Black-Owned Restaurants and Food Businesses in Charleston (2026)

Gullah Geechee catering, two West African kitchens, fried seafood and Lowcountry plates, chicken and waffles, a Mexican and sushi room that takes over for parties, a hands-on cooking class, and a specialty food company that has been bottling since 2001. Food is the deepest part of the Charleston record, and it is the reason most people arrive at this page.

Every business named here links to its profile, where the ownership tag shows the source it came from. For everything in the metro, filter the Charleston hub.

Quick answer

1. Gullah Geechee cooking, catered: Carolima's.
2. West African: Bintu's Atelier or Modalan African Restaurant.
3. Fried seafood and Lowcountry plates: My Three Sons of Charleston.
4. Chicken and waffles: Kiki's Chicken and Waffles.
5. Mexican and sushi, and the party room: MESU.
6. Learn to cook it: Carolina Cookery.
7. Take it home: Lillie's of Charleston, in business since 2001.
8. The Charleston hub carries all 46 listings across 10 categories.

Sit down

Bintu's Atelier cooks West African with nomadic influences, and Modalan African Restaurant is the second African kitchen on this list, which is two more than most cities of this size have listed anywhere. My Three Sons of Charleston is the family-run Southern room doing fried seafood, barbecue and Lowcountry plates. Kiki's Chicken and Waffles does the Southern classic it is named for, and MESU runs a Mexican and sushi fusion menu and hosts private parties.

Have it cooked for you somewhere else

Charleston's food record leans toward catering, and that is a feature rather than a shortfall in a city this full of events.

Carolima's specializes in Gullah Geechee catering, which is the Lowcountry's own cuisine cooked by people whose families made it. The Drizzled Pear handles the spread, Take a Bite Desserts bakes from scratch, and Vibrant Alkaline Vegan Meals builds alkaline meal plans for people eating to a specific brief.

Carolina Cookery is the other way round: hands-on cooking classes plus private dining, so you leave able to make it yourself.

Drink

Bourbon N' Bubbles sets up for dinners and gatherings. B&T Daiquiris brings a mobile daiquiri bar to you anywhere in the Charleston area. FermentedVines runs cocktail mixing classes, Don Luchi Prosecco pours its own sparkling wine, and Da Brown Bag ABC Store stocks the shelf, with a large spirits selection.

Take home

Lillie's of Charleston is a family-owned specialty food company that has been trading since 2001, and it is the jar to carry back. Gullah Tings sells handmade goods rooted in Gullah culture alongside its food, and Taste of Gullah programs events around that knowledge rather than serving it on a plate.

What the record does not cover yet

Fourteen of the 46 published Charleston listings are food and drink, and the record files every one of them under Charleston even though several trade in North Charleston or Summerville.

There is no breakfast spot, no coffee roaster, no bakery with a storefront, no soul food buffet and no seafood market in the record yet, and nothing at all listed in Mount Pleasant, Summerville, James Island, Johns Island or Folly Beach. That is a gap in the record rather than a description of the Lowcountry. A free listing is free to keep and takes a few minutes.

Common mistakes

• Turning up rather than booking. Much of this list caters, teaches or pours at your event, and works entirely by arrangement.
• Reading the city label as the address. Several of these kitchens are outside Charleston proper. The listing gives the real location.
• Treating Gullah Geechee cooking as a style. It is a specific Lowcountry cuisine with its own history, and the businesses here say so themselves.
• Missing the classes. Two listings teach you to cook or mix rather than doing it for you, which is a better evening than a reservation for some people.

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