Basic Kitchen is one of my favorite lunch places I’ve ever experienced and easily one of the best places we ate during our road trip. Their philosophy centers around the idea of respecting the environment, respectfully adapting global recipes to Charleston by using locally sourced, seasonally available ingredients, and serving everything with a wholesome flare that leaves diners satisfied and energized. Here’s why we loved dining at Basic Kitchen in Charleston.
Basic Kitchen
Location: Charleston, South Carolina
Address: 82 Wentworth St.
Charleston, SC 29403
Food Type: Brunch & Dinner
Dining Experience: Indoor or Al Fresco
Price: $45+ per Person
Dress Code: Smart Casual +
Reservations: Recommended
Special Diets: Vegetarian, Plant-Based,
Gluten-Free (not GF dedicated), Pescatarian
Basic Kitchen can make nearly every dish on their menu gluten-free, vegan, plant-based, or in many instances, all 3, which makes it an awesome place for people who have allergies or follow certain diets.
The Ambience
The restaurant is a bright, airy space, filled with natural textured decor, like their large pendant lights and the long wooden bar where mixologists can craft a vast array of cocktails and mocktails from local and globally sourced liquors, house-made fruit juices, and herbs grown in the restaurant’s garden.
The front of the house has round café style tables, the middle of the restaurant has booths for larger parties, bar seating, and the back of the house takes guests past the open-air kitchen to the back patio & garden area. No matter where we would have sat, it would have been a very inviting setting.
Basic Kitchen’s Menu & Our Meals
Their menu was absolutely fantastic and had such a wonderful variety of food. We had difficulty deciding what to order because everything sounded absolutely amazing, and I seriously wanted to try everything.
As our starters, we ordered their Cauli Wings, which were tempura-battered cauliflower lightly fried and covered in buffalo sauce with a cashew ranch and a side of celery, as well as the Corn Ribs, made from local corn cobs sliced lengthwise in quarters (while still on the cob), covered in the house dry rub & vegan Alabama white BBQ, topped with chopped spring onions.
Everything was phenomenal. I have never had “real” ribs (I’ve never eaten pork), but these corn ribs were out of this world and such an unexpected dish to see on the menu. I would have never thought to do this to corn, but wow, was it incredible!
My husband hasn’t stopped talking about the Cauli Wings since we ate here, and I can’t blame him one bit because if you look up the definition of “BUSSIN'” in the dictionary, you’ll see a photo of these wings right next to it. From the visual presentation with the bright orange buffalo sauce and crisp green celery to the phenomenal mouthfeel and flavor profile, every aspect was unbelievable. Ugh, I’m making myself hungry all over again! Even if you think you don’t like vegetables, or cauliflower, in particular, you can’t skip these!
I was craving a really fresh salad, so our waitress recommended the Local Shrimp & Rainbow Veggie Salad, and it was truly one of the best, most flavorful, and crunchy salads I’ve ever had. The salad had orange seasoned shrimp, John’s Island lettuce, watermelon radish, cucumber, fennel, white beans, and vegan goddess salad, topped with fresh dill. If I could eat one of these salads every single day, I’d be one happy gal!
Robin ordered the Salmon Bowl, which consisted of grilled salmon, Charleston gold rice, Kenchi kimchi, seaweed, carrot ginger salad, cucumber, and orange miso sauce. He isn’t a big fan of kimchi (I know, I know, he’s missing out big time), but he devoured the kimchi in this bowl before I could have more than one bite of it. He even said that he would eat this kimchi and the bowl every day if he could, which was surprising from someone who claims he doesn’t like pickled or fermented foods, but completely understandable once I tried it. All of the flavors of this bowl were so robust, savory, and nourishing that it was the perfect dish for anyone seeking out nourishing comfort food.
To drink, I tried their One Love Kombucha as well as their Super Green Juice. We each also had a Wellness Shot, which had an immune system supporting ginger and other vegetables for a heavy dose of vitamins and minerals. They were all incredible!
Final Thoughts
From the moment we walked up to the front of this darling restaurant until we carried on with our day by moving to our next activity, we had a wonderful meal here. We left feeling full without feeling sluggish or bloated, and this excellent meal completely energized us. Everything was just fantastic. As I told our waitress Tiffany, who was so knowledgeable and such a wonderful server, there wasn’t a single thing I would have changed about our experience here. If you’re looking for a delicious brunch or lunch in Charleston, you can’t go wrong with Basic Kitchen!
Follow me on Instagram @AnnieFairfax.
Eric Lamond says
I have never heard of “corn ribs”, sounds like vegetarians trying to be southern. Just eat the real thing and get over yourself.
Annie Fairfax says
Hi Eric,
Thank you for reading! I think you’d love them if you gave them a try. Never say never, as they say!