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Charleston's best seafood and fine cocktails. - The Establishment, Charleston, SC

The Establishment

4.8
4.8
2671 Reviews
$50 and over
Seafood

Make a booking

2 people
19:00
Booked 26 times today
Experiences are available.
  • Good for special occasions
  • Great for creative cocktails
  • Great for fine wines
Everything at The Establishment begins with well-sourced ingredients from sea and field. Through developing relationships with local farmers and fishermen, our ingredients will be consistently seasonal, fresh, and pure. Chef Elliott Howells' menu will always reflect a clean, focused, and balanced approach, delivering a selection of thoughtful and refined cuisine.

Located in Charleston’s historic French Quarter a few blocks away from Rainbow Row, Charleston City Market, and Waterfront Park, The Establishment features an award-winning wine cellar, over 150 bourbon and whiskey offerings, and a lively bar scene complete with daily happy hour. We feature Live Music every Friday and Saturday starting at 8:00 PM, featuring multiple local artists performing an array of musical genres. Our private dining rooms are perfect for birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, or business meetings. We look forward to hosting you for a casual night out or an elevated dining experience.
Private dining

Private dining

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Dining areas

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Elegant Dining
  • Price
    $50 and over
  • Cuisines
    Seafood, American, Contemporary American
  • Hours of Operation
    Dinner Tue–Thu 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
  • Phone number
    (843) 789-4028
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Executive Chef
    Elliott Howells
  • Private party facilities
    The Establishment offers incredible, local seafood paired with an award-winning wine list. If you’re looking for elevated cuisine paired with fine wine, or for a room that is perfectly situated in Charleston’s French Quarter, look no further than The Establishment.
  • Private party contact
    Shane Diviney: (865) 292-1218

Experiences

  • Bartender Competition and F & B Party

    US$25.00 per person

    Prepaid

    2 Feb 2025 only
    Multiple times
    Calling our food and beverage family. Please join us for a bartender competition and F&B party at The Establishment. We are hosting an event to highlight bartenders, their creativity and celebrate friends/family in the food and beverage community in CHS. Sunday, February 2nd 2025 2pm-6pm were are closed to the public but open to fellow colleagues in one of the best culinary and beverage cities in world. Please join us for a party that is "for us, by us". This includes admission wristband, drink tickets, food and entertainment. We are hosting a 3 round elimination bartender competition sponsored by Samson and Surrey designed to be fun & promote comradery in our community. Tickets for Any Time will get you in Any Time that day. Come see us!
    Bartender Competition and F & B Party photo

What 2,671 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.8
4.8 based on recent ratings
  • 4.8Food
  • 4.9Service
  • 4.8Ambience
  • 4.5Value

NoiseModerate

Diners' Choice Awards

  • South Carolina

    Hot spot

  • South Carolina

    Seafood

  • Charleston

    Best Overall

  • Charleston

    Best Food

  • Charleston

    Best Service

  • Charleston

    Best Ambience

  • Charleston

    Innovative

  • Charleston

    Hot spot

  • Charleston

    Great for fine wines

  • Charleston

    Romantic

  • Charleston

    Good for special occasions

  • Charleston

    Lively

  • Charleston

    Seafood

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
The Establishment in Charleston offers a "fantastic dining experience" with "impeccable service" and "amazing food." Guests rave about the "Gnudi" and the attentive staff, notably servers like Nathan and Nehemiah. The ambiance is enhanced by live music, making it perfect for special occasions. "Highly recommended" for its exceptional menu and memorable experiences.

2,671 Reviews
  1. Lisa

    VIP

    New York City

    59 reviews

    4.0

    59 reviews

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    The service is the best thing about this restaurant. Waiter was very knowledgeable about every dish and every drink. Mixed drinks are excellent. I had the Hot Todd-E which was perfect for a cold night. Food was very good. The gnudi was highlighted as their most ordered app and was described as much lighter than regular gnocchi. This was true but the sauce - though delicious - was VERY rich. My husband and I shared that and a salad which was a nice complement to the gnudi, but we agreed that just those two dishes were enough for dinner. Main courses: we had a poached wreck fish and a pressed (braised) lamb, both very good but I had to take most of the fish home because the apps had been so filling. We didn’t have room for dessert. This would be a great restaurant to go to with another couple and maybe share 3 apps and 2-3 main courses. Then we might have room for dessert!

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  2. Ann

    Charleston

    27 reviews

    5.0

    27 reviews

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    My friends and I had a wonderful evening! We’ve been friends since the 6th grade and enjoyed catching up on things…

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  3. James

    Greater Boston

    7 reviews

    5.0

    7 reviews

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Sat at the bar for apps and cocktails. Both were great and the bartender Nathan was outstanding. Super friendly and outgoing and knew the drink menu inside and out.

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  4. Ronke

    Charleston

    3 reviews

    4.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on 1 January 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Visited for NYE so they had a fixed menu. The offerings were a bit limited, and unfortunately the korean fried chicken I ordered was extremely salty and inedible. The manager and staff were very accommodating and tried to salvage our overall experience and made sure we had a good time. For that alone I'll be back to try their regular menu offerings.

    Is this helpful?

  5. michelle

    Baltimore

    11 reviews

    5.0

    11 reviews

    Dined on 1 January 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    TOP NOTCH! Service was impeccable, food was on point! Staff was friendly and fun with our large group! We had a blast and can't wait to do it again!

    Is this helpful?

  6. Mary

    VIP

    Greater Boston

    16 reviews

    5.0

    16 reviews

    Dined on 1 January 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Wonderful New Years Eve- great service, great food and vibe

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  7. Richard

    San Francisco

    3 reviews

    2.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on 1 January 2025

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 4
    The New Years Eve $200 per person was the worst NYE experience I’ve ever had. Food was terrible
    The EstablishmentResponded 7 days ago
    Richard, Please tell your wife Suzanne to stop calling and emailing the restaurant and harassing our staff and managers. Our patience with this is running thin. We tried to make amends that night but this level of harassment is now becoming troubling. Thank you.

    1 person found this helpful

  8. Jocelyn

    VIP

    Charleston

    42 reviews

    5.0

    42 reviews

    Dined on 31 December 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    This place is a downtown gem- great food and ambiance, along with superior waitstaff.

    Is this helpful?

  9. Sandra

    New York City

    32 reviews

    5.0

    32 reviews

    Dined on 30 December 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The evening was lovely, we could not have asked for a nicer dining experience.

    Is this helpful?

  10. Kelly

    VIP

    Washington DC

    5 reviews

    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on 30 December 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Excellent food and service. The Gnudi is spectacular and unique…definitely a must have!

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

The Establishment is rated 4.8 stars by 2671 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a booking

2 people
19:00
Booked 26 times today
Experiences are available.
Google Map for The Establishment

28 Broad St, Suite 100, Charleston, SC 29401-3004

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Cross Street
    On Broad Street between Church and State
  • Area
    Downtown Charleston
  • Hours of Operation
    Dinner Tue–Thu 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
  • Price
    $50 and over
  • Cuisines
    Seafood, American, Contemporary American
  • Dining style
    Elegant Dining
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive Chef
    Elliott Howells
  • Additional
    Gluten-free Options, Vegan
  • Phone number
    (843) 789-4028
  • Private party facilities
    The Establishment offers incredible, local seafood paired with an award-winning wine list. If you’re looking for elevated cuisine paired with fine wine, or for a room that is perfectly situated in Charleston’s French Quarter, look no further than The Establishment.
  • Private party contact
    Shane Diviney: (865) 292-1218
  • Privacy policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Impressum
  • Cookies and Interest-Based Ads
  • Cookie Preferences
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