Charleston has long ranked as one of the top food cities in the U.S. (And yet, until this year, Michelin ignored it entirely.) The delicacies of Lowcountry cuisine are myriad: luscious she-crab soup, plump roasted oysters and hearty shrimp and grits, to name a few. Even the local white rice — nutty Carolina Gold — is more flavorful than most. My traveling companion and I spent 12 days in the Holy City, putting our cardiac health in peril. But I’d do it all again tomorrow, and the day after that, because we ate so fabulously well.

167 Raw Oyster Bar
» Inviting New England-style oyster bar with noteworthy cooked dishes

Tracing its roots to a wholesale seafood company in 1970s Nantucket, this New England-style oyster bar has legions of fans and the lines to prove it. We timed our visit well with a late lunch and lucked into two open seats at the raw bar. Considering the rapid approach of dinner, a light bite would have been wise, but the tempting menu made rational choices impossible. A rich curried crab dip, sprinkled with toasted breadcrumbs, arrived bubbling hot in a skillet, and the accompanying pre-torn pieces of fresh French bread served as the perfect scoops. A heaping bowl of unimpeachable guacamole followed. And while the lobster tostada was a refreshing spin on a traditional lobster roll, the Pastrami’d Swordfish Sandwich was my favorite. Thin slices of the pastrami-cured fish were topped with Swiss cheese, marinated fennel and dollops of aioli. I can’t recall ever having had a better fish sandwich. No reservations.

167 Raw Oyster Bar
193 King Street. No phone.