For a romantic dinner in Charleston, SC, start with Vern's, Chez Nous, FIG and 82 Queen. Vern's holds one MICHELIN star in the 2026 guide, Chez Nous serves a short daily menu, FIG has cooked downtown since 2003, and 82 Queen seats diners in a garden courtyard. Book early.
Every restaurant below was checked against its own website in October 2026: address, hours and how it takes bookings. Hours change, so confirm on the restaurant's site before you plan the night around it.
Which romantic restaurants in Charleston should you book?
These nine cover a MICHELIN-starred neighborhood room, a six-dish daily menu, a garden courtyard, two East Bay Street dining rooms and three Italian kitchens. The table shows when each serves dinner and how to get a table.
Restaurant | Address | Dinner | How to book |
Vern's | 41 Bogard St. | Thu to Mon, 5 to 10 p.m.; closed Tue and Wed | Resy, 30 days ahead at noon Eastern |
Chez Nous | 6 Payne Ct. | Tue to Sun, 5 to 10 p.m.; lunch 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Resy, linked from its site |
FIG | 232 Meeting St. | Tue to Sat, 5 to 10:30 p.m.; closed Sun and Mon | Resy, 28 days ahead at noon Eastern; most bar seats walk-in |
82 Queen | 82 Queen St. | Daily, seatings 5 to 9:30 p.m. | Resy, from its site |
Magnolias | 185 East Bay St. | Dinner nightly | Resy |
High Cotton | 199 East Bay St. | Daily from 4:30 p.m.; to 11 p.m. Fri and Sat | Reservations; bar opens 4 p.m. |
Sorelle | 88 Broad St. | Bar, lounge and Mercato from 4 p.m. daily | Dining room 60 days ahead; bar seats walk-in |
Le Farfalle | 15 Beaufain St. | Sun to Tue 5 to 9:30 p.m.; Thu to Sat 5 to 10 p.m.; call about Wednesday | Online or by phone; patio and bar walk-in only |
Melfi's | 721 King St. | Daily, 5 to 10 p.m.; lunch Fri to Sun | Reservations encouraged; few walk-in spots |
What makes each one right for a date night?
It comes down to the room and the menu. Below is what each restaurant says about itself, plus one independent note where the MICHELIN Guide has reviewed it.
1. Vern's
Daniel and Bethany Heinze run Vern's on the corner of Bogard and Ashe streets. The MICHELIN Guide awarded it one star in the 2026 selection and describes wood floors and tables set with flickering candles. The menu shifts with the seasons, pasta is made in house, and Bethany runs the wine list. Bookings open on Resy 30 days ahead at noon Eastern, and the guide notes a handful of bar seats are kept for walk-ins.
2. Chez Nous
Chez Nous calls itself a pint-sized neighborhood restaurant, cooking food and wine from Southern France, Northern Italy and Northern Spain. The menu changes daily and is the same at lunch and dinner: two appetizers, two entrees and two desserts. It opens Tuesday through Sunday, so it also works for a long lunch date at 6 Payne Court.
3. FIG
FIG has served downtown Charleston since 2003 and says it works seasonal ingredients into the menu nightly, with dinner, dessert and beverage menus dated on its site. Reservations open on Resy 28 days ahead at noon Eastern, for groups of up to six, and FIG says most bar seats are kept for walk-ins with the full menu. Its MICHELIN Guide listing singles out the seafood.
4. 82 Queen
82 Queen has served Lowcountry dishes since 1982 and describes its setting as a historic garden courtyard. Dinner seatings run daily from 5 to 9:30 p.m., weekday lunch from 11 a.m., and weekend brunch from 10 a.m., so it fits a dinner date or a slow weekend morning.
5. Magnolias
Magnolias opened in July 1990 at 185 East Bay Street, a site the restaurant identifies from a 1739 map as Charleston's original Customs House. Culinary Director Kelly Franz leads an upscale Southern menu with dishes like fried green tomatoes and Lowcountry bouillabaisse. It serves dinner nightly, lunch Monday through Saturday and brunch on Sunday.
6. High Cotton
High Cotton describes dining rooms of heart pine floors and antique brick, with a bar that opens at 4 p.m. daily and a live music program listed on its site. Dinner starts at 4:30 p.m. every night and runs to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, so it suits a later reservation after an evening walk.
7. Sorelle
Sorelle brings Southern Italian cooking from Chef Nick Dugan to 88 Broad Street, with a restaurant, bar, lounge and market under one roof. A house martini is prepared tableside, and a multi-course chef's menu is built for sharing. Dining room reservations open 60 days ahead; the bar, lounge and Mercato seats are first come, first served from 4 p.m. with the full dinner menu.
8. Le Farfalle
Chef Michael Toscano cooks regional Italian food with handmade pasta at Le Farfalle in Harleston Village, dinner only. Its pages list Sunday through Tuesday from 5 to 9:30 p.m. and Thursday through Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m., but disagree on Wednesday, so call before a Wednesday date. Indoor tables can be booked online or by phone at 843.212.0920. The patio and bar stools are for walk-in guests only, which helps if you decide on the night.
9. Melfi's
Melfi's describes itself as a grown-up, clubby Italian restaurant, with linen-draped tables, a long wooden bar and a pizza counter facing two wood burning ovens. It serves fresh pasta and thin crust pizza at dinner daily from 5 p.m. It asks guests to book tables and bar seats, keeps very limited walk-in space and discourages hats and flip-flops.
WHY THREE HOTEL RESTAURANTS LEFT THIS LIST
The previous version of this page included Circa 1886, the Caviar Bar at Zero George and The Watch rooftop, which each sit inside a Charleston hotel. This guide now lists restaurants that run on their own, and each was checked open on its own site in October 2026.
Which romantic restaurants are close to CHC homes?
Vern's at 41 Bogard Street and Chez Nous at 6 Payne Court both have 29403 addresses, the same ZIP code as the CHC Vacation Rentals office at 6 Tully Alley.
Distances vary by home, so check the route on a map before you choose between walking and a rideshare. For the restaurants and shops along King Street, see our King Street food and shopping guide.
How far ahead should you book a romantic dinner in Charleston?
Set reminders. Vern's opens Resy bookings at noon Eastern 30 days before the date, FIG at noon Eastern 28 days before, and Sorelle takes dining room bookings 60 days ahead. The others take reservations through their own sites, so book once your dates are set.
If you missed a reservation | What the restaurant says |
Sorelle | Bar, lounge and Mercato seating is first come, first served from 4 p.m., with the full dinner menu |
Le Farfalle | Patio and bar stools are for walk-in guests only |
Vern's | A handful of bar seats are saved for walk-ins, per the MICHELIN Guide |
FIG | Most bar area seating is for walk-ins, with the full menu and full service |
Melfi's | Very limited walk-in space; reservations encouraged for the bar too |
CHECK VERN'S CLOSED DATES
Vern's lists these 2026 closures: November 7, November 12, November 24 to 26 and 28, December 17, December 22 to 25, and January 1. Plan an anniversary or holiday dinner around them.
SUNDAY OR MONDAY DATE NIGHT
FIG is closed Sunday and Monday, and Chez Nous is closed Monday. Vern's, 82 Queen, Magnolias, High Cotton, Le Farfalle and Melfi's all serve dinner on Monday.
Where should you park for dinner downtown?
On Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, the City of Charleston bans street parking on King Street between Spring and John streets from 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. Plan a garage, a rideshare or a restaurant's own parking.
Melfi's offers complimentary parking in marked spaces across from the Greek Orthodox Church at 19 Race Street. Meters are enforced 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, so read the signs where you park. Our downtown Charleston parking guide covers garages and rates, and our guide on whether you need a car in Charleston covers the other options.
SKIP THE CAR ON A FRIDAY OR SATURDAY
If dinner is on King Street on a weekend night, the street spaces between Spring and John are off limits after 6 p.m. A rideshare saves the search for a garage.
FAQs
Of the nine restaurants in this guide, Vern's holds one MICHELIN star in the 2026 MICHELIN Guide. It sits at 41 Bogard Street, serves dinner Thursday through Monday, and opens Resy bookings 30 days ahead at noon Eastern. A few bar seats are kept for walk-ins.
Yes, at some. Sorelle seats its bar, lounge and Mercato first come, first served from 4 p.m., and Le Farfalle keeps its patio and bar stools for walk-ins only. FIG keeps most bar seats for walk-ins, and Vern's holds a few.
Of the nine in this guide, Vern's, 82 Queen, Magnolias, High Cotton, Le Farfalle and Melfi's serve dinner on Monday, and Sorelle's bar and lounge open at 4 p.m. daily. FIG and Chez Nous are closed Mondays, so plan those later in the week.
Chez Nous serves lunch Tuesday through Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., with the same daily menu as dinner. 82 Queen serves weekday lunch from 11 a.m., Magnolias serves lunch Monday through Saturday, and Melfi's serves lunch Friday through Sunday.
Where should couples stay for a Charleston date night?
CHC Vacation Rentals owns and manages a growing portfolio of boutique rentals across Charleston, run from an office in the same 29403 ZIP code as Vern's and Chez Nous. Our one-bedroom rentals for two are listed for couples and solo travelers.
Browse our one-bedroom rentals for two, and read the cancellation policy before you reserve. Check-in is 4 p.m. and check-out is 11 a.m. Call 843.329.2040 or email bookings@chcvacationrentals.com with your dates.