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More often than not, tipsters, readers, friends, and family of Eater have one question: Where should I eat right now? What are the new restaurants? What's everyone talking about? While the Eater 18 is a crucial resource covering old standbys and neighborhood essentials across the city, it is not a chronicle of the "it" places of the moment. Enter the Eater Heatmap, which will change continually to highlight the spots crowds are flocking to at the moment or generating a big buzz. Folks are asking, "Have you been yet?" Try one of these newbies today.

New to the list:

November 2024: Legami, Chef Loong Dim SumOctober 2024: Linnette’s September 2024: the Archer August 2024: the SelectJuly 2024: Marbled & Fin, MakanJune 2024: Downtown Co-OpMay 2024: Sissy Bar, CoterieApril 2024: Da Toscano Fugazzi, XO Brasserie March 2024: Bodega Mount PleasantFebruary 2024: Cleats, Lowland Dining Room, Palmira BarbecueJanuary 2024: the Harlow, Da Toscano Porchetta ShopDecember 2023: the Quinte, Lowland Tavern, Lost Isle, Costa, BearcatNovember 2023: King BBQOctober 2023: Honeysuckle Rose

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Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process.

The team from downtown bar Dalila’s opened a fun new spot in Park Circle. Sissy Bar takes inspiration from Southern California, from mezcal drinks to breakfast burritos to a massive barbacoa taco platter. Bring friends to sample all the sharable plates.

Slow-cooked brisket and whole hog meet Puerto Rican flavors at Palmira Barbecue. Pitmaster Hector Garate has been popping up around the Lowcountry for several years, but now he has a permanent address in West Ashley.

The crew from hip breakfast spot Daps opened a sports bar with better food and drinks found at typical sports bars. Find pit beef sandwiches, Thai-flavored hot dogs, green hatch chili wings, and waffle fries.

Herman Ng grew up working in his family’s Chinese restaurant, and now he owns his own with the opening of XO Brasserie. The menu focuses on Cantonese and Sichuan cooking, including XO lobster, mapo tofu, and garlic pepper beef. Don’t miss the fun cocktails or the desserts.

The couple behind Wagener Terrace hangout Berkeley’s recently opened their second restaurant, the Archer. They want it to have the same neighborhood vibes but raise the stakes with a full bar and fine dining-level comfort plates. Chef Paul Farmer (formerly of Three Sirens), puts out plates like duck frites, baked oysters, beef stroganoff, chicken liver mousse, and chilled crab dip.

Legami is a new Italian restaurant boasting a chef brought in from Rome by a family with roots in Turin, Italy. Washington Street Hospitality, which controls three Pasta Beach restaurants in New England, thought the King Street building would be another location for Pasta Beach, but decided to switch it up once they got into the historic building. Chef Andrea Congiusta cooks modern Italian fare with some influences from France. “We took inspiration from the classic fine dining, but we also want to have something fun, something that looks very fancy, and something you can crave,” says Congiusta. Dishes include king crab tagliolini, beef Wellington, and veal Milanese.

Modern steakhouse Marbled & Fin is giving all the other steakhouses a run for their money. The expansive dining room fills nightly with well-heeled customers ready to see and be seen. On the menu, chef Eucepe “Cepe” Puntriano includes all the steakhouse classics plus an emphasis on seafood dishes for non-meat eaters. Look for seafood towers, wedge salads, wagyu beef, bone marrow with oysters, creamed spinach, and more.

D.C.-based Malaysian restaurant Makan now has a second location in the Lowcountry. Chef James Wozniuk wanted the South Carolina location to feature local seafood. The ikan asam pedas, a Malaysian hot and sour fish curry, is a must-try if you like spice. There’s also rendand daging (dry beef curry), curry mee (noodle soup with chicken sausage), and kerabu mangga (mango salad).

Charleston is going crazy for soup dumplings, and newcomer Chef Loong Dim Sum delivers. The restaurant offers four flavors (pork soup, chicken soup, pork tomato soup, and truffle pork soup). The rest of the menu is quite extensive as well, with selections ranging from Sichuan mala chicken, crab rangoon, dan dan noodles, mapo tofu, and more.

The team behind Italian favorite Le Farfalle has an enticing new cafe in Charleston. The focus of Da Toscano Porchetta Shop is the housemade focaccia and everything that can be sandwiched between the airy bread. Chef Michael Toscano serves a filling chorizo and egg sandwich in the morning and a sumptuous porchetta sandwich in the afternoon. There’s also choices like prime rib, roast chicken, marinated eggplant, and so much more.

Charming new hotel the Dunlin offers sweeping views of the Kiawah River, abundant hospitality, and coastal Southern fare in its signature restaurant, Linnette’s. Chef Michael DeCicco puts out dishes like a pressed and pickled watermelon salad, wood-fired oysters, cornmeal-crusted flounder, and a sorghum-benne lacquered steak with charred okra.

The team from downtown bar Dalila’s opened a fun new spot in Park Circle. Sissy Bar takes inspiration from Southern California, from mezcal drinks to breakfast burritos to a massive barbacoa taco platter. Bring friends to sample all the sharable plates.

Slow-cooked brisket and whole hog meet Puerto Rican flavors at Palmira Barbecue. Pitmaster Hector Garate has been popping up around the Lowcountry for several years, but now he has a permanent address in West Ashley.

The crew from hip breakfast spot Daps opened a sports bar with better food and drinks found at typical sports bars. Find pit beef sandwiches, Thai-flavored hot dogs, green hatch chili wings, and waffle fries.

Herman Ng grew up working in his family’s Chinese restaurant, and now he owns his own with the opening of XO Brasserie. The menu focuses on Cantonese and Sichuan cooking, including XO lobster, mapo tofu, and garlic pepper beef. Don’t miss the fun cocktails or the desserts.

The couple behind Wagener Terrace hangout Berkeley’s recently opened their second restaurant, the Archer. They want it to have the same neighborhood vibes but raise the stakes with a full bar and fine dining-level comfort plates. Chef Paul Farmer (formerly of Three Sirens), puts out plates like duck frites, baked oysters, beef stroganoff, chicken liver mousse, and chilled crab dip.

Legami is a new Italian restaurant boasting a chef brought in from Rome by a family with roots in Turin, Italy. Washington Street Hospitality, which controls three Pasta Beach restaurants in New England, thought the King Street building would be another location for Pasta Beach, but decided to switch it up once they got into the historic building. Chef Andrea Congiusta cooks modern Italian fare with some influences from France. “We took inspiration from the classic fine dining, but we also want to have something fun, something that looks very fancy, and something you can crave,” says Congiusta. Dishes include king crab tagliolini, beef Wellington, and veal Milanese.

Modern steakhouse Marbled & Fin is giving all the other steakhouses a run for their money. The expansive dining room fills nightly with well-heeled customers ready to see and be seen. On the menu, chef Eucepe “Cepe” Puntriano includes all the steakhouse classics plus an emphasis on seafood dishes for non-meat eaters. Look for seafood towers, wedge salads, wagyu beef, bone marrow with oysters, creamed spinach, and more.

D.C.-based Malaysian restaurant Makan now has a second location in the Lowcountry. Chef James Wozniuk wanted the South Carolina location to feature local seafood. The ikan asam pedas, a Malaysian hot and sour fish curry, is a must-try if you like spice. There’s also rendand daging (dry beef curry), curry mee (noodle soup with chicken sausage), and kerabu mangga (mango salad).

Charleston is going crazy for soup dumplings, and newcomer Chef Loong Dim Sum delivers. The restaurant offers four flavors (pork soup, chicken soup, pork tomato soup, and truffle pork soup). The rest of the menu is quite extensive as well, with selections ranging from Sichuan mala chicken, crab rangoon, dan dan noodles, mapo tofu, and more.

The team behind Italian favorite Le Farfalle has an enticing new cafe in Charleston. The focus of Da Toscano Porchetta Shop is the housemade focaccia and everything that can be sandwiched between the airy bread. Chef Michael Toscano serves a filling chorizo and egg sandwich in the morning and a sumptuous porchetta sandwich in the afternoon. There’s also choices like prime rib, roast chicken, marinated eggplant, and so much more.

Charming new hotel the Dunlin offers sweeping views of the Kiawah River, abundant hospitality, and coastal Southern fare in its signature restaurant, Linnette’s. Chef Michael DeCicco puts out dishes like a pressed and pickled watermelon salad, wood-fired oysters, cornmeal-crusted flounder, and a sorghum-benne lacquered steak with charred okra.

|Updated: Nov. 14, 2024 at 7:53 PM EST

WEST ASHLEY, S.C. (WCSC) - Homeowners living along Lake Dotterer and the Church Creek Drainage Basin may soon feel a sense of relief with the first phase of a flood reduction project.

The body of water is surrounded by several neighborhood homes, a portion of Glenn McConnell Parkway and the West Ashley Park. It serves as a popular nature stop, but also a hotspot for flood-prone events.

“During large storm events, especially if there is a high tide, that water from Church Creek, or the tide coming from under Highway 61, can come over the berm into Lake Dotterer,” Stormwater Management Director Matthew Fountain said.

The city has approved the first short-term step of a multi-phase project to reduce flooding in the area, costing $116,500. The funding is also sourced from an agreement with Charleston County amounting to $790,178.81.

Over time, Fountain expects the project to reach a multi-million-dollar price tag, but they are starting small.

“We are going to look at things like increasing the height of the dam, improving the ability to have water flow out from the dam, restricting some of that tide coming into the lake, as well as adding storage into the lake or improvements in those neighborhoods that we are draining into the lake,” Fountain said.

Nearby residents have provided photos that show water seeping up into backyards and through fence lines. Some go back to the 2015 floods, while others are as recent as a few months ago

“We have to be smarter with growth, we have to make sure as we have properties being developed, that water can be held back,” Councilmember Kevin Shealy said. “We have some of the strongest, most strict rules as far as new construction going up along Church Creek Basin.”

Shealy hopes the project could be wrapped within two or three years. He asks homeowners to expect more crew presence in the area throughout the next few months, surveying and studying the area.

An early plan would have created pipelines under Glenn McConnell to drain water into Long Branch Creek, but crews determined it would not make strong improvements, and would create a mega-project over several years.

This new effort would separate the plan into studied portions and aim to build up long-term resiliency for the area.

“We need this remedied as quickly as we possibly can because we don’t know when the next storm is coming. We need that solution, we need that fix,” Shealy said.

The next phase, which will include the preliminary engineering work and an add-on contract, could be expected as soon as the next six months

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.

After nearly five months of downtime, Charleston Distilling Co. is almost ready to reenter the rotation of Lowcountry tasting rooms.

The Johns Island distillery closed in June for renovations, but the business has been hinting it's "so close to reopening" throughout its social media.

Co-founder Stephen J. Heilman said the updates in particular included an expanded kitchen and a new food truck outside to better serve visitors who come to spend time at the venue. Laos native Kiet Philavanh has come on board as chef.

Food

Philavanh, who was once a competitor on Guy Fieri's Food Network show "Guy's Grocery Games," will serve up a curated menu of shrimp and pork spring rolls, lemon grass ribs with chili lime cabbage slaw, ceviche mixta with local shrimp, and tuna pops seared rare with smoked soy sauce, wasabi mayo, sriracha and house-picked veggies. The menu also includes bacon-wrapped dates with a house whiskey maple glaze, smashburgers, crab cakes, salads and sides like pommes frites and jasmine rice.

For dessert, guests can savor mango and coconut rice pudding, pecan pie and ube cannoli, as well as Wholly Cow Ice Cream in various flavors like sea turtle, smores and cinnamon toast.

Heilman said the distillery has two more inspections with the S.C. Department of Agriculture and another with the fire marshal before it can reopen, but he expects to welcome guests again sometime before Thanksgiving.

Business

On a roll

Jersey Mike's is opening its newest Lowcountry sandwich shop Oct. 30 at 1145 Savannah Highway in West Ashley.

Franchise owners Andrew Brooks and James Ryan Hendrix will hold a grand opening and fundraiser Oct. 30-Nov. 3 to support the MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children's Hospital. Customers who bring in a special fundraising coupon, distributed to nearby businesses, can make a $3 minimum contribution to the hospital in exchange for a regular sub.

The restaurant’s hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week.

Jersey Mike's is on a roll, having just opened a Summerville shop Oct. 9 at 613 Trolley Road.

The franchise operates in 2,830 locations in the U.S. with four South Carolina restaurants under development in Travelers Rest, Taylors, Laurens and Boiling Springs.

Take the cake

Next door to the West Ashley Jersey Mike's, a franchise bakery is opening its 15th South Carolina shop.

Nothing Bundt Cakes, which has Lowcountry locations in Summerville and Mount Pleasant, is set to open the week of Nov. 3, also at 145 Savannah Highway.

The bakery and cake shop makes bundt cakes ranging in size from cupcake to 8-inch, 10-inch and tiered. Everyday flavors include vanilla, confetti, red velvet, snickerdoodle and more, as well as seasonal selections like this fall's pumpkin spice.

Nothing Bundt Cakes bakeries can also be found in Aiken, Columbia, Lexington, Myrtle Beach, Rock Hill, Spartanburg and other locations around the state.

That's a wrap

Jason's Deli on Savannah Highway in West Ashley will serve up its last sandwich Oct. 31 after a 22-year run.

The company confirmed it won't be renewing its lease in the Harris Teeter-anchored St. Andrews Center at 975 Savannah Highway.

Around the country, several franchise locations have closed in the last year, including shops in Kentucky, Georgia and Texas. Many were in business for more than a decade, with one franchise citing rising rent as an issue.

Founded by the grandson of Italian immigrants, Jason’s started in 1976 in Beaumont, Texas. Today there are more than 250 locations in 28 states.

With the Charleston closure, two of the chain's soup-and-sandwich shops remain in South Carolina — in Greenville and Spartanburg.

Business

Then there were 2

A second Wynsum Antiques and Interiors is now open at 903 Houston Northcutt Blvd. in the Whole Foods-anchored Patriots Plaza shopping center in Mount Pleasant.

Owner and architect John Palmer has operated the original downtown store at 648 King St. since 2017.

The East Cooper location includes a curated selection of antiques from interior designers, collectors and everyday customers wanting one-of-a-kind treasures. Items for sale include furnishings and decor, lighting, modern and traditional art, as well as a selection of estate jewelry, silver, rugs and garden features.

Similar to the peninsula store, Wynsum Mount Pleasant is a retail space space housing a collective of 30 individual dealers, hand-picked by Palmer.

“I wanted to create a beautiful space to cater to the discerning customer in Mount Pleasant, who wants the unique feel of a downtown antique shop, but with the convenience of parking and a location on this side of the bridge,” he said.

Business

Monkey business

Something sweet is coming to James Island

Three Monkeys Ice Cream Parlour leased a 2,000-square-foot retail space at 915 Folly Road.

Harbor Commercial Partners LLC represented the tenant in the lease.

The ice cream shop previously operated a location at 11 Center St. on Folly Beach.

Discount dinner

Target has released its cheapest Thanksgiving meal deal ever — a $20 spread to feed four people and a price drop of $5 from 2023.

The package includes the typical holiday fixings with a frozen turkey up to 10 pounds, potatoes, cream of mushroom soup, a boxed stuffing mix, canned green beans and jarred gravy.

The retailer is just one of several major retailers coming out with its own Thanksgiving bundle. Aldi previously previously announced its "inflation-busting" meal for 10, and Walmart and its Sam's Club offshoot have also released their own discounted dinner deals.

No tricks here

This Halloween, consumers are expected to spend a total $11.6 billion on holiday goodies, or about $104 per person, according to the National Retail Foundation.

The NRF breaks it down to roughly $3.8 billion on costumes, $3.8 billion on decorations, $3.5 billion on candy and roughly $500 million on greeting cards. And that's with only 72 percent of Americans participating.

Spending is slightly lower than 2023, but NRF reports last year reached a record participation at $12.2 billion.

This Halloween, 2.6 million children plan to dress up as Spider-Man, 1.8 million as a ghost, 1.7 million as a princess, 1.6 million as a witch and 1.5 million as their favorite superhero. For adults, 5.8 million plan to dress up as a witch, 3 million as a vampire, 1.6 million as a cat, 1.5 million as Batman and 1.4 million as a pirate.