7 Local Dishes You Need to Try in Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston’s food scene runs on rice, seafood pulled straight from the marshes, and a kind of unhurried Southern hospitality that shows up on every plate. Skip the chain restaurants near the hotels and the city’s actual character starts to come through fast.

Shrimp and Grits

This is the dish most visitors come looking for first, and for good reason. Plump, briny shrimp get sautéed with bacon, garlic, and a touch of hot sauce, then ladled over a bowl of stone-ground grits cooked slow enough to turn silky and rich rather than gritty.

Poogan’s Porch has built a loyal following around its version, with diners calling it the standard the rest of the city gets measured against. The grits underneath do as much work as the shrimp on top, holding a deep, buttery flavor that keeps people ordering it on repeat visits.

She-Crab Soup

She-crab soup is a pale orange, cream-based bisque built around blue crab meat and a rich dose of sherry stirred in tableside or right before serving. It tastes like a more delicate cousin of clam chowder, sweet from the crab and warmed by that hint of sherry underneath.

82 Queen has won local recognition for its version year after year, serving it thick enough to coat a spoon without ever feeling heavy. A basket of hot biscuits on the side is practically mandatory for mopping up whatever’s left in the bowl.

Fried Green Tomatoes

Thick slices of firm, underripe tomatoes get coated in a cornmeal crust and fried until the outside turns deeply golden while the inside stays tart and slightly firm. The tang of the unripe tomato against that crisp, salty crust is what makes the dish work.

Magnolias serves theirs over a bed of grits with white cheddar, caramelized onions, and a sweet tomato butter drizzled on top, turning what’s usually a side dish into something closer to a main event. It’s been the restaurant’s most-requested plate for years, and one bite makes it obvious why.

Charleston Red Rice

Red rice looks a little like jambalaya but tastes distinctly its own, built from rice simmered in a tomato-based broth with bacon, onion, and bell pepper until every grain turns a deep reddish-orange. It’s smoky, slightly sweet, and hearty enough to eat on its own.

Bertha’s Kitchen, a no-frills soul food spot north of downtown, is where locals send anyone serious about trying it done right, usually alongside sausage folded into the pot. Cash only and often busy at lunch, but the wait is short and the payoff is worth it.

Frogmore Stew

Also called Lowcountry boil, this one-pot dish piles shrimp, smoked sausage, corn on the cob, and potatoes together, all boiled in a heavily spiced broth until everything soaks up the same peppery flavor. It’s meant to be eaten with your hands, dumped straight onto a newspaper-covered table.

Bowens Island, a ramshackle spot perched over the marsh, is widely considered the place to get it outside of someone’s actual backyard. The setting is as much a part of the experience as the food, with paper towels standing in for napkins and the shrimp tasting like it was pulled from the water that morning.

Hoppin’ John

Hoppin’ John pairs black-eyed peas with rice, usually cooked together with a piece of smoked pork so the rice soaks up a deep, savory flavor from the peas and the meat both. It’s simple, filling, and a little smoky, closer to a good pot of beans than anything fancy.

Martha Lou’s Kitchen, a tiny soul food institution, is where the dish gets treated with real reverence rather than as an afterthought on a side menu. The portions are generous and the flavor leans hard into black pepper and pork fat, exactly the way it’s supposed to.

Benne Wafers

These thin, crisp cookies are made from toasted sesame seeds folded into a simple butter-and-sugar dough, giving them a nutty, slightly caramelized flavor that’s closer to a praline than a typical cookie. They shatter with the first bite and disappear just as fast.

Olde Colony Bakery, which calls itself home to the original recipe, ships them across the country but tastes best picked up fresh and still slightly warm. A small bag makes an easy souvenir, assuming any of them actually survive the trip home.