Charleston Upper King Street: Innovative Culinary Tour
4.5
191 Ratings
Charleston
Experience the vibrant culinary scene of Charleston's Upper King Street neighborhood on this innovative food tour. Discover the trailblazing chefs and restaurants that are redefining Southern cuisine in the New South.
Duration:
2 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Cannonborough Elliotborough - This 2.5 hour tour will take you around the Upper King Street historic District
- Radcliffeborough - This 2.5 Hour tour will take you through the Upper King Street historic district
What's Included
- City-certified guide
- Lunch
What's Not Included
- Alcoholic/Specialty drinks (available for individual purchase at most locations)
- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
Additional Information
This is a 2.5-hour journey that provides a deep understanding of Charleston’s Upper King Street neighborhood, recognized as one of the top 10 food areas in the country, highlighting four of Charleston’s food pioneers who represent the New South cuisine.
The Upper King Street region has burgeoned as a vibrant locality, highlighting food creativity, unconventional design, and a lively nightlife. The eateries spotlighted in this gastronomic tour are pioneers of Charleston’s food landscape, bold and creative, with intense enthusiasm for their work. The aim of this Upper King Street voyage is to display the contemporary and assorted aspects of the Lowcountry, while providing awareness about Charleston’s constantly evolving food culture.
- Please arrive 15-Minutes prior to departure.
- Vegan, dairy/lactose, & soy restrictions cannot be adequately accommodated. Guests with multiple allergies should contact Charleston Culinary Tours prior to booking to confirm accommodation.
- We cannot assume responsibility for those with severe allergies.
- We make every effort to provide a full meal for all guests, however, substitutions may not be 1-for-1 with regular tour offerings.
- We craft our tours to represent the unique aspects of each venue and neighborhood. Unfortunately, there isn’t always a “next best” option that also meets a special dietary need. Since we have your health, taste buds, and overall experience in mind, we truly appreciate your understanding on this issue.
- We recommend weather-appropriate attire and comfortable walking shoes.
- Tours operate rain or shine, hot or cold. In the rare cases of EXTREME weather (e.g. Hurricane!), we will notify all guests of cancellations in advance, as soon as a decision has been made.
- Not recommended for children under 8 years old.
- DIETARY RESTRICTIONS must be communicated directly to Charleston Culinary Tours at least 36 hours before your scheduled tour or restrictions cannot be accommodated.
- Not recommended for travelers with severe dietary needs
- DIETARY RESTRICTIONS must be communicated in advance directly to Charleston Culinary Tours
- DIETARY RESTRICTIONS cannot be accommodated without advance notice (at least 24 hours prior to tour time)
- Vegan, dairy, or soy restrictions cannot be accommodated
Location
Visitors Center
Meet inside the Visitor Center (375 Meeting Street)
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.5
(191 Ratings)
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David_k
Dec 23, 2023
Walking tour - This tour was awesome! Not only did we get feed more than I could eat but we had a great walking tour of a part of Charleston I never have been in before.
Review provided by Viator
Megansiason
Nov 27, 2023
Last Minute Food Tour in Charleston- Pescatarian Friendly! - I was in Charleston for a conference, arrived early so signed up for their Culinary Tour. Our guide Simon was an amazing tour guide- knowledgable, pleasant and personable! I attended this tour mid-week, so our group was very intimate- 5 total people, which I preferred! Simon had wonderful suggestions for other activities, great stories and historical facts along our walk and made the tour worthy of sharing with friends. As a first timer and design enthusiast I was overly excited about seeing all the historical buildings and beautiful facades.
I was thrilled they were able to accommodate my pescatarian lifestyle on such short notice. Of the 4 restaurants we stopped at, the BBQ place (stop #3) was the only restaurant in which I only ate side dishes- they gave me an decent serving of potato salad and broccoli, but honestly at that point I was already starting to fill up so not a huge deal for me…and they were actually very delicious lol! While our first stop was my favorite for ambience and interior design (I won’t spoil too much!), my fave was the Oyster House! While no actual oysters were served for our tour, the sampler platter of the seafood hush puppies, shrimp & grits and chowder were ohhhh so yummy! Overall, the food was delish at all the restaurants, definitely did not disappoint!
I've already shared this company with friends (recommending Simon of course!) and can't wait to go back with my boyfriend!
A few extra traveler tips:
✅ Early October weather was very pleasant, but I still brought a small umbrella just in case!
✅ Walking shoes are a must, the streets are uneven in many areas.
✅ You can always buy more food or alcoholic beverages off the menu- the 2 separate tipping lines (for host AND chef) on the receipt was new to me.
✅ Always tip your tour guides! 💕
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kapur
Nov 11, 2023
Worth the money and time - Jessi was an excellent guide and the food was amazing. Plenty of food and sights to see with only a moderate amount of walking. Great for all ages.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Cari
Oct 15, 2023
One of the most fun things we’ve done! - Our tour guide’s name was John, and he was fantastic! There was plenty of food, and it was all delicious. We learned some history, found out about new restaurants to try, and met some lovely people! We would definitely return for some of their other tours, and bring our friends!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rdnsrc78
Oct 15, 2023
Fun time learning and enjoying this beautiful city! - John was wonderful! Great historical facts and very knowledgeable of the city and surrounding areas! Lots of fun!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
863juliat
Oct 8, 2023
Great tour - Mimi our guide was fabulous and very informative and interesting. The food was fantastic and we didn’t need to have dinner afterwards because we had so much food during our tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Gordieh2014
Sep 2, 2023
Knowledgeable Guide - My husband I enjoyed every food stop and also learning the history of Charleston. I would highly recommend this tour. Jessie was a very knowledgeable guide.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Amanda_b
Aug 28, 2023
Fun with Mimi and food! - Mimi was the best guide! She was so knowledgeable of the history, and the restaurants knew exactly who she was, and treated us like royalty as we tasted all the wonderful food and drinks. We returned to two of the restaurants we visited for more because it was so tasty. Mimi should be a national treasure❤️
Review provided by Viator
Stephanie
Jul 16, 2023
Good, filling, buy your own drinks - The tour guide was lovely; very professional and accommodating. As a solo traveler I did feel a bit left out of the group as she sought to keep the groups that came together completely seated together. We weren’t really introduced (in comparison to a tour I did in Barcelona where everyone mixed all the time). The foods were quite delicious but do not come expecting any typical southern cuisine. I was more than full when I left. Goods were two ravioli, mini shrimp po boy and chicken and waffle, mussels, fries and Brussels sprouts, yeast dough Belgian waffle.
Note though that I think at least one drink should be included for the price being paid. Being asked for my credit card at each place for a drinks order detracts from the fun. My food tour in Amsterdam had an interesting beverage at every stop for roughly the same price.
Also finger wag at the last spot for tacking on a 20% gratuity to my bar bill (single beer) Given the fact you just had a bunch of people eating at your restaurant in off hours grabbing additional dollars without warning or option to change the amount isn’t cool. Tour operator you should discuss this with 38 Rue de Jean.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Katie_n
Oct 5, 2023
Save ya money, go elsewhere - I wanted to love this because it is a great concept and we paid a lot. $95 a person so I had high expectations. I read mixed reviews before booking it and took a risk. Unless they change the restaurants, food items, and portion sizes, I would NOT recommend. You would be way better off going to your own choices, ordering what you want, and even with tipping, I think it would be less than the cost of this. The guide was interesting so no shame to her. But the food - dried up mussels, French fries, Brussel sprouts at one place, tiny piece of chicken and waffle and tiny bite of shrimp po boy at one place, unique decent size ravioli at one place, then boiled peanuts, fried Oreo and banana pudding at a bowling alley. All the portions were small and food was basic. And I already knew this in advance but alcoholic beverages are NOT included. We just expected a lot more for Charleston, SC and for the price we paid. And I hate writing bad reviews. I’m sorry :( but it’s the truth. I just want someone else to save their money.
Review provided by Viator
