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James Island's busiest grocery parking lot now has three places to sell you an espresso. The newest one comes with a name people still argue about.
Caviar & Bananas opened Thursday, Oct. 22, at 1739 Maybank Highway, in the Harris Teeter center by the Folly Road corner. It runs 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., every day, with breakfast until 11.
TOGETHER WITH VILLAGE BOOKSELLERS
They read 179 books this year. These three won
Three booksellers at Village Booksellers read 179 books between them this year. Their winners: Yesteryear for the book club bestie, A Founding Mother for the historical fiction fan, London Falling for the true crime fanatic. Gift receipts and exchanges at 761 Coleman Blvd.
That makes three locations, and the first one you can reach without driving onto the peninsula. The original has been on George Street by the College of Charleston since 2008. The second is on Ashley Avenue, steps from MUSC.
Now the calendar part. Back in February, owner Joe Caradonna told What Now Charleston he was shooting for May. May passed. So did summer. A James Island real estate blog was still listing it as coming soon in late July. Doors finally opened about five months late, which by Charleston restaurant math is practically early.
The space has some history. Maple Street Biscuit Co. held that corner for roughly seven years, until parent company Cracker Barrel shut 14 Maple Street stores in one sweep in September 2025. The storefront sat empty for about 13 months. Caradonna said early on he planned a refresh over a gut job, so the place would read as his own and not a biscuit shop with new paint.
About that espresso count. The center already has Muddy Waters Coffee Bar, plus a Starbucks counter inside the Harris Teeter. Add Caviar & Bananas and you have three caffeine stops on one parcel. Somebody is betting James Island drinks a LOT of coffee.
The bet rides on food. The menu matches downtown: breakfast and lunch sandwiches, a grab-and-go case, gelato, smoothies and shakes, plus an espresso bar pulling Foresight coffee. What Now singled out the Strawberry Dream Toast, the Caradonna sandwich and the Gramercy salad. There's a patio out front, too.
Caradonna has said the name is meant to cover both ends of the counter, the caviar splurge and the everyday banana. By his own account, some people find it intriguing and some find it off-putting.
Two plans to watch. The company has talked about family-sized take-home meals for the school pickup and after-work crowd. Back in February there was also talk of bringing beer on tap back, something George Street poured years ago. No word yet on whether the taps made it over the connector.
Mount Pleasant, you're up. In March the company posted a shot of the Ravenel Bridge on Instagram and hinted at one more bridge crossing before the year was out. Location four is headed to Fairmount Landing, at 1035 Johnnie Dodds Boulevard. No opening date has been announced.
Judging by the James Island timeline, treat "this year" as a soft target. James Island is open now, 7 to 7.
Sources: WCBD (opening date, hours, former tenant, Mount Pleasant plans), What's Going On in Charleston (breakfast hours, other addresses, take-home meals), What Now Charleston (May target, renovation, beer on tap, the name, 2008 founding), What Now Charleston (Mount Pleasant address, Instagram tease, menu standouts), Handsome Properties (Maple Street run, neighboring coffee spots) and Fox Business (Maple Street closures)
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