Chef/owner Joe Cash's upscale French bistro charms with an elegant dining room with hardwood floors and brick walls, a full-service bar and an engaging staff who make everyone feel well cared for and welcomed. It's the hottest table in town, and reservations are a must, though seats at the bar feel far from a consolation prize. High-quality ingredients are prepared with care and finesse here, where familiar favorites like Caesar salad are leveled up.

The husband-and-wife team of Daniel and Bethany Heinze have created one of Charleston's most popular spots. Reservations at Vern's are highly coveted, though some may try their luck at the handful of bar seats saved for walk-ins. Charleston may be a dressed-up town, but inside this hotspot, it's more homey than fussy, with rich wood floors and tables set with flickering candles. Lowcountry ingredients are championed on a menu that reflects Chef Heinze's travels.

Don't be fooled by this unassuming spot off King Street; Malagón is a find. It's a small space with an appealing old-world ambience, where shelves are stocked with wines and imported produce and an open kitchen offers a peek at the goings-on. Chef Juan Cassalett's tapas-focused, Spanish menu has a clear spark. Nothing is overcomplicated, and there is beauty in the precision in dishes like fried rabbit leg with a savory crème fraîche dipping sauce.

Chef Orlando Pagán's tasting menu is far from common, and while upgrades like caviar eggs Benedict and wagyu are indeed available, there's nothing standard here. From the price and the focus on local ingredients to the wildly creative dishes with a global bent, this is fine dining injected with a bit of fun. Pho with carrot kimchi or hamachi crudo with coconut and kumquat may kick off the meal before roasted carrot and walnut tortelli with carrot fondue and browned butter whey foam.

Rodney Scott’s whole-hog barbecue is a rite of passage for anyone who lives in or visits South Carolina, though true fans will drive 1.5 hours north to the original in Hemingway. Scott has hog in his blood: His parents raised them and opened a variety store and restaurant in 1972. The menu today is expansive, but the real gem is the pulled pork, which arrives soft as cotton candy, ready to be sopped in an electric sauce of vinegar, lemon juice, and spices.

A mural of a steer watches over the parking lot with the words “All Hail the King” in bold lettering, and firewood stacked to the roof overlooks a gravel patio set with picnic tables. A thick haze of smoke wafts in the air. Welcome to Texas by way of the Lowcountry. John Lewis, who earned a name for himself when he opened LA Barbecue in Austin, has brought with him all things smoke and beef. Beautiful, near-melting slivers of brisket and the weekend-only beef rib are essential orders.

When the garage doors are up, doors and windows wide open, and the breeze blowing right through, this oyster bar has few equals. Naturally, the seafood is well-sourced at what once was a filling station. But what draws us in again and again are the small culinary twists that go a long way. A hearty smoked mahi mahi dip comes with, of all things, fried saltine crackers.