It’s a good concept and I’m sure they pull it off well for many patrons.
However, it was not the optimal experience for us.
The lighting is “instagrammable” - think “Homely Man’s Friend” - and mimicked the Golden Hour during sunset. Great optics for selfies and date impressions — but from a practical standpoint, it means it’s too dark to see the menu unless you’re willing to bust out the phone light and blind the tables around you. Several members of our party had vision issues so we usually google the menu ahead of time, but it changes daily at FIG and this was not an option. We decided to ask the server, since they are trained to handle questions at places like FIG.
Unfortunately he was not up for the job. We asked for recommendations and he just got a frozen, impatient smile on his face and replied, “everything is good” with no further comment. It was like pulling teeth to order appetizers. We passed up the drinks and dessert options because it was just too much work to know our options.
I order the bouillabaisse, but it was like biting a lemon. It did get better further down the bowl - like they squeezed in a whole lemon right before sending it to the table, and all the juice was floating on top. The polenta ragu was quite good, and other members of my party found their meals flavorful with a good texture.
The background music added a nice ambiance - good playlist.
When the check came, I was pretty surprised to see they tacked on a charge for credit card usage. We were at hundreds of dollars - it seems like nickel and diming at that point. This doesn’t seem to be the industry standard in the other upscale restaurants we tried in Charleston.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Taylor Greer
Was my 2nd dinner of the night so couldn’t try everything but stellar agnolotti and the pistachio cake was killer for breakfast 😋
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Larry Imely
We've been trying to get into FIG for a few years and the reservations are always late at night. We went yesterday around 6:30 and they get us a seat near the bar. Lauren, our server was amazingly informative and answered all of our questions in detail. Never had an empty water or wine glass. The food was outstanding and the atmosphere is pleasant and lively at the same time. Place was full all of the time. Outstanding restaurant and highly recommend but try going in and asking for an available seat without a reservation. You can always eat at the bar.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Karl Brumback
Lucked into a reservation during SEWE weekend. Bartender and service were great. The standouts were our fish entrees. Both were delucious, but my snowy grouper was my best in memory. Petfectly cooked and seasoned and an interesting preparation. We will be back!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Alex Dumitru
We came here on our honeymoon and were treated like royalty. From start to finish, the food, drinks, and service were incredible. And I think we had the best seat in the house. The Grouper and Seabass entrees were perfect, and paired so well with a bottle of the Chenin-Blanc that was recommended by the wonderful waiter. The sticky sorghum pudding dessert was quite possibly my wife’s favorite dessert of all time.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Westin Lord
FIG will forever hold a special place in my heart. 20 or so years ago I went in as a friend was a hostess and she touted the quality of the cocktails. After imbibing like a college kid does I ordered the duck confit…. It changed my whole idea of what food was. Growing up we didn’t eat fancy or particularly good food. That was the day I fount out food was art for your mouth, like music is for your ears. Went last night and they are still crushing.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jacob Julian
We dined at FIG this week for dinner. While nothing stands out as particularly bad, nothing stood out as amazing either.
The oyster starter was the best single item of the night for me, and my wife enjoyed her grouper entree. The blue crab ravioli has good flavor but the sauce was extremely salty, I say as someone who usually adds salt. My steak was undercooked for medium rare and while it had good flavor, it wasn’t surprising or unique. We thought that for many dishes, a side of bread would have been nice to dip in the sauce or otherwise break up the flavor; we later saw that you could possibly request some but we weren’t made aware of that?
Service was ok, slow at times for drink refills and it felt like he would rather be doing someone else when we asked questions. He wasn’t the warmest server, but if you want someone who will not be overbearing at the table, he was fine.
Overall, I think FIG is fine. It’s ok. It wasn’t worth the premium for food that wasn’t all that unique in the greater Charleston restaurant scene. We had both better service and food the next night at Grace and Grit.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 3
Ted C
I am a Chef from Philadelphia and ate here back when it first opened. I met Chef Lata while I was attending Culinary school in Philadelphia at the Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College while visiting Charleston. The food wad excellent then as it is now. This is what I expect from a Chef who is a James Beard winner as best chef Southeast. However the last two times this month when eating at FIGS. It took over an hour and a half to get served. The place was packed but that is no excuse for having to wait that long to get the food out to the customer. The last visit was the first reservation of they day and all tables were filled. It seems like they are understaffed with wait staff. I expect better! It also should not take over an hour after ordering to get the food. One of my biggest complaints is that the restaurant lighting is so low you can not read the menu without a flashlight. I suggest that they turn up the lights so customers can see the menu as well as the food. Especially so customers can SEE the excellent food!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Bouillabaisse
Jamie Langenhan
My daughter and I had a wonderful meal Friday evening. The food was fantastic and the service was even better. I was very impressed by how the staff treated my 10 year old daughter with with respect and interacted with her how they would an adult. Our server helped us navigate the menu and found something my daughter would enjoy, while also trying new things. We can't wait to come back again when we are in town. Thanks for a wonderful evening!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Ricotta Gnocchi Alla Bolognese, Salad, Crusted Flounder
One of the best restaurants we’ve been to since living here. Zach was a great waiter as well.
Sadaqat Ali
Celebrates Lowcountry ingredients with intelligence and soul. The menu changes daily based on what's freshest. Dishes are refined yet approachable. The ricotta gnocchi is legendary. The service is knowledgeable and genuinely warm. Located in the historic Village District, it embodies modern Southern hospitality at its best.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
kelly bacon
The entire experience was perfection!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Zoe Cooper
We loved our time at FIG! It is definitely a must if you are visiting Charleston and are having a special occasion meal. Everything was delicious, I especially loved the brioche crusted flounder. And I don't eat meat myself but the rest of my family raved about the ricotta gnocchi and bolognese. Great experience, would highly recommend.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Steve Berg
Always great, probably the best restaurant in Charleston!!
It’s a good concept and I’m sure they pull it off well for many patrons.
However, it was not the optimal experience for us.
The lighting is “instagrammable” - think “Homely Man’s Friend” - and mimicked the Golden Hour during sunset. Great optics for selfies and date impressions — but from a practical standpoint, it means it’s too dark to see the menu unless you’re willing to bust out the phone light and blind the tables around you. Several members of our party had vision issues so we usually google the menu ahead of time, but it changes daily at FIG and this was not an option. We decided to ask the server, since they are trained to handle questions at places like FIG.
Unfortunately he was not up for the job. We asked for recommendations and he just got a frozen, impatient smile on his face and replied, “everything is good” with no further comment. It was like pulling teeth to order appetizers. We passed up the drinks and dessert options because it was just too much work to know our options.
I order the bouillabaisse, but it was like biting a lemon. It did get better further down the bowl - like they squeezed in a whole lemon right before sending it to the table, and all the juice was floating on top. The polenta ragu was quite good, and other members of my party found their meals flavorful with a good texture.
The background music added a nice ambiance - good playlist.
When the check came, I was pretty surprised to see they tacked on a charge for credit card usage. We were at hundreds of dollars - it seems like nickel and diming at that point. This doesn’t seem to be the industry standard in the other upscale restaurants we tried in Charleston.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Was my 2nd dinner of the night so couldn’t try everything but stellar agnolotti and the pistachio cake was killer for breakfast 😋
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We've been trying to get into FIG for a few years and the reservations are always late at night. We went yesterday around 6:30 and they get us a seat near the bar. Lauren, our server was amazingly informative and answered all of our questions in detail. Never had an empty water or wine glass. The food was outstanding and the atmosphere is pleasant and lively at the same time. Place was full all of the time. Outstanding restaurant and highly recommend but try going in and asking for an available seat without a reservation. You can always eat at the bar.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lucked into a reservation during SEWE weekend.
Bartender and service were great. The standouts were our fish entrees. Both were delucious, but my snowy grouper was my best in memory. Petfectly cooked and seasoned and an interesting preparation.
We will be back!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
We came here on our honeymoon and were treated like royalty. From start to finish, the food, drinks, and service were incredible. And I think we had the best seat in the house. The Grouper and Seabass entrees were perfect, and paired so well with a bottle of the Chenin-Blanc that was recommended by the wonderful waiter. The sticky sorghum pudding dessert was quite possibly my wife’s favorite dessert of all time.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
FIG will forever hold a special place in my heart. 20 or so years ago I went in as a friend was a hostess and she touted the quality of the cocktails. After imbibing like a college kid does I ordered the duck confit…. It changed my whole idea of what food was. Growing up we didn’t eat fancy or particularly good food. That was the day I fount out food was art for your mouth, like music is for your ears. Went last night and they are still crushing.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We dined at FIG this week for dinner. While nothing stands out as particularly bad, nothing stood out as amazing either.
The oyster starter was the best single item of the night for me, and my wife enjoyed her grouper entree. The blue crab ravioli has good flavor but the sauce was extremely salty, I say as someone who usually adds salt. My steak was undercooked for medium rare and while it had good flavor, it wasn’t surprising or unique. We thought that for many dishes, a side of bread would have been nice to dip in the sauce or otherwise break up the flavor; we later saw that you could possibly request some but we weren’t made aware of that?
Service was ok, slow at times for drink refills and it felt like he would rather be doing someone else when we asked questions. He wasn’t the warmest server, but if you want someone who will not be overbearing at the table, he was fine.
Overall, I think FIG is fine. It’s ok. It wasn’t worth the premium for food that wasn’t all that unique in the greater Charleston restaurant scene. We had both better service and food the next night at Grace and Grit.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 3
I am a Chef from Philadelphia and ate here back when it first opened. I met Chef Lata while I was attending Culinary school in Philadelphia at the Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College while visiting Charleston. The food wad excellent then as it is now. This is what I expect from a Chef who is a James Beard winner as best chef Southeast. However the last two times this month when eating at FIGS. It took over an hour and a half to get served. The place was packed but that is no excuse for having to wait that long to get the food out to the customer. The last visit was the first reservation of they day and all tables were filled. It seems like they are understaffed with wait staff. I expect better! It also should not take over an hour after ordering to get the food. One of my biggest complaints is that the restaurant lighting is so low you can not read the menu without a flashlight. I suggest that they turn up the lights so customers can see the menu as well as the food. Especially so customers can SEE the excellent food!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Bouillabaisse
My daughter and I had a wonderful meal Friday evening. The food was fantastic and the service was even better. I was very impressed by how the staff treated my 10 year old daughter with with respect and interacted with her how they would an adult. Our server helped us navigate the menu and found something my daughter would enjoy, while also trying new things. We can't wait to come back again when we are in town. Thanks for a wonderful evening!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Ricotta Gnocchi Alla Bolognese, Salad, Crusted Flounder
Great food and service
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
One of the best restaurants we’ve been to since living here. Zach was a great waiter as well.
Celebrates Lowcountry ingredients with intelligence and soul. The menu changes daily based on what's freshest. Dishes are refined yet approachable. The ricotta gnocchi is legendary. The service is knowledgeable and genuinely warm. Located in the historic Village District, it embodies modern Southern hospitality at its best.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The entire experience was perfection!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We loved our time at FIG! It is definitely a must if you are visiting Charleston and are having a special occasion meal. Everything was delicious, I especially loved the brioche crusted flounder. And I don't eat meat myself but the rest of my family raved about the ricotta gnocchi and bolognese. Great experience, would highly recommend.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Always great, probably the best restaurant in Charleston!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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