50 Best Cocktail Bars near Johns Island

“the food is delicious and different from other restaurants. the staff is so friendly and the outdoor atmosphere is wonderful. I highly recommend this restaurant for dinner or a nice night out at the bar.“

“I have coined a phrase “I’m Loyal to Royal”. As a foodie, when it comes to quality food, fresh seafood , great ambiance and amazing staff they have no equal! In the past two years my mission was to try every item on the menu. Finally accomplished that feat and Royal Tern is still a 5 star rating. They also have non-menu specials that knock it out of the ballpark“

“Incredible place!! The cocktails, food, and owners were top tier!! Moscow mule and The Bees Knees were so freaking good. Steak, taters, and cabbage were delicious. Even the key lime cheesecake was perfect! The owner also took time to give me suggestions for other places to check out while I'm here. I will be back!! Thank you for the hospitality!“

“Love sitting outside and watching the boats come in and go out… ♥️“

“Spent several late afternoons/early evenings at Doar Bros. last week and had a great time! Jake and Stephen are artists in creating phenomenal craft cocktails! JD, one of the owners, very personable and welcoming! All great guys! If you're in to cocktailing, no trip to Charleston is complete without a stop at Doar Bros.! Cheers!“

“Had brunch today. Food was good. The chicken and waffle was really tasty.“

“It was an unplanned visit to High Cotton. Our party was very underdressed. The hostess was quite pompous and gave the impression we should go elsewhere. Obviously if it was a planned dinner we would have been well dressed. The food was exceptional. The staff were incredible. But our waiter, Jamal, made our experience very memorable. He made sure we were welcome despite our attire. Jamal and my 11 year old grandson became good friends for the evening. Jamal was impressed with my grandson's order of a pot of mussels in garlic sauce, smoked duck, lobster mac and cheese and strawberry shortcake. Jamal was the highlight of our evening. Our family highly recommend you ask for Jamal if you visit High Cotton. The next visit we will look our finest and definitely ask for Jamal.“

“Was absolutely mazing… but the little nibbles are over priced. You can come as you are to this place and I love that the champagne and whites are right there and ready to serve. Caviar cone; sooooo good, but a single bite for 13…..Oysters were soooo fresh and I am picky, but the vinaigrette they have is yummy!!!“

“I found out about Southbound, through my job. I had to go do some work there, and found the owner and everyone there, super friendly. Most people at restaurants ignore working people while they are there. As my 42nd anniversary was quickly approaching, I decided to give this place a try. Some of my past picks, have not been the best. Southbound cleared EVERY hurdle I have about restaurants. From the moment we approached the restaurant, great service began! While coming thru the gate, the hostess yelled out, "HEY LARRY" and then said, "This must be your beautiful wife"! Like CHEERS, it felt great to go somewhere, "Where everybody knows your name" We were seated and got to view the open fire oven. I had dropped off 42 roses the week before for them to put on our table, for my wife. Tropical storm Debbie, and downtown flooding prevented us from going exactly on our anniversary. I was worried that store bought roses, would not last thru the weeklong delay, Joel assured me everything would be taken care of, and not to worry. As we were seated, there on the table, sat 42 roses. Fresh, and arranged with baby breath flowers included. I was told the young lady with the hostess had arranged them. They were gorgeous! They also had an anniversary card on the table from them, not something I had dropped off. The service was tremendous, the food indescribably outstanding! I have only had steak Tar Tar once before in my life, and was greatly afraid to try it again, as the first time was awful. It was superb! They take great pride in the presentation of their food products. I felt like I was in an episode of Master Chef. We had the steak, as well as the Sea bass, okra, corn, sweet potatoes, and the Caramel cake. Everything absolutely wonderful! This was a truly wonderful and memorable dining experience!! I would give 100 stars, and a Siskel and Ebert two thumbs up! There was only one thing I was disappointed about. No sweet tea! Were In Charleston SC, no sweet tea. Everything else totally made up for it though. The staff even had everyone present sign a menu, wishing us a happy anniversry1 I will most definatly go there again for a special occasion. Thanks to Andrew, Joel, and the entire staff, for making this night special!!“

“Highly recommended. Staff were very attentive, and of course the view was amazing. We went just after dusk. Very stylish. Drinks were good. Went for after dinner drinks but menu included food. Slight wait for a table, but the hotel bar had an open space that was nice pass the wait.“

“The atmosphere was nice the food was amazing and the drinks were delicious! Also the dessert was yummy! Nice place to relax eat good food and unwind!“

“OMG, The food, service and overall experience was amazing. Dan and the guys behind the bar made sure it was an excellent experience. Will be going back every year on St. Patrick’s day.🍀“

“Stopped by on a whim. Excellent drinks, good food. Corn bread WONDERFUL surprise.“

“I had an absolute great time at this establishment a couple of weeks ago! The service was better than I ever expected at an "oyster bar!" The food was over the top! And the atmosphere led lots of beverages and fun! Basically, if we weren't cognizant of letting them turn over the table (they did nothing to pressure, we just wanted the server to get another round of tips), we may have stayed until escorted out!Of course, we'll be back!“

“My husband and I stopped by this bar and had a great time. The bartender was fantastic—super attentive and friendly. We were planning to head to another spot, so we didn’t finish our drinks, but he noticed and kindly offered to make us something else, thinking we weren’t happy with them. We assured him that wasn’t the case and promised we’d be back. It was a thoughtful gesture that made the experience even better.

Drinks were great too, obvi!“

“We are staying in the hotel and have loved a relaxed afternoon in the lounge. Service is 10 star. All the team are amazing and go above and beyond. If your looking a welcoming place to relax then look no further

Parking: There is a hotel valet service and I think street parking

Kid-friendliness: The cookies are amazing and fresh baked. It is an adult space but children are very welcome.“

“Exceptional wine selections in self serve machines and an owner that is extremely knowledgeable about wines throughout the world! Great service and a wonderful positive vibe. I can't wait to go back!“

“Unique cocktails; friendly knowledgeable waitstaff“

“I've only been there during the day and it was always really nice. Nice group nice crowd bartenders for amazing. Went on super bowl Sunday and they watch the game I just watched the puppy game and went home. Been there a long time now The owner had passed and his daughters are running it definitely visit them it's a great place. I did not order food so I don't know what they have. But I'm sure they have food cuz that's our kitchen. Very friendly

Parking: Plenty of parking behind the restaurant is where you find the bar

Wheelchair accessibility: It is a slab building I think so easy wheelchair slope to get in with wide doors. Outside smoking area very accessible. Nice place“

“We enjoyed oysters, yellowfin tuna, clam chowder, steak and the fish basket plus some delicious drinks! Service was amazing as well as the entire experience. Highly recommend!“

“Amazing food and awesome staff. Highly recommend.“

“Stepped out of our typical places to eat to try Azur and we were really impressed. Food, drinks, and service were all top tier. Pedro and Chris were great bartenders who made sure our experience was absolutely excellent.“

“A better speakeasy here in Charleston. The atmosphere here on an afternoon is exceptionally relaxing with the low-light ambiance to it and chill music playing. The place is pretty clean, and the drinks are a fair price for Charleston. They do not skimp on the alcohol here, and they do have a wide variety of liquors, beers, and wines. It does look like a hole-in-the-wall place from the outside, but once you step inside, you'll find yourself in a great, calm, speakeasy environment. Just remember that you have to ring the doorbell to get in.

Parking: Street parking avaliable.“

“Cozy atmosphere with kicking' music. Fell like I'm in Miami 🤙“

“Wonderful ambiance and service. Fantastic drinks!“

“Gin in my favorite libation…I’ll have to frequent this tiny bar more often.“

“Amazing food and drinks with great service.“

“Brunch was Fantastic! Had Scallop Benny & Shrimp & Grits. Outdoor & indoor seating. Great service & atmosphere!!“

“Great places to eat and enjoy a good drink and people“

“Amazing birthday celebration dinner.“

“Service, ambiance, and cuisine all extraordinary! Now one of my favorite restaurants of all time! Thank you Shane and your expert staff!!“

“I have a long, productive day where I celebrating accepting a new job with CPI Security and hanging out with Dad today who lives adlund the corner on Society. Both my parents came here back in the 60's. It was phenomenal and very enjoyable! They staff killer - very friendly. Also, I'm a former craft cocktail bartender with a fairly refined palette and that Manhattan was fire! 🔥✌🏼“

“The food was incredible and our server, Courtney B was outstanding!! Courtney helped us select the perfect items and she made it fun!! Awesome!“

“Honestly, I can’t say enough good things about this place. Our meal was fantastic!

For appetizers, we had the ricotta and crab—something my wife wanted more than I did, so I wasn’t expecting much, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. It was incredible. The fried oyster sliders, delicious.

For entrées, we ordered the short ribs and the burger. The short ribs were good, but the biggest surprise was the burger. That cheese sauce and “fancy” sauce—whatever it is—was insanely good.

On top of that, the $10 happy hour cocktails (the daiquiri was great, especially for the price) and free parking in the building made the experience even better.

Highly recommend!“

“We stumbled into the rooftop for a bachelorette party and had the most amazing time. Dana was the most caring waitress. She recommended drinks to the group, hand delivered shots to the photo booth for the bride, and gave us advice about the city! The drinks were lived by the group! Go here and ask for Dana!“

“Thank you for having Charleston Society of Horror yesterday for our monthly meeting! We had a wonderful time. The food was great, service was even better and we will be back.“

“Went here for a bachelorette party and had dinner and also came back for drinks later. Our server and later bartender Anna was AMAZING. She made our trip to Charleston great by not only her friendly and personable service but also recommending things we could do and see while we were there. 10/10 would recommend going there for not only the great atmosphere, food and drinks but also the staff for making our trip a memorable experience.“

“Phenomenal food and atmosphere. Get the “dessert bread” appetizer if you come. Had the grouper on special and it was incredible“

“1st time eating there and OMG!! Delicious!!! Must try the pork rind nachos .. it’s a must!!“

“Absolutely nothing disappointed at Burwell’s. The food. The ambience. The service (Mylie!). All impeccable. We started with the deviled eggs which all future deviled eggs will now be compared to. Seriously — amazing. Next, we split the Caesar salad. Finally, we were wanting great steak, and we got it! My husband ordered the filet with the steakhouse classic presentation and the horseradish. He is a huge steak fanatic and very picky, and he appreciated the flavors and said he would definitely return. I got the flat iron wagyu and filet duo on the lava stone. I also ordered the side of Mac and cheese. The steak was melt-in-your-mouth good. I enjoyed the béarnaise and horseradish. My husband tried the house steak sauce and also enjoyed it. We were too stuffed to order dessert, but they did bring us two cookies the pastry chef designed, and my word I’ve never had better cookies. Brown butter s’mores. Delicious. Don’t pass up Burwell’s!!“

“We adored this place! We accidentally found the downtown Charleston location during our stay there at a close AirBNB! We visited 3 times in our 2.5 days there. Then, we passed by the John’s Island location on our way to Kiawah and decided to make the 25 min drive the next morning for our coffee and pop tart fix! Great coffee, service, pastries, toasts and local drink and food finds!“

“We had a wonderful experience last night at Bearcat. We had a rare "date night" and chose to sit at the bar while electing for the chefs tasting menu. WOW. The food was incredible, the service top notch and attentive. The whole experience was refined - plating, presentation, and even little history lessons while being served - but it was never "poncy" or "snooty" - it felt like anyone could come in, have an INCREDIBLE meal, fun conversation, and become part of the Bearcat family. We'll definitely be back- the scallops dish and the pork belly dish will be menu items I dream of until we return! P S. don't sleep on the cocktails! Whether ordering from the thoughtfully designed menu or requesting something creative from the bar team's minds - you won't be disappointed!“

“Bottom line up front: Amazing food and great atmosphere!

I’ve been fans of Kwei Fei since back in the days of their pop ups at The Daily. They’ve always brought the heat (literally) and have been eager to try this new venture, Beautiful South.

Stopped in for Sunday Brunch and it did not disappoint. The char siu fried rice had that familiar wok char and was on point! Also had the char siu bao, salt and pepper pork, and shumai. It brought back memories of dim sum in the Bay Area (big compliment) but without the old lady that gets mad when u don’t like what she has on her cart! ?

Wish I had taken pics, but honestly was too busy eating!“

“all around great experience! we were seated immediately outside with no reservation and even though it was chilly out the heaters kept us perfectly warm! the food was so delicious and came out so quickly and the little touch at the end with the free brandy tasting and flower was lovely! highly recommend!!“

“Not just a meal, but an experience. My taste buds are still craving everything at Wild Common. I would go back in a heartbeat. The food, wine som, creative cocktails, and atmosphere are 5 stars!“

“Incredible food with wonderful southern charm. Server and hostess were incredibly courteous. Great service, we had Dillon. I loved the halibut and spouse had the prime rib. Both of us put this food toward the top of our experiences.“

“I've been here a few times now and the food is always delicious. Drinks too! Prices are fair and the vibe is good. Our servers have been great, but I bumped it down a star for the hostesses unwelcoming attitude both times we've visited. They seem bothered by doing their job.“

“All I can say is WOW. My sister and I were visiting for a girls weekend and came across The Belmont while walking King Street. From the welcoming staff as we entered seats were made available quickly! Let me tell you- their holiday and their full time cocktails are incredible. We sat at the bar, and James couldn’t have been sweeter-plus can that man make a martini like no other!! The Belmont will absolutely be on our “must visit” next time in Charleston!“

“Always amazing!! Cooking class with Chef Tyler was so fun!! Zero George is our go to in Charleston!“

“Great customer service and great food!“