Coast

Very good seafood. Get there early, or make reservations.

First time to the Charleston SC area this week. Stayed at at a hotel next to the restaurant Coast. Prompted our interest due to the happy hour specials. Great oysters and beer! Stayed for dinner, which host saved a table since we told them we were interested in dining there. Great drinks and excellent customer service which made us go back the following evening for drinks. Same bartender Keith was there. Wow what a great bartender! Relates to each person on-​one-​one. Showed an interest in everyone at his bar. Will recommend and go back next time we are in the area!

Meh. Inattentive bar service and $ 30 paella was a big bowl of rice with 4 shrimp and 4 shellfish. I’ll go elsewhere next time. Crab dip completely bland whipped bowl of heavy cream, get real.

The wife decided she want fish so we stopped at the Coast. Looked like a good place from Unilocal.On Sat night turns out there was a 45 min wait. We decided to set at the second bar area. High top seats. Big mistake, three 20 somethings from NY next to us who never shut up.
On to the food, wife decided she want shrimp and grits, I got the pecan crusted grouper.
Both were OK, but not great. The grouper was a little over cooked and said she had better shrimp and grits. Not a place I would go back to.

Whenever I’m in Charleston I try to make it to Coast. Keith behind the Bar is great. He has never steered me wrong on a meal selection. Tonight was no exception. I had the Blackened Swordfish on top of a Jalapeño Cheddar Corn Bread in a large bowl of Blue Crab Etouffe. Probably one of the best meals I have had. The ambience, food and people here are great!

Skip the tourist traps closer to the market. THIS is the place to get amazing, fresh seafood. Cozy décor. Great cocktails. Plenty of seafood. Best shrimp and grits in town. Excellent raw bar selection. Local beers on tap.

Unfortunately, our food was delicious but service and wait time were unacceptable. We were staying at the Hampton just next door and walked over to see if they could seat us. Were quoted an hour, but ended up waiting over an hour and a half.
Seemed to wait forever when we could see empty seats on the patio area. Even upon seating it seemed to take an unusually long time to get our order, then drinks and food. But the time our food came I had somewhat lost my appetite from our appetizer and wine.
Our food was delicious however. Very solid Salmon and mashed potatoes, cooked well and was still juicy. :) the crab dip was also delicious and bread was hot and fresh.
Atmosphere is nice for a date setting and they were accommodating a few longer tables of groups. I would probably call ahead and see if you can get a reservation for a group larger than 4.
Besides the wait time, I would definitely return. Maybe on a week night and not over the weekend if I’m ever back in the area.

The food was amazing!
The restaurant itself was in a pretty cool building, but a little hard for us to find since we were in from out of town. No biggie, the hunt just let us get hungrier.
We started with the crab dip and… it was slamming. Delicious, hearty, a touch salty, but we loved the large serving. They didn’t skimp. We were scraping the bowl with our forks after we ran out of break.
My wife got the talapia which she really enjoyed and I got the shrimp and grits. The shrimp was plentiful and the flavoring was there, but it did feel a little thin for my liking. Still delicious, though.
Our server was very nice and friendly. It was a great night out!

You absolutely need to eat here. Bold statement, I know, but here is why:
So I’m not too much of a seafood lover, but was with someone who is and we both thoroughly enjoyed our experience here.
First, everything was brought out to us very quickly. We had a super long day so we were thrilled about this! Also, our waitress was really nice/​friendly gave us a bunch of suggestions.
Secondly, the drinks were great. I had two different mojitos, strawberry and Hawaiian flavored. They had several that were actually award winning for best mojitos! So definitely give these a try.
Ok, on to the most important part: the food. YUM. For an appetizer, definitely order the Buffalo Fried Shrimp. We also got pineapple salsa on the side and it was so fresh. For my main dish, I ordered the Grilled Monterrey Chicken and it was absolutely incredible. I hate to sound dramatic but this might have been my favorite restaurant meal (Period. Ever.)… The bbq sauce and bacon and mashed potatoes and chicken combo = Devine. My boyfriend had the special that night of swordfish, steak and bacon/​jalapeño wrapped shrimp. He was raving about it for the next 24 hours. To everyone …
Eat at Coast, it’s awesome

Really great service! A bit loud. Food was good, pretty rich, but the green beans were cooked perfectly. And if I am mentioning the green beans and that’s what I remember, well…

Rounding up 3.5 to a 4. Ordered a few shared dishes as follows:
1. Shrimp cocktail — huge shrimp (really great)
2. Crab dip — highly regarded by other Unilocalers (and why I ordered). This appetizer was good but kind of like thick crab gravy and a bit salty. Of course we ate it all, you get the idea.
3. Pan fried fish and potatoes. ‘Good’ as well, no complaints
Service at the bar (where we eventually sat after an hour of waiting) was fantastic. Jeremey and Heath were very friendly and attentive!
If you are in the mood for seafood and a wide range of options (inclusive of raw oysters, shrimp, etc.) Coast has a nice menu.

The. Best. Mussels. I. Have. Ever. Had. And I’m from the Boston area which I feel like we should specialize in this. However, I digress.
I honestly felt compelled to ask the waitress if she could bottle up the sauce the mussels came in because it was that good. We had two extra servings of bread so we could soak it up. I purposely put off dinner so I could eat it all. And it’s not like the broth is that complex, I mean, it’s just a garlic broth, but I’m almost positive they put crack in there because HOW COULD IT BE SO AMAZING?!
I got the flat iron steak as my main dish, which seems rude in a restaurant that clearly is boasting wonderful seafood, but maybe I was in such awe of the mussels I had to switch over to mammals? Well, that being said, the steak was cooked perfectly and the mashed potatoes were the Southern comfort side dish I had been waiting for all weekend.
Best meal I had in Charleston, and I’d absolutely go back.

The mango mojito was awesome.
The mussels in a garlic broth was awesome.
The bacon blue cheese coleslaw was to die for.
The service was excellent.
The fried shrimp was NOT fresh shrimp!!! That ruined the entire meal… not to mention the breading was so.damn.salty as were the fries that came with it (I couldn’t even eat them). How can a seafood place sell previously frozen shrimp???

On a recent trip to Charleston, the hotel concierge recommended Coast. The restaurant is tucked away in a weird spot, almost like an alley, right off of King Street. It was a Friday night and I didn’t have a reservation so I sat at the bar. Even though they were VERY busy, the bartender was attentive and made great recommendations.
Charleston is known for seafood which is my favorite. I ordered the crab cake dinner and it did not disappoint! I will make a reservation and come back the next time I visit Charleston.

A bit disappointed, though not all was bad. I expected more from this place based on recommendations and reviews.
Food: I ordered the crab encrusted tilapia. It was very wet when it came out and not one bit crispy. Realize it’s crab on there but it didn’t even really taste like it, just a bit soggy. Unfortunately the sides didn’t help the dish. Completely bland mashed potatoes and green beans. I fixed them right up with salt and pepper though. The calamari starter was very tasty however. One of the better ones that I have had.
Service: staff was very attentive and helpful. Rather young and energetic. We arrived about 15 minutes before the reservation time. Which was no problem at all, they sat us right away.
Décor: very casual with tall ceilings and little tiki hut style areas. Interesting and it works for the space.
Overall. I would try this place again but would be a bit more picky with the ordering. Not my first choice or recommendation to go back.

This restaurant pleasantly blew me away.
I absolutely loved everything about this restaurant. It was incredibly busy when we arrived but they accommodated us at a high top near the bar. Super lively environment.
The salmon was seasoned to perfection — very unique and tasty. They paired it with Brussels sprouts (YUMMY) and bacon and cheese grits. Couldn’t have been a better dinner.
We also tried to swordfish on their specials menu. Too good for words.
I cannot wait to return!

It’s all about seafood and a nice casual atmosphere nice place to take a date I made a dinner and appetizers the fried calamari’s were good the shrimp tacos were a little spicy I suggest no hot sauce and Caesar salad was full of anchovies something that I likeI would not recommend the crab ceviche market not the best try the regular ceviche or the shrimp ceviche enjoy

I figured it was about time for me to review this restaurant, being that I go to Charleston and myrtle beach every year. This restaurant is by far one of my favorite places in Charleston. It’s nestled between some quaint little buildings in the downtown area. So it’s a little hidden but that makes it all the more fun to get to. It’s cozy and has live music. A very intimate feeling falls upon you when dining here. It’s a great place to go on a date or with friends. I tried the creole fried oysters and the crab dip. Both were extremely yummy and filling! I couldn’t eat anything else after those two dishes and a glass of wine. That was my very first time eating an oyster and that’s the only place I’d eat one at. Overall, it was a great experience. I’ll always return here.

Overall pretty good. I wouldn’t rush back, but the environment itself is pretty trendy and it’s nice that it’s next to the music hall and off of King Street in it’s own little nook.
Drink-​wise, the cucumber Mojito is the way to go. Delicious and refreshing — great in the summer. Also it won best Mojito or best something in Charleston for 2010 — fun fact.
Now food — we ordered a lot and if I could re-​do it all over I totally would. To begin we had the crab ravioli, tuna tartar, baja tacos, and the crab soup. Reflecting back we all agreed the play is — crab soup (perhaps 2 to share for the table), and 2 ravioli. The tuna tartar was just okay, and the tacos were also just okay.
Okay so now for entrees, if your thinking the tuna, I would do the tuna but rather than the pomegranate noodle, I would get it with potatoes and Brussel sprouts or some other side. In my opinion the noodles were good but they either needed a peanut crunch to cancel out all the sweetness or they should have done less noodles. Nevertheless, it wasn’t my favorite, but to be fair, the tuna was cooked perfectly so I have no complaints there.
My friend ordered the blackened swordfish and that was honestly the best entrée on the table. I almost ordered it because of the jalapeño corn bread but ended up getting a side of that instead. Clearly a dumb decision on my part, I totally should have just ordered it. It came with a crab ratatouille so it had this warm shrimp and grits, southern flare to it, that tourist like myself crave when we come down to Charleston.
My sister who we make fun of for ordering burgers at seafood restaurants, surprised us all and killed it with her order. She started with the crab soup and then got a Caesar salad with calamari — the calamari was fresh and delicious — it also was the perfect balance of comfort food and an attempt at being healthy. Which honestly, if you take anything away from this review, it should be to order the soup. You won’t be disappointed.
The cashew encrusted grouper was very good too — also (side note) the server made it sound like the mashed potatoes were a signature dish but they were nothing to rave about
We didn’t do dessert or anything like that because we were so full. But if you have done all the top notch restaurants in Charleston and are looking for fresh fish or even going to the music hall for a show, it’s worth checking out… Like I said though, I wouldn’t rush back.

I’ve never had dinner at Coast, but I’ve been in to the bar area a few times and sampled plenty of their appetizers as well. I recently came in for drinks with a birthday crowd as the Bday girl was obsessed with their award winning mojitos. After stating that I don’t really like mojitos or sweet drinks, I was still barraged with everyone suggesting I try theirs because it was the best one. Surprise, I still don’t like ‘em… too sweet for me. I ordered a Dark & Stormy instead and it was excellent.
In the past, I recall every one of the apps being top notch. In one sitting, we passed around the lobster ceviche, fried oysters, calamari, and fried green tomato’s. Everyone loved it all. Even the tomato’s, which you would expect to be boring compared to the other options, stood on their own up against any seafood app. Something about the calamari made it extra special too… one of my favorites.
I’m definitely interested in checking out the dinner service as well. The other night we had dinner at Rue and then came to Coast for Drinks. Maybe next time we do things the other way around.