Some donut shops chase variety. Britt's chases perfection of exactly one thing, and it has been doing it since 1939. Now the Carolina Beach institution is opening its first South Carolina location, right in the middle of Charleston's City Market.
Britt's is taking 32 N. Market Street, the former home of Charleston's Candy Kitchen, near Tempest and Church and Union. The building itself has a story: once a chapel and a home where visiting sailors stayed, it sold for $13.6 million in 2025 after two years on the market. Now it's getting fryers.
If you've never made the pilgrimage to the original, here's the deal. Britt's sells one thing: a made-from-scratch, hand-glazed donut, still warm. That's it. No sprinkles, no fillings, no seasonal nonsense. The discipline has earned it national acclaim from Food & Wine, Saveur, and National Geographic, and a line down the Carolina Beach boardwalk every summer.
The shop first opened in 1939 across the boardwalk from its current spot. Bobby Nivens bought the store and its secret recipe in the 1970s and ran it for decades before passing away last fall. The recipe, apparently, is coming to Charleston intact.
Two concessions to the big city: the Charleston location plans to expand its coffee offerings, and it will take credit and debit cards. The Carolina Beach original is still cash only, which tells you something about how long the faithful have been willing to wait in line anyway.
Britt's is aiming for an early fall opening. Start planning your walk to the Market accordingly.
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