Dine At One Of The Best Restaurants In The World At The Wreck of the Richard & Charlene In South Carolina

Well, it’s in print and on the internet. That makes it official: one of the best restaurants in the world is right here in South Carolina. But just one.

Condé Nast Traveler published a list of 207 of the “greatest restaurants around the globe,” and although the list from many states in the U.S. included a lineup as long as your arm, only one restaurant in South Carolina made the list. One.

But, it’s hard to be on top – and even harder to stay there. Just ask The Wreck of The Richard and Charlene in Mount Pleasant. It’s easy to see why this was named the best restaurant in South Carolina.

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Perhaps for more reasons than one, "The Wreck" as the locals affectionately call it, is appropriately named. It's not fancy and upon first encounter some people pull into the parking lot and turn right around and leave - but not because it's ugly. They just don't see the place. That's because The Wreck is deeply hidden in plain sight on Mount Pleasant's famed restaurant row called Shem Creek.

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It's so deeply hidden that even when you get there you don't see the hand-crafted sign until you're almost on top of the entrance.

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But The Wreck proves you don't have to be pretty to be popular. The eatery has gained a reputation for serving fish so fresh you'll swear it's still swimming. It's easy to see why it's considered one of the best places to eat in South Carolina.

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If that doesn't make your mouth water, nothing will. This is one of the most scrumptious seafood restaurants in South Carolina.

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Regulars and darn near cult followers of The Wreck also know this is not the place for a cocktail dress - or even dress shoes!

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Flip flops are fine in this ultra casual atmosphere where some seasons may require you to bring along some mosquito spray to get through dinner.

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Waterfront seating is available, weather permitting. Your table could even be right alongside the very trawler that brought in that fresh catch you're scarfing down with a cold beverage.

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Nothing fancy, of course. Because "fancy" would take away from the ambiance of this waterfront shabby chic eatery. Order a bottle of wine but don't be surprised if it's served in an oyster bucket doused with ice. It couldn't taste any better if it was poured by a waiter in a tux.

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TripAdvisor/Jeff D

Not fancy unless you think a brand new paper table covering to help sop up the mess is leaning toward the fancy side of things.

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You'll appreciate that paper tablecloth about halfway through your peel-and-eat entrée.

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If you're looking for delicious restaurants in South Carolina, head to The Wreck of the Richard & Charlene.

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However tongue-in-cheek this article may be, it's quite an accomplishment to make any list at Condé Nast Traveler. Many of them are compiled by reader votes. But not this one. The publisher claims this list of 207 Best Eats in the World was compiled by "enlisting the impassioned guidance from the real experts, our network of chefs, food writers, and most-in-the-know travelers."

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Cheers to The Wreck of the Richard and Charlene! If you'll keep dishing it up, we'll keep coming!

The Wreck is a bastion of remembrance for a colossal old fishing trawler that, during Hurricane Hugo in 1989, ripped the piling she was tied to right out of the ground. She was swished all over Shem Creek and came to rest on a neighboring dock, where she sat impaled on a piling helpless for nearly a year until a salvage team took her apart piece, by piece.

When you eat at The Wreck, you’re sitting in the very spot where The Richard & Charlene came to rest. And somehow, it’s more than fitting that the restaurant devoted to keeping the spirit of The Richard & Charlene alive is in a way, a wreck.

The Wreck is located at 106 Haddrell St, Mt Pleasant, SC 29464. For more information, take a look at the restaurant’s website.

What are your favorite seafood restaurants in South Carolina? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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