Mother’s Ruin, known for its inventive cocktails and bar eats in locations like New York, Nashville, Chicago and Austin, will get a fifth home in the Lowcountry, opening April 24 at 474 King St.
Co-owner T.J. Lynch, who also co-owns Lost Isle and Low Life in Charleston, is excited about the new addition to the Lowcountry cuisine scene.
“I’ve always loved Charleston’s food and beverage culture,” he said. “After living here for eight years, it really felt like the time was right to add something to this city’s already vibrant hospitality scene.”
While each Mother’s Ruin has its own local flavor, what is consistent across all spots is teamwork.
“One major constant at all the locations is our focus on our staff,” said Lynch. “We’re all bartenders or at least we all have been at some point. So naturally the quality of our staff is central to how we roll.”
The food and drink
All-day eats are available until 1:30 a.m. and include a greatest hits of bar snacks with a spin. According to Lynch, the eatery’s fried chicken sandwich and the Cholula honey wings are two of the most popular items that have been on the menu almost since opening day in New York in 2011.
Old Bay waffle fries come with spicy ketchup and caramelized onion dip. Mozzy stix are served with toasted garlic marinara and kimchi ranch, and Thai Brussels sprouts come with cashews, chickpeas, cilantro and lime. There is a breakfast burrito with scrambled eggs, scallion crema, red onion, cheddar, waffle fries and cilantro and a choice of chorizo or mushrooms. A barbecue shrimp po’ boy has Gochujang barbecue fried shrimp, cucumber-lime-cilantro yogurt, pickled Fresnos, lettuce and tomato. And of course there’s a burger. Mother’s Ruin’s version is a smashburger with white American cheese, lettuce, onion, pickles and secret sauce on a brioche bun, served with Old Bay waffle fries and spicy ketchup.
The Mother’s Ruin drink canon has around 1,500 recipes, so it’s a deep bench from which to pull. All juices are freshly made in-house, and the menu will change making variety constant.
The opening cocktail menu has the “rooftop motel” made with bourbon, lemon, peach and tea, and the “hot girl hubris” mixes tequila, guava, coconut and lime. There also is a frozen slushy with vodka, cherry and limeade. For those that miss the Rarebit’s most beloved cocktail, Mother’s Ruin will be serving the “Rarebit mule” with a choice of vodka or tequila.
Brunch is available until 4 p.m. daily and dishes include challah French toast with apple and rum. Avocado toast comes on sourdough with basil, salsa verde, pickles and Aleppo pepper with the choice to add poached eggs. An homage to the golden arches, the McMother’s sandwich comes on an everything bagel with white cheddar, fried egg, sausage, rosemary duck fat tater tots and salsa libre.
When building and sourcing the food and drink menus, Lynch and his team are highly aware of tight budgets these days thanks to skyrocketing costs and inflation.
“For us, we strive for consistency and quality of ingredients that won’t break the bank for our customers,” he said. “That usually ends up being a mix of local and regional purveyors.” For reference, all cocktails are $14 and the single smashburger is $16.
Prepping to open
Leading up to opening, the Mother’s Ruin team hosted a series of popups at Faculty Lounge, the Royal American, Proof Bar, Sugey’s Bar and Last Saint.
“The pop ups definitely solidified our opinion on how great the local food and beverage community is here,” said Lynch. “We saw such warm and positive vibes at all of the popups. We’re really excited about Charleston because we feel the crowd will be more like our original location than any of the others. That crowd is the most diverse, which we love. From daytime shoppers, to tourists, to locals, and a heavy dose of our hospitality industry friends.”
Mother’s Ruin is open from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. on the weekends. After 9 p.m., it is 21+ until closing.
“With all the great choices of where to spend your time and money in Charleston, we don’t think you should choose Mother’s Ruin over anywhere else,” said Lynch. “Instead, we think you should come to Mother’s for a drink before dinner, or when you’re out with friends and need a change of scenery, or after a happy hour to grab a bite. We love it when you come by after dinner to grab a nightcap or before you go to a show. The point is, we just like to be here for whatever you need us for.”
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