REVIEWS

MISSION WHAT IS IS / ISNT IS IT FOR YOU A-TYPICAL POLICIES VALUE PROPOSITION PRICING DISCOVERY

RESY: 4.9 STARS as of May 2024

STATISTICAL DETAILS UPDATED FEB, 2024

371 REVIEWS AS OF MAY 9, 2024

359 or 97% are 5 STAR

12 or 3% are 4, 3, 2 or 1 STAR

OPEN TABLE: 4.9 as of Oct 2023

TRIP ADVISOR: 5.0 as of Oct, 2023

GOOGLE REVIEWS are not considered as ANYONE can write one, including those who have never been to RAW LAB, those seeking to sabotage us (there are a few of those out there) and those with zero qualifications to evaluate any given dining or hospitality experience, including those who DID NOT understand what they were signing up for when they came, if they came.

YELP REVIEWS matter even less than Google for all the same reasons and an even less savvy consumer / contributor base there.

MISSION WHAT IS IS / ISNT IS IT FOR YOU A-TYPICAL POLICIES VALUE PROPOSITION PRICING DISCOVERY

COMPARING RAW LAB TO OTHER FINE DINING EXPERIENCES IN CHARLESTON

First, we honor, praise and revere the culinary talent, creativity and success that built Charleston’s reputation as a great food town. BRAVO!

Second, not every MEAL can or should be a “dining experience”, sometimes we just need to eat. So, we are NOT suggesting that the only way to eat or dine in CHS is with us. We are suggesting that anything over $150 per person (total final cost) should deliver a WOW (or several) for the guest.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

HOW MANY MICHELIN STARS ARE THERE IN CHS? Zero. Zip. Nada.

HOW MANY 5 STAR RATED RESTAURANTS ARE THERE IN CHARLESTON ON RESY? Only one which has been around long enough for that rating to mater. Sushi-Wa. We strongly recommend them.

HOW MANY 4.9 STAR RATED RESTAURANTS (ON RESY*) ARE THERE IN CHARLESTON? Just 10. They are Hall’s Chophouse, The Shellmore, Verns, Shiki, Charleston Grille, The Royal Tern, Coda Del Pesce, Wild Olive & RAW LAB.

WHO IS RATED BELOW 4.9 STARS: EVERYONE ELSE as of Oct 2023. We’re not saying we agree with this we are simply stating the facts here.

WHAT ARE OUR FAVORITE FINE DINING RESTAURANTS IN CHS? Sushi-Wa, Chubby Fish, The Obstinate Daughter, FIG, The Post House, The Ordinary, Melfi’s, Chez Neu & Coda Del Pesce.

WHAT ARE OUR FAVORITE DIVES: The Wreck, Chico Feo & Royal American & Jack of Cups.

WHAT ARE OUR FAVORITE WINE BARS: Bar Rollins & Graft

WHAT ARE OUR FAVORITE COCKTAIL BARS: Doar Brothers & The Saint

WHERE HAVE WE NOT BEEN THAT WE ASPIRE TO GO? R Kitchen, Langdons, Wild Olive, Charleston Grille

WHAT ARE THE MOST OVER-RATED RESTAURANTS IN CHS: Husk. 167 Raw. Hall’s. If you’ve never been, go, but measure your expectatins, perhaps. These restaurants have to play the volume game in extremely high rent districts with a huge staff. Does that produce any WOW in any market?

HUSK is Charleston’s “Tavern on the Green” and while it once did push the vanguard of southern cuisine, the sheen on that concept has a patina now. Worth trying. Wont blow your doors off.

167 RAW is a very good seafood restaurant but it lacks any real “wow”. Beyond that anyone caught stealing tops from servers to assuage the costs of Manager’s salaries is guilty of the penultimate crime in hospitality. Ya’ll can hate me for saying this but anyone who steals from LOCALS just scraping by (busboys, bar backs, waiters & bartenders) is a criminal guilty of what should be a felony and prosecuted as much. If you or I had stolen $5,000+ from over 90 people we would be prosecuted on 90+ counts of grand larceny, wouldnt we? How they got away with not event paying a fine for this is beyond my ability to comprehend. This is well documented: US dept of Labor Filing HERE & GOOGLE RESULTS HERE for “167 Raw Legal Issues”

HALL’S is iconic and legendary and also a bit of an old cliche feel. Its a scene, like any “chop house” or “steak house” is likely to be. Service is great, of course, when you have waiters who’ve been there for 30 years. Steaks are great, of course. But don’t expect a life changing experience.

RODNEY SCOTT OR LEWIS: Lewis. Better atmosphere and vibe, by far.

BOTTOM LINE

There are ONLY 10 - 15 GREAT RESTAURANTS IN CHARLESTON IF GREATNESS BEGINS AT 4.9 STARS on real platforms like RESY. There are some restaurants who are better than their rating, however and we’ve listed some of those above.

* Why just RESY? Because RESY is the market / thought leader in Charleston, without a doubt. Google and Yelp reviews can be created by anyone, regardless of if they have ever dined with you. Google and Yelp reviews are, therefore, meaningless, because they are flawed

WINNER OF OPEN TABLE’S 2022 DINER’S CHOICE AWARD

A Singular Semi-Private or Private Dining, Test Kitchen, Chef’s Table Experience for up to 12 guests

ONE OF THE TOP RATED CULINARY OPPORTUNITIES IN CHARESTON. SEE THE LIST OF TOP RATED RESTAURANTS HERE

LOCATION & DIRECTIONS

RECENT PRESS BELOW

FOOD & WINE MAGAZINE || TOWN & COUNTRY MAGAZINE || PASTE MAGAZINE || SC LIVING MAGAZINE

FOX 24 CHS || CITY PAPER CHS || CHARLESTON LIVING MAGAZINE || THE LOCAL PALATE || LUX LIVING MAGAZINE

WE #RaiseTheRaw Bar. YOU #SeasTheBay!

$250 per person ++ (PLUS tax & tip)

**INCLUDED: 9-12 Rounds oF Marine Cuisine & DelicaSEAS + 12 - 14 PREMIUM Wine Pairings**

SERVICE WED - SAT || ONE SEATING || 6:30pm - 10PM

RESERVATIONS ONLY - RESERVE SEATS HERE

21+

843 580 7729

READ REVIEWS ON YELP & OPEN TABLE

BROWSE RECENT PRESS HERE

15 GREAT REASONS WHY THIS IS AN EXTRAORDINARY VALUE & EXPERIENCE

WHAT IT IS / ISNT || LOCATION & DIRECTIONS || VIEW PRIX FIXE OMAKASE MENU HERE

RESERVE THE ROOM || CANCELLATION & NO SHOW POLICY || MEET OWNER & MASTER MERMMELIER KEVIN JOSEPH

#RaiseTheRawBar

Empire Oyster created this concept in 2017 and have been perfecting it ever since. This is a vanguard Chef’s Table / Test Kitchen experience for up to 12 seated guests at a time, where the focus is on rare, exotic and luxury seafood from the bottom of the seafood chain. Part of our offering is an exploration of the most sustainable, responsible and healthy seafood choices. We call it MARINE CUISINE and describe it as Seafood v. 3.0. Here we #MakeUglyFishesDelicious in a smart, fun and sexy way.

Our model is the magic. Instead of being ANOTHER seafood restaurant that ALSO offers a raw bar, we have removed the raw bar from the restaurant and eliminated the restaurant. We are focused on being the finest raw bar in the history of the world because we are ONLY a Raw Bar! We #RaiseTheRawBar so you can #SeasTheBay. This is not an appetizer or tasting menu, its a meal…a food & wine experience and, for many, an epiphany in both seafood and fine dining.

We feature a host of marine species and dishes informed by an elegant culinary ethic which is designed around eating “Whole, Live, Raw & BioAvailabe”. These days, we guarantee our guests at least 15 “Points of Discovery”. These are things we deliver in our service that even the most sophisticated foodie, gourmand or epicurean is likely to have never seen before. It delights and enchants, while, at times confusing and challenging your senses in an exciting way. The entire time, you are only inches away from the chef who prepares everything in front of the guests. Every dish is enjoyed by all of the guests at the same time. The process and the chef de-mystify seafood and seafood wine pairings in an un-pretentious presentation that empowers our guests to experiment at home or to feel more comfortable ordering seafood and pairing wine to it elsewhere. Its also FUN! This is not a formal or “stuffy” omakase experience.

Raw Lab also delivers an elevated wine experience. Each course is paired with a great seafood wine and any of the wines could be paired with any of the dishes. Guest’s commonly discover new varieties and styles of wines they love. The focus is on obscure or lesser known varieties of dry white, rose and orange wines. A luxury back bar offers a very high end collection of sake & spirits and some nice red wines, by the bottle.

Enjoy private dining in a salon like atmosphere with other interesting & Interested guests who have the opportunity to ask dozens of questions about oysters, seafood and the wine pairings. No other oyster or seafood experience is designed around a 12 seat u-shaped bar where all of the dishes are presented to the world’s only “Ice Moat”, at the same time. Everyone in the room is on the same page and in proximity to everyone else. It creates a unique opportunity for Edu-Tainment and connecting to others which rewards much more than your palate.

Also, the space itself is designed and managed to deliver a strong sense of ESCAPE! If you are visiting, you won’t feel like you are a tourist, you’ll feel like a traveler. If you are local, you’ll feel transported to another time, place and dimension. You wont feel like you are in a restaurant, because, well, YOU ARE NOT! The decor, the music, the light…it all transports our guests and time flies.

Finally, this room is very private. You can’t see anyone walking by and nobody walking by can see you! Our guests enjoy total discretion, always. This very discreet room is also available for private events.

MARINE CUISINE & DelicaSEAS

Learn more about this culinary ethic HERE and check out some pictures at that link or in the gallery below.

HOW IT WORKS

Enjoy 9 - 12 rounds of WHOLE, LIVE, RAW AND/OR BIO-AVAIALBE DISHES & UP TO 14 WINE PAIRINGS

It’s all VERY VERY VERY different @Raw.Lab.CHS. On many levels, this is an entirely new value proposition and Food & Wine experience, It is impossible to explain in writing or in words but it will make perfect sense once you’ve experienced it personally.

Omakase is an ancient Japanese service style typically applied to sushi service. The word means “to entrust” or “I leave it to you”. In this style of service guests do not order anything, they simply “entrust” the chef to deliver his or her best product, service and experience based on seasonal access to the finest and freshest product. We’ve applied it to oysters & MARINE CUISINE & DelicaSEAS, a collection of dishes created by Master Mermmelier Kevin Joseph. Our OMAKASE STYLE service is not a SUSHI Omakase which many gourmands, foodies and epicureans are familiar with. No, this is an RAW BAR OMAKASE, something different, entirely.

For starters, our oyster service launches the experience and features our Accoutrmement Premier, which is a proprietary collection of toppings, dressings and treatments for oysters available absolutely nowhere else on earth. All of the dishes are constructed right in front of you, and just for you. This is “seafood porn” and “food theater”, presented, in your lap, almost literally. But you’re not just watching it, you are a part of it as you interact with the chef and other guests. Also, this is not a little “tasting menu”. You will leave FULL. View the MENU HERE but dont expect exactly that menu as it is evolving fast and changes every night. LEARN MORE HERE

READ REVIEWS ON YELP & OPEN TABLE

RESERVATIONS VIA RESY || LOCATION & DIRECTIONS || CANCELLATION & NO SHOW POLICY

843 580 7729

RESERVATIONS FOR PRIX FIXE OMAKASE & SEMI-PRIVATE DINING

LOCATION & DIRECTIONS || CANCELLATION & NO SHOW POLICY

843 580 7729

THIS IS A FIT FOR THOSE WHO…

…seek the unprecedented, unique and original.
…have been to all the great CHS restaurants 10 times each and seek something completely different.
…value elite food & wine experiences and have 3-4 hours available to do enjoy our service.
…are NOT allergic to shellfish, mollusks or crustaceans. Fin fish allergies can be worked around by skipping a course or two.
…are comfortable with or seek a community table type of setting and a salon like atmosphere.
…appreciate elite food, wine and service without any pretension.

PRIVATE DINING

Book the room privately and we’ll serve you anything we can make.

When you book the room privately for your group it is yours, privately. We’ll play whatever music you would like and even allow you to bring in your own DJ. Bring your favorite wines or spirits from your private collection. The room is your oyster and your guests are the pearls!

2 - 12 guests for $4,500 ++ (Food, Beverage & Service Included, Taxes & 20% Gratuity NOT included)

13 - 14 guests for $5,500 ++ (Food, Beverage & Service Included, Taxes & 20% Gratuity NOT included)