19 Highly Anticipated Charleston Restaurants to Watch for This Summer

It’s been rough with the pandemic shutting down eateries across Charleston, but chefs, restaurateurs, and investors are coming back this summer with even more new restaurants and bars. As always, Eater is obsessively tracking the progression of all the premiers — from menu releases to newly installed signage, come here for the latest updates. This list encapsulates the places garnering excitement this year.

167 Raw [Official]

167 RAW SUSHI BAR

Location: 289 East Bay Street, downtown
Key Players: The group behind 167 Raw
Projected Opening: Very soon
Seafood spot 167 Raw relocated to Lower King last year, but now the group the will turn its original location into an intimate sushi bar, seating 12 to 15 customers.

Berkeley’s/Facebook

BERKELEY’S

Location: 624 ½ Rutledge Avenue, downtown
Key Players: Marc and Elizabeth Hudacsko of former pop-up We Flew South
Projected Opening: Summer 2021
North Central restaurant Berkeley’s will be a casual, neighborhood spot with classic, hearty American sandwiches like chicken parm, French dips, and cheesesteaks. There will be non-sandwich options like salads and appetizers, and at dinner time, the restaurant will offer more refined options like braised lamb or roasted salmon with fregola and feta. Berkeley’s will host a pop-up at Edmund’s Oast Brewing on June 1, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Erin Perkins/Eater Carolinas

BODEGA AND SHARE HOUSE

Location: 23 Ann Street, downtown
Key Players: Uptown Social partners Keith Benjamin, Kara Graves, Bryn Kelly, Brian Dodd and Kat Moore; chef Alec Gropman
Projected Opening: Summer 2021
A restaurant group from New York brought Uptown Social to Charleston, and now the partners behind the popular King Street bar want to bring two more restaurants to Ann Street. Bodega will build off of the breakfast/brunch concept already happening at Uptown Social, with New York-style morning sandwiches and coffee. Charcuterie and cocktails will be on the menu in the evening.

Share House will be a Hamptons-meets-Jersey-Shore seafood house with a party on the side. Co-owner Keith Benjamin told Charleston City Paper to expect a “coastal cantina.”

Brian Stansberry

BRASSERIE LE BANQUE

Location: 1 Broad Street, downtown
Key Players: Indigo Road founder Steve Palmer and chef Jeb Aldrich
Projected Opening: Summer 2021
Brasserie la Banque will be a classic French eatery with menu items like foie gras torchon, poulet rouge, bouillabaisse, steak frites, and dry-aged duck. The restaurant will serve lunch and dinner. There will also be a cocktail bar in the basement (a rarity in Charleston) serving late-night bites.

Kate Blohm

CHASING SAGE

Location: 267 Rutledge Avenue, downtown
Key Players: Walter and Cindy Edward and Forrest Brunton
Projected Opening: June 23, 2021
Chasing Sage sorta-kinda opened during the pandemic with a rotating takeout menu from around the globe, but now the restaurant is ready to premiere the dining room with a new American menu focused on Lowcountry products.

THE LONGBOARD

Location: 2213-B Middle Street, Sullivan’s Island
Key Players: Restaurateurs Clint Gaskins and Tyler Beckstead and executive chef Will Fincher
Projected Opening: June 2021
U.S. Virgin Islands restaurant the Longboard will open a second location in the Lowcountry. The food pulls inspiration from the islands and the South Carolina coast with an emphasis on seafood and wood-grilled flavors. Sample dishes include baked oysters in jerk butter and wahoo tiradito with sweet corn leche de tigre.

Erin Perkins/Eater Carolinas

LAST SAINT

Location: 472 Meeting Street, Downtown
Key Players: Former Belmont and Bar George bartender Joey Goetz and Attaboy alums Brandon Bramhall and Zachary Pease
Projected Opening: June 2021
Last Saint will be two bars in one. Up front will be a lounge hangout with a small food menu and drinks, while the back bar will only be six seats with no menu, and the bartenders concocting cocktails based on the customers’ taste.

Erin Perkins/Eater Carolinas

MA’AM SAAB

Location: 251 Meeting Street, Downtown
Key Players: Chef/owner Maryam Ghaznavi and husband Raheel Gauba
Projected Opening: Summer 2021
Pakistani restaurant Ma’am Saab started as a pop-up, went into a food stall at Workshop, and will now set up residence in the former Jestine’s Kitchen space on Meeting Street. Ma’am Saab serves comfort food from Pakistan, like kababs, pakoras, and more.

Pink Bellies/Facebook

PINK BELLIES

Location: 595 King Street, downtown
Key Players: Chef/Owner Thai Phi
Projected Opening: Soon
Former Vietnamese food truck and pop-up Pink Bellies will soon have a new home on King Street. From banh mi to noodle bowls to pho, fans of chef Thai Phi’s work are eagerly awaiting the opening.

Also, keep an eye on:
• 167 Raw’s Unnamed Mediterranean Restaurant (Downtown)
• Crust Wood Fired Pizza Third Location (Downtown)
• Farmer & Exchange (Downtown)
• Garco Mill (Park Circle)
• Juan Luis Expansion (Downtown)
• Lady Xian (Unknown)
• Millers All Day Second Location (James Island)
• Malika (Mount Pleasant)
• Rudy Royale (Downtown)