Winter 2025
This issue’s CP Hotlist shines a spotlight on hot, relatively new restaurants that impress our cuisine team. We encourage you to check them out and let us know whether you think they should be added to our Top 50 list. Now on the CP Hotlist (in alphabetical order):
Abbracci (2024), Mount Pleasant.
Local restaurateurs Don and Joanne Migliori know a thing or two about the local restaurant community. They opened the popular North Mount Pleasant pizza joint Migliori’s Pizzeria in 2020. They are also investors in Charleston’s newest downtown Italian restaurant, Legami. “We wanted to have a downtown [quality] restaurant in North Mount Pleasant,” Joanne Migliori said of their new upscale Italian restaurant, Abbracci. “If you want to have a nice date night or a small private dinner, you don’t have to go downtown to have a really beautiful, inviting space,” she said. Abbracci Italian Cuisine & Cocktails features Executive Chef Devin Sansone’s take on Italian dishes like arancini, ricotta gnocchi, pollo al mattone and fresh, housemade pasta. At Abbracci, the Miglioris want to embrace family, friends and good food. Moderate. abbraccichs.com. Dinner, Wednesday through Sunday.
The Archer (2024), Downtown.
Marc and Liz Hudacsko, the couple behind popular downtown spot Berkeley’s, opened a buzzier, “more grown up” sister restaurant, The Archer, over the summer. Featuring what’s described as “elevated fare” (think oven-roasted wreckfish, duck confit salad), The Archer is located at 601 Meeting St., near the base of the Ravenel bridge. The bar program is curated by Jimmy Chmielewski, previously of Proof and Estadio. Drinks include cocktails like the Ambiguous Bird, made with rum, coconut oolong Campari, pineapple and lime, and a nitro espresso martini on draft. “We’re really all about our neighborhood, really about the people that work for us and the people that come to dine with us — we think it’s important to take care of them,” Marc said. “We wanted to be able to do that with our next restaurant [and] to do something that was the more grown up version.” Moderate. thearchercharleston.com. Dinner, Wednesday through Monday.
La Cave (2024), Downtown.
La Cave, an elevated sipping lounge and salon privé inspired by the south of France, opened on King Street last fall, just down the block from its sister restaurant, Félix Cocktails et Cuisine. La Cave is the Parisian-inspired cafe’s softer sister, with natural wood finishes and exposed stone walls designed by Landrum’s wife, Leslie. “What I tried to do is create different nooks of cozy where people could come,” Landrum said. “They could have conversations, they could hang out, they could sip their drinks, they could snack, they could wait to go next door or [not] … This is the destination.” Diners can look forward to small plates like a petit crab roll with lump crab cake topped with jalapeño-leek aïoli and pickled red onions that is served on a sized-down sesame bun; raw bar offerings ranging from oysters to crudo to caviar service; and roasted prawns with coriander, piquillo pepper butter and grilled lemon. The cocktail menu won’t be as extensive as Félix’s (which has more than 20 choices), but it will still focus on detailed, craft creations. Order the Martini de Luxe, made with fromage washed vodka, saline and Lillet Blanc — and get a caviar crisp on the side. Moderate. lacavechs.com. Dinner, Tuesday through Saturday.
Marbled & Fin (2024), Downtown.
If you’ve been in the market for a new modern steakhouse — one that serves delicate, flavorful hamachi crudo alongside a big, bold bone-in tomahawk, look no further. The attention to detail at Neighborhood Dining Group’s latest begins the moment you step into Marbled & Fin — the vaulted ceilings and chic interior belie the building’s history as a dry cleaners. Reservations are recommended for the dining room at this buzzy new spot, but guests are always welcome to belly up to the 25-seat bar, first-come, first-served. The details continue to impress throughout the meal, from welcome cocktails to an evening-ending sweet bite. Be sure to try the broiled oysters and bone marrow appetizer. Made with herb bread crumbs, charred lemon and chimichurri, it’s the perfect mix of land and sea. Very expensive. marbledandfin.com. Dinner nightly. Weekend brunch.
The Select (2024), Downtown.
The Select, a new American cuisine bar and restaurant, opened in The Guild on Meeting Street over the summer. The restaurant, which has another location in Atlanta, is inspired by Paris’ Le Select, a 1920s brasserie known for expat clientele like Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Chagall and Picasso. Drinks are the star of the show at The Select, with a cocktail menu that features stalwarts (hello, espresso martini) and inventive offerings, such as the rum cocktail Goldfinch, which pays homage to the history of Charleston’s rum imports. The restaurant’s food menu spans the globe with traditional French fare like French onion soup and steak frites, Peruvian ceviche, Gambas al Ajillo (Spanish garlic shrimp), miso golden tilefish and plenty of classic American flavors, from glazed salmon to a cheeseburger. Expensive. theselectcharleston.com. Dinner nightly, weekend brunch.
XO Brasserie (2024), Downtown.
Xo Brasserie serves updated Cantonese and Sichuan-influenced cuisine at 1090 Morrison Drive. Owner Herman Ng partnered with executive chef Michael Chanthavong to create a modern Chinese American menu, with dishes like vegetarian Ma Po Tofu, salt and pepper shrimp and crab rangoon. In addition to curating the menu’s flavors, Ng and his team carefully created a buzzy space inside the new, multi-use building on Morrison Drive. Brasserie’s interior features clean lines, moody lighting, leafy plants and special touches, like a large custom wine rack. Some of the larger tables feature big lazy-Susans that play into Ng’s goal of family-style dining. “It’s how I grew up,” he said. “You order a bunch of different dishes, and you all get to try a bunch of stuff.” Expensive. xobchs.com. Dinner Tuesday through Sunday.
Help keep the City Paper free.
No paywalls.
No subscription cost.
Free delivery at 800 locations.
Help support independent journalism by donating today.