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    Chubby Fish

    4.6 (428 reviews)
    Closed 5:00 pm - 10:00 PM
    Updated 1 month ago

    Chubby Fish Photos

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    CHUBBY FISH ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Trendy
    Intimate
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Chubby Fish

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    Diondra B.

    Absolutely loved this place. Everything i ate was so delicious. The caviar sandwich was delicious. The shrimp dish flavorful and delicious and the stroopwafel ice cream was different but good. Service was friendly too

    Tiffani R.

    Chubby fish is a great restaurant, the ambiance and service is top notch. I really enjoyed chatting with some of the servers/cooks while they plated our oysters. All the food was really great, but it didn't live up to the hype for me. There are a lot of other restaurants in Charleston that have amazing seafood and you don't have to wait in line for over an hour. We had a lovely night and Im glad we tried it out, but I probably won't be back.

    Allison P.

    Where does one begin? Before being seated, chubby fish is an experience - no reservations, but standing in line waiting for your first seating is somewhat of a right of passage. Bring along a chair, some cards, or a book and you'll enjoy the wait! Once in, peep their wine menu and simply order the caviar Sammie. There are new dishes added seasonally, but my favs are bang bang shrimp on bone marrow, cacio e Pepe cauliflower, and their oysters. You can sit at a bar, long table, or booth and will have a great experience! Can't recommend enough

    Menu
    Carmen L.

    After many years wanting to try Chubby Fish, I finally made it. It's hard to describe the flavors because there's so much going on with every dish, but just know that you're going to be amazed by flavors you thought would never blend well. The menu itself is not large, and the best way to try more stuff is to order various plates to share with those in your party. Chubby fish doesn't take reservations, so be prepared to join the line at least an hour before they open. We got lucky and took one of the last few two-person seats when we visited. Our server was awesome and the ambiance was lively and fun without being too loud. Overall, Chubby Fish is a gem worth checking out if you're in Charleston.

    Outside line
    Amber S.

    Outstanding. One of the best dining experiences. Long wait, flavorful food, expensive prices. I've been wanting to come here since they opened, but was always thrown off by the busyness and variety of other restaurants to try. I've since moved away and really wanted to make it a priority for this return trip. The wait: plan to get here 1-2 hours early. We were in line 345 on Saturday and were able to get first seating- but about 25 people in front of us. They ask for your full party to be there- so make sure everyone comes at 5. The food: incredible! We split a cavier sandwich, tuna crudo, grilled oysters, poached grouper, tempura fish with soy beurre blanc, bone marrow and ube banana pudding. Everything was amazing- I loved these cavier sandwich more than anticipated. The grilled oysters were in a panang curry or like sauce- I couldn't taste the oysters much but the curry was perfect. The bone marrow was to die for. The tempura fish was way better than anticipated- the sauce really stood out. The grouper- was OK to me, it was very smokey which overpowered the dish for me. I'm not the biggest banana pudding fan but I'm a sucker for anything ube- and this dessert was the perfect palate cleanser after dinner. It was refreshing and you could distinctly taste the ube and banana which I appreciated. Cost: we are non alcoholic diners- so we ordered a lot of food and came out to be about $200. For two they recommend 4 dishes across the board, so we had a little more. Given the long wait and short trip we wanted to try as much as we could! Recommend? Absolutely. This is a meal I will be thinking about for a while. I will be adding it to my Charleston rotation!

    Curry Smoked Golden Tilefish
    Bari T.

    I'd been hearing about Chubby Fish for over a year and honestly didn't think I'd ever make it in. Curiosity finally won, so we hopped on line at 3:00 PM, landing about 15th in line, and waited until the doors opened at 5:00. The space is tiny--only around 40 seats--which explains why the line forms so early, but stepping inside made the wait feel completely justified. The restaurant is cozy, intimate, and charming, creating the perfect setting for a memorable meal. We were fortunate to have Hailey as our server. She was phenomenal: warm, knowledgeable, and genuinely excited to guide us through the menu. She explained each dish in detail and walked us through the pacing so we knew exactly what to expect. We started with the Bluefin Tuna Crudo, which literally melted in our mouths with layers of flavor and texture. The Grilled Oysters delivered bold, over-the-top deliciousness. The Charred Lamb Ribs were fall-off-the-bone tender and deeply flavorful. The Hakurei Turnips in a light smoked olive sauce showcased another brilliant combination of subtlety and depth. For large plates, we ordered the Curry Smoked Golden Tilefish, offering warm, layered flavor, and the Scallop Gnudi, featuring perfectly cooked, sweet scallops resting on top of the softest gnudi. Every dish felt intentional and beautifully executed. There's a reason everyone talks about this place: it truly stands out. The chef has mastered his craft, and the entire staff exudes professionalism, warmth, and genuine passion. From start to finish, the experience was unforgettable. A must-do. If waiting in line isn't your thing, here's a tip: reach out to Ella. She and her friends live nearby and will wait in line for you. We met them while waiting, and they're wonderful, responsible, trustworthy young ladies. Her number is;(781)561-8882 just send her a message!

    I'm at the end of this line!!!
    Chris G.

    Chubby Fish...funny name but serious eats coming out of this kitchen! It was a Tuesday afternoon when I got in the 40 person line to reserve a table a few hours later for the wife and I. I love the "no free lunch" concept here at Chubby Fish. There are no reservations. You have to physically get to the door prior to 5pm and make your dinner reservation destiny. Sink or swim you chubby bastards! So that's what I did. I got in line around 445pm which is late by most standards, you need to be there by 4 on weekends! Luck was on my side and I requested bar seating around 8pm, which we were given. Amazing to watch the masters of the kitchen throw down on some work! Ordered up one caviar sammich, 5 oysters, bone marrow with tempura shrimp, grouper curry. Oh yeah and my plain Jane wife ordered some shrimp and rice. All the food was amazing. I can't yet wrap my mind around the caviar sammich because of how smooth it was. For me the battle of feats was bone marrow tempura shrimp and grouper curry. Both amazing dishes with both different flavors and textures. Not only was the food amazing the staff was top tier! The hostess remembered my name when we arrived for our reservation. Rebecca our server helped me captain this Chubby Fish food expedition. The guys and gals in the kitchen chatted with us often due to bar seating on kitchen row. Their skills really shined with the taste of each prepared dish. Chubby Fish is more than a restaurant, it's a cultural experience for the taste buds. I shall return!!!

    Short ribs

    I was visiting from out of town and had to try this place. It definitely lives up to the hype and was well worth waiting an hour in line, we had decided to give this place on Wednesday in hopes the line wouldn't be as long(we arrived around 4PM) The servers were very helpful and everything had such a unique taste. The restaurant is cozy and they even had some outside seats. Would come back again.

    Caviar Sammich
    Jamie C.

    Wow, just wow. We waited an hour in line at 4:15 PM just to get a 10:15 PM time slot. By that time, I was exhausted and honestly not even hungry. But this meal? Hands down the best I had during our entire Charleston trip. Every dish was perfectly executed--especially the caviar sandwich, which stole the show. From the crudo and ceviche to the curry, celery salad, clam cavatelli, and even the "not fried chicken" ice cream, everything was exceptional. The service was stellar too--truly a standout experience.

    Colin P.

    Chubby was a great experience. An experience it is! No reservations, walk in only. I would suggest getting in line around 3:30 (bring a drink while you wait). They open door to reservations at 5 - so you can make a 7pm and then go back to your day! Once in, the service is a real differentiator. The food, which is fantastic, makes the whole experience unique. Pro tip, grab a drink next door at Sea Horse. Other: you can actually pay a task rabbit to wait in line for you. While convenient, it is sort of cheating the process!

    Raw Oysters
    Minna M.

    Yes! Yes! Yes! This seafood spot is absolutely worth the wait! They do not take reservations, so yes--the line is long, but once you're in, you'll see why. Every dish, from the super-fresh raw oysters to the crudo and all of the other creative fish plates, is a flavor bomb. The menu is tapas style and it makes it easy to try a bit of everything, and trust me, you'll want to. The vibe is lively, the service is on point, and the food is unforgettable. One of the best seafood experiences I've had! And one of the best meals of my life. I have zero notes for this place. Zero regrets. Caviar Sammie was so delicious! I am still thinking about it!!! I cannot wait to come back to Chubby Fish, next time I am in town. This place lived up to its hype.

    Lamb Ribs
    Brian C.

    The Hungry Detective and Special Agent Deirdre had the most fabulous experience Sunday night at Chubby FIsh...Let me start by saying I usually don't stand in line for an hour and a half but it is definitely worth the effort!!! The doors open promptly at 5 PM and we got a great spot at the bar. I would also call it a chef's table where you can see all the action firsthand. We ordered a great bottle of Gruner wine that was lovely SERVICE: Haley went above and beyond the "Call of Duty" and knows her stuff and the menu as she made great choices and expert advice...Haley made our night and dining experience!!! A true rock star!!! FOOD: We started with the Wahoo small plate and the fish was flaky white and cooked perfectly in a light tempura finish. Second: We'd had the Red Drum that was served up in a bowl of cabbage and this incredible broth...We could have had a bowl broth with bread as a meal it was so good!!! Third: Lamb ribs that fell off the bone...superb!!! Fourth: Gnocci and mushrooms...I wish we had this first because it was incredible but we hit the wall at this point!!! NOTE: As we sat and watched the staff prepare the evening courses like a well oiled machine. I noticed a whole fish snapper being prepared that was $68 and looked fabulous. It definitely could've been a plate for two people... next time I think we will save room for the whole fish it looked wonderful! VERDICT: Guilty is sin as and well deserved of a Michelin star Chubby FIsh truly knocked it out out of the park. The attention to detail was over the top and everything tasted wonderful. I can't wait to return.

    Grilled Thai styled oysters maybe the best dish in Charles Town by far!

    Wow standout dishes oysters and dessert both 11s amazing worth the wait and definitely dreamed about ever since we left

    Caviar Sammich

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    One of the best 10 meals of my life. Truly special food. And great service. And I'm pretty old. So lots of meals.

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    Chubby Fish Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Chubby Fish

    I saw where someone referred to a " stand up" table. Dot you really have to stand up and eat or could she have meant a high top?

    yes, there is one "stand up" table. no chairs, you stand to eat

    Can I bring my 1.5 year old? I saw a post from 2018, but looking for something more current. We'd feed her before/after. Visiting from out of town and don't have a trusted…

    While technically you can, I don't know if I'd recommend it. There's a lineup of an hour wait to get seated, or make a reservation to come back later. Then it's always packed, loud and frenetic with a lot of activity in a small place. I wish I… Read more

    Is all the food spicy?

    No. Only the curry likely, that's the only spicy dish we had. It's mostly seafood. But ask the server!

    Do they have gluten free options or can they modify dishes to accommodate gluten free?

    There are many gluten free items. Most of the menu is protein based.

    Is there outdoor seating available in January?

    No outdoor. Only indoor.

    Is there a military discount offered?

    As far as I know there isn't any discount offered there.

    Do you have to order at the counter or do you have a server take your food order?

    Servers take your order.

    Since Chubby Fish does not take reservations, how early should I plan to arrive?

    Peak dinner hours means you may need to arrive earlier than if you will dine after 8:00. It will be worthy the wait. Sorry cannot be specific regarding time line 😊

    How toddler friendly is this place?

    While I'm sure they'd try to Jerry-rig a fish to suit your needs, this place is not kid-friendly. The food is too ungapatch (Yiddish for fancy and complicated). Also, since the restaurant is a bit small, you have no buffet between a kid losing… Read more

    View All 10 Questions

    You might also consider

    AZUR - Nice crepes with Nutella. The whipped cream was superb!

    AZUR

    (121 reviews)

    King Street

    We had the pleasure of dining here 2 separate times over an extended weekend trip…read more Host very welcoming and nurturing. Finds your table, if you arrive early for a reservation we had luck with them seating us and he says a kind goodbye as we left each time. Nice list of 3 mocktails so even if not consuming alcohol one can look to play the part at the table and enjoy the flavor notes of a well made cocktail. The first meal we had was a bit of a work/get together meal. We ordered an assortment of items off of the menu and created a more tapas menu. The charcuterie board we picked the cheeses for and it was lovely. All as expected and quite surprised to find a cheddar I enjoyed. Came with some grapes, figs, nuts, honey and I think mustard. Glazed carrots were phenomenal. Heartily enjoyed the beet salad and thought the presentation was quite pretty. Lamb lettuce wraps are alright. Not my favorite of all the dishes served but delivered as promised, nicely cooked and presented. Spouse really liked the lamb wraps and were a stand out dish to them. Meatballs are excellent truly great texture and flavor. Escargot was a fun take on a classic dish. Finished with a unique strudel in its presentation it was quite pleasant. Spouse liked the peanut butter chocolate dessert. For brunch, I had the carrot ginger soup. Which I must say was a total delight. The soup had the hallmark texture and base flavor of the carrot ginger but it had a beautiful breath of savory and some heat seasoning wise to it. It was quite an elevated soup and heartily enjoyed! I followed the carrot soup with a French toast. I am all for softly scrambled eggs but the French toast was a touch undercooked. (I did not let the restaurant know or give them the chance to make right. I regularly eat soft boiled eggs and soft scrambled so I felt comfortable with consuming them.) Strawberries were ripe and tasty. The whipped cream was gorgeous in thickness and flavor. One in law had the caesar salad with croutons and grilled chicken. Their bowl was left clean so while they are not the talkative of sorts they did seem to enjoy it. Ordered a baguette with butter. Unfortunately the butter never made it to the table but the baguette was enjoyed. Spouse had the Azur burger with the side of tapas style potatoes. All was cooked properly to temperature and texture. Flavor and taste as promised. Wasn't their favorite dish at Azur as we had tried so many lovely dishes a few evenings before. But it did deliver on what was represented in the menu. Other in law had the quiche and a side salad. They liked the quiche and would order it again.

    Wow! What a beautiful restaurant! I love the cozy atmosphere and the decor. There isn't a lot of…read moreseating so you need to make reservations. Our server was very sweet and helpful! Everything we ordered was delicious - I don't know that you could go wrong in anything here!

    Sorghum & Salt - Sorghum carrots

    Sorghum & Salt

    (488 reviews)

    $$

    Cannonborough

    My wife and I, and our 16 year old son planned a last minute trip to Charleston because the snow…read moreand skiing out west is just bad this spring. In looking for a restaurant for dinner on Sunday night I happened across Sorghum & Salt. The menu looked great so we made a reservation to eat a the Chef's Counter. This turned out to be a great decision all the way around. We were seated right in the middle of the Chef's Counter. The gentleman who waited on us was great. He explained the menu well and provided good direction on wine. All of the other employees we interacted with were friendly and helpful too. On the to important part, the food. The three of us shared plates throughout the meal. i want to hit the highlights. We started with the Seared Blue Fin Tuna, the Radishes, and the Cauliflower. We picked the tuna dish after watching one being made almost in front of us for another table. It was as good as it looked. It was different than any tuna dish I have had thanks to the cashew tahini the dish sat on. The flavors together were great. The Cauliflower was cooked, then maybe fried, and tasted great with the green curry and peanut sauce. We enjoyed this dish. Out of the three I think that, surprisingly, the Radishes were my favorite. The dish includes almond, charcoal, and green olive. There also was fresh dill that was great. The flavors were fantastic and took away some of the usual sharpness you have with radishes. If you go, try this dish. The mains we shared were the Market Fish and the Carrot Bolognese. The Market Fish was great. The sunchoke veloute, mushrooms, and salsa verde added great flavor. But I want to spend more time on the Carrot Bolognese, which was my other favorite dish. It included rigatoni, labneh, and ricotta salata. I am not a good enough cook to deduce how exactly the carrots were cooked and prepared, but it was a carrot based sauce over the rigatoni and it was simply fantastic. Even my carnivore wife and son thought it was amazing. If you find yourself in Charleston and want to treat yourself right, you need to make your way to Sorghum & Salt.

    My wife and I had dinner there tonight. The service was exceptional. Our weight staff were…read moreattentive and took good care of us. The restaurant itself was architecturally quite nice. My wife and I settled on a three star rating for the following reasons: 1. Some of the food was very good (more comments). 2. Some of the food was not so good. 3. It was quite expensive for what it was. So first, I'll discuss the cost. We understand and appreciate that restaurants need to be able to provide for their employees and we want them to be paid well and have appropriate benefits. If that drives up the cost to the customer, we understand and accept, and we knew the prices before we went. But $32 for a bowl of rigatoni with carrot sauce seems a bit much. But again we knew the cost when we ordered it. We had a couple of exceptional dishes that we would recommend if they're serving them again. We started with the Gouda tart, which had tomatoes. The crust was excellent as were the tomatoes. The whole dish was a winner. We then had a cauliflower dish. I thought it was going to be with curry, but it came out with a peanut sauce. It was very good also. My wife and I differ on the pork dish. She thought it was too salty. I thought it was fine. I thought it was a good dish. She did not like it. And then the rigatoni dish was just a complete mess if you ask. It was not very rich or saucy. Frankly, it was pretty bare as we are considering it. It didn't even have any cheese on the top as you would expect a pasta dish to. We ordered the cheesecake for dessert. The cheesecake itself is OK but it was served with blueberries and I swear they were frozen blueberries or something. They certainly were not fresh blueberries. And the menu said that would have a white chocolate caramel sauce, but I'm not sure ours did. In any case the blueberries really distracted from the dish. As we write this review, we wonder if they're making substitutions for what is on the menu even though the menu was updated daily. All in all, it was an interesting experience. I think there are lots of places in Charleston that might be better.

    Berkeley’s - Chicken Parm Sammie

    Berkeley’s

    (144 reviews)

    $$

    Hampton Park Terrace

    We showed up half an hour before closing and were welcomed in…read more Staff was very friendly and attentive. Food was good and came out at a timely manner. Smoked salmon dip was good... The chips were a bit more salty than I'd like, but the dip neutralized that well. The chicken parm and eggplant parm sandwiches were really good. Good portions, yet it didn't feel heavy (my thighs are thankful lol). We pretty much got full after eating half and was able to take the rest home to enjoy it over another meal. The Pinot freezio and frozen sangria were served in cute little glasses. Very tasty and I loved that there was pulp in my Pinot freezio. Great first visit!

    What a horrible experience. Girlfriend and I went there yesterday for a quick drink or two after…read moreattending the Greek Festival nearby. There were 4 open spots at the bar, so when we *finally* found the host, we asked if they were first come, first served. He told us there were two people coming and that he'd let us know. After waiting probably 10 min, he finally agreed to seat us at the bar (the 2 other people never showed up). So, there we sat...and sat. Bartender finally comes by and plops a bottle of water in front of us. Doesn't say hi / bye / or eff you (although she definitely gave off the latter vibe with her body language). After sitting there another 10 min and not being acknowledged whatsoever, I got fed up. Stood up, told my girlfriend I had had enough...and I flat out refused to give my money to an establishment that treats their customers in this manner. Honestly, I grew up in the Lowcountry and I can tell you that *most* restaurants/bars/shops/etc. in Charleston feature employees who are generally gracious/friendly/hospitable/helpful. Then, on occasion, you run into places like this. How they stay in business has to be a function of location alone, because their service is absolutely horrible! Will advise anyone who will listen to avoid this place at all costs!

    Chubby Fish - seafood - Updated May 2026

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