Charleston is known for its colorful façades, its wondrous oaks and palmettos, and music flowing from its alleyways. It’s also home to some of our nation’s most compelling food and beverages. Lowcountry cuisine represents an intricate history, and it’s all served with a hallmark sense of hospitality. With the 20th anniversary of the wildly popular Charleston Wine + Food (CHSWF) festival approaching, many folks are already anticipating their time in this beloved riverfront city.
“What we love most is how genuinely community-driven the festival feels,” says Lily Cantral of the team at Seahorse. “It’s a chance to connect with peers, showcase creativity, and celebrate Charleston’s food and beverage culture.”
Curious about where to gather and bask in the Holy City’s beguiling atmosphere? Our guide below invites you to discover the best of Charleston’s bars and restaurants, along with a few highlights of 2026 CHSWF.
Kultura
A rising star on the scene, Kultura was first launched in 2023 as a pop-up concept, then evolved into a brick-and-mortar establishment. In 2024, chef Nikko Cagalanan was named a James Beard finalist as “Best Emerging Chef,” one of many feathers in his cap of accolades. Within a year, in October 2025, Kultura grew again, making a new home in an elegant space fitted with rattan walls and bright tilework conjuring the Philippines.
True to his roots, Chef Nikko offers a menu of modern Filipino fare served both at the bar and in the dining room. Kultura’s success reflects a burgeoning Filipino population in South Carolina — a community that more than doubled between 2010 and 2025. Choose from traditional lumpia, mouthwatering pork ribs dressed in banana-ketchup barbecue sauce, and more.
Wondering what to pair with your meal? Peruse a list featuring 25 wines by the bottle and 7 by the glass. Or, choose from an innovative cocktail menu. According to beverage director Jessica Ford, the house specialty is the Yellowcard. She describes it as “a crushable, margarita-adjacent tequila cocktail” that features yellow bell pepper and a house made calamansi sour. She says the sum of its parts gives it a “vegetal, fresh, and tangy character.”
On Thursday, March 5, 2026, Chef Nikko Cagalanan will team up with his longtime mentor, Chef Vinson Petrillo, to present an exclusive CHSWF dinner celebrating their friendship and work together. Get tickets today!
Seahorse
As a finalist in the 2025 VinePair Next Wave Awards, Seahorse holds a special place in our hearts. Opened in December 2024 by James London and Yoanna Tang, the bar conveys a meticulous sense of detail, from the imported glassware to the thoughtful interior.
“Seahorse is intimate by design,” says London. Set within a historic home next door to its sister restaurant, the acclaimed sushi spot Chubby Fish, Seahorse offers a cozy 36 seats. Amid an interior as dark and evocative as the ocean, guests are presented with a nautical-themed menu that takes them on a journey.
“Our cocktails are technique-driven but rooted in familiar, approachable, classics,” says London, “and the room is meant to feel transportive without exclusivity.”
Don’t miss the Whiskey Highball, made with a Suntory highball machine (the first in South Carolina) — a tool that’s integrated throughout the menu. “We offer everything from spirit-forward classics to lighter, more playful builds, so there’s a little something for every palate,” says London.
Snacks and small plates, prepared in cooperation with the award-winning team at Chubby Fish, pair seamlessly.
On Thursday, March 5, 2026, Seahorse will host a collaborative CHSWF event featuring Neal Bodenheimer of the award-winning New Orleans bar Cure. Get tickets here!
Renzo x Theodora
When is a pizza joint more than a pizza joint? At Renzo, the proof is in the details: luscious medjool dates gracing the “Wrath of Kahan” pizza, impossibly pillowy gnocchi, homemade strawberry ice cream. All to be paired with the thoughtful list of small-lot, low-intervention wines, curated by co-owner Nadya Hutson.
Tucked in a historic Charleston storefront, Renzo features naturally-leavened wood-fired pizza, handmade pasta, snacks, and small plates, along with an in-house ice cream program. Chef Colin Marcelli changes the menu often enough to keep regulars intrigued, while the place regularly hosts winemaker dinners.
Across the street, you’ll find another worthy stop: The Faculty Lounge. It’s a speakeasy-style sister establishment that’s also operated by Nadya and her husband, Erik.
At this year’s CHSWF, Renzo will team with like minds at Theodora in Brooklyn, New York. Theodora was VinePair’s 2024 Next Wave Award Winner of Food & Beverage Program of the year. Maggie Dahill, Theodora director of operation, describes what unites the restaurants in partnership.
“Anchored by a focus on wood-fired cooking and a love of natural wine,” she says, “we have a shared commitment to championing seasonal ingredients and exploring the diverse flavors from the Mediterranean and around the world.”
“Our upcoming collaboration with Renzo is a chance for our team to work with a talented and beloved local restaurant and serve a one-night-only tasting menu of dishes from each of our menus. Guests can expect the wood-fired flavors of the Mediterranean that Theodora is known for, as well as a few special dishes that will be a collaboration between Theodora and Renzo’s chefs.”
Tickets for this special event are limited. Get your tickets today!
Doar Bros.
A family affair thriving in the heart of Meeting Street, Doar Bros. is a favorite of locals and visitors alike. As the name suggests, the place is operated by brothers Adam and Jonathan Doar. With ancestry rooted in both Charleston and in New England, Doar Bros. reflects the influence of both regions while retaining a vibrant identity all its own.
“We create new signature drinks every season,” reports bartender and creative consultant Stephen Blackmon. One cocktail, he says, has staying power. “Bourbon & Clyde” was created around an Old-Fashioned and Whiskey Sour, with a bit of underlying Black Manhattan, and was part of the bar’s original opening menu in 2018.
With a kitchen helmed by Jonathan Doar (“JD”), who has worked and studied around the world, Doar Bros. offers sharable plates for snacking, along with more substantial items that can be combined to create meals. Regulars rave about the brown butter truffle popcorn, locally purveyed cheese board, mortadella, and caviar service. Every month or so, the bar offers an “Italian Night” feast as an ode to the chef’s extensive time in Italy; check the local calendar for dates and times.
Don’t miss Doar Bros. at the finale of the 2026 CHSWF, as well as at miscellaneous guest pop-ups along the way. Get tickets!
If you’re headed to Charleston, be sure to “lollygag” (as it’s said in these parts) and linger. In the words of Stephen Blackmon: “Take time to slow things down … You’re in the Lowcountry! Enjoy what our city is really all about: diverse cultural involvement, history, and the renowned Southern hospitality you will certainly encounter throughout your visit. Cheers y’all!”
This article is sponsored by Charleston Wine + Food.
