Home Inspection in North Charleston, SC

President Joe Biden will worship with a Lowcountry congregation and visit the International African American Museum in Charleston during his final day in office.

President Joe Biden will wrap up his presidency in Charleston this weekend, spending his final day in office in the city where it all began with the 2020 endorsement of Congressman Jim Clyburn.

“He is coming to thank the very community and the people who put him in the White House,” says former State Sen. Marlon Kimpson who was appointed by Biden in 2023 to serve on the U.S. Trade Advisory Committee.

Kimpson says Biden will worship at Royal Missionary Baptist Church in North Charleston Sunday and attend a reception at the International African American Museum at Gadsden’s Wharf in Charleston.

“While he will be thanking us, we will also be thanking him,” says Kimpson. “This president has done tremendous service to our state.”

Kimpson points to the Bipartisan Infrastructure law of 2021 that brought millions of dollars to our state, including the expansion of broadband allowing internet access for people in rural communities at a critical time, during the pandemic.

He also applauds the outgoing president for expanding healthcare for many who could not afford it, in particular, the American Rescue Plan that provided relief for families and workers impacted by COVID.

“All those resources enable our people to live a better quality of life,” says Kimpson.

As for what’s next with former President Donald Trump officially returning to the White House the day after Biden’s visit, Kimpson believes attacks on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs have been misplaced.

“People are hurting in our country and they’re looking for somebody to blame for their own lack of success,” he says.

“I think leveling the playing field for opportunities for those who haven’t historically had those disadvantages is not taking away from someone who thinks they’re deserving.”

As for President Biden’s message Sunday, Kimpson says, that’s anyone’s guess.

“I can say this. It’s hist last day in office and he will be speaking to the world.”

In other words, all eyes will be on Charleston.

The White House has issued a press release acknowledging the president’s visit to Charleston but has yet to include specifics.

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.

This month, the new Jackrabbit Filly location joins the list.

For all the latest Charleston dining intel, subscribe to Eater Charleston's newsletter.

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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.

Chinese American restaurant Jackrabbit Filly moved up the street to a bigger dining room and more prominent location. With the move comes a more extensive menu with exciting new options. Karrage, dumplings, and fried rice are still on the menu, but now there’s also a crab rangoon cheese ball, mapo tofu vol au vent, spicy Korean gnocchi, and Sichuan seafood wonton soup.

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.

Chubby Fish (most recently visited by Martha Stewart) has smartly expanded into the space next door with another cozy nautical space, but this time, the team is focused on world-class cocktails from Christian Favier (formerly of the Ordinary). Rum figures heavily on the list, but there’s also a delicious smoked dirty martini and plenty of fizzy drinks thanks to a fancy Japanese Suntory highball machine. Customers can order snacks from the ever-changing menu, including oysters, crudos, agnolotti, Iberico ham, and more.

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.

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.

Chef Micheal Toscano recently opened a taco shop next to his Italian restaurant Le Farfalle. Blanca Estrada is Toscano’s ode to his Mexican mother and grandmother, whose cooking was an early influence on his culinary journey. The kitchen offers a selection of tacos, from cochinita pibil to lengua, several specials, like a lamb neck burrito, and several tequila drinks and pineapple vinegar soda.

Ice-cold martinis with a side of caviar set the vibe at By the Way, a new upscale lounge and restaurant in Cannonborough/Elliotborough hoping to draw a slightly more mature clientele away from King Street. It’s from Uptown Hospitality Group, the folks behind hotspots like Uptown Social and Bodega, in partnership with Craig Conover and Austen Kroll, two stars of Bravo TV’s Southern Charm. Fairly intimate with the feel of an old-world tavern, By the Way serves a menu of trendy pub fare like ’nduja deviled eggs, poutine, fried oysters with caviar, and steak frites.

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.

Chinese American restaurant Jackrabbit Filly moved up the street to a bigger dining room and more prominent location. With the move comes a more extensive menu with exciting new options. Karrage, dumplings, and fried rice are still on the menu, but now there’s also a crab rangoon cheese ball, mapo tofu vol au vent, spicy Korean gnocchi, and Sichuan seafood wonton soup.

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.

Chubby Fish (most recently visited by Martha Stewart) has smartly expanded into the space next door with another cozy nautical space, but this time, the team is focused on world-class cocktails from Christian Favier (formerly of the Ordinary). Rum figures heavily on the list, but there’s also a delicious smoked dirty martini and plenty of fizzy drinks thanks to a fancy Japanese Suntory highball machine. Customers can order snacks from the ever-changing menu, including oysters, crudos, agnolotti, Iberico ham, and more.

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.

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.

Chef Micheal Toscano recently opened a taco shop next to his Italian restaurant Le Farfalle. Blanca Estrada is Toscano’s ode to his Mexican mother and grandmother, whose cooking was an early influence on his culinary journey. The kitchen offers a selection of tacos, from cochinita pibil to lengua, several specials, like a lamb neck burrito, and several tequila drinks and pineapple vinegar soda.

Ice-cold martinis with a side of caviar set the vibe at By the Way, a new upscale lounge and restaurant in Cannonborough/Elliotborough hoping to draw a slightly more mature clientele away from King Street. It’s from Uptown Hospitality Group, the folks behind hotspots like Uptown Social and Bodega, in partnership with Craig Conover and Austen Kroll, two stars of Bravo TV’s Southern Charm. Fairly intimate with the feel of an old-world tavern, By the Way serves a menu of trendy pub fare like ’nduja deviled eggs, poutine, fried oysters with caviar, and steak frites.

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.

Published: Feb. 4, 2025 at 4:30 PM PST|

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - A sixth-grade middle school counselor is hoping to collect funds for supplies as she works to build and teach students lessons in kindness.

Brittany Adamson spends some of her afterschool time at River Oaks Middle School promoting kindness with her students.

“Middle school is hard and it’s just hard for everybody,” Adamson says.

Her students came to her about a way they could help out

“They really wanted to promote some kindness and positivity around school to make it a better place for all students,” she says. “I was like, ‘I love that idea.’ so I basically gave them the avenue to help their ideas.”

That’s how the “Kindness Krew” started. It’s a group of middle school students who often get together during their afterschool hours with Adamson to create projects and discuss ways tobe kind in school, in the community, and throughout their lives.

“They are a kindness crew member, and they are known for that across the school,” Adamson says about her students. “Even in the community, we’ve done some food drives.“

An important thing Adamson wants to get across is that although she runs the program, all ideas come from her students themselves.

One of those projects her students are working on is the Tree of Gratitude.

“Students and staff will have the opportunity to write what they are grateful for and kindness acts and things like that and it will be able to be posted on the wall so that everyone will be able to see it as they come in,” Adamson says.

Another project they are looking to accomplish soon is “Kindness Kupons.”

“It’s the Kindness Kupon, again totally their idea. This is going to be a whole schoolwide initiative in hopes that whenever you practice kindness and are caught being kind essentially it is something that they will want to continue doing,” she says.

Once a month they will be able to cash in their Kindness Kupon punch card for snacks, fidgets and prizes.

Her project will fund supplies and materials for the Kindness Kupon campaign.

“Getting materials and things like that and just scheduling, things like that kind of make it a little bit hard for the Kindness Krew sometimes,” Adamson says.

She wants to continue the Kindness Krew for years to come, hoping that this initiative will spark kindness in students' lives for good.

“At first they will want to be kind for their kindness coupons, but long term the kindness act will follow them forever,” Adamson says.

Click here to become a Live 5 Classroom Champion by donating to help fund this project, which expires on Feb. 28.

Donors Choose collects the money, purchases the items the teacher has requested, and sends them directly to the teacher. That way, you know that your donation is used appropriately and all donations are tax-deductible.

If you are a teacher who wants to be featured on Classroom Champions, email us at classchamp@live5news.com.

Copyright 2025 WCSC. All rights reserved.

Covering 916 square miles of land, Charleston County stretches from the sandy shores of Edisto Beach to the thick woodlands of McClellanville. At the county’s center, there are dozens of eclectic little neighborhoods. Quaint sections of the downtown peninsula offer unique bars and hidden gardens, while areas just outside the city provide funky new restaurants and breweries. Here’s our guide to the coolest neighborhoods in Charleston.

This trendy North Charleston community has undergone extensive restoration over the past several years. The heart of Park Circle is East Montague Ave., a street lined with notable restaurants, wine bars, and even a brewery. This area is the place to go for anyone seeking out an authentic taste of the local community, making it one of the coolest neighborhoods in Charleston. Within walking distance from the main strip is a large, circular park surrounded by a traffic circle—the spot from which the area got its name. Surrounding the traffic circle is the city’s only disc course, which is free to the public.

If you’re planning to explore this neighborhood in Charleston, you should visit the Hunley submarine, a mysterious ship that disappeared in 1864 and wasn’t re-discovered until 2000. For dinner, share a salad and a pizza or two from EVO Pizzeria, and then head to Commonhouse Aleworks for some draft beers brewed on-site. If you have extra time in the afternoon, bring a frisbee along and play a few rounds of disc golf in the park.

On the westside middle section of the downtown Charleston peninsula, there are two neighborhoods so close it can be difficult to tell where one ends and the other begins. Cannonborough and Elliotborough are home to a mixture of college students, families, and young professionals. In this hip, partially residential area, you’ll find unusual restaurants, bars, and cafés, including the Vietnamese joint Bon Banh Mi and the coffee shop-slash-record store Eclectic Cafe.

Harleston Village is a coveted place to live for College of Charleston students as it’s so close to the campus. However, this swanky part of downtown is also home to many affluent residents. When visiting this neighborhood, stroll through the campus to admire the hauntingly beautiful Spanish moss dangling from live oaks planted in front of antebellum-era houses-turned-campus buildings. From the college, walk to Colonial Lake where you can rent bicycles from an app-automated service. The app automatically charges $8 per hour, and you can cruise through the surrounding neighborhoods to explore the rest of the area.

Though Wagner Terrance and Hampton Park Terrace are two separate neighborhoods on the downtown peninsula, they both possess a similar vibe. Head to the upper end of the peninsula to explore this hip part of town, which is mainly residential but boasts several cool bars, restaurants, and beautiful parks. Harold’s Cabin, occupying a former corner store from the ’20s and ’30s, is a favorite neighborhood spot to grab a coffee or cocktail. The restaurant serves up an ever-changing daily menu of small plates, sandwiches, and salads. Rutledge Cab Co. is another eatery in this cool Charleston neighborhood, owned by local celebrity Bill Murray. He’s been known on occasion to sit at the bar and mess with patrons, so keep an eye out for him if you decide to dine here. After sampling the neighborhood’s offerings, walk to nearby Hampton Park to play frisbee or wander through the trails. While this part of town is quieter than the party districts of the lower peninsula, the charming homes and eclectic establishments still make this one of the coolest neighborhoods in the city.

Situated in the West Ashley area of Charleston, which sits to the west of the downtown peninsula, Avondale is made up of popular bars and restaurants. Triangle Char and Bar is a well-loved place for Sunday brunch with mimosa specials and a mouthwatering brunch menu. If you go during the week, try one of the burgers made from 100% grass-fed beef. While this area is not part of downtown, it’s still one of the coolest neighborhoods in Charleston as it’s also home to other funky watering holes like Voodoo Tiki Bar & Lounge.

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Do people come to the Lowcountry to eat pizza? Perhaps they should. Great pizza is plentiful in the Charleston area, from the downtown peninsula to Mount Pleasant and Summerville. Locals and visitors are fortunate to have different styles to choose from, including New York, Neapolitan, and Detroit deep-dish. And these spots offer much more than your standard pie, so customer cravings — and imaginations — can run wild.

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Downtown Summerville’s Brooklyn South, as the name suggests, is the place to get a New York-style slice. Channel the Corleones with the Godfather — featuring ham, salami, pepperoni, provolone, banana peppers, and mozzarella — or try Jake’s Smokehouse pizza with smoky charbroiled chicken and bacon plus smoked cheddar, mozzarella, and barbecue sauce.

Grab take-out or delivery from this North Charleston establishment. Choose from one of the many creations like the pepperoni and pineapple topped Big Z or the barbecue chicken Bird on the Wire. Any pie can be made into a calzone, and the eatery also offers toasted sandwiches and salads.

Each component of this Park Circle parlor’s Neapolitan-style pies is chosen with care, from the bakery-quality dough to the local cheese. EVO’s ingredients are picked from local farms to form masterful combinations like the pancetta, Brussels sprouts, and pear pie. Meat eaters can’t go wrong with the renowned Pork Trifecta made with handmade sausage, bacon, and pepperoni.

This family pizza business traveled from Detroit to Mount Pleasant to bring locals the deep-dish style baked in blue steel pans. If you’re feeling extra indulgent, try one of the pies featuring “brick cheese” from Wisconsin. Favorites include the BLT (with bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayo) or the Buffalo chicken pizza with blue cheese crumbles.

Customers can find creative neo-Neapolitan pies out of Renzo, like the classic margherita or the creative Cheli with feta, lamb sausage, pickled peppers, and honey. There’s also non-pizza options like charred broccolini with XO sauce or a crunchy Caesar salad. The wine list is pretty rad too.

2018 Eater Pizza of the Year award winner Melfi’s offers thin and crispy Roman-style pizzas in an elegant atmosphere with white tablecloths. The Stretch Armstrong, an amped-up margherita pie highlighted by a stretchy homemade stracciatella cheese.

Philadelphia natives Nick and Ben D’Allesandro wanted D’als to be a casual shop with cold beer and handmade pizza, which is exactly what it has become for the Cannonborough/Elliotborough neighborhood since opening in 2006. Diners can go for a classic meat lovers or head for one of the more unique — and tasty — options like the Beetnick topped with bacon, goat cheese, and golden beets.

In addition to fresh pastas and seasonal starters, King Street Italian restaurant Indaco offers several wood-fired pizzas. Selections range from the classic margherita to a lamb version with ricotta and olives.

Hip hotel restaurant Frannie and the Fox offers woof-fired creations in a buzzy atmosphere. The standout pizza is the classic margherita with its perfect portions of flavors, but if a meatier option is required, take a look at the fennel sausage pie with red onion.

Crust’s entire menu is worth checking out, from the delicious salads with local shrimp to pastas and sandwiches. Customize a 12-inch pie the way you like it, or opt for one of the pizzas with or without tomato sauce. The Butternut — roasted squash, mushroom, caramelized onion, goat cheese, fresh mozzarella, arugula, and truffle oil — has been beloved by fans since the restaurant’s inception.

There are multiple Famulari’s Pizzeria locations in the Charleston area, but the James Island one doubles as a brewery offering house brewed beers like the Cup of Clouds New England style IPA. For pizza, find a seemingly endless variety of topping options, from pineapple to pesto to cheese steak.

Mobile kitchen Dough Boyz Pizza has amassed an army of fanatic followers around the Lowcounty. The charred crust and just-thin-enough dough makes for repeat customers. The truck can be found at the Sea Island Farmers Market, various breweries, and sometimes Graft wine shop. The pepperoni and banana pepper pie brings the right amount of spice and tang to satisfy, while the prosciutto pie is an indulgent blanket of ham-y goodness.

Downtown Summerville’s Brooklyn South, as the name suggests, is the place to get a New York-style slice. Channel the Corleones with the Godfather — featuring ham, salami, pepperoni, provolone, banana peppers, and mozzarella — or try Jake’s Smokehouse pizza with smoky charbroiled chicken and bacon plus smoked cheddar, mozzarella, and barbecue sauce.

Grab take-out or delivery from this North Charleston establishment. Choose from one of the many creations like the pepperoni and pineapple topped Big Z or the barbecue chicken Bird on the Wire. Any pie can be made into a calzone, and the eatery also offers toasted sandwiches and salads.

Each component of this Park Circle parlor’s Neapolitan-style pies is chosen with care, from the bakery-quality dough to the local cheese. EVO’s ingredients are picked from local farms to form masterful combinations like the pancetta, Brussels sprouts, and pear pie. Meat eaters can’t go wrong with the renowned Pork Trifecta made with handmade sausage, bacon, and pepperoni.

This family pizza business traveled from Detroit to Mount Pleasant to bring locals the deep-dish style baked in blue steel pans. If you’re feeling extra indulgent, try one of the pies featuring “brick cheese” from Wisconsin. Favorites include the BLT (with bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayo) or the Buffalo chicken pizza with blue cheese crumbles.

Customers can find creative neo-Neapolitan pies out of Renzo, like the classic margherita or the creative Cheli with feta, lamb sausage, pickled peppers, and honey. There’s also non-pizza options like charred broccolini with XO sauce or a crunchy Caesar salad. The wine list is pretty rad too.

2018 Eater Pizza of the Year award winner Melfi’s offers thin and crispy Roman-style pizzas in an elegant atmosphere with white tablecloths. The Stretch Armstrong, an amped-up margherita pie highlighted by a stretchy homemade stracciatella cheese.

Philadelphia natives Nick and Ben D’Allesandro wanted D’als to be a casual shop with cold beer and handmade pizza, which is exactly what it has become for the Cannonborough/Elliotborough neighborhood since opening in 2006. Diners can go for a classic meat lovers or head for one of the more unique — and tasty — options like the Beetnick topped with bacon, goat cheese, and golden beets.

In addition to fresh pastas and seasonal starters, King Street Italian restaurant Indaco offers several wood-fired pizzas. Selections range from the classic margherita to a lamb version with ricotta and olives.

Hip hotel restaurant Frannie and the Fox offers woof-fired creations in a buzzy atmosphere. The standout pizza is the classic margherita with its perfect portions of flavors, but if a meatier option is required, take a look at the fennel sausage pie with red onion.

Crust’s entire menu is worth checking out, from the delicious salads with local shrimp to pastas and sandwiches. Customize a 12-inch pie the way you like it, or opt for one of the pizzas with or without tomato sauce. The Butternut — roasted squash, mushroom, caramelized onion, goat cheese, fresh mozzarella, arugula, and truffle oil — has been beloved by fans since the restaurant’s inception.

There are multiple Famulari’s Pizzeria locations in the Charleston area, but the James Island one doubles as a brewery offering house brewed beers like the Cup of Clouds New England style IPA. For pizza, find a seemingly endless variety of topping options, from pineapple to pesto to cheese steak.

Mobile kitchen Dough Boyz Pizza has amassed an army of fanatic followers around the Lowcounty. The charred crust and just-thin-enough dough makes for repeat customers. The truck can be found at the Sea Island Farmers Market, various breweries, and sometimes Graft wine shop. The pepperoni and banana pepper pie brings the right amount of spice and tang to satisfy, while the prosciutto pie is an indulgent blanket of ham-y goodness.