1. Cru Cafe
9.1
18 Pinckney St (btwn Anson & East Bay St.), Charleston, SC
Café · Downtown Charleston · 70 tips and reviews
Simon Tschinkel: Really enjoyed the meal. Highly recommend the Thai Risotto and the special, which was Sea Bass on a bed of collard greens and a croquette. Ask for a table on the porch.
Lisa Hinchliffe: Great flavors and lovely porch seating if the weather is nice.
Donovan Maguigan: Fried oyster salad is excellent. Be sure to sit outside in the porch in the evening, great ambiance.
2. Poogan's Porch
8.4
72 Queen St (at Meeting St), Charleston, SC
Southern Food Restaurant · Downtown Charleston · 225 tips and reviews
Lauren Rorie: Awesome French toast! Definitely sit on the front porch, great atmosphere!
Kim Oliver: Amazing Dinner! Plantation fried chicken was to die for, second floor porch seating was perfect, outstanding service! A Charleston favorite for sure!
Lucas Hrabovsky: Best way to describe this place? Deep fried alligator with a side of biscuits and gravy sitting on the porch drinking a sweet tea.
3. Husk
8.8
76 Queen St (btwn Meeting & King St), Charleston, SC
Southern Food Restaurant · Downtown Charleston · 265 tips and reviews
Alexis: I'll take the suckling pig with a side porch, please.
JP Grace: With reservations blocked months in advance, arrive early, grab a drink from the bar next door, and wait on the porch for them to start taking names for walk-ins at 5:15pm sharp. Be prepared to wait.
Travel + Leisure: After a whiskey cocktail at Husk Bar, head to dinner in the neighboring historic house, with a romantic two-story porch and a floor-to-ceiling chalkboard highlighting regional farmers and purveyors.
The Wall Street Journal: The draft horse will keep a leisurely pace while your guide points out churches and homes, and explains the local single houses whose porches face away from the street to keep out prying eyes. Read more.
Alex Arze: Fantastic tour- Jim was our tour guide; had plenty of humor, fast paced and saw all the historic sites of Charleston!
Frankie "Sarge" Vernon: Well worth the $22 Bill was the Greatest!
7. Lowcountry Bistro
7.5
49 S Market St, Charleston, SC
Southern Food Restaurant · Downtown Charleston · 58 tips and reviews
@palmerlaw: Grab a seat on the 2nd floor outdoor porch and check the blackboard for specials!
Johni Long: The Shrimp and Grits is fabulous. She Crab Soup app was phenomenal. Also, try the sweet potato fingerlings.
Pet S: She Crab soup is OFF the HOOK, even on a hot day. Trust. Also: Southern Peach cocktail. DO IT.
Charleston Area CVB: When neighboring Garden & Gun magazine hosts its Back Porch Sessions with musical guests like the Punch Brothers and Holly Williams, the Kudu courtyard is treated to a very cool free soundtrack.
Matt Waldrep: Great coffee & excellent selection of craft beer. The bar tenders are very helpful to tourists like me. I recommend the chocolate croissant and the Holy City Pluff Mud Porter. Overall a great place!
Holy City Sinner: Coffee AND beer??? Sign me up!
Charming Inns of Charleston: Enjoy a glass of sherry on the porch overlooking Broad Street.
Joe Gannon: Birthplace of Charleston delicacy, She-Crab Soup. Beautiful house In a wonderful town. Friendly, helpful staff.
Travel + Leisure: From #TLSponChat: “@HistoricChas: Can’t miss Charming Inns’ John Rutledge House which will celebrate its 250th anniversary in 2013!”
11. Hominy Grill
207 Rutledge Ave (at Cannon St), Charleston, SC
Southern Food Restaurant · Cannonborough - Elliottborough · 271 tips and reviews
Alex T: I don't see what all the hype is about. The food was okay, but not to the standards I hold for Charleston food. We had both the shrimp & grits, & the big nasty... I enjoyed "Poogans Porch"so much more
Charles Koch: The dark and stormy is remarkable. Made with local ginger ale that's nice and spicy. Great way to start a meal (with fries green tomatoes, of course).
Travel Channel: Try the Big Nasty Biscuit - delicious! As seen on Man v Food: Charleston.