Restaurants in Charleston

Although few would think to pile peanut butter and bacon onto a burger, the PB3—which has both—is a favorite of Luke 'n Ollie's Pizzeria owner Jonathan Swartz and a legion of loyal customers. According to The Island Eye News, after tasting a similar creation in New Orleans, Swartz worked on his own to add to the Luke ‘n Ollie’s menu. Swartz is an expert at adding creative twists to entrees: his BLT delights tongues with fried green tomatoes, and a chicken sandwich brightens with teriyaki sauce and pineapple. But his pizzeria doesn’t shy away from sticking to the classics. Its pizza crusts—made New York-style by a local baker who follows Swartz’s own secret recipe—pile with mozzarella, gorgonzola, and pecorino, and diners can bite into traditional meatball or eggplant-parmesan subs while lounging amid the dining room’s exposed brick and black-and-white tiled floor.

Guests can also dine alfresco near palm trees on the patio, where the breeze mercifully dries foreheads as their owners take on the Steak Bomb Challenge. A fan of the Food Network and its creative competitions, Swartz decided to create his own challenge: 10 ounces of philly cheesesteak, 8 ounces of hamburger, 4 ounces of italian sausage, and a quarter pound of melted mozzarella sandwiched onto an 18-inch italian sub bun, all flanked by mountains of french fries. If diners can chow it all down in under an hour, they get it for free. Although many have tried, few brave American heroes have gotten their photos tacked up on the Wall of Winners.

Before leaving, diners should remember to get their photo taken or their portrait painted with Ollie, the 5-foot dog statue on the front patio who dons anything from bathing suits to Hazmat suits to Santa hats according to the seasons.

A gentle breeze rustles the tall grass growing along the river, where boaters dock in the 22 dedicated slips at The HydeOut at Dolphin Cove Marina. Once on dry land, sailors and mermaids on their lunch breaks saunter up a wooden walkway lined with wood planks and ropes to the restaurant's entrance. If they're lucky, live music will fill the air as they dig into their shrimp sandwiches, hillbilly burgers crowned with fried bologna, and Cajun-style gator gumbo. In addition to the southern-inspired cuisine, two stories of outdoor seating and a full bar help fulfill the eatery's mission to create a festive, casual atmosphere.

At Back Home Bar & Grill, chefs toil in the kitchen until 2 a.m. every morning, churning out their entire menu of hearty eats inspired by down-home, regional recipes from around the country. They load up housemade hoagie rolls with gooey philly cheesesteak, boil fresh crustaceans for Maine lobster rolls, and top Chicago-style hot dogs with traditional accoutrements of celery salt, pickle spears, and Cubs fans' tears. Their fryers sizzle throughout the day, ready at any moment to crisp up lightly breaded Wisconsin cheese curds or Louisiana-style catfish to a perfect golden brown. Neon lights and rows of televisions broadcasting sports work in tandem to illuminate the full bar, where crowds dig into buckets of domestic drafts or tap their feet to live music.

Andolini’s Pizza has earned continuing popular acclaim from readers of the Charleston City Paper, who rank it the best New York Style Pizza in the city year after year. The Andolini’s team bakes dough, grates cheese, and makes sauces in-house. They sell hand-tossed pizzas by the slice alongside whole pies festooned with traditional toppings such as Italian sausage, anchovies, and mushrooms. Avid patrons can also purchase an Andolini’s t-shirt to proclaim their allegiance to the restaurant, or simply smear a slice of cheese and pepperoni directly onto their own shirt.