Restaurants in Ladson

The margarita- and Jimmy Buffet–loving owners of Jerk's Island Grill & Daiquiri Bar started dreaming up their perfect restaurant while on a free-spirited pilgrimage to the Caribbean. They soaked up island culture, memorizing their favorite food, drinks, and vibes, which they enthusiastically transported to the U.S. and installed in Jerk's Island Grill & Daiquiri Bar's dining room, down to the shady palm trees stretching overhead. There, diners sit down to plates of Caribbean-inspired cuisine spiced up with a staggering selection of colorful cocktails. In the kitchens, quality beef, chicken, and seafood are rubbed down with the restaurant's signature jerk seasoning and plated up as sandwiches, tacos, and entrees. A row of churning dispensers mixes up 13 different frozen daiquiri varieties, and bartenders handcraft specialty margaritas and punches on request beneath a thatched cabana. Diners can sip their drinks out on the sunny outdoor patio, where families dine while enjoying the weather and searching the sky for clouds shaped like the heads of U.S. presidents.

This Roosevelt Island eatery has two parts: a deli side and a bar and grill side. The former opens its doors at 6 a.m., allowing early risers to fill up on bagels, egg sandwiches, and pancakes before the lunch crowd pours in to eat potato salad at the counter or grab cold-cut sandwiches to go. The pub section stays quiet until lunch—save for during weekend brunch—at which point its 15 TVs welcome in sports fans and executive chef Alyssa Gangeri begins searing burgers. Salads with unusually hearty toppings such as steak and potato round out the menu, as do plates of pasta, racks of ribs, and fillets of salmon. Twenty different brews tumble out of taps and bottles to complement the likes of wings and nachos.

When guests bite into a Triangle Char & Bar burger, they’re met with a leaner patty than is normally served at pubs. That’s because the meat is composed entirely of dry-aged, grass-fed beef from the local Hill Creek Farms, resulting in a heartier, fresher-ground beef patty. That beef is then topped with the likes of caramelized onions, hummus, or pork belly, which guests can wash down with a rotating array of craft beers. In addition to burgers, the menu boasts 10 taco varieties, fresh and seasonal salads, and housemade hummus. It also includes "The Skinny"—a collection of healthy items such as bbq salmon and spaghetti squash.

Now spanning two locations, Triangle Char & Bar has its roots in a repurposed Avondale filling station where the garage doors open in warmer months for alfresco dining. The newer location in Mount Pleasant boasts edgy design, with corrugated steel walls, graffiti paintings, and flash mobs performing on the hour.

Tenichi Steak House crafts a range of Japanese specialties, including hand-rolled sushi as well as flavorful, MSG-free hibachi fare that’s sizzled in 100% vegetable oil. During tableside preparations, knife-twirling chefs make a performance of mincing, flambéing, and flashing semaphore messages, before dishing up still-steaming heaps of steak and seafood. Udon soups and crispy, golden tempura specialties round out the menu.