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Charleston's best seafood and fine cocktails. - The Establishment, Charleston, SC

The Establishment

4.8
4.8
2652 Reviews
$50 and over
Seafood

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 27 times today
Experiences are available.
  • Good for special occasions
  • Great for creative cocktails
  • Romantic
Everything at The Establishment begins with well-sourced ingredients from sea and field. Through developing relationships with local farmers and fishermen, our ingredients will be consistently seasonal, fresh, and pure. Chef Elliott Howells' menu will always reflect a clean, focused, and balanced approach, delivering a selection of thoughtful and refined cuisine.

Located in Charleston’s historic French Quarter a few blocks away from Rainbow Row, Charleston City Market, and Waterfront Park, The Establishment features an award-winning wine cellar, over 150 bourbon and whiskey offerings, and a lively bar scene complete with daily happy hour. We feature Live Music every Friday and Saturday starting at 8:00 PM, featuring multiple local artists performing an array of musical genres. Our private dining rooms are perfect for birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, or business meetings. We look forward to hosting you for a casual night out or an elevated dining experience.
Private dining

Private dining

Book your next event with us

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Dining areas

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Elegant Dining
  • Price
    $50 and over
  • Cuisines
    Seafood, American, Contemporary American
  • Hours of operation
    Dinner Tue–Thu 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
  • Phone number
    (843) 789-4028
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Executive chef
    Elliott Howells
  • Private party facilities
    The Establishment offers incredible, local seafood paired with an award-winning wine list. If you’re looking for elevated cuisine paired with fine wine, or for a room that is perfectly situated in Charleston’s French Quarter, look no further than The Establishment.
  • Private party contact
    Shane Diviney: (865) 292-1218
  • Neighborhood
    Downtown Charleston
  • Cross street
    On Broad Street between Church and State
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Chef's Table, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking, Private Room, Vegan, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Experiences

  • Ring in the New Year at The Establishment!

    $200.00 per person

    Prepaid

    Dec 31, 2024 only
    Celebrate New Year’s Eve in style at The Establishment - Indulge in an unforgettable three-course dining experience curated by Executive Chef Elliott Howells. Guests will select from an exceptional menu of first and second course options and conclude on a sweet note featuring a decadent dessert assortment/pâtisserie. Each course will be paired with a curated wine or liquor option. We are also offering luxury menu enhancements and additions for each course! This exclusive dining experience is priced at $200 per person, including three courses, wine or liquor pairings, taxes, and gratuity. This cost does not include enhancements or additions. No refunds after 12/25/2024. Join us as we welcome 2025 with elegance!
    Ring in the New Year at The Establishment! Photo

What 2,652 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.8
4.8 based on recent ratings
  • 4.8Food
  • 4.9Service
  • 4.8Ambience
  • 4.5Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • South Carolina

    Hot spot

  • South Carolina

    Romantic

  • South Carolina

    Seafood

  • Charleston

    Best Overall

  • Charleston

    Best Service

  • Charleston

    Best Ambiance

  • Charleston

    Innovative

  • Charleston

    Hot spot

  • Charleston

    Great for fine wines

  • Charleston

    Romantic

  • Charleston

    Good for special occasions

  • Charleston

    Lively

  • Charleston

    Seafood

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
The Establishment offers a "fabulous" dining experience in Historic Broad Street, with "excellent" food, attentive service, and a delightful ambiance featuring live piano music. Guests rave about standout dishes like the Gnudi and whole fish. Although some find portion sizes small, the overall experience is "amazing" and highly recommended.

2,652 Reviews
  1. Weldon

    Charleston

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    Head chef can be a bit picky when a customer may ask for a favor - favor like splitting a meal - last visit a request to have kitchen split meal but head chef refused to split meal in kitchen - meal had to be split at table (?) - just seems at this type of establishment they would accommodate the customer (?).

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  2. Josh

    Raleigh

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Had a wonderful anniversary date at the Establishment. Staff went above and beyond to make it special, in addition to fantastic food and great atmosphere. A much nicer, moody, fancy vibe inside than you’d guess from the website.

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  3. Harry

    Cincinnati

    11 reviews

    5.0

    11 reviews

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    When you make a reservation at establishment like this, you expect the food to be good. It was. It was excellent. Now here are the small things. The ambience is outstanding. The server was extremely knowledgeable. Everything that we had came together like a symphony. The manager came to the table and offered us a glass of cava for our anniversary The price point equates to the quality of the food. From The service to the ambience this restaurant gets it and as a former restaurant owner, I appreciate the fact that they not only put out great food. They paid attention to all of the small details. 

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  4. Pierre

    Chicago

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Greetings from Chicago!   Nehemiah made our dining experience at the Establishment unforgettable. His warmth, professionalism and impressive knowledge of the menu and wine list stood out. The Sauvignon Blanc he recommended paired perfectly with our meal. If Nehemiah is your server, you’re in for a treat! Thank you for making my birthday extra special!

    Is this helpful?

  5. Richard

    VIP

    Charleston

    59 reviews

    5.0

    59 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Just a delightful evening. Excellent server - Adam. Two delicious entrees featuring local fish. Brownie to die for along with inventively flavored ice cream.

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  6. Angela

    Denver

    11 reviews

    5.0

    11 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Absolutely loved this place! The staff was SO friendly. We arrived early for our reservation but were given seats at the bat to await our table. The perfect place for a special occasion dinner!!

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  7. Carey

    Charleston

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Absolutely incredible experience. The Gnudi will be in my dreams for sure. Can you convince Chef to do a Gnudi class for me please? Unreal! Wine and cocktails were fabulous. We have been going everywhere else not knowing you were there all along. We will be back times 1000.  *pineapple fountain within perfect distance for after dinner walk.

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  8. MargaretH

    VIP

    Chicago

    23 reviews

    5.0

    23 reviews

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    It was a stellar birthday celebration. Service was terrific. We loved the food and the surprise champagne and homemade ice cream made the evening. It’s a beautiful restaurant.

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  9. Steve

    Charleston

    15 reviews

    5.0

    15 reviews

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We celebrated our anniversary and were treated very well. We had a great table and the service was impeccable. The food was excellent. One of our favorite restaurants.

    Is this helpful?

  10. michael

    Charleston

    5 reviews

    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on December 8, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We had a fabulous time. Food, service, ambiance, and vibe were all excellent. Planning for our next visit. Surely one of the Top Five restaurants in Charleston (or anywhere)!

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

The Establishment is rated 4.8 stars by 2652 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 27 times today
Experiences are available.
Google Map for The Establishment

28 Broad St, Suite 100, Charleston, SC 29401-3004

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Cross street
    On Broad Street between Church and State
  • Neighborhood
    Downtown Charleston
  • Hours of operation
    Dinner Tue–Thu 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
  • Price
    $50 and over
  • Cuisines
    Seafood, American, Contemporary American
  • Dining style
    Elegant Dining
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    Elliott Howells
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Chef's Table, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking, Private Room, Vegan, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Phone number
    (843) 789-4028
  • Private party facilities
    The Establishment offers incredible, local seafood paired with an award-winning wine list. If you’re looking for elevated cuisine paired with fine wine, or for a room that is perfectly situated in Charleston’s French Quarter, look no further than The Establishment.
  • Private party contact
    Shane Diviney: (865) 292-1218
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Cookies and Interest-Based Ads
  • Cookie Preferences
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