Where Should We Go For Lunch? Our Favorite Lunch Spots In Downtown Charleston, Sullivans, & Shem Creek For A Charleston Girls Getaway Weekend
Lewis Barbecue in Charleston is one of the best DANG hangover foods of all time… lemme tell you…
Let's get real; Charleston is all about drinking and eating. So your trip should be around restaurants and dining. So you’ve had a quick breakfast or boozy brunch (check out our favorite breakfast + brunch spots in Charleston here!)…you’re meandering down King Street with the girls, checking out some of the shops and art galleries… and you make your way to lunch.
Where Should We Go For Lunch? Our Favorite Lunch Spots For Girls Getaway Weekends In Downtown Charleston, Sullivans, & Shem Creek!
This is part of a multi-part series we created with the girls at Reagan Events— Reagan Kerr and her assistant Hannah Hunter, and myself, Shelby Ring of Ruby Riot Creatives wedding videography.
We love us some tasty snacks, some bougie cocktails, styley bars we can dress up or down in to feel super hot, and creating fun times with girlfriends, so here’s our take as late twenty-thirty-something Charleston locals on some of our favorite Brunch spots that are sure to be a crowd pleaser for your getaway weekend in Charleston, South Carolina.
Where To Grab Lunch With The Girls: Downtown Charleston
Image credit from their website, 167raw.com
If you’re downtown and a seafood lover, we would suggest your next stop would be 167 Raw.
167 Raw
Put your name in the hat. There's going to be a wait. But then, once you settle in, they have the best spicy margaritas. They're not on the menus, and make sure to ask. And then chips guac, ceviche... And did I mention the 167 Raw waiters are super cute?
Don’t want to wait? You can make reservations at 167 Raw Sushi on East Bay Street; it’s very limited seating, so be sure to reserve early! Their menu is always adapting and transforming — I recently had a tuna tartar feature on the most perfectly toasted brioche bread that had my entire group raving. There’s always something exciting and beautiful on their menu. If you have an adventurous group — just ask your (devilishly handsome) server to continue bringing things out — Chef’s choice! 167 Raw Sushi is definitely a wonderful restaurant to let the chefs and staff flex and shine.
Best Dang BBQ In Town? Lewis Barbecue
[Shelby here] We had the pleasure of helping a friend film Lewis Barbecue’s shippable meat selection you can serve up at home (brisket, hot gut sausage, beef ribs, turkey, pulled pork, you name it! — the most incredible gifts, and they ship all across the country!) and we were * forced * to try every single one of their meats and let me tell you — John Lewis knows his sh!t!!! Oh my gosh. I’m a Texas girl and am a connoisseur of sausage, and LET ME TELL YOU — Get the hot gut sausage.
“Oh, my gosh. I think about this sausage at random times of the day and night. ”
This is a wonderful spot for your meat and BBQ lovers - they have some incredible sandwiches on the menu, lunch specials, order BBQ by the quarter-pound, they have some of the coolest BBQ sauces (mustard, tomato, vinegar, and hatch green chile based!) John Lewis’ El Paso, Texas roots come through in his food. The green chile corn pudding — good God… the pinto beans…the collards — ON. POINT.
Take your squad there for a big recovery day; it’s the best damn BBQ in Charleston with a chic vibe in the design. There are picnic tables outside for a nice sunny day or big bright Instagrammable open floor plan spaces and bar inside. John Lewis is a total scientist/nerd/rockstar when it comes to the preparation of his meats, it’s consistent every time I go there and I cannot recommend this spot enough for a little BBQ fix.
Frannie And The Fox ~ Italian Luxe, Amazing Wood-fired Pizza + Salads
Frannie and The Fox is Hotel Emeline’s restaurant that serves Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and really fun drinks (check out their menu selection here!), and they also have Clerks Coffee — they're aesthetically dialed in grab and go coffee spot with quick bites.
The restaurant Frannie And The Fox has a bar inside, and they also have outdoor space. So you can cozy it by fire if it's chilly outside. It's so cute. It's so so cute. They sport an Italian wood-fired flare to their menu. Their brunch has everything you could be craving - a big bowl of oatmeal with fresh-cut fruit, a classic breakfast sandwich (with really good bacon!), or a beautiful in-house-made fresh caesar salad and several stunning thin-crust wood-fired pizzas, this spot is a crowd-pleaser. You’ll have the best time snappin’ pics in their emerald-everything interior. SUCH A VIBE.
Port Of Call // Downtown Food + Brew Hall
Port Of Call is right there in the mix of Market Street, a popular touristy area, but they’re creating a Food and Brew Hall featuring several amazing artisan food vendors. There’s something for everyone — amazing seafood, oysters; you can find something for everyone in your party at the Port Of Call food hall.
So if you’re wandering the streets of downtown Charleston, or wearing yourself out walking through Market street, walk around the corner to Port Of Call and settle into an amazing lunch before going back out into the hustle and bustle. Port Of Call is one of Charleston’s newer restaurant concepts on the scene, and there’s been nothing but fun buzz over this spot!
Where To Grab Lunch With The Girls On Sullivan’s Island
Obstinate Daughter // Ohhh The Shortrib Gnocchi
Obstinate Daughter is a favorite for lunch. It's a more like put-together lunch spot. They're great for brunch as well. If I’m doing Sullivan's day with some friends in town, I'll finish off with dinner at Obstinate Daughter as well. Their short rib gnocchi is incredible (I can’t NOT order it when I go there.)
Their short rib gnocchi at Sullivan’s Island… oh my gooossshhhh!!
…Then Swing By BeardCat’s Sweet Shop For Something Sweet
And then there's Beard Cat Sweet Shop below that if you want something sweet for a mid-afternoon pick me up. They have gelato, sweet treats, cookies; it’s a really cute shop. Very beach iconic.
Poes Tavern For A Burger On Sullivan’s Island
Poe’s Tavern is a great day drinking and burger spot- their burgers are SO GOOD! SO many amazing combinations. And the interior space is so fun at Poe’s. It’s all Edgar Allan Poe themed after he lived on Sullivan’s Island, so the whole aesthetic is fun.
Swing By Home Team BBQ For A Game Changer, Smoked Wings, & Pork Rinds
Home Team BBQ is a poppin’ spot right when you get onto Sullivans Island on the main strip. Across from Poe’s and down the strip from Mex 1, this is a great spot with a lively vibe. Get their smoked wings, their signature Game Changer (it’s like a slushy pina colada that packs a HUGE SNEAKY PUNCH! Two of these bad boys and you’re good!) and some pork rinds (my favorite thing is to stick my tongue up to them - they vacuum seal onto your tongue - it feels like pop rocks!) with their amazing pimento cheese for an authentic Charleston treat.
Where To Grab Lunch With The Girls On Shem Creek + Mount Pleasant
Pull Up To Saltwater Cowboys, Get Your Trashcan Nachos, And A Creekwhacker For Lunch.
Saltwater Cowboys on Shem Creek is awesome if you want something a little more casual. You've got people who are straight off the boat from their beach day. So you could be super casual, enjoy water views of Shem Creek, the harbor, Crab Bank island, the shrimp boats lining Shem Creek. You're bound to see some dolphins, some beer, order some Trash Can Nachos and a Creekwhacker (their spin on a Bushwhacker - BOOZIE milkshakey goodness!)…I love me some Saltwater Cowboys. And the big pretzel…ohh the Pretzel presentation. It’s tasty!