Sea Food Bike Tour of Charleston
City Tour, 13 miles
Overview
This route celebrates the oceanic bounty of the Lowcountry, as interpreted by chefs working in highbrow and lowbrow restaurants.
NOTE ON HOURS OF OPERATION - The route was chosen with particular detail to hours of operation, beginning with a brunch at Hominy Grill and ending with dinner at Edmund's Oast. Half the restaurants chosen don't open until 4:30 or later, so be sure to reference the hours in each restaurant's description.
NOTE ON COMFORT & SAFETY - Morrison Drive to Edmund's Oast has a bike lane but it doesn't meet our comfort standards for novice riders. The pickled shrimp dish is unbelievably worth it but please ride single file and outfit your bike with lights for night riding.
Logistics
Bikes
Bicycle Shoppe - $7/hour, $28/day, $50/week - Fuji Cape May cruiser with basket and lock
Water Taxi
We highly recommend the ride over the Arthur Ravenel Bridge for its scenic views and comfortable bike path. However, take the water taxi back from Mt. Pleasant and save yourself time and energy. From the Charleston Marina, the taxi departs every hour on the hour. $6 one way, $10 all day pass
What to Bring?
Empty belly and $120 for recommended dishes at every restaurant (not including tip or drinks); Water taxi is $6 one way or $10 for all day pass; Front & rear lights for your bike
Route Highlights:
A. Hominy Grill 207 Rutledge Ave, Charleston | hominygrill.com | (843) 937-0930
Garlic crabs and fried whiting are more genuinely Charlestonian, but nobody wants to leave the city without sampling shrimp-and-grits. Robert Stehling's feted restaurant is responsible for the best of them. M-F, 7:30am-9pm | Sat, 9am-9pm | Sun, 9am-3pm
B. Dave's Carry Out 42 Morris St, Charleston | (843) 577-7943
One of the last soul food joints on the peninsula, Dave's is rightly celebrated for its lightly-breaded fried shrimp and spicy red rice. Tu-F, 11:30am-3pm | Tu-Sa, 5-11pm
C. Nana's Seafood & Soul 176 Line St, Charleston | (843) 937-0002
Nana's is downtown's resident standard bearer for Gullah cuisine, from its roots to its 20th century incarnation. It's one of the few commercial sources of chili bears, a frozen concoction beloved across the Lowcountry, and a reliable purveyor of garlic clams. Hours unknown.
D. Old Village Post Inn 101 Pitt St, Mt Pleasant | www.oldvillageposthouse.com | (843) 388-8935
Situated in the heart of Old Mount Pleasant, a centuries-old fishing village, OVPH is the most charming entry in the Maverick Southern Kitchens empire that launched Charleston's culinary reputation. We're here for the clams. 7 nights, 5:30pm-until | Sun Brunch, 10am-2pm
E. Wreck of the Richard & Charlene 106 Haddrell St, Mt Pleasant | www.wreckrc.com | (843) 884-0052
Wrecked twice by hurricanes, this casual seafood dive produces the region's best deviled crab (and is treated to Shem Creek's best sunset views). Sun-Thur, 5:30-8:30 pm | Fri-Sat, 5:30-9:30 pm
F. Fleet Landing 186 Concord St, Charleston | www.fleetlanding.net | (843) 722-8100
Fleet Landing is noisy, and the cooked entrees are forgettable. Still, it’s one the few restaurants in town with a harbor view, meaning there’s almost nowhere nicer for a tray of raw oysters. 7 days, 11am-4pm & 5-10pm
G. Edmund's Oast 1081 Morrison Dr, Charleston | edmundsoast.com | (843) 727-1145
Chef Andy Henderson, formerly the sous chef at FIG, has applied his sense of refinement to local shrimp, pickling them and serving them on EVO bread with ricotta. Edmund's Oast is widely considered one of the nation's best new restaurants, and the pickled shrimp plays no small part in the verdict. 7 days, 5:30pm-midnight | Sun Brunch, 12-3pm
