Hardwood Flooring in John’s Island, SC

More often than not, tipsters, readers, friends, and family of Eater have one question: Where should I eat right now? What are the new restaurants? What's everyone talking about? While the Eater 18 is a crucial resource covering old standbys and neighborhood essentials across the city, it is not a chronicle of the "it" places of the moment. Enter the Eater Heatmap, which will change continually to highlight the spots crowds are flocking to at the moment or generating a big buzz. Folks are asking, "Have you been yet?" Try one of these newbies today.

New to the list:

November 2024: Legami, Chef Loong Dim SumOctober 2024: Linnette’s September 2024: the Archer August 2024: the SelectJuly 2024: Marbled & Fin, MakanJune 2024: Downtown Co-OpMay 2024: Sissy Bar, CoterieApril 2024: Da Toscano Fugazzi, XO Brasserie March 2024: Bodega Mount PleasantFebruary 2024: Cleats, Lowland Dining Room, Palmira BarbecueJanuary 2024: the Harlow, Da Toscano Porchetta ShopDecember 2023: the Quinte, Lowland Tavern, Lost Isle, Costa, BearcatNovember 2023: King BBQOctober 2023: Honeysuckle Rose

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Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process.

The team from downtown bar Dalila’s opened a fun new spot in Park Circle. Sissy Bar takes inspiration from Southern California, from mezcal drinks to breakfast burritos to a massive barbacoa taco platter. Bring friends to sample all the sharable plates.

Slow-cooked brisket and whole hog meet Puerto Rican flavors at Palmira Barbecue. Pitmaster Hector Garate has been popping up around the Lowcountry for several years, but now he has a permanent address in West Ashley.

The crew from hip breakfast spot Daps opened a sports bar with better food and drinks found at typical sports bars. Find pit beef sandwiches, Thai-flavored hot dogs, green hatch chili wings, and waffle fries.

Herman Ng grew up working in his family’s Chinese restaurant, and now he owns his own with the opening of XO Brasserie. The menu focuses on Cantonese and Sichuan cooking, including XO lobster, mapo tofu, and garlic pepper beef. Don’t miss the fun cocktails or the desserts.

The couple behind Wagener Terrace hangout Berkeley’s recently opened their second restaurant, the Archer. They want it to have the same neighborhood vibes but raise the stakes with a full bar and fine dining-level comfort plates. Chef Paul Farmer (formerly of Three Sirens), puts out plates like duck frites, baked oysters, beef stroganoff, chicken liver mousse, and chilled crab dip.

Legami is a new Italian restaurant boasting a chef brought in from Rome by a family with roots in Turin, Italy. Washington Street Hospitality, which controls three Pasta Beach restaurants in New England, thought the King Street building would be another location for Pasta Beach, but decided to switch it up once they got into the historic building. Chef Andrea Congiusta cooks modern Italian fare with some influences from France. “We took inspiration from the classic fine dining, but we also want to have something fun, something that looks very fancy, and something you can crave,” says Congiusta. Dishes include king crab tagliolini, beef Wellington, and veal Milanese.

Modern steakhouse Marbled & Fin is giving all the other steakhouses a run for their money. The expansive dining room fills nightly with well-heeled customers ready to see and be seen. On the menu, chef Eucepe “Cepe” Puntriano includes all the steakhouse classics plus an emphasis on seafood dishes for non-meat eaters. Look for seafood towers, wedge salads, wagyu beef, bone marrow with oysters, creamed spinach, and more.

D.C.-based Malaysian restaurant Makan now has a second location in the Lowcountry. Chef James Wozniuk wanted the South Carolina location to feature local seafood. The ikan asam pedas, a Malaysian hot and sour fish curry, is a must-try if you like spice. There’s also rendand daging (dry beef curry), curry mee (noodle soup with chicken sausage), and kerabu mangga (mango salad).

Charleston is going crazy for soup dumplings, and newcomer Chef Loong Dim Sum delivers. The restaurant offers four flavors (pork soup, chicken soup, pork tomato soup, and truffle pork soup). The rest of the menu is quite extensive as well, with selections ranging from Sichuan mala chicken, crab rangoon, dan dan noodles, mapo tofu, and more.

The team behind Italian favorite Le Farfalle has an enticing new cafe in Charleston. The focus of Da Toscano Porchetta Shop is the housemade focaccia and everything that can be sandwiched between the airy bread. Chef Michael Toscano serves a filling chorizo and egg sandwich in the morning and a sumptuous porchetta sandwich in the afternoon. There’s also choices like prime rib, roast chicken, marinated eggplant, and so much more.

Charming new hotel the Dunlin offers sweeping views of the Kiawah River, abundant hospitality, and coastal Southern fare in its signature restaurant, Linnette’s. Chef Michael DeCicco puts out dishes like a pressed and pickled watermelon salad, wood-fired oysters, cornmeal-crusted flounder, and a sorghum-benne lacquered steak with charred okra.

The team from downtown bar Dalila’s opened a fun new spot in Park Circle. Sissy Bar takes inspiration from Southern California, from mezcal drinks to breakfast burritos to a massive barbacoa taco platter. Bring friends to sample all the sharable plates.

Slow-cooked brisket and whole hog meet Puerto Rican flavors at Palmira Barbecue. Pitmaster Hector Garate has been popping up around the Lowcountry for several years, but now he has a permanent address in West Ashley.

The crew from hip breakfast spot Daps opened a sports bar with better food and drinks found at typical sports bars. Find pit beef sandwiches, Thai-flavored hot dogs, green hatch chili wings, and waffle fries.

Herman Ng grew up working in his family’s Chinese restaurant, and now he owns his own with the opening of XO Brasserie. The menu focuses on Cantonese and Sichuan cooking, including XO lobster, mapo tofu, and garlic pepper beef. Don’t miss the fun cocktails or the desserts.

The couple behind Wagener Terrace hangout Berkeley’s recently opened their second restaurant, the Archer. They want it to have the same neighborhood vibes but raise the stakes with a full bar and fine dining-level comfort plates. Chef Paul Farmer (formerly of Three Sirens), puts out plates like duck frites, baked oysters, beef stroganoff, chicken liver mousse, and chilled crab dip.

Legami is a new Italian restaurant boasting a chef brought in from Rome by a family with roots in Turin, Italy. Washington Street Hospitality, which controls three Pasta Beach restaurants in New England, thought the King Street building would be another location for Pasta Beach, but decided to switch it up once they got into the historic building. Chef Andrea Congiusta cooks modern Italian fare with some influences from France. “We took inspiration from the classic fine dining, but we also want to have something fun, something that looks very fancy, and something you can crave,” says Congiusta. Dishes include king crab tagliolini, beef Wellington, and veal Milanese.

Modern steakhouse Marbled & Fin is giving all the other steakhouses a run for their money. The expansive dining room fills nightly with well-heeled customers ready to see and be seen. On the menu, chef Eucepe “Cepe” Puntriano includes all the steakhouse classics plus an emphasis on seafood dishes for non-meat eaters. Look for seafood towers, wedge salads, wagyu beef, bone marrow with oysters, creamed spinach, and more.

D.C.-based Malaysian restaurant Makan now has a second location in the Lowcountry. Chef James Wozniuk wanted the South Carolina location to feature local seafood. The ikan asam pedas, a Malaysian hot and sour fish curry, is a must-try if you like spice. There’s also rendand daging (dry beef curry), curry mee (noodle soup with chicken sausage), and kerabu mangga (mango salad).

Charleston is going crazy for soup dumplings, and newcomer Chef Loong Dim Sum delivers. The restaurant offers four flavors (pork soup, chicken soup, pork tomato soup, and truffle pork soup). The rest of the menu is quite extensive as well, with selections ranging from Sichuan mala chicken, crab rangoon, dan dan noodles, mapo tofu, and more.

The team behind Italian favorite Le Farfalle has an enticing new cafe in Charleston. The focus of Da Toscano Porchetta Shop is the housemade focaccia and everything that can be sandwiched between the airy bread. Chef Michael Toscano serves a filling chorizo and egg sandwich in the morning and a sumptuous porchetta sandwich in the afternoon. There’s also choices like prime rib, roast chicken, marinated eggplant, and so much more.

Charming new hotel the Dunlin offers sweeping views of the Kiawah River, abundant hospitality, and coastal Southern fare in its signature restaurant, Linnette’s. Chef Michael DeCicco puts out dishes like a pressed and pickled watermelon salad, wood-fired oysters, cornmeal-crusted flounder, and a sorghum-benne lacquered steak with charred okra.

JOHNS ISLAND, S.C. (WCBD) – Officials confirmed that the fields at Johns Island Park are on schedule to be completed in time.

Charleston County School District (CCSD) is working on this project that is expected to bring new lights, grass, batting cages, and more to the facility. St. John’s High School parents were concerned after delays pushed back the much needed renovations, but are now breathing sighs of relief.

“Oh, that’s just amazing. I mean we’ve lost sleep over this,” Karen Tetrev, baseball parent at St. John’s High School, said. “The players are going to be so excited, they are working so hard. I mean they do batting in an old tennis court. They just do what they can.”

The park serves as a home base for the high school’s baseball and softball teams, but it is owned by the City of Charleston. The players commute to the facility for pre-season and in-season practice as well as games.

“We’re grateful that the city allows us to use this facility, that’s a great positive seeing as we don’t have place on campus,” Lindsay Jackson, baseball parent at St. John’s High School, said. “But we just feel like them and district might not understand the plight that our student-athletes are having to go through.”

Despite the challenges of having an off-campus field, the student-athletes are still able to play competitively with their peers.

“The boys and the girls are both competitive in their region, like last year – the year before last they won the region,” Jackson said. “That was the first time in 37 years and a lot of the young people on these teams, they came up on the Barrier Island leagues as well. So this is great, we’re really building baseball on Johns Island here but we need to have the facilities.”

As a primary location for these players, the completion date is crucial. Parents said these renovations are expected to bring the high school up to the equivalent of other high schools in the area, fulfilling the promises that were made.

“I think they are just going to be so excited to hear that they are being valued and put as a priority in the community,” Tetrev said. “I think it’s going to make a huge difference to the high school, I think it’ll draw more families, and I think in the long run everyone’s going to be happy we made this happen.”

The Mark Clark Extension has long been promoted as the best chance to relieve traffic on Johns Island. But the referendum to fund that road failed to win a single precinct on the island.

It wasn't an isolated rejection.

Voters countywide sent the Charleston County sales tax referendum down in a crushing defeat, with more than 61 percent opposed.

In many areas — Johns Island, James Island, Mount Pleasant, Seabrook Island, the Charleston peninsula and others — the referendum didn't pass in even one precinct.

Opponents say that should be the end of the Mark Clark Extension, which would carry Interstate 526 from West Ashley to Johns and James islands as a lower-speed parkway.

"The reality is, it was a 526 referendum," said John Zlogar, a cofounder of Rational Roads for Johns Island.

He called the results "just astounding" and said he had hoped the referendum might fail by one or two percentage points, not more than 21.

County Councilman Larry Kobrovsky, who opposed the referendum, said after results were tallied that voters made clear their opposition.

"They said 'no' and 'hell no,' " he said.

Some supporters believe that voters weren't rejecting the road at all, but the proposed sales tax to raise $5.4 billion. The referendum was designed to fund the Mark Clark Extension, but was crafted to avoid any mention of that specific road project.

“My perception is, this was about voting down another tax," said County Councilman Joe Boykin, a Johns Island resident who supports the road plan. “It just means we need back up and find another way to fund it."

Charleston County voters supported two previous transportation sales tax referenda, together adding one percent to the county's sales tax rate. The referendum on the Nov. 5 ballot would have continued one of the half-percent taxes for up to 25 more years, when an existing one expires in 2027.

While the referendum question didn't mention the Mark Clark Extension, it was the only priority project listed in the referendum ordinance and would have consumed the largest share of the money raised.

“One thing that was clear to me last night is that we could do a better job of communicating," said Councilwoman Jenny Honeycutt, who supports the Mark Clark Extension and lives on James Island.

“I would have thought that the people who stood to gain the most would have supported it," she said, referring to residents of Johns and James islands.

Business and real estate groups supported the referendum, along with elected officials from the county, Charleston and North Charleston.

Charleston County needs more than $1.8 billion for it's share of the $2.33 billion project. The state's contribution to the Mark Clark has been capped at $420 million.

“We’re contractually bound to do this, so we’ll have to find a way to finance it," Boykin said. "It’s not going away."

Council Chairman Herb Sass said the referendum results surprised him.

“I thought we had a really good program," he said. "I had an awful lot of people tell me they were voting for it."

In Mount Pleasant, where Sass lives, the referendum failed by a more than two-to-one margin, a difference of more than 20,000 votes.