Best Shrimp and Grits in Charleston: Where and Why

The best shrimp and grits in Charleston is the plate that tastes most like the Lowcountry: sweet local shrimp, creamy stone-ground grits and a sauce cooked down until savory. It began as a fisherman's breakfast and became the city's calling card, and nearly every serious kitchen has its own version.

Start with the shrimp, which should be sweet and just cooked, then judge the grits, which should be smooth and hot. Brunch is the traditional time, and local shrimp has a season, usually late spring through fall.

What is shrimp and grits?

Grits are ground dried corn, simmered until soft. The shrimp are usually cooked quickly in a pan with butter, bacon or sausage, and the dish is finished with a sauce, a gravy or a splash of pan juices. The earliest versions in the coastal Carolinas were simple breakfast food for people who worked on the water: grits from the pantry and shrimp from the morning's catch.

Today the same name covers a wide range of plates. Some are plain and buttery, some come with tasso ham or Andouille sausage, and some are plated with a restaurant's seasonal vegetables. If you are new to the dish, expect a rich, spoonable plate that is eaten with a fork and a lot of attention.

Why do stone-ground grits matter?

Stone-ground grits are milled from whole corn and keep more of the flavor and texture of the grain. They take longer to cook than instant grits, and the difference is obvious: nutty, slightly coarse and creamy rather than pasty. Several Charleston kitchens now name the mill on the menu, so ask where the grits come from.

Some Charleston kitchens are known for grits milled from heirloom corn, and their versions change with the season, so what you eat depends on the week. Ask where the grits are milled if you care where the corn comes from. If a menu names the grits, that is usually a good sign.

Where can you find the best shrimp and grits in Charleston?

Brunch in a restored Victorian house near Queen Street is a Lowcountry ritual, with shrimp and grits and house biscuits on the table. The plate to look for comes with Andouille sausage, peppers and tasso ham gravy, the closest thing to a grandmother's version.

The downtown dining rooms along East Bay Street dress the dish up for dinner, and lunch or brunch is the easier table if you want a quieter meal. Read the current menu before you commit, and rate the plate you order.

Menus change and restaurants close, so look at a current menu before you plan a meal around one dish.

How does Charleston Southern food go beyond this dish?

Shrimp and grits is a way into a bigger menu. Look for she-crab soup, fried green tomatoes, okra stew, red rice, collards, benne seed wafers and pimento cheese. Many restaurants serve these with biscuits or cornbread, and a Lowcountry meal usually ends with pie or pudding.

If you are new to Southern food, start with the shrimp and grits and add one vegetable side to share. If you are at brunch, ask whether the kitchen uses local shrimp and how the grits are made. Cooks who care will tell you.

What should you look for on the plate?

Start with the shrimp. They should be sweet and just cooked, not rubbery, and sized so a forkful has two or three. The grits should be smooth, hot and loose enough to run slowly off a spoon. The sauce should add depth, not salt alone. A mix of smoky meat, onion and pepper is common.

Check the temperature. A plate that arrives lukewarm means the grits sat; a plate with a skin on the grits means the same. Sit down only when you are ready to eat, because shrimp and grits does not wait.

When is the best time to eat it?

Brunch is the traditional answer, and many places treat it as a weekend ritual with lines to match. Local shrimp has a season, usually late spring through fall, so the sweetest plates tend to come then. Out of season, many kitchens use frozen or imported shrimp, which is worth knowing if you are paying a high price for a local claim.

Charleston restaurants are busy in spring and during major events, so book ahead or go early. Walk-ins are easier at lunch.

What else should you read before you go?

For a wider look at the city, the Charleston peninsula restaurants by neighborhood guide shows where the dining rooms cluster, and the Lowcountry regional food guide explains Gullah Geechee rice, benne and red rice. For a similar dish on the Gulf, see best oysters in New Orleans. More cities are on the US guides page.

Shrimp and grits is a dish worth comparing. With the Mosey app you can rate each plate by dish, note the grits and the sauce and keep a Charleston list that tells you what to order next time. Rate a brunch plate and a dinner plate as separate dishes, add a tag for the setting, and follow friends to see which Lowcountry plates they come back to.