This Wednesday, Mount Pleasant coastal kitchen Kiki & Rye opens in at 656 Long Point Road, a space previously occupied by Ember Wood Fired Kitchen.
The new concept comes from Ryan and Kelleanne Jones who also own Community Table, a family-style restaurant that opened in the I’On neighborhood of Mount Pleasant in November 2019. Prior to opening Community Table, the Joneses occupied the outdoor stall at Workshop under the name Free Reign.
Much like Community Table, Kiki & Rye features a wood-fired kitchen with coastal inspired fare. Look for light, fresh salads, family-style sides and proteins like hanger steak and brick chicken.
“It’s a big beautiful open kitchen with the wood-fired oven right in the middle of it,” said Kelleanne. “When you walk in the restaurant, you can see that as a focal point.”
[content-1] Leading the kitchen as executive chef will be Matt Clark, who recently moved to Charleston from Orlando. According to Ryan, the young, eager chef will bring “light, fresh and clean flavors.” Clark’s menu will pair with an expansive drink offering with local beer, wine, cocktails, cold brew coffee and kombucha, all on tap.
Those who visited Ember during its three year tenure will notice some changes to the space, which Kelleanne described as “open, airy and farmhouse chic.”
“They had a bunch of partitions separating the dining room, and we’ve removed all those so it’s one big open space at this point,” said Kelleanne. The restaurant also boasts a 60-seat outdoor area with a covered porch, a feature the couple knows is important in a post-pandemic dining landscape.
Starting Wednesday, Kiki & Rye will be open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday, with plans to also offer lunch and weekend brunch in the future. Moving forward, the Joneses said they’ll go back and forth between both Mount Pleasant restaurants.
“We’ve been having a blast in I’On, meeting so many wonderful people,” said Kelleanne. “Customers there will continue to see plenty of us even as we grow, but Ryan and I are really excited for our new wood-fired kitchen concept and can’t wait to recreate some of the hits from our Workshop days.”
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