Poogan's Porch

One of Charleston's oldest Southern restaurants, Poogan's Porch has been operating out of a restored 1891 Victorian on Queen Street since 1976 — long enough to have its own ghost story, a namesake dog immortalized in the yard, and a genuine claim to the city's culinary history. The biscuits with honey butter and the shrimp and grits are the consensus anchors of the menu, and brunch tends to outperform dinner across the board. The 'tourist trap' charge surfaces often enough to take seriously: food quality runs inconsistent, portions versus price draw complaints, and the dining room has been called worn — but partisans argue it delivers exactly the unpretentious Lowcountry home-cooking that flashier neighbors only dress up as.