I’ve visited Charleston many times and each trip usually includes several meals. At the upcoming NGS 2011 Family History Conference, the Hospitality Booth, across from Attendee Check-In, will have copies of the 2011 Official Visitors Guide for Charleston (Guide). The Guide is almost 200 pages and includes “what to see” and “where to dine.” My preference is to have lunch in Charleston because the servings are smaller, the prices are lower, and the quality is the same. If you are in Charleston over the weekend, several of the restaurants mentioned below have a brunch on Saturday and Sunday.
One of my favorite restaurants for Lowcountry cuisine, including fried green tomatoes and shrimp and grits, is Magnolia’s, 185 East Bay St., Charleston, 843-577-7771,
http://www.magnolias-blossom-cypress.com/.
Poogan’s Porch, 72 Queen St., Charleston, 843-577-2337,
http://www.poogansporch.com/, is another choice for southern hospitality and Lowcountry fare in the historic area.
Virginia’s on King, 412 King St., Charleston, 843-735-8500,
http://www.virginiasonking.com/, has great barbeque sliders, pimento cheese sandwiches, and cornbread.
If you want to eat seafood on the water, the choice is Fleet Landing, 186 Concord St., Charleston, 843-722-8100,
http://www.fleetlanding.net/.
Another tourists’ favorite is Hyman’s Seafood, 215 Meeting St., Charleston, 843-723-6000,
http://www.hymanseafood.com/. They don’t take reservations and there is usually a line at peak meal times. The specialty is crispy flounder which fills your plate and the sides are served in separate dishes. When you think you’re done you turn the flounder over and eat the other side. My husband always orders something else because he knows he’s getting about half of my flounder.
If you are a vegetarian, I would recommend the Hominy Grill, 207 Rutledge Avenue, Charleston, 843-937-0930,
http://www.hominygrill.com/, which has a vegetable plate entre in addition to its other southern fare. The Hominy Grill is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
If you are looking for an upscale restaurant and an outstanding dinner you will remember, my choices are Anson’s, Fig, and McCrady’s which are only open for dinner: Anson’s, 12 Anson St., Charleston, 843-577-0551,
http://www.ansonrestaurant.com/; Fig, 232 Meeting St., 843-805-5900,
http://www.eatatfig.com/; and McCrady’s, 2 Unity Alley, Charleston, 843-577-0025,
http://www.mccradysrestaurant.com/.
There are many great restaurants to choose from and I have only listed those in which I have personally dined in the last couple of years. If you have others you would like to recommend to conference attendees, send you recommendations to
conference@ngsgenealogy.org for posting on the blog or simply post back under the comments section at the end of this post.
Jan Alpert
Conference Chair