My sister and I celebrated my birthday with dinner at Lenoir. We had both been looking forward to this for months and our experience did not disappoint. Our waiter, Chris, walked through the menu with us and was patient as we debated which sides to share. We eventually ended up with the roasted red beets (with pistachio pesto), cornbread (smothered in brown butter), and the carrots (smothered with chimichurri and smoked walnuts). While waiting on our food, we each ordered a drink - I had the "Spittin' Image" and my sister had the "Bless Your Heart". Sidenote: the names of the drinks are hilarious and made me want to order drinks I never would have tried. The beets were good but pretty much standard fare. The cornbread was crispy and crunchy and each bite was even better with the melted butter. The carrots were the star, though. The chimichurri was a unique topping and the carrots were cooked to perfection. You'll fight with your dinner guests over who gets the last bite. We finished up with dessert (of course). There were three options: the chocolate chess pie, which my sister ordered, a carrot cake, and a buttermilk panna cotta. I could not decide between the carrot cake and the panna cotta, so I asked Chris to choose and surprise me. Unbeknownst to me, my best friend had called in and paid for our desserts as a birthday present, so Chris brought both out! I ate the panna cotta there (yummmm pear and ginger compote on top!) and brought the carrot cake with its mocha icing and almonds home for dessert the next night. read more

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My party of five had made reservations for 8 pm on a Friday night. The first member of our group arrived promptly at 8 pm, and the host told him that it would be a few minutes before they had the table ready. In the meanwhile, she invited him to grab a drink at the bar. When the rest of us arrived, we made our way over to join our friend. Assuming we would have the table soon, we opted to wait on ordering drinks until we were seated. The bartender was quite displeased to hear this, rolled her eyes, and grabbed the drink menu back from us. The rest of the staff was quite fussy trying to navigate around us, but there was nowhere else for us to stand till our table was ready. It took the staff 15 to 20 minutes to finally seat us. After that, we ordered drinks (I'll admit, the Spittin' Image was quite pleasant), and put in for food. It then took the team half an hour to bring out our table's singular appetizer -- which was dip and bread. And it wasn't until another half hour after that when the entrees finally came. It's too bad the actual food failed to make up for the delayed service we were receiving. I ordered the cornmeal dusted catfish. The portions were meager (just two fish cakes), and they tasted indistinguishable from Captain D's. Why spend over $30 on a plate when you could go to Costco and buy three dozen fish fingers that taste the same? We skipped out on dessert. The highlight of my evening was using the attached Renaissance Hotel bathrooms and snagging a few complimentary Dum-Dums lollipops from the hallway for guests. At the very least, it helped curb the hunger between apps and entrees. Why was the staff so delayed in seating us, and then unhappy with us? What took so long to bring out a presumably pre-made dip and bread? Why was I left so hungry after paying a typical downtown Charleston, upscale restaurant meal price? I don't know, but one thing is certain: I will not be returning. read more

Lenoir - Spittin' image - Southern Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

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Walked in for dinner on a holiday weekend. It was a 40 min wait for a table, but my boyfriend and I got a drink at the bar first, so it was no big deal. I tried: + Six toed cat cocktail - perfect + L'Swanee cocktail + Spittin' image cocktail + Local crudo - awesome + Ricotta dumplings and smoked peach - awesome + Sweet corn & succotash - sleeper hit, definitely get this + Swordfish + Carrot cake - perfect One of our best meals in Charleston. Definitely recommend! read more

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I really wanted to give this place 5 stars but a couple things. One thing they forgot one of the meals we ordered. We got it after I mentioned and it ended up being amazing but still. I wish there wasn't celery on the catfish it wasn't that great. But liked the sauce and tomato. The vegetable medley and carrot cake was to die for. Other than that it was pleasant. Glad we came. read more

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Fried collards tasted like kale chips! But it was fried to perfection with good enough oil. Blueberry chicken wings had the settle sweetness to it and the wings were cooked to perfection also. It is messy but our waiter was nice enough to give us warm wet towel to wipe our saucy fingers. The pork chops was slightly sweet and it had perfect texture. They cook their meats really nicely here. Service and staff here are really nice. I really liked my waiter. He was very nice and did a great job of waiting our table! Their restrooms are located in the hotel next door so you have to go through a hallway pass the door to get there. read more

Lenoir - Fried collards and blueberry bbq chicken wings - Southern Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

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We arrived about fifteen minutes early for our Friday evening, July 4th weekend reservation and were promptly seated. Our server Tanya was FANTASTIC! Her attention to detail was top notch. She did a great job explaining the menu, replacing our utensils and plates between courses, seeing our drinks were always topped off. And the kitchen staff had everything prepared as expected. We traveled from New Bern, NC to try Vivian's latest restaurant. This one did not disappoint! read more

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We tried this place on a whim one Wednesday evening in October. Love the design and vibe of the space. The small patio is well done and faces side street so no view but quiet. (Only complaint on patio - everything is high top tables). Our server was friendly and professional and attentive. My partner had the scallop dish which she loved. I had the smash burger. It sounded interesting with multiple creative toppings - but then it ended up being kind of bland and a bit dry. Good drink selection. They validated parking at the garage across the street that their hotel also uses. read more

My mom is obsessed with Vivian Howard so we had to come here. We've visited almost all of her restaurants now. This restaurant is out of the Renaissance hotel but also has its own entrance outside. The bar is in the center and is the focal point. The tables circle on the outside of the bar. Overall, it's a nice atmosphere. They have a nice variety of cocktails offered. My mother and I decided to split a few dishes. As an appetizer we had the corn fritters with apple butter, it was tasty! They were light and a great dish to share between 2-4 people if you are just looking for a couple of bites. We also shared the squash casserole (carolina gold rice, sausage, cabbage, fontina cheese). I think this was my favorite dish! I don't like cabbage but could barely taste it. The flavors really molded together well. For dinner my mom had the brown butter shrimp with butternut squash ribbons, olives, and cream. She thought it was ok but liked the other dishes more. One side dish we split was the peas & rice (pink eye peas, butter beans, bacon,cream, jasmine rice, scallions). I liked the unique flavor of the dish and thought it was a good side. We also split the fancy mash potatoes which were very smooth and almost had a light smoky flavor. They were ok but I could skip them. Overall, good experience! Service was friendly! read more

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Perfect meal. Just perfect. We had the grouper with barbecue shrimp. We had the pork chop and we had the roasted chicken. We tried all the sides, and that was the best decision of the night as the mashed potatoes and the peas and rice for the biggest surprise. The lemon cello sponge cake was outstanding for dessert and the espresso. Crème brûlée was good not great but good. This place is an absolute gem. read more

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It looks like a nice place, but we didn't stay long. I snapped a few photos though, so enjoy! read more

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Server was amazing. Food was great. I had the tomato pie and it was wonderful!! My husband had the hanger steak and he really liked it. S'mores dessert was ok but I wouldn't order again - not much flavor and graham cracker tasted like waffle cone. Very nice, cozy place. read more

Visited Lenoir for the final night of a bachelorette trip and am thoroughly impressed! Service was amazing for a table of 9, we had Brittany as our waitress. The drinks were delicious and food was great. The trout was 10/10, definitely recommend! Best fish I have ever had. read more

Lenoir - Appalachian Trout - Southern Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

Sunday fixed menu was $38. Thought it was a reasonable deal for four course meal: bisket-chicken-salad/fries-greens-apple cobbler. Gigantic amount for one (at least for me). Somehow had a wish if I was given a bigger size fork for the meal. The fork was somehow too small to tear off and picking up foods. Just my personal taste probably. service was very nice and friendly. Mocktail was ok. I can't say it was my best meal but probably I can try different menue on weekdays, later. read more

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Delicious food, very nice service and a sweet little patio. The only downside was the price, but 1. It was worth it, and 2. It's Charleston, so what can you do. read more

Lenoir - When I cut into the chicken - Southern Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

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We confirmed our reservation the day prior, as requested, and when we arrived the Host looked surprised when we said we had a 2:15 reservation. He begins looking around for a table, and of course, none was available. He turns a 4-top sideways in the cramped corner of the patio and begins to cram five chairs around it. The chair backs were inches away from both the back wall and the table next to us. We politely said we didn't think that was going to work. As he's talking us into staying at the table, my wife says "we confirmed our reservation after receiving a text that said today is an important day for your restaurant. This was important to us, too, because this is our first trip to Charleston and we wanted this brunch to be special." He cops a HUGE attitude and says something rude and patronizing as he storms off to get a manager. The manager did a nice job apologizing but it's tough to recover when you now feel like a nuisance to the establishment. We ended up at a 4-top table right next to the kitchen and bathrooms with an extra chair on the end. My daughter was hit twice by the door leading to the cafe as staff rushed in and out with supplies. The server did her best trying to turn around our experience. We were shocked to see the only option on the menu other than the "meat-and-three" was a $26 burger and wings. I ordered the special because I thought the apple cobbler sounded amazing (and I really didn't want a burger.) After we order the server comes back and casually says, "oh we're now out of apple cobbler. We have carrot cake instead." I half jokingly say, "aw man, that's what I was looking forward to!" She gets weird and now seems to be annoyed and done with us. Food begins to come out and it was very good. Our kids were half finished with their food before mine and my wife's came out. Always annoying. Some of the sides on the meat-and-three were cold but we didn't say anything because we felt like we were now marked as "difficult." There was a huge lag between brunch and dessert and the cake was a disappointment. It was clearly a frozen cake with gummy layers of frosting between the cake. What is carrot cake without a fresh, fluffy layer of cream cheese frosting?! We were not offered coffee as the staff was busy cleaning up. Took me a few tries to even get water refills as our server was nowhere to be found. This was not a $200 experience and we left very disappointed. read more

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What a great restaurant. This was our first time eating there and definitely not our last. Everything was perfect, started the meal with a custom cocktail called Pardon My French Which was a delightful vodka drinks Would be perfect egg white froth and a touch of lavender. It was the perfect beverage to sit outside in the warm Charleston weather. We ordered the blueberry wings, Which came highly recommended by a neighbor. They were amazing, The blueberry sauce is the perfect amount of sweet. We were hesitant about ordering catfish because neither one of us have ever had it but the server Recommended it saying it had a very clean taste, she was not wrong. The catfish came with a nice garlic aïoli. The sides are family style which is normally for downtown restaurants. We had a fried okra as a side, They batter and fry the whole okra instead of slicing it and served it with a ice cream ranch. Can't wait to go back and try everything else on the menu. You may see some of the other reviews where they say the food is not stellar, The restaurant looked at those reviews and made some stellar kitchen changes. A+ read more

Lenoir - Southern Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

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Oh my, I was really surprised by how much I liked this place. Cute decor in a really tight space just a block off King on Wentworth St. But the food is really the star here. We each had a cocktail, shared a starter then entrees with 2 sides to share. I had the Pardon my French which was a lovely light vodka drink and my husband has the Fit to be Tai'd which is basically a Mai Tai. Both were delicious, we also shared a bottle of wine. We had the squash casserole for an appetizer and it was oh so good. I had the burger and my husband has the catfish. The burger is DECADENT, topped with chili, I could barely eat half of it. The catfish was really well done, light with a tomato and okra stew underneath that complemented it well. We had the peas and rice and the fries for sides. We had to indulge in the chocolate mousse for dessert, and it was worth it, even though I was OH SO FULL when I walked out of there. I definitely plan on returning! read more

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Went here as a last minute decision and luckily grabbed an 8:00 pm reservation. Place was packed from arrival until closing time. Cool vibes and a fun crowd. Service staff were great! Loved my drink- my druthers. IMO, a great fall cocktail. The fall salad as a starter was also a great choice with a lemony dressing that wasn't heavy and very refreshing. We also got the cornbread fritters but would suggest you pass on these. I chose the grouper and my guest chose the pork chop- both were very good. Would come back again! read more

We made reservations several weeks in advance out of abundance of caution, although it wasn't terribly busy on a Friday night at 6:30pm. We parked across the street in the parking garage and our ticket was validated at the end of our meal. The ambiance inside the dining room was desirable - welcoming and cozy feel with an open floor plan (looks exactly like the pictures online). Our server had wonderful insight of what we should order - all 5 people in our reservation tried something different and everything was excellent! Our food was cooked perfectly and the sides were wonderfully paired. read more

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Lenoir was good! We took a tapas approach and enjoyed crudo, kale salad, roasted red beets, cornbread, blueberry bbq chicken wings, and French fries. The crudo was fine but not worth its price point of $18. The kale salad, beets, and fries were amazing (but the fries needed more sauce for dipping). I liked the cornbread as well. The blueberry bbq chicken wings were horrible. They were not fried/crisped before the sauce was added, so the chicken wings were served with very gooey, gelatinous chicken skin attached. We could not eat them. I would revisit Lenoir, but overall, the food and service did not match the price point. read more

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This place has been on my "to try" list for quite some time but was disappointed. When you first arrive you are created with a great farmhouse style with some slightly out of place Napa vibes, but overall appealing ambiance. The menu is small but focused, but had a gluten sensitivity in our party and asked for some veggies or other gluten free options for the dipped apps. The server was completely through and came back to offer the ribs as a GF option. We opted for the soup as a GF option and the smoked dip. The dip came out without bread. It took a good 15 minutes for our waiter to check on us so we could ask for bread. That wasn't the only time we waited an excessively li g time in the wait staff. It took equally as long to get the check. The chowder app and smoked fish app were tasty, as were the cocktails. But he ribeye was severely undercooked and fatty. The grouper was also disappointing. I have successfully moved this to the, no need to try again list. read more

Lenoir is a little slice of heaven off the beaten path. Don't let it being in a hotel deter you. Top 3 tomato pies (rivals CHS Bakery & Delicassen for real). The blueberry wings are delectable. When I go back, I want an entire plate of the Squash Casserole. Holy moly that was tasty. Excellent service. They also validate if you park in the garage across the street. read more

Yes!! This was our favorite meal of the trip. The decor was simple and beautiful. I loved the pops of yellow color. The wine list had enough to choose from, however we would've loved bigger glasses. The service was fantastic. They were efficient and took away silverware and plates between each course. That's how it should be! The food...... This is where they shine. We are always on the search for the yummiest burger. While the Patty melt is not a traditional burger, everything about it was so good. It's messy, greasy, buttery, has flavor, delicious toppings. I think this may have surpassed our favorite burger in Napa. You must also get the grits and greens. That was not on our radar but when our server mentioned it's a dip, we were all in. That was our second favorite thing we ate on this trip behind the Patty melt. The sausage appetizer was also so good and was my husband's third favorite thing on the trip. Shout out to the strawberry appetizer and to the cornbread. The Farro was also super interesting. We just couldn't stop ordering food because we were so curious. Personally I would pass on the trout toast. For dessert, our favorite was the chess pie. While the carrot cake was fresh and moist, I think it needed a bit more sweetness. To us, the bill was very reasonable for the quality of food and a bottle of wine. This was perfect for our last night in Charleston. We will compare all other restaurants here to Lenoir. read more

Though small, this place packs a punch. Right into your taste buds. Charleston locals are familiar with the flavors of typical southern food, but Lenoir takes those classics and reimagined them with all new flavors and textures! The service was great! My favorite thing we ordered was the pork chap (fell off the bone and the flavors were AMAZING!) and the local crudo app. I normally would not have gone for it, the the waiter (who was excellent) recommended it to us, and I'm so thankful he did! I honestly didn't know why to expect with it but I was pleasantly surprised! The fall slaw had a different tang to it than original Cole slaw. Imagine fresh, tangy, and cozy all at the same time! The grits were my husbands favorite! Grits are so traditional and can be bland but these were creamy and cheese and beyond delicious! We are definitely hoping to go back!! read more

Lenoir - Fall slaw (bottom left), grits and greens (top), peculiar pig pork chop, and dinner rolls - Southern Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

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Visiting Charleston I had high hope as I have always heard amazing things about the food but to be honest I was disappointed here . The wrapped peaches were just OK I also had the burger and it was so salty. Highly overrated. And expensive read more

Excellent stop for drinks. Didn't eat but heard the food is good. The s'mores dessert and Pardon my French drinks were absolutely delicious. Our favorite in all of Charleston. Highly recommend. read more

Lenoir - Pardon my French - Southern Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

So, Ive watched Vivian Howard for quite a while now. I was able to be able to eat at her restaurant in Kinston, NC Chef and Farmer in 2008 and was blown away. I was also very happy to get the chance to eat at Lenoir. The space seems tiny but really opens up once inside. It is dominated by a large horseshoe shaped bar with bright yellow seats. Makes the room feel bigger. My wife and I started off with some bourbon cocktails and split an order of the chicken wings. Think smoked wings with blueberry BBQ sauce. The were delicious. She chose the K-Town burger and fries. This burger was huge. on 2 thick cut pieces of Texas toast, with cheese, chili and slaw. It was delicious. The fries were good too with a ketchup mayo to dip them in...(Pro Tip...if you order the side of fries ask for extra sauce) I chose the peculiar pork chop (thats its name for real!) it was delicious with a great sauce made with plums. I ordered the side of pinkeye peas and rice...this was phenomenal!!! with lima beans Carolina gold rice, cream and bacon drippings. I could have eaten this by itself and not had to have the chop. But Im a southern man that grew up on beans and rice and didn't have meat lots of times. Everything went well with a bottle of Beaujolais, and considering we had cocktails, appetizers, entrees, and a bottle of wine we got out for under $170 and for the peninsula of Charleston an evening meal for that price is considered not a bad deal! I will be back! read more

The usual southern deliciousness one expects from Vivian Howard. Interesting AND tasty combinations of local food, fantastic and whimsically named drinks along with top-notch service. Even the playlist was on point! I started with a tasty cocktail that was reminiscent of a Painkiller. We shared a fantastic Vegetable of the Moment starter. All local veggies in a perfectly seasoned melange. I had the catfish while my husband had "by far the best pork chop" he'd ever had. We shared the succotash side. Wish Vivian would open a restaurant closer to us! Vivian, Richmond VA needs you. read more

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The hype and the 5 star reviews are real, this is a great place! We had great service in the very modern, minimalist interior. Nice cocktails, the hell or high water was a mix of refreshing and spicy. The crudo (tuna when we were there) was spectacular. Very well flavored. Our friends had the sausage with lemongrass, very nice--even if you're not a fan of south Asian flavors. Swordfish was very nice, well cooked and nice flavored. Catfish was good. Mashed potato side--we've all been eating mashed potatoes our entire lives, but these are the best ever!! Our friends shared the huge, thick pork chop, that was a winner as well. Chess pie, decadent, rich delicious chocolate. With nothing to absorb sound on the walls or floor, it is loud in there--but a great experience nonetheless. read more

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We walked up to the glow of the red neon Lenoir sign for our 9pm reservation. We were greeted by a team of hosts and seated at a 2-person table next to the kitchen entrance. Thanks to the 50s style mirror both of us got to enjoy seeing the 50s decor, circular bar, & the coming and going's of the restaurant waitstaff and guests. My wife and I were celebrating our anniversary and this Saturday night was Lenoir's 4th night open. We were glad to share our celebration with their 1st week open. The cocktails are terrific. We had the Short Rows and Just Piddlin'. My wife originally wanted the Gussied Up, but there were no strawberries left at that point in the evening. The cocktails we had were terrific. We started our dinner with the Blueberry wings and the air dried sausage. Both were terrific. The blueberry wings were perfectly fried with a sauce that had just the right level of sweet from the blueberries. The air dried sausage had tons of flavor. We appreciated the hot towels they brought with the wings. Less water in them would've avoided getting our clothes wet cleaning our hands. As we were still working on our appetizers, they brought out our main course. All food was wonderful. With a 2-seater, the table-size requires longer time between courses being brought. They were quick to clear once we finished a course so they are definitely monitoring each table's progress. Our main courses were the steak and the fish. The steak was cooked to perfection. We were worried since our server shared it's cooked medium. Our steak came out how we like it, Medium Rare. I love catfish. Yet, the Flounder was an equally tasty dish. Understandably, it's opening weekend so it's difficult to predict demand for different dishes. We moved onto dessert. We chose the double chess pie and buttermilk lemon sorbet. Both were excellent. The combination worked perfect. With satisfied taste buds we headed out. read more

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Amazing food, service and atmosphere. We were so looking forward to trying this place while we were in Charleston and it did not disappoint. Everything was delicious, but for me the tomato pie gets the top spot for deliciousness. read more

Lenoir - Tomato pie - Southern Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

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Very disappointing after having three previous great experiences here. This came down to bad management. We brought guests here early at 5:00pm since once of our guests had a long drive after the dinner. So we figured we'd be done by 6:15 at the latest. Four of us and were the first table there and to order. We order a couple of apps then entrees and a bunch of sides. The app came out about 10 minutes after we ordered. It was delicious and we all enjoyed it.....then we waited about an hour before our entrees finally came out. I spoke to the manager about our concern while we waited. No apologies, just an 'I've got the kitchen working hard on it.' Our waitress seemingly ghosted our table once she noticed it was taking so long. My usually very patient husband then got up to go and see what was taking so long. Again, no apology. Finally the food started to come out. One of the sides was missing and at that point we said, please just forget it. We don't want it. I ordered the $40 pork chop which was so incredibly fatty I got maybe five actual bites of meat from it. My husband's steak was equally filled with fat mostly. The manager came to the table to check in and when I remarked about the meat she said, 'yeah we've been having that issue lately. When our pork chops come in you just never know.' As we were almost done that side we canceled came out anyway....at that point we were all fed up and ready to go. The waitress was very nice and the manager took the two entrees off the ticket but could have gone the extra mile and at least truly acknowledged what a mess the entire service was and the hour long delay. Hopeful this restaurant survives as nothing in that space seems to make it. But it's going to need to experienced and engaging management to make it happen. read more

An adorable spot in a fun area of downtown. The service was great and the French connection cocktail is delicious. The blueberry wings were unique and tasty. Loved the shrimp and zoodles, very fresh and light. Skip the tres leches cake, it was very dry. Fun spot to split some unique dishes read more

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This quiet little place is awesome, there speciality drinks are amazing. Great price and portions for food read more

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I went to Charleston on a girls trip and we went to Lenoir for dinner on a Saturday night. I cannot say enough about how much I enjoyed my meal here. First, I was glad we could make a reservation, as it's a popular place. There were four in our party, and we were seated right at our seating time. The food was absolutely amazing. We had the fried collards as an appetizer, and they were so light and crispy. Yum!! I had the brown butter shrimp as my entree, and it was absolutely delicious. It was probably one of the best meals I've had. The service is wonderful, and the ambiance of the place is just about perfect. Highly recommend Lenoir if you're in Charleston! read more

The food was so amazing. Had the legume and grain salad and it was to die for. Ainsley was my server and was absolutely incredible. Couldn't have asked for a better server! read more

Disappointing dinner at the bar experience. The bartender took about 5 minutes to acknowledge me sitting at a sparsely crowded bar. He then took my drink order and came back about another 5 minutes later to say he forgot what I ordered. Pretty JV stuff. I had the pork chop, which was a nice thick cut and had decent flavor, but was markedly over cooked. The watermelon was also a bit overpowering and I didn't think helped the dish. The mashed potatoes were quite good. read more

I went over 7 months ago and wasn't motivated enough to write a review, it was so unimpressive other than the fact that I was served by Vivian Howard. The appetizer I had, a buttermilk crudo, is no longer on the menu - I thought it was a ridiculously unsuccessful attempt at some kind of Southern fusion. I had the sausage with lemongrass and supposedly a "relish" that I only ordered due to lack of more appealing choices. Never returned and don't have any desire to try again. read more

Truly memorable meal. We had the blueberry bbq chicken wings to start. The bbq sauce was so unique and delicious. The catfish was perfectly prepared. The decor is just beautiful. This restaurant lived up to what we expected after watching The Chef and The Farmer series on PBS. We will definitely return during our next visit to Charleston. read more

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What a wonderful experience!! Went when we had friends in town and everybody loved this place! The environment was light, airy and welcoming. The staff were friendly and helpful. The food was incredible! We knew we had to order the blueberry wings because nobody have ever heard of them before, they were sweet & delicious - they did have a lot of sauce, so if I sauce is t your thing maybe ask for it on the side - but I loved it! The shrimp dish was flavorful with a heavy, tasty, cream sauce -definitely a comfort food for me! I loved my catfish, it was lightly fried and so delicious. The steak may have stole the show - it was tender and easy to cut, not one bite was left because the flavor couldn't be left behind. And of course I always recommend ordering fries for the table! They paired great with every entree read more

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