SC has 4 of the best fine dining restaurants in the US for 2023, Tripadvisor says

Patrick McCreless
·2 min read

Have a big anniversary coming up? Or maybe you just want to try a top tier restaurant experience for once?

South Carolina has you covered.

The Palmetto State has four of the best fine dining restaurants in the U.S., according to Tripadvisor. The American online travel company recently listed the restaurants as winners of its Best of the Best Travelers’ Choice awards for 2023. In all, 25 restaurants were chosen as the best fine dining restaurants in the U.S. for the annual awards.

According to TripAdvisor’s website, the awards are the company’s highest honor and winners are among the top 1% of the company’s 8 million listings. The awards take into account the quality and quantity of reviews the restaurants receive by travelers over a 12-month period.

Below are the four South Carolina restaurants that earned the best fine dining award this year.

Halls Chophouse

Halls Chophouse of Charleston ranked third on the list of best fine dining restaurants in the U.S. The American fine-dining restaurant opened in 2009 in Charleston, but has since opened other locations in Greenville, Columbia, Nexton and Nashville.

“A traditional American steakhouse with superior service and a knowledgeable staff, Halls Chophouse offers a classic and comfortable dining experience that will entice our guests to visit and enjoy time after time,” Halls writes on Tripadvisor.

Circa 1886

Circa 1886 in Charleston is a restaurant that perfectly melds the past and present into delicious dishes. The restaurant ranked 10th on the list. Housed in a historic carriage house, Circa 1886 offers Lowcountry inspired dishes, such as the cornmeal crusted flounder, with sea island peas, vanilla tomato raisins, crab rice cake and collard green sauce.

Peninsula Grill

Peninsula Grill can be found in the heart of Charleston’s historic district. Ranked 15th on the list this year, the restaurant has been recognized many times over the years by publications such as Conde Bast Traveler, Food & Wine, The New York Times and Southern Living.

“With velvet-lined walls in shimmering oyster tones, woven seagrass, and indigenous cypress, the Peninsula Grill Dining Room ambiance is supper club sumptuousness,” Tripadvisor says.

The Peninsula Grill at Charleston’s Planters Inn is famous for its cake. Photograph by Planters Inn.
The Peninsula Grill at Charleston’s Planters Inn is famous for its cake. Photograph by Planters Inn.

Grill 225

Grill 225 was the last South Carolina restaurant on the list, ranking 16th overall. The Charleston steakhouse can be found in the luxurious Market Pavilion Hotel. According to its website, Grill 225 is Charleston’s first and only 100% USDA Prime steak house.

“All of the beef selections, including the filet minion, are hand-selected and wet-aged 42-50 days to ensure tender texture and unsurpassed flavor,” Grill 225 states.