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    The Ordinary

    4.3 (909 reviews)
    Open 5:00 pm - 10:00 PM

    The Ordinary Photos

    Business Info

    THE ORDINARY ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Trendy
    Classy
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - The Ordinary

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    Reviews With Photos

    David P.

    The Ordinary is anything but. We chose the beautifully styled patio, while inside channels a grand old bank--soaring, elegant, and full of presence. Service was polished and intuitive, and the food delivered across the board. Accessibility stands out: clearly marked, barrier-free routes make navigating effortless. A seamless experience from start to finish--The Ordinary earns my highest recommendation.

    Joy G.

    I treated my friend to a birthday dinner here but it just wasn't a standout. Charleston is packed with cute oyster bars and mind-blowing seafood joints and, while I appreciate that restaurants nowadays are operating on razor-thin profit margins, the plates we got at the Ordinary just needed a bit more food for the price point. All that said, the interior of the Ordinary is dark, moody, dim, sexy. If you want to seriously impress a date, come here. Everything (and everyone) looks cooler in candlelight, what can I say? Alas, I could only find a weekend night reservation outdoors, which we didn't mind at all, with massive roaring heat lamps that kept us toasty in this freak Charleston freeze. We got the: peel and eat shrimp, the snapper entree, the romaine heart salad, and the fried oyster slider. Plus one drink. It was a little less than $150 for two people including tip, which wouldn't be a problem if I also didn't leave mildly hungry and had to have a second dinner at Jeni's down the street. My favorite thing was the shrimp. The slider was extremely puny but I did like the fresh-baked Hawaiian roll. Food came out pretty slowly, I must say. We ended up waiting a while between the shrimp and the other dishes and, when they did arrive, I was desperately envisioning a steaming bread basket. I also wish they offered something for our birthday occasion other than a postcard on the table, I've seen other restaurants do a small dessert with a candle which goes a long way in making the dinner more special.

    Oyster slider, a delicious bite!
    Michael M.

    We had another fantastic dinner at The Ordinary. We've been here at least four times before and returned tonight for my birthday. It's one we appreciate for all the good reasons - good atmosphere, good service, and really good food. I love the menu featuring various seafood options, to include raw oysters. There are different seating options to consider - downstairs tables, the oyster bar, outside patio, inside bar, or upstairs overlook. We enjoy upstairs usually, and request it for reservations. We immediately ordered cocktails and the oyster sliders. The oyster was perfectly fried, served on a Hawaiian roll with a yummy bite of cabbage and fresh mayo. Our dinner menu choices included smoked oysters, snapper tartare, smoked wahoo pate as starters. The winner were the smoked oysters, and I also liked the pate. We shared entrees of slow baked grouper and mustard crusted snapper. The winning taste was the snapper. We enjoyed everything, as all menu items were unique, flavorful and dimensional. We finished with espresso martinis and shared the apple tart. Both were great. Service was good, as Kaitlyn paced our items and checked on us regularly. The Ordinary is more than ordinary and is a great Charleston dining option.

    Interior
    Meg C.

    Came here for a birthday dinner and it was pretty good. Our group enjoyed a seafood tower, which had fresh raw bar offerings but nothing blew us away. The highlight was surprisingly the vegetable dishes - we really enjoyed the fried delicata squash with ponzu sauce and the romaine salad was like a very good elevated Caesar. We also like the wreck fish and crispy oyster slider apps. Perhaps it's because we're from New England, but we found a lot of the seafood to be somewhat, well...ordinary. Portions were quite small and pricey. But the cocktails were nicely mixed, the service was excellent, and the ambiance was classy (a touch loud). Glad we tried it but wouldn't go out of my way to return.

    Swordfish
    Matthew H.

    I came here because this is a top restaurant in Charleston. I don't partake in oysters and instead chose to eat the selected fish. The swordfish was a good dish presented with a vegetable medley broth. The dishes here are smaller portion and this seemingly would be a great choice for someone who likes to nibble through the menu while adding a few oysters as they go. I prefer a fish dish with the ability to order a few side dishes, but nothing really sparked my interest to order on top of the swordfish. Other tables kept ordering away and seemingly loved the options, but I wasn't impressed.

    Interior of the restaurant
    Joyce W.

    First off, the service was incredible--attentive, thoughtful, and knowledgeable. The seafood was excellent and fresh. I had the gumbo and it had a rich flavorful broth. We all shared peel and eat shrimp, oysters in the half shell (it's been a month so I cannot recall which varieties were in season then but they were buttery), and ended the meal with a boudini that lives rent free in my brain. The only thing I can say as a negative was that...the dining seemed almost clunky with too many dishes that didn't need to be out. That's a really minor detail but when you order so much food and drink but there's limited realestate, you want to maximize the space to enjoy your meal. They were very accommodating to some food allergies though! We did have a dairy allergy as well and they immediately remade a meal when they realized they had added butter at the end. The Ordinary is located inside an old bank so the decor is opulent and feels historic. For a date or a night out with friends, this is a fantastic choice.l if you're not allergic to shellfish!

    Oust
    Mollie N.

    Hit the Ordinary last night for drinks and apps. The green thumb was the cocktail I ordered and it was fantastic! Very refreshing. We ordered the three layer seafood tower, beef tartar and the oyster sliders. The tower was amazing! It came with a tuna tartar that was probably the best I've had. The beef tartar was absolutely Incredible, it was so salty and briny, on a crusty piece of sourdough

    sautéed soft-shelled crab
    Scott C.

    This is are second visit to The Ordinary and, as before, it did not disappoint. At the bar, my wife had the Mojito Royale which she said was delicious and I had the Relay Trade which was a great but unusual drink. We had three appetizers at the bar - Jimmy Red Corn Hoecakes, Pickled White Shrimp, and Smoked Amberjack Pate - all three were unique and delicious. My wife had Hammer Dave's Little Neck Clams And I had Smoked Bird Island Cup Oyster which were both excellent - definitely try the Cup Oysters! The bartenders and our waitress were fun and very helpful. For our mains we both got the grilled swordfish which was done perfectly and delicious. We finished the dinner with an excellent glass of Sauternes which was perfect. Try The Ordinary while in Charleston, you will be happy you did!

    Menu (June 27, 2025)
    Dan D.

    High-level food, but not as balanced or delicious as The Darling Oyster Bar's. Not everything missed the mark. Our salmon larb appetizer was crunchy, fresh, and punctuated with chili oil and raw salmon. 5/5. But everything else fell short of exemplary. My seafood chowder was lacking acid and the muddled flavors didn't have a chance to shine. My friend thought the char on the wahoo was outstanding, yet the temperature was medium well when the waiter said they were going for medium. Our cocktails were clean - indeed, the daiquiri was limey and bright - but missing a wow factor. At the prices we paid here, we deserved to be impressed.

    Dining area
    Jacob T.

    The Ordinary somewhat lived up to its name. We got the triple seafood tower. Lots of oysters, and several other appetizers came included: tuna tartare, yellowfin, shrimp. We loved all the appetizers, every one of them were great. So we were very excited for the oysters too, which is why I can only give this place a 4 star. I was very disappointed in the quality of the oysters. The quality felt like I was at some run of the mill oyster restaurant that sold dollar oysters. Even their soy mignonette topped oysters, at $6 a pop, were a let down. As much as I loved the great servers, the beautiful atmosphere, and delicious appetizers, the main focus of the meal was just such a let down. I would not recommend the oysters, but if you're looking for good seafood outside of that, The Ordinary is still a solid choice.

    Christine C.

    Came here with my parents and the food was really good. This was our first stop when we arrived in Charleston. The seafood was very fresh. Also, my mom is vegetarian and they were able to accommodate by giving her a small dish that she really enjoyed. I really enjoyed the seafood flight. Also, our waiter was sooo super friendly and really made our day by having good conversation. Also, the space is super cute- we sat outside and they had heating at night.

    Lamb bolognese and mustard crusted snapper
    Nina C.

    One of the top experiences I've had in Charleston. Our server was friendly and helped answer a lot of questions that we had. We started off with a dozen oysters that may have been the most fresh and delicious I've had in town. We could've easily had a dozen each by ourselves. Loved their wine selections and had 3 throughout the courses we had. I've had bolognese and pappardelle so many times but man this one was absolutely perfect. The pasta was thin but cooked so well and held all the delicious meat and sauce in every bite. We got the snapper with mustard although I don't usually like mustard but our server said it's very mild in flavor. So glad we got it because it was amazing. Fish was crispy on the outside, flaky yet soft. And when you scooped it up with the corn and sauce, it was so satisfying. Towards the end we got to meet one of the managers that had been there for several years, and he told us about the history of the building and it being an old bank which I thought was super cool. The layout of the restaurant with multiple floors and just bustling with energy. We thoroughly enjoyed everything!

    Hayley W.

    Such amazing small plates! The rotating menu keeps things interesting but I miss the lump crab spaghetti! The servers are beyond knowledgable and recommend the perfect dishes for you and the perfect drink pairings

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    From aesthetics to Service to history, southern charm, and by the way that I mention one of the best martinis shaken not stirred

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    1 month ago

    Really great spot. Fantastic everything. Katie was our server and was really solid. Give it a run for sure.

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    Ask the Community - The Ordinary

    Are children welcome?

    Maybe not answer if you've never been. Yes, children are welcome

    Is there a children's menu?

    No, but there should be something that children would be interested in, like the fish cakes!

    View All 5 Questions

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    La Pâtisserie

    La Pâtisserie

    4.4
    (267 reviews)
    0.4 mi
    $$

    Best croissants I've had since Paris!!! Service is top notch, quick but exudes charm &…read morefriendliness. Located inside the Bennet Hotel with great luxurious aesthetics. Iced coffee was refreshing I came back the next morning for another round. It was flavorful yet not sugary. It definitely gave me a kick and got addicted to it, except I'm only in the area for 4 days. Staff and manager were friendly yet professional. Although I was charged twice, the manager assured me they would fix it once the line was manageable. Somehow I trusted her word for it, just the manner with which she handled it was text book! Indeed, saw the overcharged taken care of by the next day. A must stop in downtown historic Charleston for sure! Great awesome pastries, sandwiches Parisian style made and clean refreshing breakfast beverages. This is the best patisserie option which actually lives up to its name, unlike those wannabe k ones!!!

    The girls working here are so so kind! Always happy always friendly! The coffee is really good much…read morebetter than a Starbucks!! Their pastries are (for the most part) really tasty. We've had the blueberry muffin, peach turnover, pain au chocolate, olive oil citrus muffin, banana chocolate croissant, and the macaroons. I would personally skip the macaroons - they weren't very good as far as filling and flavor went 24$ for 6 not very good cookies was disappointing. Everything else was great! And like I said coffee (all of it) is super!!

    Photos
    Almond and chocolate croissant
    Almond and chocolate croissant
    Breve latte
    Breve latte
    Light and airy!

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    Light and airy!
    Kaminsky's Dessert Cafe

    Kaminsky's Dessert Cafe

    3.9
    (1.1k reviews)
    1.0 mi
    $$

    My husband, his parents, and I went to Kaminsky's at around 8:30ish on a weeknight for a sweet…read moretreat. It's a super small establishment with a few tables and some bar seating. Luckily, we were able to be seated immediately but it was very close quarters with surrounding tables. The menu is vast with different dessert options. If you want to know what cakes are available, you should check out the display stand right when you enter. Since we were there 2.5 hours before closing, there didn't seem to be a lot of cake options available, but my husband and I decided to share a slice of the s'mores cake with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream to make it à la mode. The s'mores cake was a chocolate cake with mini marshmallows, chocolate fudge, graham crackers, and more marshmallows. The cake was good and had everything I could ever want in it, but it was a little dry. I think this also had to do with it being the end of the night. The ice cream complemented the flavor well. It would have been better with a second scoop of ice cream though. Service was great! It took about 10 minutes from when we ordered to get our dessert. I would probably come back here again, but not so late at night so there would be fresher cake with more options available.

    We gave Kaminsky's Dessert Cafe a second try, but unfortunately they couldn't redeem themselves. On…read moreboth visits, service was lacking. We waited about 5 to 10 minutes to be acknowledged while two employees stood nearby. The two layer chocolate caramel pecan cake, which our waitress initially could not find, was dry and tasted stale. I would not order it again. The Tollhouse pie was a bit better, but the presentation and the whipped cream were the standouts, and the whipped cream wasn't even homemade! That's the best thing I could say about our experience. The food, pricing, service, and ambiance all fell below average. When you are located downtown with so many great dessert options around, you really need to step up your game. We will not be returning.

    Photos
    Chocolate Brownie
    Chocolate Brownie
    Butterfinger cheese cake
    Butterfinger cheese cake
    Kaminsky's Dessert Cafe

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    The Ordinary - seafood - Updated July 2026

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