Very nice restaurant. Quite, elegant and very romantic. The entire staff was so nice and knew the menu very well. The food is amazing! I've traveled and eaten in some fine establishments but this is goes to the top of my list of best places and places I will return to again even if that means driving out of my way to visit them! read more

When I go to Charleston. I book at least one restaurant per day. There are so many wonderful dining options, but the Establishment has has reigned supreme as my top selection thus far! Their menu changes, so it's hard to pinpoint an exact favorite, but every mean I have had at this restaurant is a home run. The service is top notch. Their wine manager came out and discussed wine with me for a good 10 minutes and never seemed rushed to end the conversation. He was happy to share all of his knowledge with me, and gave me some amazing wines to try. The ambience is also very elegant. You just can't go wrong with this choice. It is truly a fine dining experience! read more

Great, top notch, food over the top, small portions, but fantastic eats. Great atmosphere, chefs table, separated bar, large dining areas. So, here's the thing, this is a local treasure that will become a must in the Charleston eatery community. Go there now before you will have to wait months for a table. Superior dinning experience. Frank G read more

We checked out The Establishment for dinner with friends this past weekend. First thoughts were that they did an amazing job with renovations. It was actually an old law firm. The space is large with lots of dark wood and reminds me a bit of the original McCradys. We ordered a variety of appetizers to start, our favorites being the yellowfin, scallops, and the duck. For my entree, I got the snapper with peas and salsa verde. It was rich and cooked perfectly. The crab spaghetti was really good too. Service was just okay. Our server seemed to be rushing around a bit. More than once, we had to ask them to refill our wine glasses. It's a pet peeve of mine when restaurants take the wine bottle into the back, but then aren't diligent with refilling empty glasses. At the end of our meal he also took our glasses, without asking us if we'd like another bottle or something else. They have a large wrap around bar surrounding the kitchen. If I were to return, we would definitely request seats there, for more of a chefs table experience. Overall we enjoyed our meal, just a few service kinks to work though. read more

See all

The place was spot on. Food and drinks were delicious. Mike aka "sully" was a pros, pro. Everyone was gracious and accommodating. We will definitely be back. read more

We were walking by and saw that they have beef carpaccio on the menu and I was drawn in. We sat at the bar and ordered drinks and the wagyu beef carpaccio. My drink, limoncello spritz, had a strange taste. I honestly wasn't crazy about it. But the carpaccio was so outstanding. I wish we could've come back for dinner. The staff was wonderful for the short time we were there. Can't wait to return! read more

So delicious. An awesome addition to the crowded Charleston restaurant scene. The food was really fantastic. I'm sure this place will become 'too' popular do you better go now before you can't get in. The interior was great. Impressive bar with massive multi screen tv running a cool screensaver. read more

See all

Great dinning and lovely ambiance. I had the shrimp appetizer and Scallops for my main dish and ended with the chocolate Mousse and the Riesling was great. Beautiful decor, and the pianist was an added taste for extreme class. A must try. Loving this place, what a classy Establishment. The service was delightful and on point. read more

See all

Really amazing food, rotating menu and wait staff seemed well versed in menu items and cooking techniques. My one issue was the wait staff waited approximately 20 minutes between visits to the table, including seating, drinks, appetizer, entree, dessert, and checks. We had been in the restaurant for 2 hours and still not been presented the option to order desserts. Other obligations prohibited us from being able to partake due to time restraints. 5 star food with 3 star service for a 4 star average. read more

I have been to the Establishment maybe 8 times in the past 18 months or so, and have never been less than 100% satisfied. From the moment you walk in the door, the entire staff is working to make it a great experience for their customers. The decor is professional, clean and appealing. All staff know the menu like the back of their hands. They can also recommend a great wine to accompany your choices. The food (from the spotless and open kitchen) is fantastic. We had swordfish and wreck fish and both were perfect. I mean perfect! Add the Brussels sprouts for a great side dish. All in all, this may be the best restaurant in a city of great restaurants. read more

Love the huge u-shaped bar and its art. The staff is refined and attentive. Not a good place for locals, however. If you are one and go often, after being recognized and welcomed, no additional love is given. This is distinctly unusual at a place of this caliber. read more

Went here for the New Year's Eve experience. First of I was under the impression it was a preset menu. No you pay $100 and get $100 credit per person ok that's fine. Appetizers were amazing compliments to the chef that prepared the appetizers. The main course..... I ordered the tomahawk and my wife ordered the soup. My steak was blue rare if you're not familiar with blue rare it's when the temperature inside is below rare. My wife's soup it's an insult to soup to call it soup it was hot water with the ingredients mixed in. They gave her a piece of bread to go with it no joke the bread was burnt. Ok so we're thinking desert will be redeeming. No we ordered 2 deserts: Chocolate bread pudding (burnt outside and not even warm when served tasteless) Pot du creme - terrible. Just my 2 cents. read more

Matt Canter knows his way around pots and pans. He leads a budding young crew with incredible organization and mentorship. As a Charleston chef I can attest to the balance of flavors and the utilization of local ingredients with a lifetime of diligently studied techniques behind each dish. The service was impeccable, our server Justin never backhanded us while serving always 'hugging the customer' as an excellent waiter should, was knowledgeable about the menu & helpful with any inquiry we had. Hospitality at its finest. Saving the best for last: the atmosphere is beautiful. Highly recommended for date night. read more

This was the best restaurant experience we've had dining out in Charleston. They were able to get us in earlier than our reservation. The menu is so creative and everything we ate from grouper to swordfish was cooked perfectly. The service was top notch and everything was explained in such detail that you could imagine the dish just from our servers description. To top it all off, we dropped a large bill while paying without realizing it and received a call from Shane tell us they had found it before we realized it was gone. They could have easily pocketed it but took the extra steps to find our reservation and number to call us. The integrity of the staff here is truly amazing and an added benefit to a spectacular experience. We'll be making this our go to dinner spot. read more

Went for dinner with my Wife in December. We had a wonderful meal. We did a dinner and show package through the Dock Street Theater. Staff is extremely friendly and welcoming. We asked for suggestions from our waiter of what to have for dinner and were not disappointed with the suggestions! From the taste section we had the Duck and the Gnocchi, both of these were delicious. From the Savor section we had the Swordfish and the Grouper. The Swordfish was a very tasty dish. The Grouper was boiled, if I remember correctly, and was good but I personally wouldn't go with that selection next time. Lastly we had the Chocolate Olive Oil Cake. This cake is incredible. I probably could have eaten a few slices of this. Highly recommend this dessert if you go! read more

Omg!!! Everything was amazing and we ate half the menu. Must try the shrimp (if it's on the menu) & the home made ice cream!! Service was out of this world. Best date night we've had in months. Highly recommend. read more

I would like to take this opportunity to recognize the entire team at The Establishment for their outstanding commitment to providing an exceptional dining experience for my son's rehearsal dinner last Friday. As a 23 year employee of Emory Healthcare in Atlanta, Georgia, we attend regular seminars focusing on customer service excellence. Emory's commitment to exceptional service is a driving force in their overall mission to be a leading force in the healthcare industry. What I witnessed in The Establishment team from our event initial planning stages with Betsy and Shane---to the final dinner service at our recent celebration is one of the purest examples of what my organization hopes that we will be in our own arena. The food and wine selections were outstanding--and the service team was professional and attentive throughout the entire event. Your team exceeded expectations! read more

This place is beautiful and the service is excellent. I'd come here again for a cocktail and appy. However, the food was just okay and for the price, not worth it to me. read more

The highlight meal of our time in Charleston. Our server was quite knowledgeable, attentive and rather funny! The meal was top to bottom amazing and my martini was the best I've had in many years. The flounder was the stand out dish. The description of it doesn't quite do it justice - it was creative and delicious. We did a bit of trying each other's food and I'm pretty sure you couldn't go wrong with anything on the menu. You MUST go here! read more

Excellent restaurant. Food was outstanding. Happened to be restaurant week when we went so the price was right. $40 for 3 courses. The server explained all the dishes & sources, collectively we tried several things. The renegade cocktail was really good, whiskey based, smooth. The asiago bread-amazing. I almost would just come here for a glass of wine and the bread. Oyster salad with green goddess dressing was pretty good, the oysters were good, the salad was fresh, the dressing was ok, kind of watery, not bad but didn't jump out at me. Grouper was amazing, sous vide, so super moist, no sear, served with a corn/creamed corn, absolutely my fave item. Tomato app was delicious, the tomatoes were fresh, served over ricotta, with parm crisps. You could make it at home, but it was delicious either way. Swordfish was very good, had a nice crispy sear, I think swordfish tends to be a little dry so needed the bean salad/hash (it was like a succotash) for moisture. But excellent flavor. The gnocci was good, the sauce was amazing. It was a creamy buttery crab sauce, I spooned it up after my friend was done eating the gnocci. Dessert was ok, nothing exceptional, would have liked something more exciting. Only 2 choices, chocolate mousse cake or flan, both I can make at home. They were good, don't get me wrong, but I would expect a restaurant like this to have a higher level of dessert, something seasonal (the fish/entrees were seasonal, so why not dessert). Wine was good, there was just one problem. The wine guy, who we thought was the sommelier, says (after we ordered the first bottle) that he doesn't really like/drink wine. So that was totally confusing, and the second bottle of wine ended up not being what we were looking for. I saw him when I walking to the bathroom so I let him know (after he asked how the wine was), he said he would swing by the table to check on us, and he never came back. So that seemed kind of hokey, if you are going to have a person suggesting wine, they should really be a wine drinker, and they should never admit that they don't drink it. read more

See all

This is a pretty cool spot. The menu has some great options but the specials never disappoint. On this visit I had the snapper special. When the dish came out I was stunned!!! There was a massive snapper filet staring back at me. It was cooked perfectly and smother with some sort of goodness. Everyone in our party enjoyed their selections. I will definitely be returning to try more of their intriguing dishes. read more

The Establishment - Snapper Special - Seafood Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

We made reservations at The Establishment for a party of six on a Saturday night at 7:30. Before even going, the first thought I had was how is it that I've never heard of this place? Well I guess that's because it hasn't been open that long... the bartender told us just nine months. It's a pretty cool place, in a great (IMO) location right at the lower end of Broad Street. So it's a Saturday night and the city isn't summer crazy but it's still pretty busy so we decided to get there a little early to ensure we find parking. We took two cars and as luck would have it we were able to park both cars right out front... Curbside parking, doesn't get better! The place is cool, it's got a real old time vibe as if it's been there forever. From what I understand it used to be a law office so the name now makes sense. So, as I said we were a little early, the hostess said our table wasn't quite ready but we could go to the bar while we waited. The bar continues that old charm feeling however; it has a wall of video that changes scenes giving it a hip atmosphere. We were able to score three seats at the bar so we ordered up some drinks while we waited.... And waited.... It really didn't seem that bad because we were having good conversation. I think it may have been about 45 minutes before one of the managers came by and apologized for the wait. He said as a way of apologizing, he'd like to pay for a round of drinks. Very nice! We waited a little longer and were seated. Our server Jackson was attentive and explained the menu. For apps, our table had the Oyster Bisque, the beet salad, and the duck. I think the kitchen may have been a little slow because we waited a good amount of time for our apps. For entrees, our table had the Swordfish (x2), the Monkfish (x2), the Seafood Stew, and I forgot what the last one was. Again it took some time for it to come out of the kitchen, but.... the food is fantastic! Very fresh, well prepared, creatively seasoned, and presented nicely. Well worth the wait! Word of note, portions aren't large by any means and are on the smaller side. So my rating is as follows: Ambience: 5 stars Bar: 5 stars (FYI for future note, they have a decent number of seats if you choose to just go to the bar) Service: 4.5 stars Food Quality: 5 stars Food Taste: 5 stars Food Presentation: 5 stars Wait time: 2 stars Overall rating: 4.6 Stars so I'll round up! I'll be back! read more

I had a really nice dinner here. The food was excellent and the service was even better. Anna did a great job being attentive and was very knowledgeable about the menu. I had the Tomatoes, Grouper and Okra. All were fantastic. I also got to listen to a wispy bearded gentleman teach a table about champagne for 15min and that was really cool to listen to as well. read more

See all

Had a wonderful meal. Followed the tips from other reviewers. The cocktails were fabulous. Very balanced. We had the poet and the illusionist, our maybe the impressionist. The one with a rosemary stick. The meals were outstanding. Gnocchi were perfect. Problem is it was a few nights ago and we ate so well i don't remember the rest. You can't go wrong. read more

We arrived in town last night for a wedding this weekend. We planned ahead and made reservations for Valentines. Valentines is one of those holidays that test a restaurant as they are trying to serve as many people as possible and it is all couples wanting to have a long leisurely dinner. The Establishment handled it flawlessly. Dinner was wonderful. We had a few minutes wait so sat in the bar area which is gorgeous. Staff was very attentive. The food was incredible. We started with oysters on a blood orange mignonette. We joked that they test a relationship as you get three of them. Apparently I love my boyfriend more :). We also got the gnocchi which was to die for. I really wish there had been bread on the table to soak up the sauce. My boyfriend had the bone in ribeye and I had the grouper. To me food is celebration so this restaurant is a star! read more

I've been here 5 times so far and every time it's an amazing experience! Great options with new choices every time. The chef and staff take a lot of pride in the restaurant and your experience. I can't recommend just one item on the menu because anything you try will be PERFECT. read more

This place was fabulous. We went the route of small plates, and lots of them. Bibb lettuce salads, green curry stew, gnocchi, cold shrimp, steamer potatoes, broccolini, and spaghetti squash. All outstanding! Each dish had just some kind of interesting recipe twist that turned out just right. Our server was Max and he was one of the best we have ever had anywhere. I'll end by saying what I said to one of the managers: we have eaten in restaurants all over the world and we can tell when a place has great cooks---this place has great cooks. You need to go. read more

Went here on date night during restaurant week. As did everybody else apparently, not a seat in the house. I would say mostly with good reason. While I didn't have a cocktail myself, I tried The Poet that my lady got, and it is very, very good. A heavy pour that you can't tell at all from how it's blended. Great pick if you are partaking. As for the food. We got the oysters, duck confit and carrots for appetizers. Confit portion, while small, is extremely flavorful, has a nice crispy to it, and is in general very well done. Unfortunately I can't say the same for the oyster truffle bisque, I found it quite bland as did my partner. However, in the realm of things I never thought I would say, the carrots may have been the star of the night. I don't blame you if you look at the menu and feel $10 for a carrot dish may not be the best pick, but, Zach our waiter didn't oversell it when he said how awesome it was. The balsamic and the ricotta make these so, so much better than you would ever imagine. Absolutely get them. Partner got a ribeye that was cooked to temp right and delicious. My swordfish was overcooked, which I mentioned and had a replacement quickly, with no fuss or argument. Attempt 2 was on point, and the verde with it is a perfect compliment. To be clear, the kitchen was getting run over at the time. I've been there, I'm mentioning it more for how graciously and quickly they fixed the issue than any other reason. Ice cream and mousse were both solid efforts, I think the ice cream was the better of the two. I was overall pleased with the experience and will most likely return. read more

I agree with Frances that the decor and ambiance of the place is spot on. However, I too had issues with service and my food. First off, it's Restaurant Week, so that meant a chance to try a dish from every section without breaking the bank. Score....or so I thought.... We were seated immediately and water was brought within moments. Our server arrives and asks if we would like to order wine or a cocktail just as I reach for the menu, so I reply, "Let me look and see if I see anything I want." She immediately replied with so I know what I want, literal seconds after and before I have a chance to begin reading. So I obviously reply no, and she awkwardly stands there for a full minute. Yeah so that ruined the mood of the meal for me. I do not like overbearing servers, especially if they don't try to be personable and hold witty conversation. For the taste, I started with the beef deckle tataki. The presentation was breathtaking while the dish literally left a bad taste on my tongue. The beef had a beautiful marbling and was lightly seared in the outside. The sauce was what ruined the dish. It was most strongly flavored of soy sauce, meaning it was extremely salty and left a sour aftertaste in my mouth. For my savor, I chose the scallops. But then I ended up swapping with my friend since she felt her swordfish was not keto enough for her. She said it was a decent dish and one of the better scallops she's ever eaten. The swordfish was beautifully presented on a bed of peas. The outer edges were a bit over done and dry but the verde sauce more than saved the dish. Overall a good dish, if a bit overdone. I had the strawberry mango sorbet and a cappuccino to finish and the sorbet was wonderfully tart and not overly sweet while the cappuccino was surprisingly not hot when it reached me. My friend had the chocolate mousse and it was a bit too bitter for her. We then ended up waiting over 10 minutes for our check....which should not have been hard to split since it was restaurant week. The server just disappeared for a while so it was strange. All in all, the meal was average at best with a few outstanding highlights and the service left a lot to be desired. I expected more, but I'm not overly upset that this restaurant fell short in some aspects. I don't think I'll be in any rush to return but I am glad I had the chance to try them out. There are plenty more restaurants popping up all the time to try! read more

This is a new favorite. The dishes were delicious. The service was pretty good the ambience lovely

There are several outstanding things about this restaurant: The valet parking availability across the street on Broad, the ambience, and the friendly and helpful waitstaff. The food is not though - at least not on the Friday evening we were there for a special occasion. Despite an incredibly busy main dining area, we were seated before our reservation time after a brief wait at the bar. I am not sure one can find any decent restaurant in Charleston on a weekend night that is not noisy and difficult to carry on a conversation without shouting -especially when a large table next to you is loudly yucking it up!- but such is the way of popular restaurants nowadays. We each ordered a fish dish and requested a bottle of Tempranillo Reserva for our own reasons. Unfortunately, after a bit of delay the wine steward told us it was not available and encouraged a Sangiovese blend instead. It was not quite as full bodied as we had in mind, so we went with a Cabernet. The tomato pie with aioli is unlike any you have ever had - more like a tomato sandwich between two large crispy croutons of fried sorghum bread. Tasty enough but nothing special about the aioli. Definitely nothing traditional about this tomato pie! Be forewarned. My guests had the snapper which was reported to be quite good, though not out of the ordinary, and the grouper which was nothing special and a bit more "fishy" than expected. My swordfish was thick and meaty but a bit dry slightly overcooked but was well complimented over the tasty mix of various beans in a delicious sauce that made it endurable. The chocolate olive oil cake and the sorbets as a shared dessert were passable enough. We actually ended up having quite an enjoyable evening, especially as the crowd thinned out, but were a bit disappointed that the food did not quite approach our expectations. Maybe we caught them on an overly busy, off night and may try again. read more

Excellent food and service. Perfectly cooked fish and scallops and the gnudi was amazing. I definitely want to return.

If you like salt and waking up with hypertension...so disappointed as a Charleston local trying this for the first time. This male only employed "establishment" serves fresh ingredients executed poorly. Everything, I mean everything, is drowned in some salty broth that tastes like the Atlantic Ocean. Having sent three things back and asking for replacements, we were not offered anything in exchange complimentary but instead unsold to buy more. Post $300, it's safe to say I will be taking my money and appetite elsewhere read more

Incredible restaurant! Very high quality experience of prep, chef work, menu and customer CARE. As we always know you usually get what you pay for, but The Establishment is not overly priced for the experience of finer dining with a great southern hospitality comfort in the atmosphere as well as the freindly relaxed feeling of being welcome. read more

Felt like a queen thanks to the impeccable staff and outta-this-world food! You can tell it's a labor of love with the attention to detail, flavor, and soft ambiance. The moment you walk in there's a Charleston vibe thanks to the original brick archway from the 1700s and tbh whoever designed the place I would want for my future home from the soft greys to the stylish light fixtures. The entire staff is personable, cordial, and Anna, our server, was the best by keeping us hydrated and checking in often with a friendly spirit. My friend won an instagram contest so we balled out more than usual by starting with appetizers: lump crab gnocchi and roasted tomato, parmesan sugo ravioli. Truthfully the next time I'm going to the Establishment I'm most likely requesting a bowl of those succulent sweet tomato raviolis. *drool* I can't stop thinking about them!!! Next I savored the grouper with creamed corn, heirloom tomato vierge and sampled my friend's chicken (love the crispy skin part yum) and the ratatouille which was equally delightful. For the finale we decided to go for the chocolate olive oil cake with praline anglaise + mousse. I love their dessert options and after dinner drinks. I will save more room for desert next time haha. Can't wait to return!!! Keep up the excellent work! read more

See all

Charleston's hottest restaurant is "The Establishment". Located on lower-Upper Broad Street, Chef Elliot Howells is back and he is JUST. GOING. NUTS. If you like to Murder your taste buds, then this is the place for you. This place has EVERYTHING; Grouper, Wreckfish, tickle kisses, Germurph's(German Smurphs), Mtv's Dan Cortese. And look who is at the bar, is that Kate Moss? No, it's an Italian American family who cuts in line at universal studios. 17 stars out of 8.2 read more

First time here. Wish we lived nearby. Darryl was our waiter here and he was wonderful. The food was DELICIOUS and service fabulous. I couldn't be happier. read more

We were recommended as a place to have a wonderful dinner. Entering we could not of requested a nicer welcome the hostess staff were extremely nice and very pleasant. Beautiful dinning room with a wonderful ambiance. I like a limited menu so that was something I appreciated as well. The food was very tasty and presentation was very well executed. However the portions were for the money ridiculously small. The monk fish only was served with 2 small medallions on top of Brussel sprouts leaves leaving out for the most part the heart of the Brussel sprout. The Rib eye you received 2 medium pieces which for money very dissatisfying. The sword fish was very tasty however I believe it could have been with a better accompaniment not beans. My recommendation is this is a wonderful restaurant with very tasty food but not a place to dine if you are really hungry. It was Rib eye not prime rib. read more

The Establishment - Seafood Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

Had high hopes for the place, yet the strong ambiance, great looking bar and good vibe could not make up for poor food and painful service. The server "explains" the premise of ordering many "taste" plates to share across the table along with entrees, which are called "savor", yet it isn't a tapas menu, and the offerings are far more limited than a shared plate concept. Thus, you end of spending far more $ to fill up than you might elsewhere, especially since they don't offer complimentary bread or other filler for the table. IF the food was great, I could be more receptive of the menu, but the food was boring and nearly tasteless. We got the pasta and snapper entrees - all lacking taste. After asking for salt and pepper, all three plates improved, yet not enough to say they were good. Wine list is strong with bar seeming to be the standout. Service was painful with server unable to answer most questions and coming off as arrogant the entire meal. I was torn between giving 1 or 2 stars, and went up due to the nice space and vibrant ambiance. We may have just gotten the wrong server and menu items, as business looks to be strong, yet I don't plan to return unless I hear of major changes. read more

Went to The Establishment on a Sat night with my wife and step daughter who lives in Charleston. Like New Orleans, Montreal, Vegas, and similar world-class food cities, the bar is very high in Charleston. If it's not great, then it's not going to make it. The Establishment hit on all marks. Decor is very nice, we had a table near the front by the piano player, which is a nice touch to have some live entertainment for dinner. Everyone enjoyed this and he certainly takes requests. The bar area is incredible as others have mentioned with the huge tv. I will certainly be back and grab a bite at the bar. Service from waiter Nick was exceptional, with him being helpful with explaining the menu and suggesting wines, but not overly intrusive or annoying. My wife had one of the best pasta dishes I can recall, while I had fish. All nicely prepared. We even opted for dessert, which also killed. This is certainly more of a fine dining place, but we really enjoyed it and will be back, as we visit Charleston frequently. read more