Charleston’s Freshest Tables

Charleston doesn’t slow down — it expands. In 2025, the city’s dining scene pushed past familiar corridors and into quieter corners, strip malls, and side streets, signaling a broader, bolder era of eating. According to Post & Courier, this year’s best new restaurants prove that great food no longer needs a King Street address to shine.

Here are five standout debuts that helped shape Charleston’s evolving culinary map.

Tucked into a strip center between North Charleston and Goose Creek, Cane Pazzo might surprise you — and that’s part of the appeal.

This is chef Mark Bolchoz’s first independent restaurant, and the food carries confidence and curiosity. Vegetables and heritage meats hold equal footing with hand-rolled pastas, creating a modern Italian menu that shifts with the seasons.

Servers often suggest starting with the wood-fired sourdough, a move that Post & Courier notes is well worth it, describing bread “toasted until its crust crackles and center steams.” From there, gnudi, meatballs, and truffle-laced pastas take over — all driven by local ingredients and frequent menu changes.

After relocating from Spring Street to Rutledge Avenue, Kultura feels reborn.

Chef Nikko Cagalanan’s Filipino cooking — already celebrated with a James Beard Award finalist nod — now lives in a space that better matches its energy. Capiz chandeliers glow overhead. Spanish tiles frame a colorful bar. The vibe is warmer, livelier, and more confident.

Fan favorites like arroz caldo and duck adobo remain, while additions like lumpia and head-on Lowcountry shrimp highlight Cagalanan’s playful approach. One dish, according to Post & Courier, invites diners to build their own bites with nori, sticky rice, shrimp, and wasabi soy — a “Lowcountry spin on Filipino cooking.”

Since opening in March, Merci has quietly become a go-to for nights that feel special.

Run by Michael and Courtney Zentner — formerly of The Drifter events company — the restaurant pairs elegant French technique with impeccable pacing. Courses arrive thoughtfully. Plates disappear cleanly between rounds. The room hums without rushing.

Expect crudo in ever-changing forms and a standout beef Wellington that Post & Courier calls a signature, complete with buttery beef, flaky pastry, and classic mushroom duxelle. It’s refined without feeling stiff — a balance Charleston diners appreciate.

Charleston’s pizza renaissance continued in 2025, and Tutti Pizza sits right at the center of it.

Owned by Femi Oyediran and Miles White (of Graft) in partnership with Anthony Guerra of Oakwood Pizza Box, Tutti delivers New York–inspired pies baked in roaring deck ovens. Think Di Fara. Think Umberto’s.

Round pies shine, but it’s the thick square slices — with sesame-crusted edges and melty, burnished cheese — that earned particular praise from Post & Courier. Eat them inside if you can. The room’s relaxed buzz is part of the experience.

Quietly opening in the spring, Volpe somehow flew under the radar — but not for long.

Chef Ken Vedrinski’s latest Italian restaurant embraces family-style dining: multiple starters, a pasta, fish, meat, and dessert. It sounds like a feast, but Post & Courier reports it lands “just right.”

From tuna crudo to duck sausage pasta to flounder finished with warm grapes, the menu is generous, thoughtful, and fun. The atmosphere is lively and loud — perfect for date nights, celebrations, or lingering at the bar.

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