The 12 Best Seafood Restaurants in Charleston (2026)
Raw bars, fish houses, and the icons — where Charleston actually eats seafood, from Meeting Street institutions to Johns Island fish camps.
Seafood is the reason Charleston's restaurant scene exists — the creeks and sounds behind the barrier islands have fed the city for three centuries, and the current generation of kitchens treats that supply chain as the whole point. The scene runs from white-tablecloth seafood houses to chef-driven raw bars to the fried-platter institutions that predate the food-city era entirely.
The destination tier: The Ordinary's seafood hall in a 1927 bank building, 167 Raw's no-reservations counter (the most reliably excellent lunch in the city), and Chubby Fish, where the menu is written daily off the boats. The institutions: Hyman's Seafood on Meeting Street — a generations-old family operation and one of the most-reviewed restaurants in the South — and Hank's, the classic oyster-and-fish house by the Market since 1999.
The raw-bar and neighborhood tiers carry the everyday version: The Darling and Delaney downtown, Amen Street and Pearlz on East Bay, Fleet Landing over the harbor, The Royal Tern out on Johns Island. Order within sections moves with community votes and Google ratings. Last reviewed May 2026.
The Destination Rooms
The chef-driven tier that made Charleston a seafood city for visitors. The Ordinary is the flagship — Mike Lata's seafood hall on upper King with the walk-in raw bar up front. 167 Raw runs the no-reservations crudo-lobster-roll counter that locals plan afternoons around. Chubby Fish writes its menu daily from the day-boat catch — arrive at 5 or wait.
The Ordinary
Downtown$$$4.8★22,822 reviewsThe Ordinary is widely regarded as Charleston's premier upscale seafood hall, celebrated for its dramatic historic bank-building setting, locally sourced raw bar, and iconic oyster sliders — making it a consistent bucket-list stop for both visitors and discerning locals.
167 Raw
Downtown$$$4.7★3,399 reviews167 Raw is a King Street institution with a 4.7-star Yelp rating across 3,200+ reviews and a Yelp Top 100 U.S.
Chubby Fish
Downtown4.7★1,088 reviewsChubby Fish is widely regarded as Charleston's most talked-about restaurant, earning near-universal praise from locals for its dock-to-table creativity, daily-changing menu driven by the freshest local catch, and bold Lowcountry flavors under Chef James London — a Charleston native with serious credentials (James Beard finalist, Michelin-recommended, Bon Appétit Best New Restaurant, North America's 50 Best 2025).
The Institutions
The rooms that were serving fish before Charleston was a food destination. Hyman's Seafood on Meeting Street is the family-run icon — she-crab soup, fried platters, and a review count in the tens of thousands. Hank's Seafood by the Market is the white-tablecloth classic. Fleet Landing serves the only true on-the-harbor dining room downtown, in a 1940s naval building over the water.
Hyman's Seafood
Downtown$$4.9★47,911 reviewsHyman's is a genuinely polarizing Charleston institution: online forums and travel communities are blunt that it is a tourist-facing destination that most locals actively skip, with Fodor's community commenters calling it 'universally despised by locals' and a BeerAdvocate reviewer noting he was 'advised against eating here by local friends.' Charleston Living Magazine pushes back, arguing the 'tourist trap' label is often lobbed by locals who've never actually eaten there, and that the food — a sprawling chalkboard of fresh daily fish, standout she-crab soup, fried oysters, and award-winning crab cakes — genuinely holds up.
Hank's Seafood Restaurant
Downtown$$$4.8★25,287 reviewsHank's Seafood is widely regarded as a bona fide Charleston institution — voted Best Seafood by Charleston City Paper for 16–18 consecutive years, praised for its she-crab soup, bouillabaisse, and seafood towers, and consistently cited on 'must-do' lists by regulars and food critics alike.
Fleet Landing Restaurant & Raw Bar
Downtown$$4.6★11,834 reviewsFleet Landing is widely regarded as one of Charleston's best waterfront dining spots, earning genuine loyalty from locals who cite its fresh oysters, shrimp and grits, and she-crab soup as standout dishes in a historic 1940s naval building.
The Raw Bars
Dozen-on-ice culture. The Darling Oyster Bar runs the prettiest raw-bar room on King. Delaney Oyster House keeps the deepest single-source rotation in a Cannonborough single house. Amen Street and Pearlz hold down East Bay — the pre-dinner dozen and the late add-on, respectively.
Delaney Oyster House
Downtown$$4.8★8,066 reviewsDelaney Oyster House earns strong local loyalty as a go-to date-night spot in a beautifully renovated historic Charleston single-house, with fresh oysters, a standout blue crab rice, and a creative martini program driving repeat visits — one quasi-local reviewer describes going 'once every three weeks.' The Post and Courier's critic lauded the overall mood and cold seafood but flagged specific hot dishes (over-sweetened fish beignets, an oversalted scallop preparation) as notable weak spots.
The Darling Oyster Bar
Downtown$$4.7★5,501 reviewsThe Darling Oyster Bar is widely regarded as one of King Street's best seafood destinations, with consistently strong praise for its fresh, well-curated oyster selection, knowledgeable bar staff, and lively historic atmosphere.
Amen Street Fish & Raw Bar
Downtown$$4.6★2,504 reviewsAmen Street is a well-established, highly regarded seafood spot on East Bay Street that draws both locals and visitors — ranked #24 of 726 Charleston restaurants on TripAdvisor with 3,391 reviews.
The Neighborhood Fish Houses
Where the seafood dinner isn't an event. The Royal Tern on Johns Island is the island's white-tablecloth fish house and worth the drive on its own; Cuda Co. runs the casual counter version — fish sandwiches and baskets without the peninsula markup.
The Royal Tern
Johns Island4.9★21,735 reviewsThe Royal Tern commands a devoted local following on Johns Island, consistently landing among the island's top-rated restaurants on Yelp and TripAdvisor thanks to a focused, technique-driven menu from Chef David Pell — built around a standout raw bar, wood-fire grill seafood, and fresh seasonal ingredients rather than a sprawling crowd-pleasing list.
CudaCo. Seafood House
James Island4.6★444 reviewsCudaCo built its identity around species most Charleston kitchens won't touch — barracuda, monkfish, whatever came off the boat undervalued — and that ethos shows up on the plate in the form of crudo, ceviche, and a fried scallop po' boy that people drive across the Folly Road bridge specifically to eat.
How this ranking is built
Inclusion requires seafood as the core of the menu — steakhouses with a fish section and oyster-only bars are excluded (the oyster bars have their own list). Order within sections is community votes blended with aggregated Google and Yelp ratings, Bayesian-smoothed. Read the full methodology →
Charleston itself has been ranked the #1 small city in the U.S. by Condé Nast Traveler readers for four consecutive years, and the #1 city in the South by Southern Living readers for ten. See every external award Charleston holds on Charleston Ranked.
Frequently asked
- What is the best seafood restaurant in Charleston?
- The Ordinary is the destination answer — Mike Lata's seafood hall in a 1927 bank building on upper King. 167 Raw is the locals' lunch answer, Chubby Fish the chef's-chef answer, and Hyman's Seafood the classic family-run institution visitors line up for on Meeting Street.
- Is Hyman's Seafood worth it?
- For the classic fried-platter-and-she-crab-soup Charleston seafood experience, yes — it's family-run, generous, and one of the most-reviewed restaurants in the South. If you want the chef-driven version instead, book The Ordinary or walk into 167 Raw.
- Where can I eat seafood with a water view in Charleston?
- Fleet Landing is the only true on-the-harbor dining room downtown — a converted 1940s naval landing building. On Shem Creek, the docks have several casual seafood decks; on Johns Island, The Royal Tern is minutes from Bowens Island's marsh.
- What seafood is Charleston known for?
- Shrimp and grits, she-crab soup, Lowcountry oysters (September through April), soft-shell crab in spring, and day-boat fish like triggerfish and swordfish. The raw bars run local single-cup oysters in season and named Mid-Atlantic beds the rest of the year.
- Do I need reservations for seafood restaurants in Charleston?
- The Ordinary, Hank's, The Royal Tern, and Chubby Fish book out days to weeks ahead for prime weekend slots. 167 Raw takes no reservations (queue before opening or mid-afternoon), and Hyman's runs a wait-list at the door that moves fast.