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Featured

Downtown Hot Spots With Plenty Of Parking Spots

Featured Image Credit: Facebook/ Revelry Brewing

Sometimes it feels like there are too few parking options for when we want to go eat downtown. Even if you’re lucky enough to find a spot, meter parking will cost you $.025 for 15 minutes. Who has that many quarters on them? If you’re 15 minutes late feeding a meter, expect a ticket tucked under your windshield wiper when you return to your car.

The next best option might seem like a parking garage, but due to all the new development in areas that use to house cheap lots, spots have become more scarce, and not to mention more expensive. It can be super frustrating.

SO, we did the research so you don’t have to. Here are the best restaurant/bars in places in downtown Charleston that offer free parking, whether that be its own parking lot or a few spots that are first come first serve. You can thank us later.

Barsa
Elevated Spanish tapas, paella & cocktails are the draw at this stylish lounge.
Address: 630 King St, Charleston, SC 29403
Phone: (843) 577-5393

Santis
A collection of eclectic chandeliers light up the Mexican & Southwest food & frozen drinks.
Address: 1302 Meeting Street Rd, Charleston, SC 29405
Phone: (843) 722-2633

Little Jack’s
Casual chophouse serving steaks, salads & sandwiches, plus martinis, in vintage surrounds.
Address: 710 King St, Charleston, SC 29403
Phone: (843) 531-6868

The Alley
Bright, cheery hangout featuring 8 bowling lanes, American comfort food & 3 bars with flat-screens.
Address: 131 Columbus St, Charleston, SC 29403
Phone: (843) 818-4080

Workshop
Six vendors share space in this trendy food court, offering coffee & an eclectic mix of cuisines.
Address: 1503 King St, Charleston, SC 29405
Phone: (843) 996-4500

Royal American
Cozy, low-key bar & concert venue featuring local & regional musicians, plus hearty pub grub.
Address: 970 Morrison Dr, Charleston, SC 29403
Phone: (843) 817-6925

Hominy Grill
Busy yet relaxed eatery dishing up Lowcountry classics in homey digs, also popular for its brunch.
Address: 207 Rutledge Ave, Charleston, SC 29403
Phone: (843) 937-0930

Rutledge Cab Co.
American comfort food with a twist, plus drinks, in trendy, retro-style digs with a covered patio.
Address: 1300 Rutledge Ave, Charleston, SC 29403
Phone: (843) 720-1440

Saffron Restaurant and Bakery
Sweet & savory baked goods, a global foods market & a comfortable Middle Eastern/Lowcountry cafe.
Address: 333 E Bay St, Charleston, SC 29401
Phone: (843) 722-5588

Magnolia’s
A refined take on traditional Southern cooking served in a warm, sophisticated environment.
Address: 185 E Bay St, Charleston, SC 29401
Phone: (843) 577-7771

Salty Mike’s
Address: 17 Lockwood Dr, Charleston, SC 29401
Phone: (843) 937-0208

Edmund’s Oast
Hip spot offering New American fare, beer brewed on-site & craft cocktails, plus a patio.
Address: 1081 Morrison Dr, Charleston, SC 29403
Phone: (843) 727-1145

Butcher and Bee
Hip outpost offering a rotating menu of inventive, seasonal cuisine made with local ingredients.
Address: 1085 Morrison Dr, Charleston, SC 29403
Phone: (843) 619-0202

Lewis Barbecue
Texas-style house-smoked meats served in an industrial-hip space with a bar & outdoor tables.
Address: 464 N Nassau St, Charleston, SC 29403
Phone: (843) 805-9500

Taco Boy
Tacos with innovative fillings & frozen cocktails in a funky, vibrant setting, plus outdoor seating.
Address: 217 Huger St, Charleston, SC 29403
Phone: (843) 789-3333

Bay Street Biergarten
Rustic-chic spot for Southern pub grub with Bavarian flair, plus craft beer with pour-your-own taps.
Address: 549 E Bay St, Charleston, SC 29403
Phone: (843) 266-2437

Recovery Room
No-frills bar offering pinball, darts, pool, pinball & bocce, along with wings, sandwiches & beer.
Address: 685 King St, Charleston, SC 29403
Phone: (843) 727-0999

Revelry Brewing Company
Address: 10 Conroy St, Charleston, SC 29403
Phone: (843) 203-6194

Fuel
Refined pub eats with Caribbean twists in a repurposed 1950s-era gas station with a big patio.
Address: 211 Rutledge Ave, Charleston, SC 2940
Phone: (843) 737-5959

Palmetto Brewing Company
Address: 289 Huger St, Charleston, SC 29403
Phone: (843) 937-0903

Fleet Landing Restaurant & Bar
Southern seafood staples served in sleek, light-filled quarters, with a patio overlooking the water.
Address: 186 Concord St, Charleston, SC 29401
Phone: (843) 722-8100

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Eat & Drink

Break Your New Year's Resolution

The Best Places In Charleston To Break Your New Year’s Resolution Diet

Featured Image Credit: Kaminsky’s Dessert Cafe

We all start the New Year with the best of intentions. We resolve to eat better, exercise, clean out our closets, and spend more time doing what matters to us. The diet resolution might be the toughest one to keep, especially in a town like Charleston where there is so much good food that’s not always good for you. So, now that the first month of the year has passed and February is flying by, you might be ready to throw those good intentions out the window. If you decide to cave and indulge in something calorific, we won’t judge you. We’ve even picked out our favorite spots in Charleston that are ideal for breaking your New Year’s resolution diet.

Ye Ole Fashioned Cafe & Ice Cream

Break Your New Year's Resolution Diet

Featured Image Credit: Ye Ole Fashioned Cafe & Ice Cream Facebook

Ye Ole Fashioned on Savannah Highway is the perfect joint to break your New Year’s Resolution diet. Of course, they have ice cream in multiple satisfying flavors, but don’t count out their sinful entrees and sides. They have a famous BLT piled so high with bacon that you might have a hard time fitting it in your mouth. Add some classic French fries and you have a mouthwatering meal not approved by Dr. Atkins.

Carmella’s

Break Your New Year's Resolution

Image Credit: Carmella’s Cafe and Dessert Bar

Carmella’s no doubt has some awesome desserts. Different flavors of mousse, gelato, Italian ice, the famous Peanut Butter Passion, and more will all satisfy your sweet tooth. But if you want something for lunch or dinner, Carmella has you covered. Salami and cheese boards complement the wine selection and there are sandwiches, paninis, baguettes, and even Stromboli will fill you up.

Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams

Break Your New Year's Resolution

Image Credit: Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams (King Street) Facebook

Splendid is in the name of this spot, and it’s not false advertising. With freshly made ice creams in a myriad of delectable flavors, you can’t go wrong at Jeni’s on King Street. Whether you choose one flavor in a waffle cone or multiple flavors in a dish, you’ll be thinking about this ice cream long after you’ve finished it.

Jestine’s Kitchen

Break Your New Year's Resolution

Image Credit: Keisha P. on Yelp

Jestine’s is a Charleston institution and it’s well worth breaking your New Year’s resolution diet to enjoy what they have. It’s homestyle southern fare that will make you glad you live in the Lowcountry. Fried green tomatoes, pimento cheese, fried okra, fried oysters, fried shrimp, and of course fried chicken all feature on the menu. Don’t forget to save room for the famous Cola Cake.

Saffron Restaurant & Bakery

Break Your New Year's Resolution

Image Credit: Saffron Restaurant & Bakery

Saffron is one of the best bakeries in the area. Decadent baked goods like tiramisu, red velvet cake, cheesecake, brownies, tarts, scones, muffins, croissants, danishes and more await you at this Charleston gem. If you want something to eat before dessert, they have a Middle Eastern inspired menu that’s on the healthy side and a selection of sandwiches that aren’t on the Weight Watchers diet.

Recovery Room

Break Your New Year's Resolution

Image Credit: AH on Yelp

Nobody expects bar food to be healthy. Recovery Room is great for late nights all week and hangovers on Sundays. Their Tater Tachos are legendary and they have the goods when it comes to fried delicacies such as onion rings and mozzarella sticks. Burgers and sandwiches are available for those looking for a meal and for brunch you can chow down on fried French toast, waffles, and their Famous Egg Sandwich. And you can wash it all down with a can of PBR. Gwyneth Paltrow would be disgusted, but you’ll be delighted.

Kaminsky’s

Break Your New Year's Resolution

Featured Image Credit: Kaminsky’s Dessert Cafe Facebook

If you’re downtown in the French Quarter and you’re craving something sweet then make a beeline for Kaminsky’s. Their dessert case is beyond impressive. A multitude of cakes (including the classic southern red velvet), pies, and brownies are all available. Plus, they have some boozy beverages that will also satisfy that sweet tooth. Dessert martinis anyone?

Crave

Break Your New Year's Resolution

Image Credit: Crave Kitchen & Cocktails

Crave in Mount Pleasant is a primo spot to break that New Year’s resolution diet. With some of the best mac and cheese in the Lowcountry, maybe the country you can be confident they know what they’re doing. The famous melty masterpiece can be topped with: scallops, short ribs, sautéed shrimp, broccoli, grilled chicken, pulled pork, or bacon. If you’re not into the mac (what’s wrong with you?) then you can indulge in a sandwich like their 3/4 pound burger, fried chicken BLT, or spinach & tomato grilled cheese.

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