Wondering where to eat in Charleston, South Carolina? How about where the locals eat? We found four fun places to eat in Charleston that are unique, quirky, and oh so delicious!
Fun Places To Eat In Charleston, SC
Charleston is an amazing city, and one that we quickly fell in love with. It’s a city known for its food, so during our visit we really tried to find the most fun places to eat in Charleston. We think we did alright for only being there a couple of days and would even say we found some hidden gems!
Monza
Of course, it’s no secret that we love pizza, so during our weekend trip we knew that we had to find the best pizza in Charleston. After some research we discovered Monza, right in the middle of downtown Charleston, and it did not disappoint. It’s a theme restaurant, paying homage to the Monza Racetrack in Italy. We think this is what makes it such a fun place to eat!
Monza pizzas are named after famous race cars and drivers and they follow strict Neapolitan standards when it comes to ingredients and cooking methods. We had the Materassi, with fresh tomato sauce, mozzarella, and basil. We were in heaven and ate every last bite!
Monza pizza in downtown Charleston
Inside Monza, guests find unique eats thanks to the restaurant’s racing theme
We ordered the Materassi, with fresh tomato sauce, mozzarella, and basil
The best pizza in Charleston!
Pro Tip: If you are visiting Charleston for it’s historical aspect, check out our Fort Sumter guide.
Persimmon Cafe
This was definitely an unexpected surprise and has to be one of the most unique restaurants in Charleston! The Persimmon Cafe is a cafe with gourmet sandwiches and paninis… and you can do your laundry while you eat. Yup, you read that right! There’s a laundromat in the back of the cafe! So if you’re looking for unique Charleston restaurants as well as unusual things to do in Charleston, this is the place to go. You can tell your friends about how you did your laundry while drinking a beer or wine!
During our visit we had the Caprese sandwich, which had mozzarella, date balsamic jam, marinated tomatoes, and speck ham. So yummy! Another great thing about this unique cafe is their drink selection. We opted to go with the newest drink on their menu – a root beer float made of Not Your Father’s Root Beer and vanilla ice cream. Delicious!
Looking for hidden gems in Charleston? The Persimmon Cafe is definitely unique!
Inside the Persimmon Cafe
How many restaurants in Charleston have a laundry mat??
Caprese sandwich, which had mozzarella, date balsamic jam, marinated tomatoes, and speck ham
Root beer float made of Not Your Father’s Root Beer and vanilla ice cream
Callie’s Charleston Biscuits
When we say these biscuits will change your life, we mean it. They are warm, buttery, flaky goodness and the best biscuits in Charleston! Callie’s Charleston Biscuits is a small establishment; we almost walked right passed it. There are only a few seats along the wall, but if you’re wondering where do locals eat in Charleston, this is it. It was packed the whole time we were there!
The woman at the register was kind enough to explain all of our options since they have different types of sandwiches and different types of biscuits. We decided on a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich on two cheese and chive biscuits and a fried chicken sandwich on a butter biscuit. Our mouths are watering just thinking about those biscuits. Seriously, eating those biscuits is one of our favorite memories of our trip to Charleston!
The best biscuits in Charleston are at Callie’s
Inside Callie’s Charleston Biscuits
It was hard to decide which combination to get!
Bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich on two cheese and chive biscuits and a fried chicken sandwich on a butter biscuit
Pro Tip: If you’re looking for a relaxing place to walk off some calories, we suggest Magnolia Plantation and Gardens.
FIG
Fig is considered the best restaurant in Charleston. We went on our first night and the food was absolutely amazing and the service was probably the best we’ve ever had. We have no pictures of the food, however, because we decided to really live in the moment (we tend to forget to do that once in awhile!).
The menu changes nightly due to the fact that they use local, seasonal ingredients. We had the chicken liver pate, ricotta gnocchi alla bolognese, pork schnitzel, and yukon gold potato puree. It was all incredible; it’s no wonder why the chef has won a James Beard award!
Fig is considered the best restaurant in Charleston
Fig’s menu changes daily
Final Thoughts
These certainly are fun places to eat in Charleston, South Carolina and they’re all special in their own way. We loved the food scene is this historic city and can’t wait to visit again and try more unique restaurants in Charleston.
Have you eaten at any of these unique eateries? What other fun Charleston restaurants would you suggest? We’d love to read your comments below! 🙂
Click below to see the items we recommend for your visit to Charleston |
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Great list! We loved traveling through Charleston, though we were only there for one night so didn’t have a huge deal of time to jump into the food scene – LOVED the pizza from Monza though – you’re right, totally on par with the pizzeria’s from when I was in Naples … and that’s a pretty big thing to manage to achieve!!
That’s so true Meg! But they did a great job 😉
Thanks for an insiders view into Charleston! I am dying to get to South Carolina. I can’t believe I haven’t ever been before. Seems like such a hip happening place with some cool things going on. Thanks for the recommendations!
I hope you get to go, it’s such a cute city!
There is so much good food in Charleston, I could go for one of those biscuit sandwiches!
Haha! There really are so many great options 🙂
That pizza looks DIVINE! And so do those biscuits – yummy!!! Love discovering new foodie places when I travel to a new destination!
Me too Jessica! And Charleston is full of great restaurants and cafes.
What a clever concept – laundry is no longer a drag! I would kill for a float just now, I think it would cure this hangover. Great tips. Site is looking top of the pops!
The best way to cure a hangover is with more alcohol 😉
Lunch + laundry = a traveller’s dream! I haven’t been to Charleston but hear it is lovely. I completely understand living in the moment during an amazing dining experience. I don’t have photos of most of my favourite meals.
Hi Nancy! I would definitely recommend a visit. 🙂
Wonderful tips about Charleston. The pizza sounds amazing. I’ve noted Fig for future visits. Everything looks tempting and delicious
Hi Rosemary! Glad you enjoyed it.
Charleston has always been high on the travel list for for us. Your description of all the food literally made my drool. Those biscuits look so delicious, especially the fried chicken with butter biscuits, yum! How clever of Persimmon Cafe to offer delicious food while customers do laundry, wish there was something like that while I was in college!
I know! Such a great idea! 🙂
I read this after a very big meal, and by the end my mouth was salivating and I found myself having a strange craving for pizza.
Great list, definitely a few places I would visit while in Charleston!
Hi Rob! Glad you enjoyed it.
All of these places look great, local, charming and genuine! I love the idea that the laundry area is secondary to the eating area 😉 I could take a bite of that pizza right now
Yes, charming is the perfect word for Charleston.
Charleston is a great city! We were there a few months ago and ended up having sme good Mexican food which I wasn’t expecting.
It turned out to be a great city for food! 😀
I’ve been wanting to go to Charleston, so I’ll be keeping these restaurants in mind. I love the Italian race track concept of the pizzeria. Like you, I’m always happy to find a great pizza during my travels!
Hi Erin! I’m glad you enjoyed the post.
I didn’t have Charleston on my radar of places to travel, but I do now that I’ve read your post. The cafe that lets you do your laundry while you eat paninis sounds and looks amazing! Definitely adding Charleston to the list of future foodie travels.
Awesome!! I know you’ll love it! 🙂