The Griffon

For dive bars, this place is a good as it gets. We spent so much time here while we were in Charleston.
The bar itself is on the small side, but they have a lot of different beers and drinks to offer. The money stuck to the wall is a fun quirk. I enjoyed reading some of the signed dollar bills.
The cork dartboard was our favorite part — we played several games.
We didn’t have any food, but service was great and the bathrooms were clean.

Attracted to this place by my Harry Potter fan-​dom (although other than the name has nothing to do with Harry Potter), we stopped in on a Friday afternoon to grab a drink at the bar. Pictures are not enough to get the «picture» of the dollar bills all over the walls. You just have to be there to see the magnitude. My husband was totally captivated and asked how much money is on the walls (approx. $ 20 thousand!) and where the first dollar bill lies (not in the front like you would think).
They have a rotating list of beer including $ 2 PBR pints. After ordering our beers I noticed a lot of people get shots of Fireball. I also noticed smoking is allowed. I have 0 tolerance for smoking, so we had to leave, but if there was no smoking we would have hung out.

My friend and I gave this place a second chance recently after our first time earlier this past Fall. We had a much better overall experience and enjoyed our food this time. Additionally, the service was a lot better than last time. I don’t think either of us left with any real complaints and I’d consider going back again after this past experience. Maybe we were just here on an «off» day last time.

Southern Living can not be wrong when it lists The Griffon as one of the best dive bars in the south. A swanky little place, where at times, like lunch you cannot get a seat. If your going for lunch, eat early or late because of the locals have all the seats taken. The Griffon has a full bar and great beer selections, even the local brews. As a whiskey snob, I was a little disappointed in the selection but Scott or Dan has always taken care of me and my guests. Get the fried shrimp or fish and chips, they are great. Sign a dollar and add it to the wall or ceiling if you can find a place for it. This is a must place in Charleston.

We gave this place a second chance due to all of the positive reviews.
It was much better the second time, service was on point, the fish and chips were delicious, and the fries were delicious.
This doesn’t make up for the first experience, but it does help.

A small irish pub with decent pub food. Dollar bills are all over the walls which add to the history of this place. Guiness is on draft, my fav. Staff was courteus and attentive.

Great service. Great atmosphere. Great bar food. Super friendly staff. This is type of place where you can start and end your night. The dollars on the walls are a bit of a novelty. Not necessarily my thing but it keeps tourists talking about it. The Griffon is definitely a must stop during your crawl around town.

another historic place to have a beer in downtown charleston. The staff is always steady and cool, the food is typical bar fare, but ive never had anything that I wouldnt have again. Their beer list is always really good and dynamic. They have live music every once in a while that varies in styles. It wouldnt normally be the highlight of your friday night, but if you didnt go there, youd be disappointed with yourself.

Excellent beer selection! Very crowded and very loud! A little too hipster of a crowd for me but the bartender was alright!

Solid 4 stars. I had the chili dog which was good, but a basic chili dog. My wife had the fish and chips, which was really good. I would have liked the fish to have been a little less fried and a little flakier. The fried were very good, not a lot of need for ketchup. I also had a Freehouse Ashley Farmhouse beer, which was very solid and tasty.

Stopped in for lunch after a tour and had some delicious food! The fish and chips were fantastic but could have been a little bit flakier. It has a true dive bar atmosphere including dollar bills stapled to all surfaces. Definitely worth a stop if you enjoy pub/​sports bar style food.

Stumbled across this little Gem while visiting Charleston a couple years ago.
Now every time I come to Charleston for shopping I always made sure to stop in and get a cider before hitting the road. This last time was the weekend before Christmas.
The bar is small but comfortable and covered from wall to wall and ceiling in dollar bills. We ended up sitting at the end of the bar where we were able to view the whole room. There was a mix crowd when we came in. A rowdy but fun group of friends in the back playing darts and drinking and then a older group like grandpa and grandma with a kid toward the front eating. The gentleman next to us was eating fish and chips and it smelled and looks quite good.
The bar staff were friendly and easy to talk to even the lumberjack looking gentleman with the beard whom served us our drinks.
I personally couldn’t have anything on the menu being gluten free unless it was a salad or a basket of celery. Lol but who goes to a bar and gets a salad? Not I! Lol
It was the first time my friend had been in before and I do believe she enjoyed it as well. I look forward to stopping in again next time I’m visiting.

The Griffon. A truly hidden gem of Charleston. Right off of East Bay, you will pass by the Griffon covered in walls of dollar bills. No it’s not a strip joint, it is a classy bar. They feature darts, board games including connect four and for those with needs, an atm and a cigarette vending machine. The most entertaining part of the night will be reading what everybody has written on the hanging dollar bills. I’ve even seen a few bills with my alumni school Virginia tech. Go Hokies! Anyway, this is a great bar off the typical path of upper king street. There’s a good mix of a crowd and alcohol is available in all sorts. I have yet to try the food so no comment. Go to the griffon!

Why don’t I ever hear more talk about The Griffon?! If you’re more comfortable in a dirtier, dim lighting, dive bar, this is your spot, and it’s right downtown! They have a dollar bill theme: meaning the entire space is plastered with ‘noted’ dollar bills from the beginning of this bars existence. What you’ll find here is a great but slightly expensive (about $ 1 up charge, and prices aren’t listed) draft list, friendly service, a very oddly mixed crowd (everything from grandfather types to families with babies), liquor and, apparently, the best fish and chips in Charleston (they’re pretty darn good, especially after a few drinks!) I always find myself wandering back to The Griffon, usually during an afternoon downtown, it’s inviting for anyone and everyone and always leaves me feeling in a good mood (and that’s not just the beer talking). Plus, they keep their website updated with what’s currently on draft! [p.s. a dive bar would take my 600^th review!]

Just another dive bar. Located close to the only part of Charleston that I’ll call «abnoxiously touristy», which is to say the market area. It’s a fine stop for a beer or two, and the stapling of personally-​decorated dollar bills on the walls is good for brief entertainment, but that’s about it.
Next time I think I’ll wander a few more blocks, perhaps along East Bay Street, to find a different option.

Awesome! Oddly local in the middle of touristville but I like that dive feel. Great beer, friendly staff, great location. I have nothing else to say.
Oh make sure you staple a dollar on the wall… but not over mine!

Charleston, you’re a beautiful little city with great people and food, but the heat waves y’all get are intense! I stopped by here with my boyfriend and his sisters for a quick drink to quench our thirst and mostly to just get away from the hot, humid weather outside for a bit.
The place is adorned with dollar bills that people write on from bottom of the walls to the ceiling beams. It’s a bit disorienting and «beautiful» in its own way, but I started feeling a little claustrophobic from trying to read all of the little messages on them bills.
Overall, however, this place has a good variety of beers that I’ve never had before.

This place is a dive bar, so set your expectations appropriately and you should do just fine.
I’ve visited a few times and always enjoyed myself. You get a nice eclectic mix of people; young, old, locals, tourists, people pounding shots, people sipping glasses of wine. The food is nothing to write home about but it’s good enough to call typical bar food. The staff are very attentive and nice. On one occasion my wife and I had some long islands that we thought were a little on the weak side, bartender was happy to top them off where other bars would want to upcharge you or just tell you too bad; of course we never return to those.
The walls, ceilings and other parts of the structure are mostly covered in dollar bills bearing random messages from those who have visited before you.
It is very close to the cruise terminal and the long waterfront park and jogging/​biking trail, so it’s very easy to go sight seeing before or after you stop in.

Not much more I can say about the Griffon that hasn’t been said. The place has been around for a very long time and that can be felt the minute you walk in. I concur with many of the reviews on the service. It can get pretty bad. But I guess they are going for that, I don’t give a s#@t attitude, in which you have succeeded. One thing I do like here is the Cole Slaw that gets served with food baskets. Now I’m not a fan of eating that stuff when I didn’t watch it actually being made, but this place has good slaw and so there for I eat it here. Haven’t had anything else but the fish and chips, so there you have it. It’s still a good place to go and will I be back? Yes. Absolutely.

I give the Griffon 4 stars for being good at what it is. And what it is is a wonderful, quaint, dive bar. I can’t say I’ve ever eaten here but I’ve spent a handful of evenings hanging out here. The staff is great and quick and poor a strong drink (sometimes a little too strong). Prices are good too.
Don’t get me wrong, I do love a good classy drink in a fru fru cup at a place that charges a stupid cover fee and requires me to wear 6 inch heels and a mini skirt to get into. But sometimes a girl just wants a beer and to throw on some attire that doesn’t require 2 hours of prep work and shaving my legs you know? And this is the place for just that.