Copyright Charleston Post and Courier
The origins of brunch, the combination of breakfast and lunch, vary depending on who is asked. The midday meal has been linked to English hunt breakfasts, post-Mass Catholic feasts and high-brow meals among the big city elite. Brunch has spread across the U.S. over the last 100 years, first in places like New York and Chicago, later in smaller towns and rural areas. What began as a Sunday tradition has morphed into a more frequent service that often pairs eggs Benedict and omelets with boozy beverages such as mimosas and bloody marys. Brunch is ubiquitous in Charleston, and some spots lean into the classics. Others have taken a more nuanced approach to a meal some chefs reportedly loathe, whether through international flavors or nostalgic riffs. The result has been a city filled with places delivering a range of dishes diners crave, no matter the day of the week. Here’s where to find them. Classic brunch Big Bad Breakfast 456 Meeting St., downtown Charleston 2664 N. Highway 17, Suite 101, Mount Pleasant John Currence, a New Orleans native, opened the first Big Bad Breakfast in his adopted hometown of Oxford, Miss., in 2008. Five years later, he partnered with Nick Pihakis of Pihakis Restaurant Group (best known locally for Rodney Scott’s BBQ) to replicate the restaurant across the South. There are now Big Bad Breakfasts in Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama and South Carolina. The menu of biscuits, omelets, skillets, pancakes and cocktails attracts long lines of diners daily. Items like the fried chicken and sausage gravy biscuit sandwich scream morning-after-drinking-too-much, while local Marsh Hen Mill grits elevate the huevos rancheros grit bowl. There is something for everyone, whether you’re looking for a lazy carb-loaded morning or a nourishing, albeit heavy, start to the day. Betty Lou’s Bistro 2408 X Ashley River Road, West Ashley Betty Lou’s Bistro opened in 2019 with a dedication to “fresh, casual food” and “high-end wine at affordable prices.” Over the past six years, that’s meant dishes such as a Brussels sprout Caesar, fried green tomatoes, seared scallops with risotto and crab-stuffed flounder. The ever-changing menu sings a slightly different tune during Sunday brunch, when morning items such as fried catfish with grits, crab cake Benedict, a frittata and French toast join some of the restaurant’s regular favorites. Betty Lou’s has the lunch side of brunch covered, too, with fried seafood platters, she crab soup, shrimp hoppin’ John and a burger with beer-braised onions. Bodega 23 Ann St., downtown Charleston 414 W. Coleman Boulevard, Mount Pleasant The fun-loving Bodega skips the formalities of many Charleston brunch services in favor of an offering that leans into nostalgia. Pancakes are stacked three high and filled with peanut butter sauce, mixed berry jam and fruit. Breakfast sandwiches are of the New York City bodega-style variety, with eggs, American cheese and your choice of meat inside a soft Kaiser roll. Whether you try the downtown or Mount Pleasant location, you might find yourself next to a table of college students, families with kids or couples with a furry four-legged friend. Bodega’s ambiance is energetic and fun — especially when a French toast martini or bloody mary is involved. Daps Breakfast & Imbibe 280 Ashley Ave., downtown Charleston Weekday brunch is less common than you might assume, even downtown. But Daps Breakfast & Imbibe brings the breakfast noise six days a week. From whimsical Fruity Pebbles pancakes to hearty egg sandwiches and burritos, there's something for everyone at Daps. Be sure to check out the chickpea sandwich, served with sweet sorghum Duke's Mayonnaise inside a fluffy English muffin, or pork cake tacos with Hatch chile salsa. Edmund’s Oast 1081 Morrison Drive, downtown Charleston When longtime chef Bob Cook brought brunch back to Edmund’s Oast last year, he wanted to offer a different experience. Enter Edmund’s Oast’s “hot bar brunch,” an all-you-can-eat $30 buffet offered at the Morrison Drive eatery on Sundays. It’s anchored by a prime rib carving station set outside the open kitchen. The rest of the options — eggs, perfectly crisp bacon, buttery biscuits, fried chicken, curry-charged mac and cheese, crispy potatoes and Caesar salad, among others — await nearby in The Library, where the restaurant hosts private events. Lost Dog Cafe 106 W. Huron Ave., Folly Beach Lost Dog Cafe was born in 2002, first on Center Street and four years later in an old laundromat on Huron Avenue. Covering breakfast, lunch, brunch and everything in between, Lost Dog Cafe serves cinnamon rolls, bagel sandwiches, eggs Benedict, French toast, shrimp and grits, hot dogs, wraps, burgers and more. Consider trying the breakfast burrito, which is filled with cheese, eggs, peppers, onions, black beans and salsa and “smothered” in pork green chile, more cheese and diced tomatoes. Post House 101 Pitt St., Mount Pleasant I have for years made a habit of visiting Post House’s brunch for the fish sandwich. Fried seafood might not come to mind when you envision brunch, but the restaurant's tempura-crusted daily catch with shredded lettuce and green tomato tartar sauce is an all-hours delicacy. The morning menu also features quiche, blue crab fried rice, a Belgian cornmeal waffle and an egg sandwich, among other options. Others: Blind Tiger Pub Church & Union Park & Grove The Junction Kitchen & Provisions Coffee Babas 11 Cannon St., downtown Charleston 804 Meeting St., downtown Charleston Babas is the spot to go for espresso, matcha (perhaps paired with Babas’s house-made peanut milk) and strong iced coffee. With one location on Cannon Street and another north on Meeting, this European-style café puts time and effort into every aspect of its menu, from steeped-to-order chai tea lattes to “very tall” quiche and pickled shrimp toast. City Lights Eastside 12 Line St., downtown Charleston Whether you're after a drip coffee, mimosa, pistachio latte with oat milk, vanilla Coca-Cola with espresso or a glass of beer or wine, City Lights Eastside has you covered. Offering some of the friendliest service in town, the café's beverage menu is paired with breakfast burritos, lunch sandwiches, baked goods and more. Sightsee Shop 698 Rutledge Ave., downtown Charleston Sightsee Shop is a café, retail store and community gathering place, all in one. Find some of the best coffee in town and pastries from Grit Bakery at the Hampton Park-adjacent venue, which debuted in 2024 after Sightsee got its start on Line Street. The Daily 652 King St., downtown Charleston The Daily draws lines for its coffee program and all-day breakfast and lunch menu. In addition to its morning offering of whipped feta toast, loaded avocado bowls and breakfast pitas, The Daily keeps its pastry case full. Craft bakeries Baguette Magic 792 Folly Road, Suite A, James Island 1028 Wappoo Road, West Ashley Mathieu Richard started Baguette Magic in 2009 as a farmers market stand before opening the retail location on Folly Road in 2011. After purchasing the business in 2019 and freshening up its menu, Paula and Sam Kramer have welcomed lines of locals looking for breakfast and lunch. Expect everything from almond croissants and house-made Pop-Tarts to avocado toast, brioche French toast and Italian sub sandwiches. Local ingredients are a staple inside the Baguette Magic kitchen, meaning seasonal selections are a regular occurrence. A full coffee program, as well as beer and wine, accompany the selections. Girl Nextdough 1939 Maybank Highway, James Island Girl Nextdough recently took over the space previously operated by LB Sweets & Treats. Inside the grab-and-go destination, owner Caitlin Schumacher and her father John McCormick serve sweets and breakfast sandwiches with a smile, even after waking up before 3 a.m. to begin baking. Though the menu changes often, patrons can always expect at least one type of croissant, muffin, doughnut and Pop-Tart-style treat, with seasonal flavors driving some of the offerings. Schumacher, the former pastry chef at FIG, also serves house-made sourdough bagels and other savory selections. The Harbinger Cafe & Bakery 1107 King St., downtown Charleston The Harbinger Cafe & Bakery (and sister shop Harken Cafe) is filled with house-made baked goods, quiche and loaded toasts in the morning, seven days a week. Set up shop inside the cozy café that is often filled with locals working on their laptops or socializing over cortados and turmeric chai tea lattes. At least once a week, I swing by The Harbinger for a Cha Cha Cha Chia Bar (cinnamon, ginger and apricot-spiced oat bar) and iced maple latte. Weltons Tiny Bakeshop 682 King St., downtown Charleston Most days of the week, patrons form a line outside Weltons Tiny Bakeshop, where the focaccia is perfectly squishy with a firm crust and the treats are just as tasty as they are imaginative. The bakery is owned by Hannah and Zachary Welton, who met while working in the kitchen at Husk downtown. Open for nearly three years, Weltons Tiny Bakeshop sells pastries — tomato pie Danishes, dark chocolate croissants, roasted plum and poppy seed kolaches, olive oil cake — that are inspired by local ingredients and travel. They’ve become so popular that many sell out by the time the bakeshop closes at 1 p.m. WildFlour Pastry 1750 Savannah Highway, West Ashley WildFlour Pastry, known for its Danishes, sticky buns and sweet breads, was one of the first Charleston sweets producers to receive national acclaim. Desserts helped owner Lauren Mitterer earn multiple nominations for a James Beard Foundation Award, but she also makes savory items such as quiche and breakfast sandwiches. Though her original downtown location closed in 2019, she continues to operate a full bakery with plenty of seating on Savannah Highway in West Ashley. Dim Sum Beautiful South 128 Columbus St., Suite 101, downtown Charleston Serving Chinese-inspired cuisine, Beautiful South opened for dinner in August 2023 on the ground floor of a multi-use development with apartments, Greystar office space and fitness studios. The restaurant, which comes from the couple that brought Charleston Kwei Fei, added a Sunday dim sum brunch service last year. You won’t find any rolling carts at Beautiful South’s take on dim sum brunch, but there is a stunning array of Chinese small plates. The options have over the last 12 months included scallion pancakes with a perfectly crunchy, chewy texture, wok-fried noodles set under a layer of crispy pork and squishy char siu bao buns stuffed with caramelized meat. Chef Loong Dim Sum & Soup Dumplings 1662 Savannah Highway, Suite 105, West Ashley Chef Loong Dim Sum & Soup Dumplings took over the space previously occupied by Old Li’s in 2024. In addition to offering traditional Chinese appetizers and entrees, such as beef with broccoli and crispy chili chicken, the restaurant specializes in dim sum. The options include pale yellow chicken soup dumplings shaped like oversized Hershey’s Kisses. To eat, poke a hole with your chopsticks to release the steam. Once cooled, slurp the xiao long bao back in one or two bites and delight in the textural juxtaposition between the warm liquid and chewy dumpling wrapper. French Azur 159 Market St., downtown Charleston Dominic Chantepie’s Azur delivers a French menu with Spanish and Italian influences. Lunch and brunch are served together Friday through Monday at the restaurant, making it a useful place for those in search of brunch on days not named Sunday. While there are decadent options, the menu highlights the kind of light, bright flavors to keep guests energized after a meal. Take the spinach and goat cheese quiche, which has a burnished crust that conceals fluffy eggs broken up by bits of green. After tasting the refreshing but bitter bite of the frisée salad on the side, you might be reminded that brunch doesn’t always have to be a big event with even bigger flavors. Sometimes a circle of quiche and a tart salad is exactly what the afternoon calls for. Brasserie La Banque 1 Broad St., downtown Charleston Brasserie La Banque’s Saturday and Sunday selection mostly pulls from the classic brunch canon. During a recent midday meal, our table filled with French toast, eggs Benedict, steak frites, and a delightful quiche with spinach and Gruyere cheese. Pastries are prepared downstairs next to Bar Vauté, Brasserie La Banque’s underground speakeasy that opens at noon each Sunday. The kougin amann is divine, its laminated dough a flaky, buttery delight, and the sticky bun is so good you might be tempted to order two — and argue over who gets to finish the soft glazed center. Others: Fast & French NICO Oysters + Seafood Italian Laura 101 N. Main St., Summerville Nico Romo’s Italian restaurant in Summerville excels in freshly made pasta and 10-inch thin crust pizzas, kissed by the fire in a round, red oven. During brunch, the kitchen crew runs with a range of Italian-inspired plates, from a scallop gnocchi Benedict to a ricotta omelet. Before signing the check, be sure to inquire about dessert, with fresh-baked goods such as a cream-filled brioche bun among the rotating options. Pelato 1085 Morrison Drive, downtown Charleston This Italian restaurant is among the buzziest to open in the last year. Pelato’s portions are typically small, and the offering is contemporary, with patrons sipping espresso martinis and frozen limoncello drops, the frosty liquid’s tart taste masking what seems to be a significant amount of alcohol . The beverages fit with Pelato’s animated atmosphere, fit for a fun couples’ night or boozy brunch with friends. Many of Pelato’s dinner items are available during its weekend brunch service, including the exemplary radiatori vodka, Pelato’s version of penne alla vodka. Guests can also order cannoli pancakes, an Italian sandwich on crusty sesame bread and other brunch-only items. Sorelle 88 Broad St., downtown Charleston Sorelle’s brunch menu is filled with sweet and savory dishes, including the crunchy chicken Milanese with a sunny egg. Those who have visited the Italian restaurant for dinner won’t be surprised to find plenty of decadent options, such as the eggs benedict with butter-poached lobster and Roman toast — thick-cut brioche bread with vanilla bean custard, almond brittle and amaretto syrup. Patrons can also order popular nighttime pastas like the Pillows of Gold, plus the carbonara, Margherita and mortadella pizzas. They can be enjoyed in Sorelle’s elegant dining room, housed on the second story of a renovated Broad Street building. Others: Legami The Obstinate Daughter Mexican Kooben Café Mexicano 1268 Yeamans Hall Road, Hanahan When I visit Kooben Café Mexicano, I’m reminded of my favorite cafés in Mexico City, where coffee and pastry programs pair with breakfast and lunch entrees in contemporary, stunning settings. Kooben’s menu is organized as such. Huevos divorciados, tamales, enchiladas and tlayudas are joined by American favorites like avocado toast. Arroz con leche, corn pancakes and French toast with plantain ice cream, plus house-baked breads and pastries, make up the sweets selection. Beverages include strong drip coffee, espresso drinks and fresh-squeezed juice that tames the calm spice of the entrees to come. Consider the cochinita pibil, featuring a succulent and saucy pile of pork that comes with a side of house-made tortillas. Seafood Acme Lowcountry Kitchen 31 J C Long Blvd., Isle of Palms Acme Lowcountry Kitchen has been around since the 1990s, when it debuted as Acme Cantina, a rowdy bar with a Tex-Mex bent. In 2008, new owners incorporated the word “Lowcountry” into the restaurant’s name and revamped its tacos and quesadillas with coastal ingredients. In the years since, it’s become a go-to beachside destination for a range of seafood entrees and Southern plates, such as fried green tomatoes, biscuits and gravy, oysters and fresh flounder. Shrimp are fried and paired with collards, tucked into omelets with sausage and Swiss or combined with grits to form one of the Lowcountry’s best-known dishes. The restaurant offers five varieties, including blackened shrimp and truffle grits with sausage. Marina Variety Store Restaurant 9 Lockwood Drive, downtown Charleston The best waterfront view downtown comes with some down-home food. Marina Variety Store isn’t fancy, and guests like it that way. Expect all the morning classics, from buttermilk biscuits and silver dollar pancakes to shrimp and grits, crab cakes Benedict and seafood omelets. The hardest part is deciding what to order. Breakfast sandwiches, served on toast or a buttery biscuit, come classically filled with eggs, yellow American cheese and your choice of bacon, sausage or ham. Grits or shredded hash browns with perfectly crusted bits arrive on the side. Others: The Darling Oyster Bar Southern Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit 476½ King St., downtown Charleston Most days, guests form a line inside this Charleston classic on Upper King Street, queuing up shoulder-to-shoulder between a standing bar and shelves of cookbooks, trucker hats, biscuit crackers and blueberry lemon thyme preserves. They peruse the menu, which touts breakfast sandwiches with bacon, eggs, cheese and sausage gravy. Biscuit flavors run the gamut, from the country ham creation that launched the business to the cinnamon variety that’s still produced by hand in a production facility in North Charleston. Linnette’s 6000 Kiawah River Drive, Johns Island Classic brunch through a Southern lens is on the menu at Linnette’s, the signature restaurant inside The Dunlin hotel. Diners can start with a dozen oysters, served on ice with cocktail and hot sauces and a mignonette of chives with minced shallots. Eating shellfish this fresh fits the serene setting, where one might feel the urge to take a long, deep breath and silently stare into the marshy distance. When the daydream is complete, acclimate yourself with the collard green hushpuppies, whose crust conceals a fluffy golden center, spotted with green and teeming with cornmeal flavor. A dish of chili remoulade is served on the side for spicy dunking. There are also pancakes, steak frites, and a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit. Page’s Okra Grill 302 Coleman Boulevard, Mount Pleasant Page’s Okra Grill debuted in a small space on Mount Pleasant’s Coleman Boulevard in 2006. Five years later, the restaurant moved to a larger building down the street, where it serves shrimp and grits, hot honey chicken and waffles, eggs Benedict and more. Hearty Southern cuisine like this propelled the restaurant into popularity in the Lowcountry, and the hype hasn’t waned since. In 2024, Page’s added a second full-service restaurant location in Nexton. Millers All Day 120 King St., downtown Charleston 1956 Maybank Highway, Unit A, James Island Traditional Southern plates have found a modern home at Millers All Day. The restaurant’s two Charleston locations, both owned by Nathan Thurston and Greg Johnsman, have become known for Jimmy Red corn grit bowls, cinnamon rolls and fried chicken biscuits since the original opened on King Street in 2018. A family-friendly atmosphere and modern, fun-loving aesthetic has made this one of the most popular brunch destinations in Charleston, so expect a wait. Whether you order a sweet or savory brunch entree, be sure to add a side of boiled-then-fried home fries, which have a spiced, crispy exterior that conceals a soft, fluffy center. Others: Husk Lenoir Little Line Kitchen & Provisions Poogan’s Porch Steakhouse Halls Chophouse 434 King St., downtown Charleston 300 Nexton Square Drive, Summerville If you want to get dressed up and have a boozy, boisterous brunch to a glorious gospel soundtrack, Halls Chophouse is the place to be. The high-end steakhouse hosts a weekly gospel brunch with live music and a menu with steak, eggs and breakfast sides, plus lighter fare, including chopped salads and shrimp cocktail. Popular with tourists, reservations are highly recommended. Marbled & Fin 480 East Bay St., downtown Charleston Marbled & Fin debuted brunch in January, offering a handful of classics, including a trio of eggs Benedict with shaved ham, wagyu beef and a King crab cake, respectively. A battered fish sandwich, burger, French omelet with caviar beurre blanc and avocado toast with a poached egg are among the other options that have been served over the last eight months. What I like about this brunch is that those options can share the table with wonderful dinner bites like the wedge salad or tuna tartare with mango. Shining ingredients like king crab, wagyu beef and eggs with golden yolks promote the elevated experience guests expect when they visit one of Charleston’s hottest restaurants.
