High Cotton

A few Charleston restaurants skimp on their Restaurant Week offerings (usually three courses for $30 or... more

A few Charleston restaurants skimp on their Restaurant Week offerings (usually three courses for $30 or $40), but High Cotton didn't! Wonderful st... more

The restaurant reminded me of a large, elegant dining room in a stately southern mansion. Palm ceiling fans slowly turned and the sounds of a live jazz ensemble spilled into the main dining room. As we were taken to our table I admired the heart pine floors and antique brick. We were seated at a nice table that overlooked East Bay Street and began to look through the menu. We were quickly greeted by a bus boy offering us water, followed by a lovely server who was very helpful and knowledgeable about the menu. She helped steer us to the evening?s Charcuterie offering and described each and every item that we would be served. She even told us her favorite, a very spicy dry-cured sausage that was to become our favorite too! Though the restaurant would get somewhat busy while we were there when we first arrived, it was quite slow. Needless to say that our Charcuterie arrived in no time. The house-made dry-cured sausages, hams, pates, mustards, pickles and green beans were delicious. They were served with warm, crispy, toasted slices of bread, or we had additionally had the option to try the items with the piping hot rolls that had been served to the table a little earlier. Our server checked back to see if we were enjoying everything and then again to take our dinner order. I ordered one of the evenings special?s which was a tile fish that was topped with shrimp and served with purple potatoes and arugula. Missing Maine lobster from New England my husband ordered the Grilled Petit Filet and Butter-Poached (Non-New England) Lobster Tail. Our meals arrived in no time and they looked great! My tile fish was a light white fish that was complemented nicely with sliced purple potatoes that had been tossed with arugula. Although the picture doesn?t show it, the color combo was visually appealing. The meal was very tasty but unfortunately, my grilled shrimp were undercooked. When our server came to check on us, she quickly took them away to replace them. My husband?s filet and lobster was terrific. His filet was cooked perfectly and his very small lobster tail was sweet and tender. His dish was served with a corn flan that was delicious. Before I knew it, our server was back at the table apologizing for the shrimp error and replacing my shrimp. Sadly, I must report another sad shrimp tale. The new shrimp on the block were also undercooked. That was okay as the rest of the meal was filling and the service was honestly over the top. Although the restaurant?s food and service was really very good, the atmosphere was a tad sedate for me and I probably will check out other restaurants in the Charleston area before returning. This is not to dissuade anyone from visiting High Cotton as my bet would be that you would enjoy it. more

We went here with our large wedding group. They did a superb job. The food is out of this world and gave us a taste of true Charleston. The shrimp and grits wowed everyone. more

I love this restaurant. We have enjoyed several dinners there on vacation and always look forward to being back in town to enjoy another meal at High Cotton. I definitely recommend checking it out! more

The food was just average and expensive. I think that if you are coming to Charleston for the food you should probably go somewhere else. However, the atmosphere is great! Pros: Awesome environment. Cons: Not the best restaurant. more

Have enjoyed this restaurant for many years. Came from out of town to have a special occasion meals here. Have enjoyed since moving to Charleston and have had family holidays there for Sunday brunch. Always a favorite and will go back again and again. more

This place is awesome. We have gone there for our anniversary as it is a bit on the pricey side. The view is fantastic and the service has been great each time we go there. I like to have the lump crabmeat augratin and my husband likes the new york strip with lump crabmeat on it. We always top of dinner, even though we end up taking it home, with their famous souffle...yummy..it is the best. more

I've dined at High Cotton (downtown) twice so far - once for a romantic dinner and once for Sunday brunch with the folks. Pros: Excellent cuisine, fantastic service, great ambiance Cons: It's so great, it can sometimes be hard to get in! more

This place is quite expensive, so don't visit on a budget. But if you have the money and are in the mood for a great meal you should definitely check it out. The atmosphere is calm and high-class. more

My favorite restaurant in Charleston. We visit twice a year and never miss this place! As someone who is normally a seafood person, I go there for the steak! You can pick your cut, then add seafood and choose a sauce. I recommend the filet or strip with jumbo lump crab, blue cheese and the wine sauce. Strangely enough the creamed pea side dish and fried green tomatoes are quite good! Ever appetizer we've had has been tasty. Fabulous wine list. The best part is there known for souffles for dessert. The house souffle is praline, which you can't miss! Service is impeccable. The atmosphere is classy. The bar is a great place to wait for a table or just go in to have a drink and listen to a jazz band. Reservations highly recommended. As in most places in Charleston, dress is nice casual. Tie not necessary. Enjoy! more

My husband and I chose to go to High Cotton for our last night of vacation. We had heard great things about the restaurant and it lived up to all of them. The service was impeccable. Our waitress anticipated our every need. My husband had a steak and said it was one of the best he has had in a long time. I had seafood and enjoyed it very much. more

I wish I knew what we did wrong, obviously we didn't dress well enough (nope) or tip the hostess as they wouldn't even seat us. We did show up about 1:30pm without reservations and I understand they stop serving at 2:00pm, but there was room and witnessed others seated after us without reservations. It might be a great restaurant, but I won't go back to find out. Pros: Looks nice Cons: Seems like they have a hostess with a bad attitude more

My friends and I were in Charleston to celebrate our birthdays, and chose High Cotton on a friend's recommendation. We were very pleasantly surprised. The food and service were both WONDERFUL. We split appetizers but there was still plenty of food; our entrees (pork loin, filet, and lamb) were amazing. It takes a lot for us to not to complain about food (we are real foodies) but we had nothing bad to say. Our waiter was wonderful as well, attentive and friendly without being pushy, and a whole lot of fun on top of it. The restaurant had asked if we were celebrating a special occasion when we made the reservation, and made sure that it was indeed special; we received a complementary amuse bouche and dessert souffle (with candles in it!). I would be happy to go there again. Pros: wonderful food and service more

We travel throughout the country and experience many fine restaurants and must say High Cotton is among the best. Arriving on a Friday night we waited a few minutes longer for a table but would be more concerned if the restaurant had many open tables. The food selection was excellent . If there was any concern it would be a void in serving crepes on the brunch menue. Of course it is our favorite. But on a scale of 1 to 10 we would give this restaurant a 91/2. I will give you the 1/2 for a crepe selection. Pros: Great food with excellent service Cons: Parking more

We went to the High Cotton for dinner on 6/17/2006 and it was incredible. The wine selection was great, and the waiter catered to our ever need without being pushy or nosey. We requested with our reservation the best and quietest seat in the house and we were in a raised booth along with 2 other booths in the restaurant. There was nobody sitting beside us the whole time. I ordered the filet and lobster tails with mashed potatoes and veggies. It was the BEST steak I've ever had because it was SO TASTY! I ordered 3 more lobster tails for my date and I to share. We drank 3 bottles of some of their good Merlot and probably stayed for 2 hours just eating and drinking. We had a great time! I highly recommend the High Cotton! Pros: The food and atmosphere more

We had reservation at 10:30 on Sunday for Brunch. We were seated right away. Once seated it took about 10 mins for our waitress to address us. We received some corn bread that had to be left over the night before. Then we ordered the oysters, which were very good and sweet potato wedges. The wedges were very dry and thick. None of us at the table like them. We did have bloody marys and they were tasty. We then ordered the stuff french toast....more like a huge hunk of bread with a little cream cheese in the middle....TERRIBLE! The first time they had to take it back because it was burnt on the bottom and you could not cut through it. They did bring out another which I had wished I had just cancelled.....it just was terrible!! We also had the eggs benedict and flounder omelet. Both were just so so. We all said that we were not come back there are too many good places to eat in Charleston and brunch at High Cotton is not one of them. Pros: Ambience Cons: Price, Food, Service more

The steak and wine were excellent. I've been to many fine restaurants and I'd have to say the steak may be one of the best I've ever had. Highly recommend High Cotton. more

their expresso martinis are to die for, so are their burgers. As far as sitting down for a nice expensive dinner here, it hasnt been impressive for about a year now. Its a good place to start out and listen to jazz but save your food money, there are too many good restaraunts here to waste your time there. sorry guys Pros: nice staff Cons: food isn't that great more

Less crowded and quieter in the small dining room, which we enjoyed. Can't imagine that we would have liked the restaurant as much in the larger, louder, less romantic dining room. While the entrees were on the pricey side, you certainly get enough food...actually too much! They were delicious but could not finish my lamb chops and I hated to leave a few of them on my plate (they serve a full half rank and I left 3)! The jazz band on Saturday night was wonderful...we even squeezed ourselves into a corner of the bar and had a dance - the wait staff was accommodating in moving around us so that we could enjoy each others company. Pros: Jazz Band , Food, Small Dining Room Cons: Crowded, Little Pricey, Large Dining Room more