incredible experience and excellent menu. Best espresso martini in town, and the oysters were incredible. Perfect mix of c classic comfort food & elevated dishes. read more

Great food and atmosphere. Oysters were especially nice. Service was excellent and bar needs were quickly met. Highly recommended this place. read more

This place was phenomenal. Service was great, food was fantastic. My boyfriend and I went with 3 other people and had a great time (nice spot for a date or to gather with friends). We ordered drinks which were enjoyed and had fun variations from their original counterparts like the Chai espresso martini topped with cardamom pods. For the food, a must is the tandoori oysters. Coming from someone who is not a fan of oysters, I tried it and was blown away and would order again and again. I actually enjoyed this oyster! I paired my last piece with some of the kulcha and just wow. The kulcha had a nice garlic flavor and you can't go wrong with melted cheese. Lamb vindaloo was delicious, not as spicy as I was hoping for but it was a good spice level for the others who have a more mild palette. I'm usually not a fan of butter chicken either but this was very tasty. Another fan favorite was the Jhinga Mast Mast. Large crispy shrimp with a nice little fresh slaw on the side. I usually eat shrimp tails if they're fried / crispy and these were great dipped in the sauce of the lamb vindaloo and butter chicken. I will absolutely be back!! read more

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Another outstanding experience at Rivayat. Rivayat is a must for locals and tourists. We went for lunch today and started with the Udyana cocktail. It is so smooth and flavorful-and too easy to drink! We then shared veggie samosas that were absolutely delicious. We both had the lunch special, which I highly recommend. It's the perfect amount of 2 dishes with rice and naan. We enjoyed sitting at the bar and Abhi was our server/bartender. He kept us great company and answered our many questions:) Rivayat is a lovely spot for a nice lunch, happy hour or dinner. read more

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We tried Rivayat for the first time with some friends and it was good overall. The food was good overall. We ordered two lamb dishes, a tandoori chicken dish and a fish curry dish. The waiter only gave us three rice bowls for 4 entrees and we had to ask for another later since we never received it. The dinner entrees only came with rice and we had to order naan separately. One of the lamb dish was good but the one with pistachios was bland. The tandoori chicken was good and the fish curry was probably the most tasteful. As far as the naan, we couldn't really taste the garlic and it was bland overall. The two appetizers were okay, the tandoori oysters and the fried chicken. The oysters were tiny and flavor was bland. The ambiance was nice. The tables don't have white linens, the light on the table ran out of battery so we had to tell the bus boy to replace it. The silverware were wrapped around a napkin, so not as high end as you would imagine. Since they charge so much, I would expect higher end table setting. We ordered 9 cocktails total amongst our party of four. All were $16 each except one IPA which was $12. On the pricier side. Honestly the best part of the dinner. As far as service, I would give it 2 stars. The waiter wasn't that attentive and we had to get his attention to order more drinks. The naan was priced at $10 on the menu but the bill showed $12. At the end of the meal, the bus boy asked for our utensils so he can clean the table. Normally they will pick them up themselves or wait until we leave. He came back and made us lift our cocktail drinks so he can wipe the table down, which was odd to us. Finally, the restaurant is quite pricey. For a party of four, we paid $450 dollars. If you want to try this place, go during lunch for cheaper options. Honestly, we will opt to go somewhere else next time if we are going out for Indian food. read more

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My friends and I enjoyed a filling, tasty lunch here on a weekend afternoon. We started with some tasty samosas, which came with delightful savory green and sweet red sauce. I tried their lunch special, which came with generous portions of butter chicken and pista korma, the latter of which was a unique creamy pistachio almond sauce. The basmati rice and delicious, warm naan completed the lovely meal. This is the place to go if you're looking for Indian food in the Charleston area! read more

Amazing Indian food in a beautiful setting! This restaurant has an extensive menu with unique dishes you wouldn't expect on an Indian menu (although they have the classic favorites too!) Came with a friend and shared three large dishes-the Gun Powder Dosa filled with potatoes came with three standout sauces including a fabulous masala, Hariyli Paneer also delicious with a mint chutney sauce, grilled veggies and a side salad and the Toddy Shop Beef Fry which was melt in your mouth delicious! Each dish was filled with flavor and a balance of sweet and spicy. Definitely elevated Indian cuisine. Make a reservation and prepare to be wowed! read more

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Really wanted to like this place. After all, the interior / ambiance was very nice. The service was impeccable. It was the food. Everything was extremely bland. We got the prawn korma, the lamb korma, a saag dish and garlic naan. Everything was very bland. I guess we should've ordered everything extra spicy, because there was very little flavoring on anything. Heck, even my non-alcoholic beer and Diet Coke were both flat. Oh well...I guess the quest for a good Indian restaurant in Charleston continues... One last thing: place is very expensive for what you get. We ended up dropping $250 with tip for a meal for two. I don't mind spending that kind of money if the food is great. Alas, it was not. read more

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This place is an absolute godsend! A friend told me about this place so I decided to stop in after a doctors appointment and I am so happy I did! I am relatively new to Indian food besides like buttered chicken so when looking at the menu I never know what to get. On their lunch menu they have an option for only $20 that includes naan, rice, and lets you choose from one vegetarian item and one meat item. So I took this as the perfect opportunity to explore my options. I asked the bartender to select hit favorite options for both and he did not disappoint! The vegetarian dish was creamy with a touch of coconut and the meat selection was spicy red sauce and came packed with flavor! I will educate myself on this glorious cuisine and Rivayat shall be my teacher! Looking forward to going back again and again! read more

Rivayat - Indian Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

What a beautiful spot! We started our meal with Papdum and chutney..for me, a must. We each had a cocktail..one a reimagined margarita with salt foam, and the other a tamarind gin cocktail...both were amazing! For our meals I had the appetizer mussels, not over powered in spices and delicious. My husband loved his butter chicken at spice level 3. We also had samosas and they were tender and flavorful. Everything is a la carte, so expect a pricey date night...but the food was so good it was worth it. Our servers were wonderful, and attentive. Couldn't ask for better. The low was in the welcoming, or lack there of. We made our reservation through resy, confirmation in my hand on my phone. But because they didn't see it, it was a full 5 minutes of rude and uncomfortable questioning and standing there as they wonder what to do, before putting us in a dark wall corner. Mind you, 5 pm and the place was empty, nor did it fill in the less than 90 min we were there. It really was a sad start to what was supposed to be a nice evening supporting a restaurant family we have loved. read more

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I stopped in specifically because the label said creative Indian cuisine, and a more detailed read, suggested that they were trying to bring the flavors of Kerala. However, dinner reservations were hard to get so I stopped in for lunch. At lunch, they didn't really live up to the premise in the sense that the menu was pretty basic. It was a pleasant atmosphere and they have decorated the space well. It is a smaller space and does not have outdoor seating unlike many other local restaurants. From the lunch menu, I was able to get a small thali with chickpeas, paneer, one chutney, rice, and bread. The paneer dish brought a little bit of spice and it was a pleasant meal. It seemed like they were still working the kinks out on their services. I ordered a chai but had to wait for it until I was basically done with my actual food. It had a strong flavor and I didn't require any of the basic sweetener options they provided. I'm appreciative of what they're trying to do, and I would like to stop in and sample the full menu sometime. read more

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Lovely dining room and nicely appointed table. Service was a little standoffish, it wasn't busy but other than keeping my water glass refilled, no one asked how my food was or if I wanted another glass of wine. The food is very good but I found it expensive for what it was - 3 croquettes, and tiny oysters broiled in tandoori butter were small appetizers for the price. The meen manga fish, nicely cooked swordfish pieces, was very good and the rice with it was excellent. The spice olive cake was a huge slice and tasty but it really needed a sharp knife because there's thick, rather tough, slices of carmelized pineapple layered in it. read more

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Rivayat had some seriously delicious and tasty food!! We started off with an order of Calicut Calamari as an app: very tasty but had more of a rubbery feel as it wasn't fried up. Drinks: we ordered the Aam Panna (left) and Coconut Lassi (right). Very yummy although you had to search for the liquor a bit. Entrees: I had the butter chicken and my friend chose the lamb vindaloo medium spice. Heads up: the medium spice is spicy (but also not spicy enough to make you doubt a spicier option if that makes sense.) the plates came with a decently sized portion of rice and there was just enough food to take back a little bit of leftovers for lunch the next day. The plate portion was decently sized however the sauce to meat ratio was off for our plates(not a bad thing though, the sauce was terrific!) we also ordered a side of garlic naan which suited the meal deliciously. Waiter was very kind and friendly offering his favorite selections and explaining menu items. We recognize this is a new restaurant downtown at the time we went so service was a bit slow to bring our plates. You can tell they put a pretty penny for the establishment as the ambiance is nice and elegant although it is a smaller building so you are likely to sit close to another table. Overall, super tasty food and would likely dine here again. :) read more

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Lunch photos First time trying the lunch service at Rivayat. Portions were great, just right and the restaurant offers a lunch special everyday. Lovely dark themed relaxing environment and a great space to unwind during the day. read more

Rivayat - Malai, pistachio, cardamom and mango ice cream, Light "graham cracker like" bottom Raspberry swirl - Indian Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

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It was super cute in there. The staff was great! Everyone was really nice and helpful! Started off with a Coconut Lassi for my drink. I didn't love this. Ended up switching with my friend and had her chai expresso martini. It could've been more chai for me. 7/10 Then had the Pani Puri, Tandoori Oysters & Spring Croquettes as our appetizers The Pani Puri are hands down the best thing of the night for me! It comes with a different Pani each time ours was blueberry and the flavored profile was just amazing! 15/10 The Tandoori oysters were also good but were small since it's not oyster season the flavor was good. I bet they are even better during season. 8/10 The spring croquettes were delicious and came with a delicious dipping sauce kind of a spicy sweet chili with mayo. 9/10 For my entree I had the Chemmeen Manga Curry. This would've been more amazing but it was a tad too spicy for me even though I asked for mild. It was definitely the spiciest entree on our table. But the flavoring was good! I would rank it higher if I wasn't slightly dying the entire time I was eating it. 8.5/10 We also got rosemary naan which I loved! Great to dip in my curry! 10/10 read more

Rivayat - Entrees - Indian Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

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I absolutely fell in love with this restaurant the first time I dined here! The atmosphere is so stylish and cozy - the decor, lighting and music are just right for a delicious meal and great conversation. The staff are extremely gracious and knowledgeable. We started with the unique and delicious Pani Puri - delicate bites with the flavored Pani changing daily. The curries here are out of the world amazing! We ordered butter chicken, Dhaba chicken, and pork Vindaloo. Each dish came with rice and the portions are generous! The garlic naan is a must do. For dessert, the honey cardamom gelato was phenomenal. I can't wait to dine here again! read more

Rivayat - Honey cardamom gelato - Indian Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

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i've only had Indian food about once or twice but this place definitely makes me want to eat Indian food as a more frequent meal. i got the garlic and cheese kulcha as an appetizer and it was so delicious, the sauce that came with it was perfectly spicy. for a meal i got the chicken tikka masala and it was so good, so much flavor. the service was wonderful and the atmosphere was so nice. it was fancy but not too fancy, had the same vibes as a jazz bar. the only thing i wish was that they played indian music, it was all american music. i 100% recommend this restaurant! read more

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Dinner at Rivayat Creative Indian was such a standout experience. It's not your typical Indian restaurant. The menu feels elevated and creative while still delivering the comfort flavors you crave. The butter chicken was easily one of the best I've had. The sauce was velvety, rich, and perfectly balanced, slightly sweet, deeply spiced, and layered with flavor without being overwhelming. The real surprise favorite, though, was the spinach burrata. The richness of the cheese against the earthy spinach and spice blend was incredible. It felt indulgent but still bright and balanced. read more

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This place was delightful! The lunch special comes with a good amount of food, everything is flavorful and well cooked! Loved the spice factor. The staff were very kind! Soft and intimate ambience indoors. read more

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I honestly never thought I liked Indian food before trying Rivayat! This place completely changed my mind and now I crave it every week! Everything we ordered was so good, and nothing felt intimidating or overwhelming. The staff was so kind and helpful, the atmosphere was amazing, and the whole dinner just felt really fun and different from the usual Charleston dinner spots. Still thinking about the chai espresso martini and the naan! Definitely a place I'll keep coming back to. read more

Wow once you get over the prices and realize lunch will cost almost $100 then you can enjoy the atmosphere of classiness and the aroma of delicious food to be served. They treated us well. We ordered the Mango Lassi and a Seva Spritz. We had the lunch special. Choosing Dhaba Chicken which was spicy and Vegetable Korma. I had the Butter Chicken and Chan Masala all were delicious. read more

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We love Indian food & were so excited to eat at Rivayat! We were absolutely thrilled by the tandoori oysters, samosa chaat & pani puri. The atmosphere is fresh, with music fading from traditional Indian - Nicki Minaj. The owner was super friendly. I'm still dreaming about this chai espresso martini!! Can't wait to come back with a group to try everything on the menu soon. read more

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Rivayat is a lovely, upscale South Indian restaurant with modern flair. The service is top notch and the food is delicious. We had the calamari, gunpowder dosa, and shrimp curry. Everything was tasty, but I'll be dreaming about that dosa. My only complaint is the tables are quite close together. read more

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Loved this place! The open seating inside has an upscale and comfortable vibe and everything was spotless. The staff were so friendly and really attentive. I got the lunch special, which let me try a bunch of different dishes, all of them were delicious! Portions were huge, and I left totally full. Can't wait to come back! read more

Rivayat - Burimi Raita, Dhaba Chicken Curry, Paneer Angara, Rice, and Naan - Indian Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

Our concierge at our hotel "Zero George" recommended this resturant. It passed our expectations of Indian food! The service was excellent. The atmosphere fantastic! The food perfect. It's truly a restaurant with fantastic Indian food and the charm of the South. If you like Indian food or if you've never tried Indian food go here! You'll be glad you did. read more

Rivayat - The center area of the restaurant. It's empty because we are here late! It was completely full. - Indian Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

Excellent new AUTHENTIC Indian spot in downtown Charleston. The service, ambiance and food were all first rate. We had the chicken pista korma and chicken travancore, both which were beautifully presented and tasted just as good as they looked. LOVED IT! read more

As you read this have your phone or laptop nearby to make a reservation for Rivayat Creative Indian because you will definitely want to! Our experience here was mind blowing! The interior is sleek with subtle elegance providing an upscale yet relaxing environment. Rivayat means "tradition" and they embrace that thoroughly. We started with a few cocktails, so I ordered the Punjabi Old Fashioned which was rich and bourbon forward with an anise frozen inside the ice cube. My wife tried the Holi Trinity with tequila, pineapple, green chili syrup and topped with salt air bubbles. This turned out to be our favorite of the evening providing sweet, spicy and salty notes. The bubbles were truly unique! For our first appetizer we went with the Garlic & Cheese Kulcha. A cheese filled bread which reminded me of an Indian cheese pizza. A cup of garlic aioli provided a tangy and spicy counterpart. It was very hard not to fill up on these! Up next, we enjoyed our favorite bite of the meal the Tandoori Oysters. A half dozen baked oysters infused with tandoori spiced butter. The oysters were perfectly cooked, and that spiced butter was amazing. Be sure when eating them that you drink that butter with them! For our second round of cocktails my wife had the Aam Panna which was a rum drink with mango syrup, lime juice, club soda and topped with mint and mango foam. The mango provides a great cool down when eating spicy food and you could really taste the mint. I tried the Udyana with gin, tamarind, pomegranate honey and lemon. I think this would make a great dessert drink as it was sweet and tasty. Then it was on to the entrees which arrived with complimentary garlic naan. My wife ordered her favorite the Tandoori chicken a bone-in half chicken marinated in hung yogurt and classic tandoori spices. It was juicy with a nice spice blend. I had to try the Prawns Pista Korma which was shrimp cooked in a mild cashew and almond creamy sauce and topped with pistachios. You could choose your spice level, and I chose medium which was just the right level of heat for me. The sauce was creamy with light notes of nut and so smooth. The shrimp portion was quite generous having ten shrimp with the dish. All seafood here is locally sourced which I appreciated. There is a lunch menu, but it differs from the dinner menu and as of this posting is not available online so I will enclose a copy. It was perhaps one of the best dining experiences I have had in a while. Great service, delicious food so make that reservation now! You won't regret it! read more

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I had lunch here opening day and we loved it! Attentive service. Fresh, healthy, and delicious food with options for vegetarian. Well balanced flavors. Beautiful new restaurant! read more

Rivayat - Love this neighborhood - Indian Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

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One word: Wow! Firstly, the drinks we got were incredible. not only did they taste great, but they came out looking incredible I almost didn't want to drink it. The food was out of this world good, tons of flavor, the perfect proportions, everything was great. service here is equally as impressive, we really felt taken care of. will be a regular spot for years to come. read more

Rivayat blew me out of the water! It had quickly become my favorite Indian place in Charleston. The drink menu was creative and the indoor atmosphere was fun and inviting. It was packed so it was a bit loud but I loved the new decor and lay out of the restaurant as I had been to the location for other restaurants before. Our server was intelligent and had many recommendations for us. We had the rosemary naan as well as the samosas and chicken masala. Everything was delicious! I can't wait to return to try more things on the menu! read more

This is one of my favorite spots in Charleston! The restaraunt itself is beautiful and modern. The service is amazing and my waiter provided such great recommendations. The food is perfect for getting a bunch of plates and sharing with the table. You can't go wrong with anything you order as everything is delicious! read more

The food was amazing and the service was top notch. Highly recommend going earlier in the evening if you want a more quiet, chill dinner. Overall highly recommend getting the chicken tikka masala as it was very flavorful. read more

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Finally, an Indian restaurant downtown Charleston! Everything was extremely delicious and authentic with the correct spices. The service was impeccable. They had many choices of Naan, all of the sauces were so rich. They had a nice Indian music playing ! The only reason I gave four stars is because I think the prices were ridiculous. Way too high. read more

Incredible food, incredible service, my new favorite restaurant! Went here with my husband, toddler and friend who was visiting and we had the most delicious meal. Ordered the lobster special (OMG!!), lamb korma, tikka masala and a few nans. I'll be craving this often. read more

Rivayat - Indian Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

Best Indian I've had in years. Our family stopped in at the spur of the moment for lunch and it exceeded our expectations. I will be dreaming about the butter chicken lunch bowl special! We will definitely be back. read more

The food here is great, hard to find good indian in downtown but this place is great. The service was great.

Amazing food, BEAUTIFULLY decorated, exceptional service. We went for lunch and they had great lunch options. My next visit will be for dinner. I can't wait to go back!!! read more

We had an amazing dinner at Rivayat. Service was great. We had an idea of what we wanted before we got there, but the server took time to walk us through the idea of the restaurant and tied it to different items. We shifted our plan a bit and were not disappointed. The Gunpowder Dosa was not something we considered - but were glad we did. The cocktails were on point. The Naan was the best we've ever had. We can't wait to go back and try more dishes! read more

Rivayat - Gunpowder Dosa... yum! - Indian Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

Everything we ordered was fantastic! Dosa, garlic naan, Idukki gold, chicken tikka masala, and Dhaba Lamb Curry were all amazing. I'd go back just for the lime soda alone. I can't wait to go back and try more dishes! The service was great, very attentive, friendly, and provided helpful recommendations! read more

Their place was great! The food was delicious, very rich and flavorful, as you want from an Indian restaurant, and we took advantage of their lunch special, which was probably the best deal in Charleston. You get a vegetarian dish, a meat dish, and rice, for just $20! We also splurged and got the samosa chaat, which was worth every calorie. And, since we've had Indian food before, we knew to request their pickle. It was sour apple pickle, so unique and flavorful, definitely worth asking for whatever pickle they have on hand since it's not on the menu (they do charge for it though). Since it was lunchtime, we didn't partake in alcohol, but this place had a full bar and fun Indian dance music playing. The service was fast and efficient, which seemed appropriate for lunch since there were a lot of people clearly eating while on business. Great spot! read more