Chez Nous in Charleston, South Carolina
- Jul 25
- 3 min read
If you are new to Charleston, I guarantee that on your first trip, you'll find yourself on King Street. One of the major arteries of the city, King Street contains several miles of high end shopping, souvenir shops, many excellent restaurants, and of course dozens and dozens of bars, plentiful enough to keep you occupied for a full weekend. At night, King Street transforms into a Bourbon Street lookalike, with perhaps a touch less nudity.
And while King Street is entirely worth your time (try The Darling Oyster Bar, Bar Felix, Millers All Day, and Buxton Books), one of my favorite things to do in Charleston is to leave King Street and wander. Around dusk, King Street starts to fill up with eaters, drinkers, and dancers. This leaves the side streets of the Peninsula comparatively quiet. And as the line outside the Dueling Piano Bar grows, if you wander the side streets of the Peninsula, you'll get to steal glances inside the hidden gardens and patios where real Charlestonians spend their evenings dining al fresco under a shroud of patio umbrellas, wrought iron fences, and palm trees and ivy. These scenes are dimly lit with citronella candles and gas lamps and while they're far more subdued than the college-kid bars down the street, they still feel lively and vibrant, like a diorama of life as you walk by.
Somehow, Chez Nous recreates this lush and romantic hidden garden scene - and invites you to actually step inside past the wrought iron gates. Located exactly a block and a half off of King Street, the restaurant is actually not touching any real streets: You have to enter from the curving cut-through that connects Spring Street and Coming Street. It's perfectly confusing and discreet.
You'll be drawn in by the front patio, with a massive farmhouse table, twinkling string lights, and tall hedges that keep the ambiance contained. But most tables will be inside the restaurant, which is a small home that frankly looks residential, lacking any real signage besides a house number. There are rooms full of tables upstairs and downstairs and the space still contains homey elements like stone fireplaces in several rooms.
And while the ambiance of Chez Nous is intoxicating, the way they serve food is just as special. Every day, chef Jill Mathias creates a new menu comprised of just 2 appetizers, 2 entrees, and 2 desserts. That's it. While that may seem limiting (what if you don't like the two options!?), there is something freeing about releasing yourself to a real food expert and just being there for the journey. My only recommendation: If you're dining with a duo, don't double up on anything. Get one of each item and walk away having tasted everything on the menu.
The daily menus found at your seat are handwritten with what appears to be a thick black Sharpie in a nearly illegible, curly, and chaotic script. Given that half the menu is also usually in either Spanish, Italian or French, just ask the waiter to describe the items to you verbally.
I wish I could offer you my menu recommendations, but that would be impossible, given the infinitely rotating seasonal creations. What does remain consistent is that the cuisine is local, built around fresh fish and proteins, but elevated with technical French sauces and other European ways of cooking. While the food menu is small, the wine list is more extensive, so don't worry that you'll have to have a white fish with a Syrah (god forbid!).
There's something intangibly comforting about being fed one of two dishes at an intimate home with handwritten menus. Perhaps it's a bit of cosplay, getting to feel what it would be like to have a quaint and intimate dinner party in the discreet brick patios of Charleston's restored carriage houses. And whether you're headed to King Street for a nightcap or not, keep your eyes peeled for the other al fresco gatherings, tucked away in hidden courtyards throughout the Peninsula as you find your way home.
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