FAQ
…THE KEY THINGS TO UNDERSTAND…
RAW LAB is, essentially, a FUSION CONCEPT…a FUSION of OMAKASE & RAW BAR. More on that HERE
We are a STAND ALONE RAW BAR, and NOT just an OYSTER BAR and NOT a SEAFOOD RESTAURANT either.
We offer MUCH MUCH MUCH MORE than the standard American RAW BAR offering and, for many (but not all, and on certain occasions, but not all) we can be a delightful alternative to even your favorite seafood restaurant.
We have disrupted / changed the Seafood Restaurant / Raw Bar model in a way that offers some real advantages. We took the RAW BAR out of the SEAFOOD RESTAURANT WITH A RAW BAR and ELIMINATED THE SEAFOOD RESTAURANT. This has allowed us to specialize in, expand the offering of and improve the value proposition for what a RAW BAR could be, on several metrics. While we do have to abandon some of the elements of style for the standard restaurant model, we’ve found that our guest does not miss them. Instead, what we’ve done in this new paradigm seems to create a host of advantages that are more valuable to the modern Epicurean. More details on this HERE but for now the basic things to understand about this model are:
This is not an appetizer. Courses are not tiny. This is not a tasting menu, this is an EATING menu. You will leave feeling like you ate a full meal. But it’s not a Sushi Experience despite our Omakase-Style of service. More on that below.
You will learn, A LOT, about A LOT of things because your fellow diners are going to be asking great questions and your chef is going to to be answering them. You’ll see, touch and taste things you never have before. You’ll be EDU-tained and you’ll love it.
NOT EVERYTHING WE SERVE IS RAW OR SERVED CHILLED. About 1/2 our menu is Raw/Chilled/Cold. About 1/2 of our menu is NOT RAW, served cold/chilled and one item is served hot.
Our Oyster Service and our Caviar service are each worth the cost of admission because you’ll understand and appreciate and enjoy both oysters and caviar on an entirely new level, for the rest of your life. Our unique business/dining/experienc model delivers on this ever time. They serve not to make us look smart or superior but to deliver to our guests THE TRUTH and THE OPPORTUNITIES to enjoy both, much, much more, for the rest of their lives.
Doubt any of this? Here’s a way to dip your toe in the pool: Try LTLE FISH. Come enjoy some wine while you watch others dine on dishes, a la carte, that are, in fact, RAW LAB’s greatest hits. If it’s not your jam, you’ll have simply wasted some time over a glass of wine.
OMAKASE-STYLE SERVICE
Often consumers confuse our adoption of an Omakase-Style of service to mean that we deliver an Omakase Sushi Experience. It’s understandable as Omakase was synonymous with Sushi (from a Master Sushi Chef) for 3000 years. We use the term “Omakase-Style” for a host of reasons. 1. Our guest does not choose courses or pairings and “Entrusts” the chef which the meal. 2. The price is fixed. 3. Most of the food is seafood and most of it served raw or cooked/chilled. So, while some of the similarities with the ancient tradition of Omakase are embraced, others are rejected or adapted. We find opportunities to feature (and tweak) American Raw Bar standards as well. Therefore, in the end, RAW LAB is an “Omakase / Raw Bar” fusion concept.
…OTHER IMPORTANT STUFF…
LOCATION: 99 S. Market Street, Charleston, SC 29401. Entrance door looks like the entry to the bathrooms off the Courtyard of PORT OF CALL. We are 1 block East of Meeting. One Block West of Church. Just to the left of the 5 & Dime when looking at it with your back to the Market. DIRECTIONS VIA GOOGLE MAPS
PRICE: $250 pp ++ includes everything. We do not discount for those who don’t consume wine but we do offer elegant NA options with advance notice.
SMALL GROUP RESERVATIONS: For small groups ( less than 5) reservations can be made only on RESY. If you only see “Notify” for a date, there are no seats. Add yourself to the notify list for 1 or 2 dates you would l
LARGE GROUP RESERVATIONS: For large groups ( 5 or more) please contact us. We DO NOT allow large groups to book on RESY. Large groups are paid in full, in advance with no
KIDS: We are 21+ only. At some point we may offer a “Take Your Kid to RAW LAB” service on a regular basis but when haven’t started this yet.
OPERATIONS: Thurs - Sat, sometimes we add a Wed or a Sunday service (especially on holiday weekends).
TIME: Seating time is 6:37pm. Service runs 3.5 - 4 hours. Think of it as the same 4 hours you’d spend doing Dinner & A Show, without the hassle of getting from dinner to show.
CANCELLATIONS, LATE-CANCELS & NO-SHOWS: Here we have a very a-typical policy. Unfortunately, it is necessary given the fact that this nano-business cannot function like a typical restaurant. Canceling with 9+ days notice is easy and simple and incurs no risk of a charge for “abandoned seats”.
LATE CANCEL: Cancelling within 9 days constitutes a “Late-Cancel”, and MAY (repeat, MAY) result in a $250 per seat charge to your card on file with RESY, IF, (repeat, IF) the abandoned seats are not filled. However, there will be NO FEE CHARGED if we fill the abandoned seats. We also offer this option. We will charge the card on file and reschedule you. You will therefore have pre-paid for your rescheduled seats. If you cancel those you will not be charged. But if you NO SHOW on those, you will be.
NO SHOW: If a party chooses not to come and makes no effort to help us to fill their seats they are considered a no-show. These parties are always charged $250 per seat, without exception. LEARN MORE DETAILS HERE
TIPPING POLICY: Rather a-typical policy here too. 20% is our minimum gratuity. We can certainly appreciate that there are folks out that would disagree with this. We’d encourage those folks to dine elsewhere and tip less than 20% if they like. Totally cool.
MENU: It’s Omakase so this changes from time to time. Don’t expect this exactly, but to expect 9-12 courses and a full meal featuring hot and cold dishes that is nutrient dense, colorful, delicious and interesting. Expect the finest raw oyster experience ever consistently delivered, anywhere. The same is true of our caviar service. Finally, our wine service features up to 15 different wines from all over the world to enjoy (small pours of each) as pairings with the various courses.
SUBSTITUTIONS: We are very limited in our ability here. The size of our space, storage, service style and other factors severely limit our ability to substitute dishes. We can offer double portions of some dishes, however. If you are allergic to shellfish (oysters, clams, scallops, caviar, crab, shrimp, lobster or salmon, its not a good spot for you. Dairy, nut or gluten sensitivities are easily managed, however.
REVIEWS: Speak for themselves. Focus on RESY which has been the result of 2.5 years of service and 400+ reviews from people WHO HAVE BEEN to RAW LAB. Be very very wary of YELP and GOOGLE as many 1 star reviews posted by those who’ve never been have taken our average down.
SHELLFISH ALLERGY: New rule as of June 2024. If you are allergic to MORE THAN ONE of the following please DO NOT make a reservation or attend a service at Raw Lab: Lobster. Salmon. Crab. Shrimp. Oysters. Caviar. f you are allergic to just oysters, well, that’s ok as that is just one course. You can skip it. Skipping more than one course is not something we want to see happen anymore. It’s not that we don’t want to substitute other dishes, its that we CAN NOT. We don’t have an oven, stove, open flame or hood to “cook” or prepare alternative dishes. We also don’t have the refrigeration space for alternatives. Finally, we don’t have the time or manpower or space to create alternative dishes. Hard to understand, perhaps, until you are in the room where ALL the prep, presentation and service happens.
CREATOR, FOUNDER, OPERATOR & OWNER: Kevin Joseph, Master Mermmelier
MYTHS & FABLES:
MYTH: We ALWAYS CHARGE for late-cancels. FACT: We almost never have to because the seats almost always fill because we have a lot of people on the NOTIFY list for each service, a network of concierges from local hotels that we reach out to and a great following on social media. We use all these tools to help fill abandoned seats. We DO however, ALWAYS charge for no-shows.
LOCAL: Our focus is NOT on “Local” product, although we do feature it as much as it fits with our other culinary ethics: 1. MARINE CUISINE & DelicaSEAS and 2. “Whole-Live-Raw-Bioavailable”. There are no local “Farm to Table” Lobster, Caviar or Salmon options in Charleston and, frankly, and these products are integral to our offering.
FARM TO TABLE: Also, not our lane, except for some dishes where we can do this. That being said, we use the freshest possible options for just about the finest product money can buy.