There's a new restaurant in Charleston that wants to be talked about.
Not in a "have you tried the new place?" way. In a "you need to go to this" way.
It's called The Crossing. It lives on the second floor of The Cooper, the new 191-room hotel perched right on the Charleston Harbor at 176 Concord St. And if chef Nick Dugan has his way, it'll be the kind of spot that draws people in whether they're staying at the hotel or not.
"We really want to be part of the community," Dugan told the Post & Courier.
The concept
Mediterranean — but not in the vague, safe, roasted-red-pepper way. This is a full commitment.
Walk in and you're greeted by a raw bar and a display of the evening's whole fish on ice. Four fish, rotating nightly, fileted tableside on custom gueridon carts. That's the headline act.
The menu leans hard into mezze — a wood-burning oven turns out made-to-order pita, paired with hummus, baba ghanoush, tzatziki and the usual suspects done right. Dolmas, spanikopita, grilled octopus dressed with olive oil, Greek oregano and lemon. The land side of the menu offers dry-aged beef tenderloin with Aleppo butter and Colorado lamb chops with chermoula.
The fish, though. That's the reason to go.
Dugan is sourcing local catch through CudaCo. on James Island and importing dorade, prepared over open flame or broiled in grape leaves. He was inspired by Mediterranean concepts he'd studied across the country — from José Andrés's Zaytinya to Michael Rafidi's Albi — and built something that, at least on paper, doesn't look quite like anything else in Charleston.
The room
Designed by Meyer Davis Studios, the dining room pairs harbor views with teak wood floors, polished nickel accents and lacquered blue ceilings. There's a bar and lounge where oysters get shucked and seafood towers get built. A Captain's Lounge seats about 30. Two outdoor terraces round it out.
Nearly 200 seats across four distinct areas. It's a big swing.
Even breakfast
The Mediterranean theme doesn't clock out in the morning. Dugan's breakfast menu includes Japanese-style baklava pancakes, shakshouka, and a halva smoothie with tahini, dates and espresso. Beverage director Cameron Nadler, formerly of the Polo Bar in NYC, is handling the wine program — focused on Mediterranean producers and seafood-driven pairings.
The Crossing opens alongside The Cooper on March 30. Breakfast runs 7–10:30 a.m., lunch 11 a.m.–2:30 p.m., dinner 5–10 p.m. Weekend brunch runs 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Reservations via SevenRooms at thecooper.com.
Dugan also runs Sorelle. He knows how to open restaurants in this town.
This one feels different.
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