Take Me To Dinner. Our Favorite Girls' Getaway Weekend Dinner Spots In Downtown Charleston + Old Village, Mount Pleasant

 
chasing sage amazing dinner restaurant in charleston sc

Take me to dinner. Where are we going for dinner after we have our happy hour drinks? Here are our favorite reservation + weekend itinerary-worthy spots on the downtown Charleston Peninsula and in the Old Village in Mount Pleasant, SC.

This is part of a multi-part series we created with the girls at Reagan Events— Reagan Kerr and her assistant Hannah Hunter, and myself, Shelby Ring of Ruby Riot Creatives wedding videography.

A Note From Your Authors: We love us some tasty snacks, some bougie cocktails, super vibey bars we can dress up or down in to feel super cute, and creating fun times with girlfriends, so here’s our take as late twenty-thirty-something Charleston locals on some of our favorite dinner spots that are sure to be a crowd-pleaser for your girls getaway weekend in Charleston, South Carolina.

where to eat and drink in charleston sc for a girls weekend

Take Me To Dinner: Downtown Charleston

Indaco. Downtown Italian.

We love Indaco. Getting your Italian fix here. Their squid ink spaghetti is amazing. Their Foccacia is delicious. They have great drinks, and the wine selection is superb.

Chasing Sage // The Best Small Plates + Incredible Service - Our New Obsession

[Shelby Ring] Okay, so I found out about Chasing Sage during the pandemic when they were exclusively serving the most bomb-@$$ ramen to go.

We recently made a reservation here for a girls’ night and my jaw dropped to the floor. We had the most fun ordering a series of small amazing seasonal plates - perfect for the four of us girls for a birthday dinner.

There was a variety of goat’s milk, sheep’s milk, and exciting cheeses that totally catered to our mixed friend group of vegetarians and * ahem * cow-dairy-free needs, and holy smokes they blew our freakin’ socks off. I ordered a really fun cocktail called The Pet Scorpion that had a habanero tincture in it and was so perfectly balanced it was SHOCKING (I was totally ready to brace for the punch!) and they had so many beautiful other craft cocktails.

They have an amazing local sommelier who I knew from a previous establishment who is crushing the wine game here, too. The service was impeccable, we had 7-8 courses, and we were FLOORED at how affordable everything was.

This place instantly became my new go-to spot for a beautiful dining experience out!

Can’t recommend Chasing Sage enough and have so much respect for how creatively they pivoted when they first opened and were totally blindsided by the pandemic.

Definitely book this spot for your time in Charleston!!

Fleet Landing // Classic Waterfront Dining Downtown Charleston

Order the whole flounder from Fleet Landing if it’s on the menu! It’s a treat!

Hannah Hunter:

I love Fleet Landing. It's kind of on the touristy side, but it's also a waterfront one. We always went there growing up. It's so good, and it's not on their menu, but they have really good biscuits with honey butter. And their whole flounder is amazing.

Leon’s Fine Poultry And Oysters: Damn Good Fried Chicken, Champagne, Soft-Serve, And Oysters! Downtown Charleston

Leons Fine Poultry and Oysters Amazing Fried Chicken and Seafood in Charleston SC

Image Credit: Post And Courier

Shelby Ring:

Oh, that makes me think of Leon's fine poultry and oysters. Their hush puppies come with whipped honey butter that is delectable. Yeah. And all their fry ups are great, but they're half chicken— ohhhh ho hoooo. You get the whole half of a chicken fried up. They do it right. They have a really good Red Clay hot sauce with their fried chicken. Their Thai salad is also incredible and bright and a great option for vegetarians in the group. They always have a variety of oysters on the half-shell, fried oysters. They sport that champagne is the ultimate pairing with fried chicken, so they have an awesome champagne selection, as well as a section of their menu dedicated to “The Cheap Stuff,” and they have a frozen slushy style gin & tonic that’s soooo refreshing and a Frosé machine, too. Did I mention they have soft serve ice cream they’ll serve up after dinner… WITH THOSE COLORFUL SPRINKLES?! It’s one of my favorite places. Have to make a reservation!

The Ordinary (Is Anything But Ordinary!) = Amazing Oysters In Downtown Charleston

The ordinary charleston sc is a great dinner spot for a weekend trip to charleston

Reagan Kerr:

The Ordinary is amazing for seafood. And they're also great for just like a starter. Their bar is beautiful, like breathtakingly beautiful. It's built in the old bank lobby. And so their bar is gorgeous for grabbing a drink, maybe a few raw oysters, and then keep on moving down king street.

We also feature The Ordinary in this post: Our Favorite Pre-Game + Happy Hour Cocktail Bars Before Dinner In Downtown Charleston

Shelby Ring:

And it's very central. I like that it's right in the middle of everything. And ohh…

F.I.G. …The OG Of Downtown Charleston

Shelby Ring: F.I.G. How have we not mentioned F.I.G.? F.I.G., which stands for “Food Is Good,” is such a staple; to me personally, it’s one of the best restaurants in Charleston (which says a lot because this is an EATING CITY!) If you want to have a special night out, see if you can snag a reservation here (they’re hard to come by.) Their menu is seasonally driven; in the summertime, they'll have this tomato tart on the menu that I think of year-round… it’s such a treat. So that's fun, not just seafood, but a great culinary experience.

Reagan Kerr:

Oh yeah, F.I.G. is a staple. They've been here forever. 

Frannie & The Fox. Such A Vibe Downtown.

Frannie and The Fox at Hotel Emeline in Charleston SC is a great dinner spot and has a hopping cocktail bar.

Frannie and The Fox at Hotel Emeline in Charleston SC is a great dinner spot and has a hopping cocktail bar.

I think another super fun one for girls is Frannie and The Fox in Hotel Emeline. Instagram crazy. I mean, that is just like Instagram moment everywhere you look. It's inside Hotel Emeline, which is a newer hotel here. It's Emerald colored everything. It reminds me of SEWE (The South East Wildlife Exposition, the wildlife exposition here in Charleston- it’s like southern safari vibes.) I mean, it's very iconic Charleston.

The art's amazing. The design's amazing. The restaurant has a bar inside, and they also have outdoor space. So you can cozy it by fire if it's chilly like it is now. It's so cute. It's so so cute.

We also feature Frannie And The Fox in this post you might like: Starting The Day Off Right: Our Favorite Brunch Spots In Charleston For Your Girls' Getaway Weekend

The cabbage pancake at Xiao Bao Biscuit in Charleston SC for dinner is phenomenal.

Ohhh the cabbage pancake. Omggggg. Image Credit: Eater Nashville

Xiao Bao Biscuit (Zow-Bow-BIZKIT): THE CABBAGE PANCAKE. Asian Fusian Downtown Charleston.

Ooh, Xiao Bao Biscuit is a great spot. How would you describe Xiao Bao? And where is it located?

Hannah Hunter:

Downtown on Spring Street and Rutledge. It's like Asian fusion. It’s the coolest converted old-timey gas station. Their cabbage pancake is the best. And their pork buns. UGH! Honestly, everything is so good. They have unique cocktails, and their menu is always evolving.

Saltwater Cowboys On Shem Creek In Mount Pleasant: Casual Trash Can Nachos

Reagan Kerr:

Saltwater Cowboys on Shem Creek is awesome if you want something a little more casual. You've got people who are straight off the boat from their beach day. So you could be super casual, enjoy water views of Shem Creek and the harbor and Crab Bank island, the shrimp boats lining Shem Creek. You're bound to see some dolphins, some beer, order some Trash Can Nachos…I love me some Saltwater Cowboys. And the big pretzel…the Pretzel presentation. It’s tasty!

Hannah Hunter:

And you can turn hanging at Saltwater Cowboys, Reds, Tavern and Table, Shem Creek Inn— all of those little spots from an all-day thing into a night thing, too. There's always some form of live entertainment - a band or DJ at Saltwater Cowboys or Reds.

So Shem Creek can definitely be its own outing for the evening. (Check out our other suggestions on fun live music and nightlife spots here!) It has a more southern casual vibe to it. So not so dressed up bougie for downtown energy (I think of like… cute dress and heels or a cute skirt set), but more a touch of southern casual to me — denim and booties style.

Mount Pleasant’s Old Village Hidden Gem For Seafood Fry Ups: The Wreck Of Richard And Charlene

the wreck of richard and charlene old village mount pleasant fried seafood restaurant

Right there at the Old Village and Shem Creek neighborhood — the wreck of Richard and Charlene is a local secret hidey-ho that does a legit southern seafood home-cooking fry-up.

There is nothing but seafood on their menu (so if Britney isn’t into seafood and she doesn’t eat meat… tell her she gets to eat a big platter of hushpuppies, boiled peanuts, and fried green tomatoes.)

Get ready to get DOWN at this hidden gem in the Old Village (I kind of don't even want to talk about it because I know a bunch of locals that are going to be pissed I’m mentioning The Wreck on a public platform.)

Is your gang seafood lovers? Check out this post: I’M HERE FOR THE SEAFOOD! Must-Eat Seafood Restaurants In Charleston

The Post House Inn: Upscale-Chic Dining In Old Village, Mount Pleasant

the post house inn for a chic dinner in the old village mount pleasant sc

If you're over in that area, The Post House Inn in the old village in Mount Pleasant is awesome. “A coastal tavern and inn located in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina offering seasonal fare, classic cocktails, seven cozy hotel rooms and a bit of salty air.”

The Post House Inn is a dinner or happy hour spot that’s a more upscale chic place to be. Don’t come in your bathing suit there. They have an amazing terrace that you just want to post up at, drink, lounge, and eat at your leisure. So, that's a super fun spot that's off the grid.

It’s by the historic Pitt Street Pharmacy, and it’s fun to walk through the Old Village and see all the cute houses in the neighborhood.

You can walk over to Alhambra Hall, a venue and a waterfront spot where locals take their dogs to play, and you can see the downtown waterline in the distance and catch the sunset. It’s beautiful.

 
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