiences but the food tonight was a more mixed end result than what Vern’s is capable of.   I would still strongly recommend this restaurant and encourage you to try one of these collaborations if you can, but it’s hard for all parts to shine in the circumstances.  (It was also quite dark, which made photography difficult, so apologies for the photos). Continue reading →

Malagón Mercado y Tapería, Charleston, 12/5/25

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building – 33 Spring St, Charleston, SC 29403-5416

Malagon Mercado y Taperia is a neighborhood spot that offers tapas as well as a market of wines and foods.  It was a awarded one Michelin Star in the inaugural 2025 ceremony for the American South.  The deep space has tables in front and along the wall for those with reservations and the long counter seats walk-ins.  Owned by Chef Juan Cassalett (who is married to the chef at Chez Nous Jill Mathias) and restauranteurs Patrick and Fanny Panella, they’ve been very busy since the recognition.    The Spanish restaurant harkens to Cassalett’s origins and offers shared plates from a number of regions with some variations on typical themes.  The fun sounding options are available with a good variety of wines by the bottle and glass as well as non-alcholic drinks.  The service was attentive and didn’t overload the small table but the food was mixed.  Still if you’re craving tapas and located in Charleston this is a great option. Continue reading →

Pettigru Place Bed & Breakfast, Greenville, March 2022

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house – 302 Pettigru Street, Greenville, SC., 29601

Pettigru Place Bed and Breakfast is in the historic district of downtown Greenville.  The tree-lined street is mostly businesses and other B & Bs in the older large homes.  The Federal-style home has 6 guest rooms that come with breakfast every day.  They alternate between sweet and savory days but are 2 or 3 courses with very generous portions.  They were so lovely I thought I’d include them in this blog.  Here are 3 mornings’ indulgences.  Sorry, Frankie didn’t make an appearance – she likes to sleep in. Continue reading →

Scoundrel Gvl, Greenville, SC., 3/11/23

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exterior – 18 N Main St, Greenville, SC 29601

Scoundrel was opened in October of 2022 by Greenville native Joe Cash.  He wanted to create a French bistro like he’d find in NYC or LA.  It’s a good-sized place that’s divided in half by curtains, with the bar and its seating on one side and a long bench seat facing small tables on the other side.  Opposite those tables are semi-circle booths with larger tables and padded seating.  Music was in the background and lights were lowered, supplemented by spots on some of the tables.  Wood floors, exposed ductwork above, and art featuring the ‘scoundrel’ cover the walls.  they have 2 unisex bathrooms and one is marked with a warning that it is not ‘family friendly’ due to the provocative photos on the wall.  I’m betting the notice was posted after several comments were posted about it on the trip advisor reviews.  The full bar offers lots of options but the wine list was mostly uninspired.  Noise was not a problem here maybe due to spacing or design but that was nice as was the excellent and friendly service. Continue reading →

Hall’s Chophouse, Greenville, SC., 3/11/23

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back entrance – 550 S Main St, Greenville, SC 29601

Hall’s Chophouse was started by the Hall family in 2009 in Charleston.  They now have 5 locations in this area of the country with Nashville set as the next to open.  They bill themselves as serving the finest steaks money can buy, offering an extensive wine list and serving hearty family-style sides all with great service.  The Greenville location is located in the refurbished part of downtown overlooking the water feature.  Parking is on the street as well as in several city-owned parking garages.  It was a fairly large place with huge windows taking in the view with an equally huge bar available for drinking and dining.  At lunch, they had some different menu options but the entire dinner menu is available too.  Be advised that portions are large.  The nice sized tables were cloth covered but I found the service to be a bit overdone bordering on intrusive and pushy.  We were there for a relaxed visit with a longtime friend and the constant picking up of plates we were using to replace them with larger ones, changing out flatware after plates were served and the pushing of extra orders did not endear their service to me. Continue reading →

The Anchorage, Greenville, South Carolina, 3/10/23

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exterior – 586 Perry Ave, Greenville, SC 29611

The Anchorage was a small place in the Village of West Greenville serving an eclectic menu.  Partnered with Horseshoe Farms the restaurant brings the farm-to-table concept to life by having a variety of vegetable dishes on the menu. Executive Chef/Owner Gregory McPhee opened the restaurant in early 2017 and the place was a semi-finalist for the 2018 Best New Restaurant James Beard Award.  Carlos Baez, Chef de Cuisine has cooked in many places but joined the team in August 2020 and was in charge of the kitchen the evening we dined.  It’s a small 2-story place with a dining room and partially open kitchen on the first floor and dining and bar area on the second floor.  Next door is a tiny wine shop where you actually enter the restaurant, but wines are available for purchase. We were a little confused about where to enter and some of the regular patrons found us wandering and showed us the way in.  They were local people who said it was their favorite place and I can see why.  Parking was on the street, music was in the background, wood and brick made up the walls, and lighting was lowered with a bench seat lining one wall. The guests were made up of a range of people but it never got too noisy to talk.  The service was fabulous.  The menu offers 9 plates a la carte but there is a tasting option where you get to try all of the dishes in 3 groupings, with scaled portioning.  It is the way to go, which you should – as soon as you can. Continue reading →

Comal 864, Greenville, SC., 3/9/23

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exterior – 1112 Woodside Ave, Greenville, SC 29611

Comal 864 is the creation of Brownsville, Texas native Dayna Lee Márquez, who wanted to bring South Texas food to this region.  It started in July 2019 as a pop-up operation and in Nov. 2022  opened a storefront operation that also offers catering.  Chef Márquez was nominated in 2023 for a James Beard Best Chef Southeast Award.  The little house has parking on either side and picnic tables out front.  Inside a long counter with stools runs in front of the kitchen and order area and the rest is filled with tables and chairs.  You order at the counter and they’ll bring it to your table. Chef Márquez was in the kitchen and you could see her preparing plates along with her helpers.  For 2:00 in the afternoon, it was surprisingly busy but they are open all day.  The counter person was helpful in choosing what to order and the portions are very generous.  While the dishes may be novel to this area I found them very lacking in spice, but I admit I am surrounded by and love spicy Tex-Mex.   If I were closer I’d try the place again because the ‘bones’ of it were great but for me, the end result missed the mark. Continue reading →

Coral, Greenville, SC., 3/8/23

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exterior – 654 South Main Street, Greenville, SC., 29601

Coral was a large place in the West End district of downtown.  It’s basically divided into 2 rooms, one bar and one dining.  The kitchen is under the helm of Joshua Dill and Addison Stone, both South Carolina natives but it is owned by 3 friends who all were born elsewhere and ended up in the Greenville area.  It’s a busy and loud place that stresses the bar and cocktails as well as local seafood.  Painted brick walls are lined with booths and small bare wood tables.  The lighting is quite low but spots set in the black ceiling shine intensely on the outer ring of tables.  The floor was carpeted and there were sound panels on the walls, the only music was in the bar that blended slightly into the background but the crowds made noise an issue for me.  Service was friendly and helpful but it’s hard for servers when plates are large and tables are small.  The food was mixed but it’s definitely a happening place. Continue reading →