8 Exciting Openings for the Winter/Spring Seasons in Charleston

There seems to be a new restaurant opening every week here in Charleston. Eater is keeping track of them all, but here's the seven establishments on our immediate radar for winter and early spring.

1) 492
Location: 492 King St., Downtown
Owner: The Relish Restaurant Group
Projected Opening: February
Since fine dining place Tristan shuttered last April, fans of chef Nate Whiting have eagerly awaited his next project 492. The group is renovating a building that sat boarded up and dilapidated for years. Whiting describes the future offerings as "contemporary American" with a "fluid menu."

[Photo: Eater Charleston]

2) Anson
Location: 12 Anson St., Downtown
Owner: The Balish Family
Projected Opening: March
Recovering from a fire in 2013, classic Charleston restaurant Anson hopes to reopen this spring. The menu will be "modern Southern and ingredient-driven."

[Photo: Citysearch]

3) Chickenland
Location: 1011 King St., Downtown
Owner: Robert Stehling
Projected Opening: Spring
From the people that brought Hominy Grill to Charleston, this fried chicken spot is going up on the corner of King and Grove streets. Details are slim now but more to come.

[Photo: Eater Charleston]

4) Generalísimo
Location: 565 King St., Downtown
Owner: Bryan Kestner
Projected Opening: Spring
From the same mind that made Planet Hollywood popular in the 90s, this French-Mexican restaurant will be a very unique addition to the Upper King scene. Chef Bob Waggoner is helping in the kitchen and consultants from big New York names like Soho House and the China Club are weighing in on the project.

[Photo: Eater Charleston]

5) Screen Door
Location: 1271 Folly Rd., James Island
Owners: Kit Thrash and Herbie Gimmel
Projected Opening: Early 2015
Former Palace Hotel chef Blake Joyal will be in the kitchen at Screen Door and the cuisine is described as "Modern American" with an "unpretentious menu [featuring] simple but intelligent dishes, from wood-fired pizzas, fresh salads and gourmet burgers, to refined seafood and meat dishes."

[Photo: Provided]

6) Unnamed Barbecue Restaurant
Location: 5 Cumberland St., Downtown
Projected Opening: Winter
After closing Irish pub Egan & Sons, chef Kyle Yarbrough stayed on at the same address to open a soon-to-be-named meatery. Yarbrough tells us he started smoking proteins back in the La Fourchette days for parties and would routinely sell out when they featured it at Egan & Sons. The interiors of 5 Cumberland St. have been renovated by general manager Kristen Leahy into a rustic den.

[Photo: Eater Charleston]

7) The Westendorff
Location: 114 St. Philip St., Downtown
Owner: Steven Niketas
Projected Opening: Winter
Owner Steven Niketas figured enough people vacation or play in Charleston, that there should be a brunch option for them seven days a week. The Westendorff will offer an "elevated breakfast" menu full of comfort foods, classics, and local ingredients. "You'll recognize everything on the menu," Niketas said. The chef, Christopher "Ted" Jackson, hails from Brooklyn, but is a Southerner at heart.

[Photo: Provided]

8) West Side Deli
Location: 237 Fishburne St., Downtown
Owner: Paul Cheney and Marguerite Chalmers
Projected Opening: "Soon"
Residents above the Crosstown are waiting in anticipation of bagels and Boar's Head brand sandwiches from the forthcoming West Side Deli. The space will be a neighborhood hangout, complete with cheesecakes, coffees, and salads.

[Photo: Jay Fletcher]

Also, we're keeping an eye on these for later on in the year:
• Cafe Framboise (Downtown)
• Chipotle (Downtown)
• Farmer & Exchange (Downtown)
• Gnome Cafe (Downtown)
• Harold's Cabin (Downtown)
• Home Team BBQ (Downtown)
• Lewis Barbecue (Downtown)
• Maybank Public House (James Island)
• Mercantile, Mash, and The Cedar Room (Downtown)
• Mushy Peas (Downtown)
• Tattooed Moose (Johns Island)