Here's our restaurant guide for daytime celebrations and dining-out. Ideas include Mother's Day Brunches, Graduations, and Anniversaries. These restaurants are a great point to start off the day because of their proximity to taking strolls or window-shopping afterwards.
p.s. If it's the month of January or September, Locals and Travellers take note: it may be Charleston Restaurant Week! Two beautiful times of year where you can dine at these places below for wonderful pricing specials.
Daytime Celebrations, Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch:
The Palmetto Cafe at Belmond Charleston Place. Breakfast served from 7am - 11am. Dine around a beautiful and sophisticated Garden Courtyard, and peruse the shops in the hotel complex, including Gucci and Louis Vuitton. The Palmetto Cafe is a great place to start, as it's got a covered parking deck, restrooms, and central to window-shopping on King Street, the Historic Market, and the French Quarter neighborhood.
82 Queen. Best Daytime Classic in terms of serving Lowcountry Fare and being a Charleston Institution. Your favorites: Fried Green Tomatoes (FGT), Tomato Pie, She-Crab Soup, Crab Cakes, Pimento Cheese, Shrimp & Grits and Oysters.
Stars: You have the option of dining al fresco on the rooftop or, for the Breakfast and Brunch Buffet, down in the downstairs dining room. Nice views of King Street, and one of the places you can return to at the end of the day -- the rooftop is perfect for post-dinner cocktails and mingling.
The Gospel Brunch on Sundays, at Hall's Chophouse. A family-owned restaurant featuring Iconic Lowcountry staples. The thing that sets this place apart is the celebratory Gospel Singers and live music plus the Mimosa Bar, your table's personal cart for customizing your own mimosas.
Bluegrass Brunch at High Cotton. If Bluegrass is more your jam, head on over for High Cotton on East Bay Street. Walk-off your food-coma along the beautiful waterfront or through the Market.
SNOB. Oh, how we love a good acronym, "Slightly North of Broad." This is one of the few places that serves Fried Chicken Livers in addition to the classic southern staples.
The Park Cafe. My husband and I had our first date here, on May 31, 2015! Located across from beautiful Hampton Park, designed by John Charles Olmstead (of the Olmstead / NY Central Park Lineage). Clean and homey vibe, with a sweet plant-wall and coffee bar. After your stroll through the Park, hop in your car or on one of the Bike Shares, and cruise through the beautiful historic neighborhoods surrounding, and The Citadel Military College.
Cru Cafe. Infamously good because if you've ever attended a wedding in Charleston with really great food there, chances are, these people could've been the catering company. It's so great to be able to enjoy them at their brick-and-mortar, located just behind the Market and Carriages. The location is set in a traditional Charleston home / interior, and rooms can be reserved for private parties. You've especially got to order a glass of Sweet Tea here with your meal.
Poogan's Porch. Another place where you've got to have the sweet tea! Probably because it's similarly situated inside a Charleston home. If you want something filling, then this will be your jam as they feature Chicken and waffles and Country Fried Steak. Rumor has it, that the upstairs porch is haunted, with sightings of a woman in antebellum garb, seen standing and looking out onto Queen Street.