Decadent Holiday Dining
02 Nov 2021
Festive prix-fixe menus & iconic Charleston settings
By Elise DeVoe
The holidays are coming up, and—on pace with the rest of this year—way faster than expected. Now that restaurants are back in full swing, they can’t wait to host you and your loved ones for a holiday feast. This holiday season, we are especially grateful to be able to safely gather with family and enjoy some of the best food that Charleston has to offer.
Oak Steakhouse
17 Broad St. Charleston
@oaksteakhouse
Oak Steakhouse is an upscale setting for any holiday celebration. Their Thanksgiving menu will consist of a three-course prix fixe menu. While menus are being finalized, the first course will likely be a choice of seasonal soup, salad or a seafood option. The second course will feature a turkey entree with all the accoutrements, like their roasted brussels sprouts and sweet potato souffle. Their family-style sides, like roasted jalapeno cornbread and whipped potatoes, can be found on their menu all year long. For dessert, they usually stick to the classics of pecan and pumpkin pie. Indulge in a dessert cocktail from their extensive cocktail menu. Although they are not open on Christmas Day, any day can be a special occasion with their high-quality steaks and decadent side dishes.
Peninsula Grill
112 N Market St. Charleston
@peninsulagrill
Celebrate the holiday season at this elegant oasis downtown just beyond the hustle and bustle of Market Street. Voted one of the most romantic restaurants in the country, Peninsula Grill dresses up for the holiday season, where you can enjoy a meal at the handsome dining room or the patio, lit by gas lanterns. Upscale Southern food greets diners including She crab soup and seasonal specialties like roast duck breast and lamb loin. At special treat—literally—is their famed 12-layer coconut cake, only available during the holidays, where diners can enjoy it by the slice.
Tavern & Table
100 Church St., Mt Pleasant
@tavernandtable
Sharing a great meal with friends and family while overlooking Shem Creek is what the holidays in Charleston are all about. Tavern & Table can accommodate holiday celebrations ranging from a group sharing small plates and cocktails to elaborate feasts. Kick off the meal with one of their signature butcher boards which includes house-cured meat, accompaniments of pickles and preserved fruits and cheeses. Follow that with a selection from their raw bar of either oysters on the half shell or peel & eat shrimp. For a show-stopping presentation fit for a holiday celebration, try their 30oz pork chop. Enjoy it as a chop or porterhouse with gouda grits, grilled asparagus, sherry au jus and fennel pollen. Then finish off the meal with one of their signature cocktails, like their seasonal sangria or T&T Old Fashioned.
Muse Restaurant & Wine Bar
82 Society St, Charleston
@musecharleston
Muse is known as “Charleston’s Little Secret on Society Street” and now you are in on it, too. They serve Mediterranean-inspired dishes in a cozy environment. The restaurant is a renovated Charleston single house, so you immediately feel like family when you walk in the door. It’s like going to a family member’s house for the holidays, but with more professional cooking and less drama. Although they are closed on both Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, this is a cozy spot to get together with loved ones any time during the holiday season. They have a large selection of appetizers that are great for sharing. Their bruschetta is perfectly crisp with a bright tang from the tomato to kick off the meal. For the main course, their tagliatelle bolognese is one of their signature dishes as well as the veal scallopini. To complete the meal, sample one of their 75 wines by the glass.
82 Queen
82 Queen St., Charleston
@82queenchas
82 Queen makes this year's holiday planning easy and gatherings particularly memorable. Whether it be an extravagant corporate event or elevated family gathering, 82 Queen can accommodate. They have nine historic dining rooms and a jaw-droppingly beautiful heated courtyard to choose from. Guests select from a tailored list of chef-designed menu options, including three or four course dinners featuring beloved Lowcountry favorites such as their award-winning She crab soup, signature barbeque shrimp & grits and iconic fried green tomatoes. Brunch and lunch are also memorable meals. Groups can book by emailing trista@queenstreethospitality.com.
Kiawah Island Golf Resort
1 Sanctuary Beach Dr., Kiawah Island
@kiawahresort
From Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day, guests of Kiawah Island Golf Resort will find a series of exciting events and celebrations to mark the festive season. Guests can reserve seats at the Grand Oaks Ballroom, Jasmine Porch, the Ocean Room, or the Player’s Pub at Cougar Point to enjoy a holiday meal. They are also offering Thanksgiving dinner to-go where you can choose a full meal that serves 8-10 people or order just the turkey or just the sides – either way, the cooking is on them! Orders must be placed by Friday, Nov. 19 and picked up on Thursday, Nov. 25 between 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. at the West Beach Conference Center. On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, restaurants throughout the resort host festive holiday meals to properly ring in the season. Offerings range from Tomasso’s traditional Italian Festa dei Sette Pesci (Feast of Seven Fishes) on Christmas Eve to an elegantly sophisticated Christmas Day dinner at The Ocean Room. Visit www.kiawahresort.com/dining.
Vined The Vegan Experience
5117 Dorchester Rd Unit G, North Charleston
@VinedTVE
This holiday season, Vined The Vegan Experience in North Charleston is serving up vegan versions of classic holiday sides. Whether you’re looking for a vegan option for one of your guests or just looking to try something different this year, they are sure to have a delicious option for you. They are offering family-sized servings of their vegan collard greens, cornbread stuffing, mac & cheese, candied yams, banana pudding, peach cobbler, and sweet potato pie that can feed between six and eleven people. For Thanksgiving order inquiries, email vinedtheveganexperience@gmail.com. The order deadline for their delectable side dishes is Friday, November 19 and order pick up is on Wednesday, November 24 at 5117 Dorchester Road in North Charleston.
Swamp Fox Restaurant
Francis Marion Hotel, 387 King St, Charleston
@theswamp_fox
Located within the Francis Marion Hotel in the heart of downtown Charleston, Swamp Fox Restaurant is hosting a Thanksgiving Day three-course meal all day from noon until 9:30 p.m. The dinner is $50 per person and $22 for kids 12 and under. The meal includes a choice of a mimosa or Bloody Mary and an amuse bouche of Appalachian corn pudding with fig preserve. The first course is a choice of soup—She-crab and heirloom carrot or ginger soup—or a choice of salad—winter green, traditional Caesar, or bibb salad. The second course includes the choice of Swamp Fox shrimp and grits, Joyce Farms heritage turkey, eight-hour roasted beef rib, or honey bourbon glazed salmon. The final course is your choice of dessert: gluten free chocolate lava cake, pecan pie, baked apple galette or pumpkin cheesecake. Call 843-724-8888 for reservations.
The Watch Rooftop Kitchen and Spirits
75 Wentworth St, Charleston
843-518-5115
@therestorationhotel
Inside the modern Restoration Hotel and Residences downtown, The Watch Rooftop Kitchen & Spirits rooftop bar and farm-to-table restaurant is kicking off the holiday season with a decadent special Thanksgiving menu for dine-in. For $65 per person, guests have the entrée options of roasted turkey breast and brown gravy, dill marinated salmon, or honey glazed ham. They will feature a variety of sides such as apple brioche stuffing, oven baked macaroni and cheese, sweet and spicy collard greens and more. Additional accoutrements include cornbread with honey butter, mixed greens salad, cranberry sauce and deviled eggs. Thanksgiving would not be complete without dessert, so they are offering apple crisp, pumpkin pie, and carrot cake as options. If you’re only here for the pie, The Rise coffee bar on the first floor will be selling individual holiday pies as well. Pie orders must be placed by Thursday, Nov. 18 to be picked up on Tuesday, Nov. 23 or Wednesday, Nov. 24. The Rise’s pie Christmas menu is TBD, but they serve frittatas, Beneficts, breakfast sandwiches and more.
The Kingstide
32 River Landing Dr, Daniel Island
@thekingstide
Celebrate the holidays with a waterfront view at The Kingstide on Daniel Island. They will be serving Thanksgiving in their downstairs dining room from 2-8 p.m. The meal is $60 per person and starts off with a choice between heirloom pumpkin soup or charred broccoli salad. For the main course, they are serving confit turkey with cornbread foie gras stuffing, sweet potato souffle, smoked green bean casserole, and turkey jus. Another entrée option is a whole roasted fish, which will be made specially for the Thanksgiving Day menu. They will offer sides a la carte and this meal is available for dine-in only. Reservations are available to be booked now. They will not be open for Christmas, but they are a festive destination to visit with the whole family to have an elegant seafood dinner.
