Charleston

This award-winning restaurant in the chic Planters Inn oozes sexy sophistication. — Concierge

The menu, which changes daily, focuses on fresh, exclusively Southern ingredients and invigorating reinterpretations of Southern and Lowcountry cuisine. — Concierge

Warm and welcoming, the restaurant made its mark early on in the Charleston culinary scene serving refined Southern fare in an unpretentious setting. — Gayot

Located in a grandly restored bank, The Ordinary is a repository of East Coast seafood traditions, polished for a contemporary audience and paired with precisely the right drinks. — Tasting Table

Spend an evening here for fresh-off-the-farm ingredients cooked with unfussy, flavorful finesse. — Fodor's

This spot in Cannonborough-Elliotborough is located inside an old gas station, but serves really good Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Malay food. — The Infatuation

This always-buzzing Thai restaurant offers another rare excursion from Lowcountry cuisine in the center of the city. — Frommer's

North Charleston is home to one of the area's top pizzerias, which doles out Neapolitan-style pies with super-thin and crunchy crusts. — Fodor's

The combination of white tablecloths, casual happy hour, clubby pub atmosphere and outdoor courtyard manages to offer something to almost everyone. — Gayot

Housed inside the 150-year-old South Carolina Loan & Trust building, Oak Steakhouse serves steaks, local seafood, and vegetarian dishes with a farm-to-table emphasis. — Travel + Leisure

Steaks and American fare are on the menu at this family-run Upper King District restaurant. — Gayot

You can’t get better ocean fare than at 167 Raw, a small restaurant and fish market on East Bay. — Condé Nast Traveler

A long-standing favorite for precisely executed Low Country food: shrimp and grits, she-crab soup, and fried oysters. — Insight Guides

High Cotton, which serves roughly 800 Espresso Martinis a month, takes its name from an old southern term for living well. — Travel + Leisure

Healthy and light but always satisfying, this local favorite has grown into new digs and expanded its lunch and dinner menus. — Fodor's

A fresh take on Lowcountry cuisine from a chef who was a vegetarian for a decade. — Condé Nast Traveler

Upscale comfort food is served up in a classic, 18th-century, Charleston home. — Where

Chef Marc Collins is on top of his game right now, with this restaurant one of the city’s leading fine-dining establishments catering to a well-heeled local and tourist clientele. — Frommer's