50 Best Cocktail Bars near Sullivans Island

“Group of 7 with 2 birthdays, and we were greeted with a complementary round of mini frozen painkiller shooters! Our server was incredibly knowledgeable and helped us through the menu, she clearly enjoys her job!! I ordered the Wreckfish special; incredible! Others in our group loved their meals as well. We will certainly return on our next visit.“

“Great establishment, staff very hostable, friendly. Great food, fair price for what you get. Very nice inside, kid friendly, and can handle large parties. Will be attending on a more regular basis.

Wheelchair accessibility: Easy access for anyone with any kind of handicap difficulties.“

“The food was pretty good.“

“the food and the staff are all amazing! thoroughly enjoyed it!!“

“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!“

“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!“

“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.“

“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!“

“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.🍀“

“Unique cocktails; friendly knowledgeable waitstaff“

“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!“

“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 🤙“

“Amazing food and drinks with great service.“

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

“Wonderful ambiance and service. Fantastic drinks!“

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

“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!“

“Great food! You can tell the products are fresh and made with pride! Had the tuna eggroll special, best one I've had! Sat outside but fans were on and was a nice night. Service was good. Will go back when visiting SC again!“

“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!“

“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!“

“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.“

“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.“

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

“She crab soup and filet mignon was great. Calamari was a little chewy and a super thick cut. Scallops were a little underdone, which made them chewy. They were plated with a cauliflower puree that tasted a little weird. Service was great. Really neat rustic atmosphere.“

“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!“

“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!“

“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.“

“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 don’t even know where to begin to describe how amazing Ty’s was… my fiancé and I stopped in here with my parents on day 1 of our trip to the area and it did not disappoint whatsoever. From the apps to the dessert, all of our choices were a 10/10!! Our waiter Scott was the best, he alone deserves 5 gold stars! ⭐️ we were even lucky enough to meet Ty and found out we were at the “magic table” that earned us dessert on the house!! Now whether you’re lucky enough to get the magic table or not, you CANNOT pass on the churros!!“

“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!“

“As soon as you walk in, you are greeted with a big smile and asked where would you like to sit inside or outside? We sat outside and even though it was warm they had fans going so it was very comfortable! The entire staff was very friendly! This was our first time there and we will definitely be going back! Our waitress Maddie was awesome! She suggested things and told us about the homemade jams, which we bought the strawberry one. We enjoyed it very much and will be bringing people there for sure!!“

“Great customer service and great food!“

“This is our second visit to the Bar Vauté and we aren’t jaded at all. We figured we couldn’t get a table at La Banque without a reservation so we arrived at the blue-hair hour(5:20!) and asked if we could order from the menu downstairs in the wonderful bar. We started with a superior cocktail each- a Boulevardier and a Vieux Carré. We each ordered a NY Strips a la carte with plates of haricots verts and fries to share. The steaks were succulent, well seasoned and perfectly grilled to temp. The sides were delicious and just enough. A glass of Cremant de Bourgogne each and a to-die-for chocolate crème brûlée to top it all off. The service in the bar is great-not stiff or formal, but still attentive. The atmosphere is lively, lots of happy conversations overlapping from the bar and other small tables. The small round tables are first come first serve, set at the base of the stone wall with seating on surprisingly comfy upholstery cubes. It’s dimly lit, cool, and fun. Don’t miss this spot in Charleston.

Dietary restrictions: Servers ask if diner has dietary restrictions

Wheelchair accessibility: Not sure if this is accessible. The Bar Vauté is down steps.“

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