Southern Food Done Right // Charleston, SC
The best thing about Charleston? The Southern food it serves. So unhealthy, but SO good. Between the fried chicken, butter biscuits, and BBQ, we had enough fat to last the rest of the year. But it was so worth it. If you're headed to Charleston any time soon, this is my list of food you should eat, and where you should eat it.
Chicken and Biscuits from Hominy Grill
We started our culinary excursion at Hominy Grill, where we were informed, very correctly, to get the "Charleston Nasty Biscuit," a meal of fried chicken breast, cheddar cheese and sausage gravy. We also got the shrimp and grits because I had never tried grits before. Delicious, but the Nasty Biscuit is definitely the one to get if you only get one.
Callie's Hot Little Biscuit
I do not have enough good things to say about this place. 10 months into our relationship, Michia and I reflected on the best food we had ever eaten together, and this was close to the top of the list. [Callie's](http://calliesbiscuits.com/) can be found in the Charleston City Market, and they are a treat at any time of the day. They also now ship nationwide! It was the number one food we had to get when we went back to visit.
Charleston City Market Praline
All along the City Market, candy shops make and sell praline, which are caramel candies with nuts in them. They hand out samples, so be sure to grab one on your tour of downtown!
Red's Ice House Seafood
Red's Ice House is an amazing place for sunset dinner. They have a covered patio space above their main dining space, where you can watch the sun set over the river. Drink in hand, it's an incredibly romantic spot.
Early Bird Diner Chicken and Waffles
Chicken and waffles is my current favorite brunch dish, and you cannot leave Charleston without having a meal of this amazing food. Whenever I sit down to have brunch, I have this incredible internal struggle between whether to eat something sweet (pancakes, french toast, waffles), or something savory (benedicts, sandwiches, fried chicken), and chicken and waffles is that perfect sweet spot. Everyone raves about Early Bird Diner Chicken and Waffles, and they're totally correct. Get an order, or two, or three. And add some fried pickles (such a Southern thing).
Kickin' Chicken Sandwich
Admist the wealth of stores that line King Street, is a chain restaurant chicken place. Kickin' Chicken is a cross between a fast-food chain and a bar, and their Kickin' Chicken sandwich is melt-in-your-mouth delicious. I feel like I keep saying that about the food in Charleston, but they do Southern food so, incredibly well.
Sweet Tea Vodka
I had a friend who drank 32oz of sweet tea every single day for two years. And I didn't have a clue what that meant until I visited Charleston. Turns out, it means 32oz of sugar, and incredible deliciousness.
Crawfish
Crawfish are a Southern delicacy one has to try. It's a pretty high effort to reward ratio (lots of effort, not much food), but it's fun for a mini picnic. We bought some during Charleston's Fleet Week, which was loads of fun.
Boiled Peanuts and Hyman's
I was told by my boyfriend and his mom that boiled peanuts are everywhere in Charleston. They're usually enjoyed at the RiverDog baseball games, but it wasn't baseball season, and when we searched over a weekend, we couldn't find any anywhere! All the stands that usually sell them weren't open, and we had to go to Hyman's Seafood (where they serve them for free) to get some.
Hyman's also serves really good seafood, and is a fairly touristy destination, located at the heart of downtown. Their bathrooms are stocked with little cards with various forms of life advice, and really nice soap scrubs.
Barbeque
I was in an Uber with my boyfriend and a driver from Memphis, and they started talking about barbeque. Having grown up in the Bay Area and spent most of my life either here or in New England, I knew nothing of the debate they began having, which revolved around the definition of "the best barbeque." Apparently, there are multiple kinds of barbeque sauces, and they run the gamut from sugar- to vinegar-based. I was mind blown.
In any case, the barbeque in Charleston is no joke delicious. Get some from Sticky Fingers when you go (they have amazing sauces).
Drinks at Market Pavillion
After dinner in downtown, go up to the Market Pavillion Bar to enjoy an elegant cocktail with a thrilling view of the city. This rooftop bar is much classier than the bars in Upper Kings Street, and the view is unbeatable.
Coffee Shops
On a rare break from work, I came to Collective Coffee with Michia's mom, and we enjoyed some sweet time together over hipster coffee and avocado toast. There are plenty of super cute coffee shops though, so definitely stop by one!
