Barony Tavern

I have to admit that I’m disappointed after my first visit. One of my girlfriends and I came for lunch before a class at Candlefish, and then we came back after the class for the infamous Coconut Cake.
Lunch started out great with the quaint atmosphere sitting next to the fire. We were sitting in the bar dining area. Gerard was wonderful during the first visit. He was the only staff member I saw during that visit. I chose a Reisling, and he was nice to bring me a taste of the Reisling and a taste of another wine just to be sure I liked my choice. I didn’t even question it prior to selecting. Big props for his thoughtfulness. There was only one other patron in our area. We ordered the Crispy Oysters to start. They were great, but for $ 12 and what we were served was ridiculous (see pic of small app below). We both ordered the Farro Salad, and I would highly recommend. I added shrimp that were tasteless. Don’t get these. She added salmon that was better. Our tab came to $ 95 (with tip included) for 3 glasses of wine, the app, and 2 salads with the added proteins. Insanity. But what we had was good for the most part.
Fast forward to our dessert trip. We walked in about 2 hours later, and there was another table dining in the bar area. We sat down and were promptly greeted. My friend ordered a cappuccino and was pleasantly surprised that they had them on the menu (I’m not a coffee person, but apparently not many places have the ability to make cappuccinos?). Anyways, we ordered the cake. It was dry. It wasn’t bad, but it was dry, and I wouldn’t order again. Obviously this piece was one of the last of the cake. What really got me this time, was that we were hardly checked on. The actual bar was maxed out with about 6 patrons, but we seriously weren’t checked on once after dessert was delivered. We finally flagged our guy down and he brought the check over. We then had to wait another 10 minutes until we finally got up to take it over to the bar. At this point, he came over and thanked us — but I needed cash back. In between our waiting for the check to be taken (at that time I was going to pay with a card instead), 2 other waiters came by and looked at our check with the card sticking out and failed to take it. We were there for almost one full hour for one piece of cake, one cappuccino, and one glass of un-​refilled water. Unbelievable.
Won’t be coming back here anytime soon.

Last night, my cousin treated eight of us to dinner at Barony Tavern. Our daughter and her husband were both celebrating their February birthdays. Our grandkids, Ryan (7) and Lauren (4) had never eaten at a restaurant with such unique ambience (including the deer heads, decked out in sunglasses, mounted over the cozy fireplace!) Chef Carter was not there, but the Barony’s charming manager, George, and our attentive servers, Gerard and Trent, made us all feel so relaxed and welcome. The food, cocktails, and wine were excellent. I chose the Crabcake appetizer, and the Fried Shrimp and Flounder with Cheese Grits for an entrée. Absolutely delicious! Great kids’ menu, too… complete with specially-​made honey mustard sauce for their favorite chicken tenders. At our meal’s end, the staff brought out their renowned coconut cake as a complimentary dessert for the birthday couple. We all had a taste and then ordered more. Incredible! It was a truly memorable occasion, including an «it’s a small world» moment at the end. George engaged our daughter, Holly, in conversation and asked, «Are you from Boston?» Long story short, he lived in Eastern Mass. for many years, too… and was born in Northampton… at the very same hospital where both my husband and daughter were born! Delightful coincidence to cap off a delightful dining experience. Thanks, y’all!

OH Barony Tavern… there are so many things to say!
We went to Barony for dinner on Saturday. It was very cold, they had the fire going and it couldn’t have been more perfect! It is a cozy restaurant, with incredible décor [taxidermy]. The menu online differs a little bit from the menu in house [maybe just seasonal updates] so don’t pick your dinner before you show up like I did. We started with the Quail and Grits and Crispy Oysters. I usually don’t care for grits but these were the BEST grits that I have ever had and the oysters were cooked to perfection. For dinner we had the Grouper and the Crispy Pork Osso Bucco. They were both fresh and flavorful. Osso Bucco is one of my favorite entrees and this kept with the trend. It was crispy on the outside and fall apart on the inside, PERFECTION! Before dessert we and another table were invited into the kitchen for a tour and a snack! They gave us a delectable mini french dip, hidden gem! Every one in the kitchen was friendly too! This has been my experience for all of Chef Bob Carter’s restaurants, I love his attention to detail and he has a sixth sense for quality employees! For dessert we had Chef’s famous Coconut cake and it was the best way to finish the meal. This is a great restaurant and you need to check it out. I can not wait to try it out for lunch!

Wonderful dinner here during restaurant week. Slightly disappointed that they ran out of coconut cake, but the Pecan Pie and chocolate mousse substitutes were excellent! The Pork Chop was a cut above. Perfectly cooked. Flounder was delicate and paired with an equally delicate sauce. Frisée salad appetizer was wonderfully tangy and fresh.

Went here for Christmas Dinner. Was surprised to realize that we had been here before when it was another restaurant. We were seated promptly, but did have to wait for our server to check in with us. They offered a 4 course fixed price special dinner, that my wife chose. She started off with a roasted red pepper bisque with a spinach and lobster flan. She loved the soup and the slice of flan in the middle of the soup bowl. Prime Rib with horse radish sauce, Blue Cheese potato cake and asparagus. We both loved the horse radish sauce and the prime rib was cooked to her desired temperature. The blue cheese potato cake was outstanding.
I started off with a she-​crab soup. For me, this soup was too thin. I will say there was a lot of large chunks of crab. The definition of she-​crab soup is having the crab roe in it. I saw no roe but a bunch of faux roe (chopped carrots), very disappointed in the soup, there wasn’t even a splash of sherry. I also had the Filet over garlic mashed potatoes with a bernaise sauce. This was a great cut of meat, and cooked perfectly but it wasn’t seasoned. The sauce did help.
I also had their margarita, and wasn’t impressed.
Overall the service was slow, my wife’s soup was served and she finished it even before I received my soup.

Bar only, didn’t try food. Real deal bar, including old school bar tender. Worth a stop over if you are out and about in the historic district.

If you’re a fish and chips person the fried founder and shrimp is excellent my wife had the shrimp Cobb salad and it also was excellent. Has a lot more to offer .For a hotel restaurant the atmosphere is very club like warm and relaxing A good choice.

So here’s the deal — the food and service were both wonderful. It did everything a hotel restaurant should do right. Unfortunately, it’s a hotel restaurant! I never take people to a hotel restaurant unless there are no other options. I should I researched it more before booking.
If you are local and want a nice meal out on the town this is a great choice. For the out of towner… it’s not what I was wanting from a downtown Charleston dining experience. The menu was solid but not local. The décor was upscale but not South Carolinian. The restaurant is designed to provide dining convenience to the four star hotel guest staying in the attached hotel.
I am hopeful to find something more local during my next meal. I felt so let down by the Unilocal community on this one. It’s another four dollar-​sign anywhere USA kind of place.

Great place. Been for lunch and the she crab soup is wonderful and perfect lunch with their Caesar salad. For cocktails later, Gerard is amazing, can make any drink, and makes an AMAZING cosmo. Best I’ve had in years.

Keep on walking past. This establishment’s brunch is a total sham!!! Read all the great reviews, looked up the menu online and saw what appeared to be a classy restaurant with wonderful entrees such as a lobster omelette, only to arrive and stand at an empty hostess stand for 5 minutes, before being taken to our table and being handed flimsy, tiny plastic menu’s with about 5 dishes, other than their buffet breakfast. No cocktail menu, no specials, nothing. Traveling every week for work, I experience a lot of Marriott buffet breakfasts. Trust me when I tell you that this one was worse looking that what I can get at the Springhill Suites in Minneapolis for free! The 5 dishes they were offering were uninspired and boring. Nothing like what we saw online.
The service… HORRIBLE! We sat for a good 10 min before a waiter came rushing over, quickly inquired if we wanted the buffet, we said no (much to his disappointment), and he asked if we wanted coffee. Husband said yes, I wanted a mimosa. However, he never asked me what I would like and went running off to «quickly return» with the cream & sugar. Waited, and waited, when he finally returned with no cream & sugar, still didn’t take my drink order, and left again to go get the requested additions to the coffee. Ugh. While we were waiting for him to return, we saw other tables complaining about the cream they just received, that it was curdling, both containers they got. Another table complained that they were overcharged, and then had to sit and wait again, for the corrected bill.
Disappointing because we wasted 20 minutes here before finally leaving, when we were on a somewhat tight time table to catch our departing flight. We ultimately left and went to Eli’s Table, which was fantastic!

tl;dr You will have a great dining experience here.
I’m not sure how many 5-​star reviews start with,“there was a fairly significant mistake made with our reservation.“
Well, Chef Carter and his staff went above and beyond to make up for the inconvenience. In a city that is overflowing with amazing restaurants, it was reassuring to know (though I had little doubt) that Chef Carter realizes that simply having delicious food is not enough to ensure success. Atmosphere and service, while rarely as important as the food, can often be deciding factors when diners choose between possible options. Barony Tavern excels at all three. Because of that, what could have been a true disappointment became only a minor blemish. In fact, that momentary weakness served to showcase the many more numerous strengths of Barony Tavern, in particular, the desire to impress and show appreciation for their guests.
My meal for the night started off with a bowl of minestrone soup, one of the night’s specials, and the toasted faro salad, with kale, feta, pistachios, and roasted grapes – which, after only two visits, has become an early favorite. Then I really got down to business with my main course, another of the night’s specials: roast duck atop potatoes and mushrooms.
On the strength of the server’s recommendation, we ordered a bottle of wine for the table. I am usually better about remembering such things, but I was dining with a group and things were a bit… festive; I assume it was a Pinot, as that would be a natural pairing with the rich earthiness of duck and shrooms. Regardless, the point being that the server was quite on point, as the wine complemented the meal perfectly.
Then came dessert, Chef Carter’s piece de resistance: the coconut cake. Truth be told, he makes another dessert – off menu – that is my personal favorite. But the coconut cake is a wonder to behold and an unforgettable combination of flavor and texture. Every time eating it is a special experience.
And with that, I direct you back to the top line of my review.

From the time we walked in and was greeted with such a sweet southern smile full of hospitality to the entire staff and there desire and willingness to create an environment that is second to none in Charleston, the Barony Tavern was 5star all the way. Chef Bob Carter was great at the Peninsula Grille, but has reached new heights with the Barony Tavern… simply WOW!!! The CRABCAKES are a delightful Masterpiece, perfectly Grilled and amazingly delicious. The Harmonic Balance of Oceanic flavor with a blissful tenderness made my palate beg for more! Thank you Chef!!! AMAZING!!!

It was a spur of the moment choice to dine here and we are so happy that our other choice for the evening was booked. From the minute we walked in, we were made to feel welcome and shown to our table. Service was fantastic and attentive without being over bearing.
The chef, Robert Carter, came by to talk to every table and we were checked on by the front house manager as well. Recommendations were spot on and all four if our meals were all cooked well and tasted perfect. The crawfish stuffed prawns were great and the side of grits were fantastic.
They push «Bob’s World Famous Coconut Cake» and, man, it is worth every blessed calorie.
Will go back as often as I can.

Two girl friends of mine and I went to Barony Tavern last night to check out their Restaurant Week menu.
As others have mentioned, there weren’t a lot of other patrons. All of the staff was friendly and personable, not just our waitstaff, which was nice. We had a waiter-​in-​training, Drew and a clearly seasoned pro, Gerard. We had fun joking back and forth with both gentlemen, which definitely added to the evening’s enjoyment. They did a wonderful job at answering our questions and overall took care of us. Service did get a bit too slow after we’d finished our entrees (a wait to have plates cleared, a wait to receive our bills) but nothing that marred the evening.
As a table, we ordered two smoked beef loins and the corn chowder for apps. When asked, Gerard mentioned that especially at this point in the season, corn is sweet. My friend who ordered the corn chowder enjoyed it. My first bite of the smoked beef loin was odd to me. The bite was only the beef and the glaze. It was sweet and odd! For my second bite, I made sure to have a bite that included all of the dish’s components. OH MY GOODNESS! It was sooooo gooooood!!! Mmm, mmm yummy! I’d definitely order that appetizer again.
For entrees, two flounders and one filet was ordered. I really enjoyed my flounder. The Fontina fritters were yummy, the fish was perfectly cooked and very light and tasty. I had a bite of my friend’s steak and HOLY HECK it was decadent! The steak was tender, the flavors out of this world. The flounder was an excellent, lighter option but that steak was savory, bursting with flavors and from rainbow chard to green Chile Hollandaise, a wonderfully executed dish. Before trying the steak, I also had a sample of the lobster and potato quesadilla which was good, but the steak was the star.
We all ordered the coconut cake. I really enjoyed it! My friend has a co-​worker who makes amazing coconut cake so she wasn’t that impressed. She did tell me this morning that it was WAY more impressive today, after having sat out last night. Sounds like the key to really appreciate the coconut cake it to have it at room temperature. As served, being at a cooler temperature, she initially mistook it to be dry.
For a higher end restaurant, we never felt like it was a stuffy experience. Very friendly, personable, and we had no misgivings about being rather loud with our laughter. Also the «captain» came to check on us several times so it’s clear that the staff really cares about making a good impression. Very inviting! I look forward to returning to Barony Tavern. Oh and I was concerned based on previous reviews but we did not leave hungry! In fact, we all had to get a hunk of coconut cake to go because we couldn’t finish it. Portions weren’t skimpy.

Good luck finding this place. It’s in a Hotel, which is also hard to find. But Do It. Well worth the search. The bar is upscale, the artwork gives you thought, the drinks get you feeling good. Had lunch at the Bar, worth the conversation with the bar keep. Gives you a good feeling of elegance. Food is exceptional, and plenty of it. Try the coconut cake, large piece and yummy.
Frank G

Perhaps because Barony is new or somewhat «hidden» within the Renaissance hotel on a smaller side street, it was fairly empty of brunch patrons when my companions and I dined there on a Sunday afternoon. Selfishly, this allowed us to get a true «white linen» experience– or perhaps that’s just what all guests should come to expect from Barony when they go.
The food, service and drinks are all outstanding. The price point is not low, but you will be getting a quality meal here, no doubt: constructed by one of the best chefs in the area. Dishes are classic southern cuisine with a flair for the creative. Portions (be warned) are not huge, but the dishes are so rich, the flavors so complex — that the portions truly seem suitable for the experience.
Our table pretty much tried everything on the brunch menu. I actually opted for the salmon salad, which seems/​sounds boring, but it most definitely was not and proved to be a good palate cleanser in light of the richer dishes we indulged in. Most of our table ordered the eggs Benedict that day, which were phenomenal! I believe we had the lobster and the crab. The only dish we didn’t absolutely love were the waffles. They weren’t as flavorful as we hoped they’d be (they were standing in as our «group dessert») — but perhaps that’s because we were foolish enough to forego the famous coconut cake, which is— by far— the best cake in Charleston! (Tried it during a previous dining experience).
All told– Barony is a dining «experience» from top to bottom… soup to nuts. Although upscale, the lodge-​y vibe makes you feel comfortable talking boisterously with your group. It’s not stodgy– just comfortable and fun. This is sure to become a staple among the downtown Charleston crowds!

Very nice bar with odd «art work» that was also a topic of conversation. It is located in the hotel we stayed in which we loved. Pricing could be better.

This is what Unilocal does to you… They hook you to a new business. Thanks to a previous event, i discovered this place and needed to come back.
The setting is an old hunting cabin with a small wink if you look at the animals around.
The staff is very friendly and courtageous. They always serve you with the smile and Southern hospitality as one would expect. They event made the Teatini (Firefly Sweet tea wodka) cocktails upon request. Trust me… Two on a Sunday morning, make you forget about the week.
The dishes on the menu are decently priced for a more high-​end restaurant. The chef would like to address the younger foodies and introduce them to the finer dining.
As we did the brunch menu, we had to chance to explore more different dishes. We had the shrimp toast, biggest taste bombe ever! The special was a deep fried blue crab benedicte with perfectly poached eggs. And if you are a big lobster fan, make sure to get a lobster slider with huge chunks of lobster! Amazing!!!
It might be a bit of the beaten track from Kig and East Bay, but Barony is definitely worth the walk. Located in the beautiful Rennaissance hotel it’s going to be theh new hotspot

Yummy grits and grilled quail
Enjoyed their burger and a few cold local beers. Will be back

Even though Barony Tavern’s upscale, huntsman-​esque vibe is not usually my style, there were a lot of things happening at this restaurant that I could get behind.
For starters, I am really enjoying the resurgence of hotel restaurants and bars in Charleston, with Barony Tavern (and Peninsula Grill, Barony Tavern Chef Bob Carter’s former gig) among the best. I can also dig this level of service, where I await the rest of my party in a comfy lounge, with drink in hand. You NEED the Moscow Mule from Barony Tavern, I might add.
Expect a red meat and seafood-​heavy Dinner menu here; ask for a bar menu (or sit at the bar!) for lighter, more shareable items. Of the menu items I tried, the Lobster Sliders (from the bar menu), pimento cheese shrimp toasts, and Coconut Cake (of course), were the highlights. The crawfish stuffed/​topped shrimp have potential, but they weren’t quite right on my visit.
Chef Bob Carter came out and personally greeted all of the tables during my first visit to Barony Tavern. That’s rare, and what made it even better was the personal nature of the conversation. He really wanted to hear our feedback and make the restaurant better!