Yes, Charleston has MICHELIN star restaurants. There are three, and each holds one star. All three are in Cannonborough-Elliotborough.
The list below is the first MICHELIN Guide American South, announced on 3 November 2025. The next one comes out on the evening of 21 October 2026, and we will update this page that night.
Charleston restaurants with one MICHELIN star
- Malagón Mercado y Tapería, a Spanish market and tapas room at 33 Spring Street.
- Vern's, in an old corner grocery at 41 Bogard Street.
- Wild Common, a tasting menu room at 103 Spring Street.
No Charleston restaurant has two stars. No restaurant in South Carolina has a Green Star.
Charleston Bib Gourmand restaurants
A Bib Gourmand means good food at a fair price. Charleston got three in 2025. Two are still open.
- Leon's Oyster Shop, in an old auto body shop at 698 King Street.
- Lewis Barbecue, Central Texas barbecue at 464 North Nassau Street.
The third Bib Gourmand has closed. Rodney Scott's BBQ at 1011 King Street closed on 3 May 2026. Some lists still show it. Here is what happened.
Charleston restaurants MICHELIN recommends
| Restaurant | Where | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Chubby Fish | Coming Street | Seafood, no reservations, a menu that changes daily |
| FIG | Meeting Street | Open since 2003 with a daily menu |
| Husk | Queen Street | Southern cooking from local farms since 2011. This is the original |
| Lowland | George Street | The restaurant of The Pinch hotel, in an 1834 house |
| Sorelle | Broad Street | Italian, opened in 2023 |
| The Establishment | Broad Street | Seafood in a house built around 1791 |
| The Obstinate Daughter | Sullivan's Island | Upstairs on Middle Street. The only pick outside the peninsula |
| The Restaurant at Zero George | George Street | A hotel dining room with a very small kitchen |
| Xiao Bao Biscuit | Rutledge Avenue | Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese cooking in a former gas station |
Charleston restaurants people call "Michelin" that are not
You will see the word used loosely around town. Here is how to read it.
- A chef who earned a star somewhere else does not bring it along. The star belongs to the room.
- A sister restaurant does not share it. Each address is judged by itself.
- A MICHELIN Key is a hotel award. It says nothing about the hotel's restaurant.
- "Recommended" is not a star. It means the restaurant is in the guide.
Sources for the selection: Live 5 News, 4 November 2025; WCIV ABC News 4; and The Post and Courier, 3 November 2025 and 26 August 2026.