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Charleston Restaurants

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Charleston Restaurant Reviews

Eating is a serious pastime in Charleston. You can dine at nationally renowned restaurants serving the best of Southern nouveau, or if you prefer, a waterfront shack with some of the best fried seafood south of the Mason-Dixon line. Local chefs have earned reputations for preparing Lowcountry cuisine with a contemporary flair, and there is plenty of incredible young talent in the city's kitchens. The local food revolution began in the early 1980s, with the reintroduction of original Lowcountry cuisine onto restaurant menus. As Lowcountry cuisine evolved and contemporary adaptations became commonplace, the city's remarkable pool of talented chefs grew, and Charleston began to be thought of as a destination for foodies.

Reservations are a good idea for dinner year-round, especially on weekends, as there is almost no off-season for tourism. Tables are especially hard to come by during the Southeastern Wildlife Expo (President's Day weekend in February) and the Spoleto Festival (late May to mid-June). The overall dress code is fairly relaxed: casual khakis and an oxford or polo shirt for men, casual slacks (or a skirt), top, and sandals for women work in most places just fine, but in the fine-dining restaurants, particularly on weekends, people tend to dress up.

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