These three South Carolina restaurants rank among the best in the US. Here’s why

South Carolina is home to three of the nation’s top-ranking restaurants — and you won’t have to travel far if you want to try all of them.

That’s because all three are in the tourist hotspot of Charleston, according to results published Tuesday, Sept. 27. The South Carolina restaurants that were named among the best places to eat in the United States:

  • Circa 1886 Restaurant

  • Halls Chophouse

  • Queology

The travel website Tripadvisor said it recognized the South Carolina eateries after studying the “the quality and quantity of reviews and ratings for restaurants” in the year leading up to June 30. The website also focused on businesses that had been open for 12 months or more and considered whether they had faced safety concerns or other negative allegations.

The U.S. restaurants were divided into several categories, including the best places for date nights, fine dining, everyday meals and quick eats. Tripadvisor also debuted a new category of hidden gems, which focused on under-the-radar spots.

Among the South Carolina dining destinations that received a nod was Circa 1886 Restaurant. The eatery, which lies in a former carriage house, ranked No. 6 in the nation for date nights.

On Tripadvisor, customers said they were fans of the restaurant’s intimate, romantic atmosphere. Several were also impressed with the menu, which draws from old and new South Carolina influences and has dishes ranging from a caviar-topped grilled pimento cheese sandwich to shrimp and rice grits.

Also in the national rankings, Halls Chophouse landed at No. 5 in the fine dining category. While the restaurant has locations across the Palmetto State and in Tennessee, the Charleston location has repeatedly earned recognition.

The restaurant was named a top Mother’s Day destination in 2022, a year after Yelp named it one of the country’s best places to eat.

This time around, several Tripadvisor users helped Halls Chophouse earn a spot in the rankings after raving that the steakhouse offered attentive customer service in an upscale setting. Of course, there were also fans of the steaks — which the restaurant’s website says “are hand-selected, aged with their meticulous processes, and hand-cut to exact portion specifications.”

Rounding out the South Carolina destinations on Tripadvisor’s list was Queology. The barbecue restaurant was No. 9 among the nation’s “best of the best everyday eats,” defined as places offering “delicious indulgence without breaking the bank.”

Several customers took to Tripadvisor to praise the restaurant’s meaty creations, including smoked wings and pulled pork sandwiches. The restaurant offers the “balanced, signature flavor of savory, sweet & smokey that folks can’t resist,” according to its website.

All three South Carolina restaurants that earned recognition boasted more than four out of five stars on Tripadvisor.

The results come during a year when the Charleston-area dining scene has made a name for itself. The region was named one of the nation’s best places for food lovers and is also home to the state’s top-ranked places for pizza, sandwiches and other favorite foods, McClatchy News reported.

On the most recent Tripadvisor list — called the Travelers’ Choice Awards — Charleston beat New York to become home to the most U.S. winners. The travel website also ranked restaurants across the globe, though no Palmetto State eateries made it to the top of the worldwide lists.

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