Charlston dining: late night option and anniversary
 

My husband and I are planning a sort of last minute trip to Charleston two weekends from now. I am rushing trying to plan some things, so I need advice! We will be staying in the historic district and we will *probably* not be renting a car.

1. We fly in later in the evening on Thursday. Will there be any place open downtown to get a light meal after 10pm on a weeknight?

2. To celebrate our 5th anniversary, we want to do one romantic dinner. We are major "foodies" and love interesting food and wine. The only suggestions we've gotten so far are Peninsula Grill and Charleston Grill, but those are past our budget for this trip. We live in Chicago, where there are plenty of interesting dining options, so we're looking for someplace we can have a romantic, special dinner (quieter, great service, nice atmosphere) AND enjoy something we can't get at home. Southern cuisine seems like the obvious choice here, but perhaps I'm missing another option? Any recommendations for restaurants that would fit the bill?

We are just so excited to go visit Charleston. We've heard so many great things about it!

Oops, misspelled Charleston in the subject line! I hope that won't prevent you all from helping me out. ;)

We loved Hanks and 82 Queen when we were in Charleston.

For your anniversary dinner, I would suggest <b>Magnolias!!!</b>

But just don't take my word for it, check out their TripAdvisor reviews &lt;http://tinyurl.com/2xdmyx&gt;.

Yes, I've seen lots of recs online for Magnolias. So you think the atmosphere is suitably quiet and romantic? The restaurants in Charleston all sound so tasty, but it's tough to know from their websites what kind of atmosphere they have!

Thanks for your advice. :)

I live in Charleston and my favorite restaurant hands down is SNOB (Slightly North of Broad) on East Bay. I think if you google they have a website with their menu. I would suggest getting a reservation. You can do it online at www.opentable.com

Or if you can't find something and willing to do french food, there is La Forchette on Upper King. I just went there this past weekend for my birthday and it was great.

Enjoy your visit.

We love Charleston! So much to see and do.

For a special dinner, Roberts!! It's an experience unlike any other and they feature great, gourmet food in a romantic and intimate setting: http://www.robertsofcharleston.com/ See also http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restauran..._Carolina.html

Book now if it's not already too late.

For another nite, we highly recommend Mistral. Excellent food at reasonable prices. Plus they have music in the evenings. (http://www.mistralcharleston.com/)ht..._Carolina.html

For a late meal you might ask your concierge for a recommendation. Monza Pizza on upper King Street might fit the bill. They have outdoor seating in the back. We had a good casual meal there. The appetizers were great!

Magnolia's is my DH's all time favorite Charleston restaurant and we've gone there for special occasions but I wouldn't characterize it as quiet. They do have a couple of smaller rooms in the back that would probably be more romantic. As far as cost, Magnolia's is marginally less expensive than Peninsula Grill but by no means a lot less expensive. Most of the restaurants have menus online to compare. You might try Cru Cafe - I've had their catered food that was very good and I've heard the same about their restaurant. Maybe someone else can weigh in on it.

You can do a search for previous restaurant recommendations on this board. Especially look for a trip report by GoTravel. There have been several recommendations for the coconut cake and maybe champagne at The Peninsula Grill if you'd just like to finish dinner with a romantic dessert.

Hanks is great but loud...Magnolia's is classic Charleston but can also be loud depending on where you are seated - 82 Queen has a quiet garden atmosphere...be sure to try the shrimp and grits and fried green tomatoes while you are in town! And the benne wafers from the market.

Having dined at most of these restaurants mentioned I would select Peninsula Grill or 82 Queen for a special romantic dinner. Yes, The Peninsula is expensive. Coconut cake at the Peninsula is my favorite dessert.
Magnolias is my all time favorite,but I mention the other 2 for something special.
Look at the menus of all these restaurants and then you will know what fits your budget.

82 Queen has been hit or miss for us over the past 10-15 years so we've skipped it of late.

What is your budget for dinner for two people?

I'd rather split a great appetizer and entree at SNOB than settle. Or just eat off the appetizer menu.

T-Bonz is relatively inexpensive. I'm also a big fan of Andolinis Pizza. Andolinis will be open after 10PM on Thursday.

For your anniversary, I suggest going to Harris Teeter on East Bay and puting together a picnic basket and going to the park. It will be really romantic!

Wow, such great ideas! We're not limited to a dirt cheap budget, but we'd like to spend under $125, including 1 appetizer to split, 2 entrees, 1 dessert to split, and at least 1 glass of wine for each of us. Seems like Peninsula Grill is a bit past that point, and Magnolias may be pushing it slightly too.

I have been scouring menus online and reading all the reviews here. I am so excited by all the great restaurants in Charleston! It is difficult to tell from their menus which have the right kind of anniversary atmosphere, however. That's where all your personal recommendations are helping tremendously.

Magnolias and Peninsula Grill seems so universally loved, we may end up splurging a bit and going to one of those anyway. A picnic the other night of our stay might satisfy the desire for romance and alleviate the budget pressures. :)

If anyone has any other thoughts, I'd love to hear them.

Stop by the bar at the Pennisula Grill for a piece of coconut cake for desert. IMO the Pennisula Grill dining experience is not worth the $$$.

Had a very good lunch at 82 Queen, and love their courtyard, but wouldn't want to eat out there in August.

Food at Cru Cafe is very good, but atmosphere is more homey than romantic.

Consider Carolina's for your anniversary dinner which I think meets your criteria. http://www.carolinasrestaurant.com/

If you are willing to go up to $125, you can probably fit in Peninsula Grill....or at least come close, especially if you are sharing an appetizer and dessert. It has become an anniversary tradition for us and I think our bill this year was right around $140, including tip. This was without wine, but we both had coconut cake, and I had coffee, and my husband had a glass of milk with dessert. Personally, I really enjoy the food and service and it just feels like a special occasion restaurant. I like SNOB and Magnolia's a lot, but neither of them feel quite as &quot;special&quot; to me. I'm with GoTravel, as far as 82 Queen. I know many people seem to love it, but I've never had a great experience there and my last meal had shrimp that were either frozen or just old, because the flavor was so off I couldn't eat them. They were so icky that I was completely put off shrimp for months afterwards.