Three Charleston Stars Shine on Robb Report’s ‘100 Greatest’ List

Charleston doesn’t need another reminder that its food scene punches far above its coastal weight class — but it just got one anyway.

Robb Report’s newly released list of the “100 Greatest American Restaurants of the 21st Century” features not one, not two, but three Holy City standouts. Husk, FIG and Chubby Fish all earned coveted spots on the national roundup, a list shaped by the opinions of 250 chefs, restaurateurs, sommeliers and culinary leaders, according to the Post & Courier.

And one of them didn’t just make the list — it cracked the top 15.

Husk landed at No. 15, making it the only restaurant outside of California, New York and Illinois to break into the top 15. Not bad for the 76 Queen Street kitchen that ignited a modern Southern food movement 15 years ago.

Founded in 2010 with a fiercely local philosophy — only ingredients grown or produced in the South — Husk quickly became a sensation. Its early days, helmed by Sean Brock and opening chef de cuisine Travis Grimes, “pushed the boundaries of farm-to-table dining” and elevated the farmers and producers behind every dish, the Post & Courier reported.

National outlets noticed. Enthusiastically. By 2012, Husk was a household name, a culinary flag planted firmly on the American map.

Today, the restaurant continues drawing crowds for its biscuits and country ham, fried pork ribs, and pristine Lowcountry seafood. Earlier this month, it even earned a place in Michelin’s new American South guide. The kitchen is now led by executive chef Rick Ohlemacher — but the North Star remains unchanged: honor the region, tell the story, cook the truth.

As Chicago chef John Shields put it for Robb Report, “Husk is so honest about their ingredients and how they’ve elevated the South to be seen in a new way… To me, Husk was one of the most important restaurants in my lifetime as a chef,” a quote reported by the Post & Courier.

Charleston’s acclaim didn’t end at Husk.

FIG, Mike Lata and Adam Nemirow’s enduring neighborhood institution, earned the No. 66 spot — an acknowledgment of its decades-long devotion to clean, thoughtful, ingredient-driven cooking. FIG has long been one of the city’s defining dining rooms: welcoming, consistent, quietly excellent.

Chubby Fish, the intimate Elliotborough seafood temple known for its line-out-the-door energy and fearless creativity, joined the ranking at No. 88. For a restaurant with fewer seats than most Charleston dining rooms have tables, the recognition speaks volumes.

Three restaurants on a single national “greatest” list is not a coincidence. It’s a reflection of a city whose culinary identity is both rooted and evolving — a place where chefs honor tradition while pushing it forward, night after night.

Charleston didn’t just show up in the top 100.
It showed up with range, depth and soul.

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