The new bouncer at acs needs to leave. The young one w the shoulder length bob was so mean to my friend on her 21st birthday and wouldn't let her into the bar it ruined our night . Love this place otherwise!! All the other staff besides him are awesome!!! read more

Dive bar with sports and pool. Reminds me of a slightly better college bar. Handful of beer bottle/cab options for $3-$5 and seltzers. Pretty clean but I arrived early in the night. Service was quick. read more

Went here for my 21st birthday a few nights ago and had the best time. Was there from about 8pm-midnight and for a Tuesday night, got pretty packed. A great thing I loved was the bartenders were not only super nice, but also very attentive. For example, I was there with my best friend and there was a guy making us pretty uncomfortable and just not leaving us alone. The bartenders recognized this and were able to get him away from us politely. I will definitely be coming back! I met a lot of great people there too so that was also amazing! 100% recommend! read more

A.C.'s Bar & Grill - Bar area - Bars Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

See all

Absolutely nasty horrible awful place. Completely disgusting how dirty it is. Watch the bartenders do things that were horrific, and the bathrooms are some sort of a petri dish which they seem to take pride in. read more

Great dive bar in Charleston, cheap drinks and good music. Certainly a place where people go to get hammered at on the weekends. But if you're looking for a more lively spot while in the downtown area this would certainly be in your list. read more

A.C.'s Bar & Grill - Bars Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

The mozzarella sticks were so hot and fresh. The drinks were good. The nighttime atmosphere was great as well.

Exactly what you expect- trashy bar food. Service is fine and prices are pretty low. I'll probably eat here again though everything's like a little stale is only main complaint read more

Food was so good. We had the garden Philly cheese steak and a Huge order of Chili cheese fries. It looks a little run down and the AC was dripping a little onto the table - but the food was worth it. read more

They are not ideal. They denied us when we all have real ids. Wish them the best but would not return.

The burgers and fries were really good, but you won't want to visit the restrooms. The patrons missed a lot and the smell was intense. read more

A.C.'s Bar & Grill - customers at the bar - Bars Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

Not only were the bouncers rude, they were rude without merit. If you're going to take a stance make sure you're in the right. They don't know the difference between fake and legal out of state ID's and meet you with toxic masculinity when you hold your ground. I am 25 years old, have never had an issue with my ID in my life and was asked to never come back after defending my claim of a real ID especially when I'm sure there were underage individuals inside. They also had no way to verify real ID's, no scanner, it was just personal judgement. I tried to verify my ID with a cop the bar and although she remained impartial she assured me that this was a regular occurrence with this establishment. Not to mention, said bouncer, ANDREW was easily younger than me and just seemed pompous and uneducated, the only argument they stuck to was they could lay the law because it was a private establishment (who won't allow of age patrons). read more

I thought I might die. Sketchy people everywhere. Highly intoxicated and the bathroom stall was always filled with multiple people. A must visit. read more

**CHARLESTON LOCAL** If you enjoy being verbally assaulted by bouncers, for absolutely no reason, this is the place for you! My husband and I were walking past the outrageous line for this trashy bar when we noticed some friends in line. We stopped to say hello & hug our friends and within SECONDS multiple people were screaming at us. We were standing outside of the line, on a public sidewalk, being verbally assaulted by employees of this establishment. We had absolutely no intention of going to this bar & this experience has just solidified that decision. I am proud to say that I have never, nor will I ever, spend a dollar in this sorry excuse of a bar. read more

Walked in and tried to get a drink at the bar. Some guy was rude trying to usher people past him and charged me up said "what!?" to me. Then his friend who I think worked there too tried to tackle me for no reason and pushed me into a lot of girls. They were very drunk and combative for no reason. read more

We were visiting Charleston for a week and our hotel was in walking distance of this place, a bit of a walk but, one none the less. We got turned onto this place from a local at another place we were at. It was divey from where we came from and our bartender was LUKE. Wow what a great time we had, we hung out for soo long. The vibe was fantastic the drinks were great. They even have a walk up window for food at the BOH. The cook seemed slightly grumpy but, meh whatever. I ordered the Tomato Soup (cold front came in) I asked the cook how it tastes he said it comes out of a can, great I haven't had that since I was small. Ordered that and Fried Poppers and Mushrooms. Surprisingly the Mushrooms were our fave they were perfectly fried and the cream sauce was delicious. The drinks depend on what bartender you get but, Luke is awesome, friendly and attentive. He also had some great recommendations for us and I bookmarked all suggestions. Got pretty crowded on the weekends so we returned on off time places and were surprised to find them open on a weekend early when the website says 11 a.m. I can't wait to go back. Luke made a really great Marg for me. Thanks for the great experience read more

See all

My favorite bar in Charleston. Can't believe it has taken me this long to review. Shame on me. Even now, after Charleston has successfully made it through puberty as a city, the drink prices are still cheap, service is friendly and awesome, and the food is surprisingly good. You order food at the bar, btw, then they give you a number on your receipt and you wait for it to be displayed on a screen. ACs is a dive bar, but it attracts all types of folks and is always a good time. read more

This one is difficult. I have been coming here since I was old enough to drink. Most of the kids here now that hang out are my sons age. We don't make it downtown much anymore. It's changed. Once in a while we hit this place up. It still has the same old feel including the stinky bathrooms. It's part of the charm. This particular day, there was a kid playing pool and taking shots with another fella. We had one table, they had the one at the front of the bar. My husband took a business call and walked outside with his beer. When he returned, this kid told him several times, rather aggressively and rude not to drink outside the bar. He said all of SC it was illegal on the sidewalk. Not true. Many bars allow you to have your open container within the cover of the bar like some places have tables on the sidewalk and you can have alcohol within the perimeters of the establishment. He said not this place. No big deal. Well I don't drink. I quit some time ago but I still enjoy a NA beer and I had a Heineken 00. I stepped out to make a phone call. This same kid came after me and put his hands on me. He grabbed me by the shoulder and turned me around and started yelling at me. I smacked him and told him not to touch me and get his hands off me. I told him I had an NA. He said it didn't matter and ALL drinks no matter what they were were not allowed on the street. He said the cops didn't care what it was. He snatched it out of my hand. At this point my husband got involved. Now two grown men are coming at him and putting their hands on him and he was just trying to protect me and pay our tab and leave. This whole situation isn't ok. Absolutely no one that works there should never ever put their hands on someone. If it comes to that, the cops better be on the way. Second, the punk kid that started this wasn't working, he was drinking and shooting pool. Third, the other guy apparently the bouncer was also off duty and drinking at the bar. All of them were doing shots. Instead of deescalating the situation, he made it worse. Not sure if this is the standard for this place but after all these years, we won't be back. And just for the record, I was legally within my rights to drink my NA on the street just as if it was a coke bottle. A cop may ask questions but I am within the law. But that kid who put his hands on me isn't and I could have legally filed charges against him and sued the bar. Before making statements that he had no idea about, he should check the law better. This kid is a liability to your establishment. And the other guy that snatched it out of my hand while I am outside the bar is also not within his rights to do so. I wasn't a threat to anyone and this could have been handled way differently. I did go back in the bar and apologized for causing any problems. I didn't think I had done anything wrong. The guy with the beard calmed down and asked us to stay but at this point neither of us felt welcome. You won't lose your patrons probably but you may get sued for the bar. Training is needed for your people and if they aren't working or on the clock, and kicking back shots, they shouldn't be telling your patrons what to do. I am just an old lady having a fake beer. How threatening could I possibly be. Ya got three stars because the guy that was actually working behind the bar was fantastic. Keep him. Ditch the drunk kid who put his hands on me. He is a liability. read more

THE BEST BAR FOOD IN LIFE! Walking into AC's early Friday night I didn't expect too much. This is just a regular bar with a good amount of TV's, very attentive bartenders, and lots of pool tables. I was hungry and saw the chili cheese burger on Yelp, so decided I would give it a go. It's a bar so like I said, I wasn't expecting much, but with one bite all my thoughts changed. The sandwich is a 1/2 pound angus beef patty of deliciousness drenched in your Grandma's famous chili, topped with wonderful, creamy yellow American cheese. Unless you are a wild one the fork and knife truly come in handy. The beef is well seasoned, the seasoned bun is a bit buttered and toasted perfectly, the chili is filled with peppers, onions, and has a little kick ! Definitely a bar to try for lunch, happy hour, late night or just to live your best life and be happy with yummy food. read more

A.C.'s Bar & Grill - Ac's chili cheese burger - Bars Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

See all

Reading all the negative reviews.. it's a dive bar people! It's great for what it is. Cheap food, cheap drinks and the bartender, Kevin is phenomenal. Was in town for not so happy circumstances and they really made us feel welcome. read more

I have been to A.C.s plenty of times for a drink or two. I may be getting a bit old for the college crowd that runs this place, but I remember my days in these types of bars and always having a fun time. If you don't want to be at a bar with a big college scene, then don't go to A.C.'s. I was with a couple friends looking for late night eats on upper king. I called the Macintosh but they had stopped serving. Juanita's was packed wall to wall with a band playing in the front corner. That wasn't happening. I knew A.C.'s would still be serving so we kept moving down the street. A.C.'s was serving food and we snagged the last table. Wasn't a fan of ordering food at the bar when it was so busy and had to wade through the crowds looking for drinks and place the order for my entire party. Pretty much like being your own server. The you have to go pick up the food in the back too. Not a big deal but by no means convenient. I was dead sober and had a long day. This crowd was too rowdy at this hour so I decided to take the grub to go. Not complaining about the crowd. I expect that at 1am and that would normally be me, but this night it wasn't and I needed to get out of there asap. I had a burger and we all split some nachos. The nacho plate was gigantic with all the usual toppings. The burger was delicious and seasoned perfectly. Even after taking it to go and eating it 20 mins later. I'm sure that I would have enjoyed anything to eat at that moment being so tired and worn out from the day but, A.C.'s burger and nachos was a welcomed surprise at 1am. Great late night food! read more

I love dive bars. Why? Decent and affordable food and drinks and unpretentious people. Sometimes you need to relax, and dive bars like this one do it for me. Love it! This one was a little quiet, but it was Sunday. The portions were okay. I loved the grilled cheese though it felt small. But yeah, I love grilled cheeses with American cheese, so I can eat 4 of those. The fries with cheese and bacon were not bad. But really, people were coming in to drink, chill out and not necessarily for the food. Though honestly, try the food. It was not bad. I ate it all. :) Drinks ARE cheap! read more

See all

Late night decision. Yes, it is a dumpy dive bar but that is pretty much what we were looking for at the end of a night of drinking. Pabst Blue Ribbon beer, um yuck. But I followed the lead of my group and took one for the team. There is a very eclectic group there and I guess we added to the mix. Last stop of the evening and what a way to close out! read more

Great burgers for a little hole in the wall type of bar. We went during lunch on a weekday. There was one bartender and we ordered our food with him. Bartender was super nice I didn't catch his name. Food was amazing and super cheap! We ordered nachos and two burgers cost $30. Didn't drink just bc we came here more for the food. Our tour guide Todd from our walking tour recommended this place. The burgers were huge! And flavorful. The nachos had homemade chili. Only thing I didn't like was that this place was a little dirty. The floors and bathrooms need some work. But the food did not disappoint! read more

See all

This is a solid dive bar. We stopped in for some afternoon drinks. Joe was a great bartender, very friendly and social. AND the prices there cannot be beat! Try it once and see if you have as much fun as we had. read more

I know there's a ton of amazing things to do and places to go in Charleston, but this was my unequivocal favorite of our trip. We went in after looking for a place to kill sometime before check-in at our nearby hotel. The bar was dark inside, and the AC was cranking enough to frost the windows. We sat at the bar and John, our really cool bartender, got us a round of beers off the ridiculously cheap beer selection. He made sure our drinks were never empty, and answered my ridiculously detailed questions about the cheesesteak on the menu. (I'm on a cheesesteak life quest, and constantly search for the steak that will finally bring my epic and artery-clogging search for a real Philly Steak to it's rightful conclusion.) My steak: Bread, meat and cheese were all correct, and delicious. They actually ship bread in from South Philly, and I could taste it. The cheese was american, but I still consider that correct. They offer onion, mushroom, sweet peppers and hot peppers. I got everything. My ONLY criticism is that the veg should have been chopped finer. And thank you for not trying to put green bell peppers on my sandwich! My friend had a sloppy, amazing bacon cheeseburger, and his fiancee had the dolphin (mahi) sandwich. Everything tasted fantastic. The bartender told us that it got rowdy and stupid at night when the college was back in session, but this is our new go-to place during the day. We went back again at the end of the night and still had a blast, and John gave us the line on a bunch of other laid-back bars nearby. read more

See all

Cheap food, Cheap beer. Good service, nice cook and bartender. What else could you ask for. only reason for 4 stars instead of 5 is because apparently the girls bathroom was disgusting. read more

Well I'm definitely in the South! Look what was on the wall in the Men's room of this bar we went in last night. Interesting... the restroom walls are set up where patrons can write on them with chalk. Why would the owner not erase such filth? read more

See all

This is my kind of place. Unpretentious, cheap beer flowing freely, pool tables, solid music selection. Not quite a dive, not quite a hipster bar, middling somewhere in the realm of "laid back with a kick of college funnel bar and a touch of just-graduated-college sophistication". Beer was damn cheap. Got a bottle of Lagunitas Tuberfest, the beer of the month, for $2.50! The Champagne of Beers, one of my favorite non-craft types, besides Icehouse, for $2 a bottle. If only I didn't have to work tomorrow, we could have become very good friends AC. Side note: the bar name AC's reminds me of the movie Home Alone. Kevin McAllister replays part of a movie called the Dirty Dozen, and the quip he settles on follows: Johnny: Who is it? Snakes: It's me, Snakes. I got the stuff. Johnny: Leave it on the doorstep, and get the hell outta here. Snakes: All right, Johnny. But what about my money? Johnny: What money? Snakes: Acey said ya had some dough for me. Johnny: Is that a fact? How much do I owe ya? Snakes: Acey said 10%. Johnny: Too bad Acey ain't in charge no more. Snakes: Whattaya mean? Johnny: He's upstairs, takin' a bath. He'll call you when he gets out. Hey! I tell ya what I'm gonna give you, Snakes. [pulls out his Tommy Gun] I'm gonna give you to the count of ten, to get your ugly, yellow, no-good keister off my property, before I pump your guts full o' lead! Snakes: [about to leave] All right, Johnny. I'm sorry. I'm goin'! Johnny: 1... 2... 10! [opens fire at Snakes and laughs maniacally] Keep the change, ya filthy animal read more

A.C.'s Bar & Grill - Took advantage of the bathroom chalkboard. - Bars Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

This was our absolute favorite place to go when we were in the hotel for almost 2 months. We ate there more times than we've ever ate anywhere. The reason being it's just dad gum good food. The service was always amazing very friendly place to be and a lot of locals. I loved their chicken tender in the basket of fries my husband loved that they had Amstell light beer I was pleased they have Bud Light. My husband found a sandwich that he ate so many times it wasn't even funny but I can't really say anything about it because I ate the same thing every time. If it's not broke don't fix it. read more

A.C.'s Bar & Grill - New England Oven Grinder oven-baked sub with ham, salami, pepperoni, provolone cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, banana peppers - Bars Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

See all

Great little dive we stumbled upon while walking downtown. Nicely priced drinks and menu. Didnt eat...but will next time. read more

A.C.'s Bar & Grill - Bars Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

Bartender was rude and not pleasant. I guess you get what you paid for? $3 beers is pretty solid. Buttt....It smelled like pee. Def a solid for for a dive bar. I'm sure you can poop on the floor here and it will be fine. Overheard a kid saying "my fake ID works here" and continued to be served by the bartender w pink hair. I would have been cool and not said anything but your bartender was just rude. She gave major attitude. So avoid at all costs unless you like the degenerate crowds. Then all creatures welcome read more

Bar is great but Patty is a horrible woman. She is always rude SO RUDE. Evil to customers. Screams at everyone in the bathrooms. Kicks good patrons out for no reason. She is literally the only thing wrong with the bar. She should be fired. read more

Always a good place for a casual but yummy food and drink stop!! Always stop there if you can! For being a King St bar it's actually on the cheaper end too. read more

A.C.'s Bar & Grill - Bars Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

I am here to say goodbye to my beloved AC's. I went in last night and immediately left upon realizing that I am officially way too old to be in there past 9pm. If I were a puma I would never leave that place, but being there just made me feel like the creepy guy loitering at the playground with no kids of his own. I guess if I want to enjoy a semi-seedy atmosphere, good music, excellent food, friendly bartenders and the beer of the month that I so love about AC's, I will have to make sure and do it during lunch or early dinner and then get the hell out of there before it starts to pick up. It was fun while it lasted, AC's. If I don't see you around, keep truckin. read more

I have been going to AC's for far too long now, mainly because I'm cheap and the PBR is always flowing, but partially because it is the opposite of some of the terrible new "club" places popping up all over Charleston, which is someone's sick attempt to turn our great city into a mini-Miami, shaved head men in tight shirts and pre washed jeans included. I have spent many a night here during my day. Once, I told a girl who my friend was seeing that he had a wandering eye - and yes, that was the first time I had met her. Myself aside, I had never reviewed AC's. Now I will because I have finally eaten here. I came in for lunch during an 8 hour shit show seminar where I was locked in a conference room and literally beaten with the stick of boredom. The moment I walked into AC's, I knew my day was about to turn around. Sure, it still smelled like beach clothes you left in a plastic bag that soured weeks ago, and the floors were still filthy from the night before, but now I got to experience the moldy glasses, the kind that smell like your old bathroom towels when you put it up to your nose, the flat diet coke that tastes nothing like diet coke, and the "serve yourself" lunch baskets. You also learn that AC's restrooms always look like a war zone and smell like one too, not just during the night. AC's get 4 stars for being unapologetically AC's. I am happy bars like this still exists in a time when Charleston is being ruined by the Traveler's magazines of the world. In the war that is surely coming to our streets soon, I take comfort knowing AC's will be my last line of defense. read more

Really good bar! Slightly divey but good people inside and behind the counters. Order food at the bar, get your number and wait for the LED to display it then go to the food counter for pickup. Great burgers. Beer list is on the small side but they seem to be catering to the cheap college crowd which is okay. Open late with a full food menu! read more

Big drinks for a low price. They know how to take care of the customers. Food the Philly is my go to. Hot Peppers Philly that is !!

last time (and THE last time) I was here they were playing back to back hits from the band Creed. And not ironically. Just douche-jamming to some Creed. Nope. Awful crowd, vomitous music. The weird thing is, the 'bones' of the place look like it used to be pretty cool. And that's what I've heard from many folks. Sucks. read more

Ain't Charlestonesque A.C.'s is more like an SF bar, very zeitgeist-like, but without all the bicycles and weed waft. The staff is nicer too -- when busy, which is all the time, they don't put up a sign saying "busy! go away! don't ask questions!" The usual Charleston uniform is, at best, lightly represented here as well. I don't recall seeing more than a few dudes sporting six-gill khakis, popped izods, and top-siders. More garden-variety alterno-hipsters w/ tatts. If they had messenger bikes in Charleston, most patrons would be riding them. I recommend the "champagne"... and say hi to Andi if you're there, he should be at the bar most nights -- kinda hairy persian dude. read more

The biggest yelp scandal of 2007: a guy from San Francisco was the first to review AC's! This is ludicrous and offensive. Five stars to AC's for lots of reasons: they have the best bar food in Charleston. They actually have a vegetarian Philly (angels sing!) and the fried food is, in the words of Robert Goulet, "filling but it's deeeelicious." Another reason, the music. No top 40 here. This place is punk rock all the way. Love the scrappy pool sharks that hang out there too. They will let you play but they will kick your ass, and they're always so nice about it. read more