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Great business concept: soul food for tourists in a cute, downtown environment.
Be prepared to wait for a table. Dana, the owner, is on the scene and ensures that you get seated as quickly as possible, that the food comes out quickly and that the sweet tea is constantly refilled.
This is Southern comfort food. Take an extra Lipitor before you arrive -- everything is fried, has bacon or ham in it, or ham gravy on it. It may not be good for you, but it is good. I loved my fried chicken livers with sides of fried okra and lima beans.
The standout is the Coca-Cola cake. It's moister than cake, but drier than brownies. Whatever it is, it is really good.
An impromptu visit from Washington, D.C. to Charleston, S.C. had me ask a friend of mine who had visited the city before for a few key things that one can't miss.
One place he recommended was Jestine's Kitchen, and I am very glad he did!
After the drive down filled with typical road food (i.e., McDonald's, Dunkin Donuts, Hardee's), etc. it was great to visit a local, non-chain restaurant indicative of the area we were visiting.
We went to Jestine's in the late afternoon on Saturday October 10th, 2009. Parking wasn't too hard to find - luckily, we found a spot right around the corner where, as luck would have it, our meter was broken so parking was also free.
Not being familiar with this restaurant's procedures, I headed inside to inquire about a table. One of the servers kindly told me that you just have to wait at the back of the line.
Happily, there were only about 4 people in front of us. When fellow diners came out, they reassured us it was worth the wait, which was nice to hear.
Once inside, we found a very casual, unprententious place that was akin to a medium-sized room. We were ready for the Jestine's experience.
For our drinks, I simply ordered water but my partner sampled one of the local Palmetto beers, which was very good indeed. The server also brought a small plate of cold cucumbers and onions that were soaked in a sweet vinegar. We ordered a basket of corn bread, which arrived warm, complete with a small plate with pats of butter in honey (delicious!).
For the main meal, I decided on the grilled cheese (without tomatoes) with cole slaw and french fries on the side. My partner went with the meatloaf, with a side of macaroni and cheese and collard greens.
Before the food arrived, I was keen to order the infamous Coca Cola cake at the end of the meal.
Well, I never got there. The food was so rich (in a good way), filing and delicious that I just did not have room for dessert!
Looking around, I kind of wished that I had ordered the grilled chicken, but since I rarely eat chicken, I decided to pass. All the food that I saw around me on other tables looked great. The only item I (sadly) wasn't too keen on was the cole slaw I had, which was made with vinegar. I wasn't used to the taste and just didn't care for it.
To recap: This is definitely a gem-of-a-place. There was no attitude here, and the prices were great. Most of the restaurants we had passed looked super fancy (including FIG, which was the other restaurant my friend had recommended), which is not what we were up for. It was nice to be able to take our time and feel relaxed and not rushed.
Jestine's Kitchen made my visit to Charleston a very pleasant one! I highly recommend it!
P.S. The pictures and decorations on the restaurant walls are a really nice touch. It was great to see/read about the history related to this place.
If you go to my Yelp profile and look at what my last meal on Earth would be, you'll see that it's from Jestine's Kitchen. This is my FAVORITE restaurant.
I can't give you any real suggestions food-wise, because I love EVERYTHING. My personal favorite is the pecan-crusted chicken with macaroni & cheese, but like I said, you can't go wrong with anything. For dessert, make sure to either get the Coca Cola cake or the banana pudding. Or both (that's what I do).
Also, if you don't want to wait in a long line to eat, make sure you get there about 20 minutes before it opens. Trust me. It's no secret that this place is REALLY good, so there's always a line.
First, I would give this restaurant no stars if that were possible. I went here for lunch and was actually disgusted that the restaurant put plates in front of us and called what was on it "food". It was nothing more than glorified cafeteria food- actually, my school cafeterias served better food.
I ordered the corn bread, which was tasteless and dry- a waste of space in my stomach. The fried green tomatoes were soggy and swimming in a disgusting pool of oil- I could barely manage the two bites I took to give them a fair chance. The fried chicken was nothing special, I'm sure you could get better at a fast food restaurant.
The mac and cheese was tasteless and somehow managed to be mushy and chewy at the same time. I wasn't even sure if the mashed potatoes were made from real potatoes, they tasted like the instant "just add water" potatoes served to me in elementary school. And lastly, tasting the pickled cucumbers served to us at the beginning was like sucking on a cucumber gone rancid in sugar.
I would absolutely not recommend this place to anyone, it was a waste of money- I would much rather spend more and eat a delicious lunch somewhere else (like the hominy grill). As a person who loves and enjoys good food, I left angry - as well as confused as to why so many people and magazines recommended this place.
Also, the service was depressing. The wait staff all looked extremely unhappy to be there, although I would too if I had to spend my days in that tacky, horrific restaurant where crap masquerades as food.
This place was awful! No seriously, it was awful. Whoever said "underwhelmed" hit the nail on the head.
My mom and I visited Jestine's over the weekend. I was apprehensive about going after reading some of the reviews on Yelp, but I knew it was one of those things I had to find out for myself. I am so thankful it was pouring down rain and thus there was no wait to get in. Had I waited on a corner for this I would have been really upset.
The best thing I had was the cucumbers and onions they bring you when you sit down. It was downhill from there.
Sweet Tea- Not sweet at all. Light in color. Tasteless.
Corn Fritters- tasteless. Not sweet or anything.
Pecan Crusted Whiting- Again, no flavor. There was not a hint of seasoningon the fish outside of the crust. I used my mom's horseradish that came with her chicken to add flavor. (her chicken was tasteless as well)
Mac and Cheese- No flavor! And it didn't taste fresh. I kept adding salt and pepper to try to make it better, but I decided it wasn't worth the trouble.
Banana Pudding- the bananas were brown like they were old and it had some sort of odd meringue (sp?) on top of it.
Coca-Cola Cake- Not bad. The second best thing I tasted.
If you are accustomed to southern cooking or "soul food" of any kind, you will not like this place. Trust me. They do not season their food.
After reading so much about this place, I wanted to go here to experience true southern cuisine. There was huge line that went around the block just to get in. After that long wait we were greeted with good, not great, southern cooking. Maybe my expectations were too high. Maybe I was there on a bad night. I was underwelmed.
Took me a few days to finally decide to go, after seeing the line out the restaurant all the time. Worth the wait. The Pecan Crusted Fried Chicken Breast was amazing. Hot and crunchy. Just go. Experience it.
Two thumbs up, will definitely be coming back next time I'm in Charleston. Sig-o and I tried the fried chicken, crabcakes, black eyed peas, mashed potatoes, collard greens, okra gumbo and followed all that up with banana pudding and pecan pie for dessert (oh and a piece of cornbread each to start). Standouts? The chicken, crabcakes, and mashed potatoes are making me drool just thinking about them. The collard greens and okra gumbo were just ok for me, a little bland (the proteins made up for them though - and yes I watch too much top chef).
Cute, friendly place - stopped by on a Saturday night and there was no wait which was even nicer. Next time I'm going to try the fried okra/mac n cheese/coca cola cake...maybe I should get in my car now...
We were excited to find Jestine's Kitchen, just around the corner from the Mills House hotel. We saw the good review from Yelp and were encouraged to taste fine southern cooking. There was a 15 min wait outside (was cold in December). We ordered the two specials: blackened chicken and shrimp creole. The shrimp dish was bland, the shrimp was not de-veined, and is not real creole style cooking. The chicken was dry and poorly seasoned. The veggie side dish (green beans and collared greens) was overcooked and bland. Although this restaurant seems to be local favorite, it is clearly over rated.
This place is for tourists. However, if you are reading this you probably are a tourist. No shame in this. The food is good simple southern dishes. The staff is extremely friend and helpful. You don't need a secret handshake, a knowing wink, or a divining rod to find some good hearty southern food hear.
It isn't the cheapest food around. The sandwiches are pretty reasonably priced. The portions are smaller but still plenty for a normal sized person.
So locals might assume correctly that you didn't grow up here as you wait in line at Jestine's Kitchen. There's no shame in supporting their largely tourist based economy and the food is good. So ignore most of the negative reviews touting this place place as four tourists as if that's something explicitly negative. It is easily accessible to people from out of town and you probably won't be disappointed.
Awesome! We closed the place down tonight. Wonderful help, amazing corn bread with whole corn and honey butter, okra stew and a plate of the tastiest fried oysters I've ever had the pleasure of eating.
No reservations and you'll be waiting on the corner of Meeting & Wentworth for at least thirty minutes every night for a table but it's with the wait. Good local bottled beer and wonderful deserts - and very generously priced meal! Just go!
Jestine's was located right around the corner from where I was staying (also right across from the Fire Station - pretty cool), and it look warm and cozy inside, filled with people eating good food (this was around 7 o'clock). When I came back around 8, there were a few tables finishing their food but not many eating still (even though they're open till 9:30 T-Th). Everything on the menu looked Southern in flavor, being from the Northwest, I asked what they'd recommend. The host said they're known for their fried chicken but that he'd go with either the meatloaf or the pork chop plate. Hmmmm, tough decisions need to be made. I went with the Pecan Crusted Fried Chicken with green beans and collard greens on the side. It was sooooooo good! Afterward, the waitress asked me if I wanted one of their six or so delicious desserts - banana pudding, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, black mousse, coca cola cake, and blueberry cobbler. I went with the cobbler and a side of vanilla ice cream. Man, this was good food.
Not only was it good food, but it was great, friendly service, warm and cozy decor with Southern Living article upon Southern Living article up on the walls mentioning Jestine's this or Charleston that. Also, not to mention the fact that the restaurant was established to celebrate the owner's mother Jestine's 110th birthday! Jestine lived to be 112, I think everyone should eat here, in hopes they can live as long. :) Also, for napkins, they're more like wash towels, and don't miss the various novelty salt/pepper shakers - each set is unique!
Southern Soul Food can't get any better.
I don't understand how anyone could give this place a bad review. The only thing i can think of is maybe people's expectations are too high from all the hype. For the price, its incredible. Make sure you get there around 11am to beat the lunch crowd, if not you have to wait on the sidewalk by the street.
From the start the service is great. Cheery and helpful. The meatloaf is great. The fried chicken is outstanding. Mashed potatoes and mac and cheese are wonderful. Sweet tea is great as you would expect in a southern place. The shining gem on the whole thing is the coca cola cake.
When you have one of those days when you just need your mom (or dad's, in my case) home cooking, Jestine's is the place to turn. Set in a kitchen that reminds you of a scene from Fried Green Tomatoes, the menu never fails to present a plethora of mouth-watering options.
Although the fried green tomatoes aren't quite up to par with my daddy's, the jambalaya, fried chicken, mac and cheese, fried okra, and okra stew have all been equally delicious.
The only complaint I have about this place is how packed it is- but you know it's worth it when there is always a line, even at 8:45 on a Sunday night.
Mixed feelings. I've been wanting to go here for 4 years. Fantastic attentive wait staff- took extra care to make sure we didn't feel hurried once seated since the wait was over 45 min. I wanted to love the food, but it was mostly just OK. We ordered pecan crusted fried chicken breast & fried shrimp. The fried coating was light and not greasy AT all- perfect. But the breast was dry- too bad. Crab cake was good We had a grilled salmon special & it was cooked PERFECTLY moist. It came on a bed of grits, which were unsalted ( undersalted?), and, if eaten with the salmon, made the wonderful salmon taste bland so I scraped itside and ate it later. Mashed potatoes were delcious, mac/cheese bland, red rice bland, green beans tasty but killed. Dessert-Coca- Cola cake OK, black magic cake & lemon custard pie really good.
pretty much like an orgasm in your mouth!
i'd never really had soul food till jestines. a co worker insisted we go to jestines since he'd heard about it, and there was always a line to get in. we got there at about 3... right after brunch and before dinner. there was no line! the decor had a very homely feel to it. the place is pretty small.
i ordered the fried chicken meal with mashed potatoes, mac n cheese and some fried green tomatoes as an appetizer. the fried green tomatoes were whatever. the entree consisted of 3 large peices of fried chicken. amazing mashed potatoes made from real potatoes, mac and cheese that blew kraft right out of the water... i def. couldnt finish the meal so i had left overs.
after reading the yelp reviews on the coca cola cake, i had to try, and i was not let down. the cake was deeeelicious! its a must have if you visit this place.
ohh! and the service was great, i like it when older ladies call me sweety and dear and rub my back =)
Why is the line out the door - probably because the food is good!!! We were lucky enough to hit this place on a weekday before the lunch rush, so no wait for us. I have to downgrade this a bit because my pecan crusted chicken sandwich was completely tasteless. I dont' understand how this happened, when my husband loved his tasty (plain) fried chicken, but seriously, it was like eating air. He got a piece of the chocolate coca-cola cake to go and while I took a nibble and thought it would put me in a diabetic coma, he loved it enough to stop back for another piece a few days later. My "everything" cookie was not so great - a bit heavy on the nuts and too soft. I'll chalk it up to bad choices on my part.
Hands the best southern fried chicken meals I have ever had. The chicken was moist with a well seasoned crispy crust. It was not oily, and had the proper bite. It was steaming hot as it came to the table so be careful and don't take a big bite immidiately. The fried okra was nothing extraordinary (although perfectly cooked and seasoned), but since i love fried okra so much, it was the perfect companion to the chicken and mac and cheese. The staff is friendly and the atmosphere is a little short of the feeling you get in your gradma's kitchen. There was a line out the door (as you can see in one of the pictures above) which means it was a popular destination. I can't wait to go back. Do you self a favor and enjoy this century old recipe and go back for more!
...Ohh I completely forgot to mention the coca cola pie, all I can say is... GET IT!! ;)
Firstly, let me say that ordering a shrimp po'boy at Jestine's is like ordering a steak at Waffle House. You just don't do it. Stick with the basics like fried shrimp, southern sides, and sweet tea (who the hell drinks unsweet tea in the South anyway?). You won't be disappointed if you keep it simple. My personal favorite item on the menu is the mashed potatoes. I could eat these every day of my life and be happy. They're buttery, carb laden goodness. The okra gumbo is probably my second favorite. The fried shrimp are big, juicy, and not too heavy on the breading.
Yes, you will stand outside and wait unless you go at an off time (like 3pm). It's definitely worth it. We were even greeted by Dana Berlin herself during one of our visits. No need to get fussy at Jestine's. It's all about the classics.
Jestine's is a solid place to get your fix for Southern food. It's not the banquet-of-the-gods that you get at Mrs. Wilkes in Savannah, but the food at Jestine's beats the heck out of anything else you'd get for a reasonable price near downtown Charleston.
Having said that, they seem to have raised their prices somewhat in the last year or so, but you can order a good appetizer, meat and two, and follow it up with a dessert for about $20 per person.
I couldn't leave the South without ordering fried green tomatoes at least one time, so I asked for them here ($5) and they didn't dissapoint. Thin sliced, fried just right and served with southern relish, they were a real delight. I only wish the serving size were larger, since you only get four slices, which works out to about $1.25 a slice.
I followed that up with a pork chop ($9) that came with two sides. The pork chop was fine. (It's hard to mess up a pork chop.) But it was nothing to write home about. For my sides, I chose collard greens (delicious) and mashed sweet potatoes.
While the sweet potatoes were so sweet they could have served as a desert in themselves, I also treated myself to coca cola cake. I thought the cake was just fine, but my partner absolutely loved it. (As he should have -- at $5.25 per serving.)
All told, the tab was about $40. It was more than we usually spend, but we left heavier and happier, and I'd recommend it to any Charleston newbie.
Rachel Ray reviewed this place a few years ago and now everyone thinks that it's THE PLACE to go for authentic southern food. Well let me clue you in on a little secret; the only reason Rachel Ray came here is that all of the good soul food restaurants are in crappy un-photogenic areas. Anyway, the food here is definitely not worth the price you pay. My fried chicken had leathery skin, the broccoli was tasteless and the mac and cheese was marginal - my aunt actually found a piece of foil in her mac and cheese - perhaps they scraped it out of a take out box that someone left on a table.
For the real deal, head up to Martha Lou's on Morrison Drive. You can't walk there from here and it's not in the best part of town but thier food beats the snot out of Jestine's seven days a week and twice on Sundays.
After hearing Rachel Ray on the Food Nework rave about this place, I just had to stop in and try Jestines Kitchen. Well I have had prepared friend chicken and mac n cheese. The chicken was over cooked and dry, the mac n cheese was not cheesy at all, it was not the worst but certainly was not what I thought would have me smiling and rubbing my tummy. I was very disappointed.
I must say that I'm shocked to see any negative reviews for Jestine's. This is a must for anyone visiting Charleston. Truly outstanding Southern home cooking. It's all good, but here are some highlights: the Coca Cola cake, coconut custard pie, sweet tea, fried chicken, meatloaf, okra, mac & cheese.
I don't really understand the whole shrimp and grits phenomenon, though. Yeah, I know, that's sacrilege.
Warm inviting atmosphere, great home cooked food and the waitstaff is as sweet and wonderful as their pie! What's not to love?
Let me break it down...my boyfriend and I walk by the place on our first of three nights in Charleston and I am immediately drawn to the place. It looks cozy, chill and I just god a good vibe from it. Well, our second night we purposely walked by with intentions of trying it but we had been quite burned by a terrible lunch at another place and when we looked at the menu we just weren't in the mood. Big mistake. I wish we had time to eat here again!
Finally, our third night we were tired, hungry, both of us have been a little under the weather with a slight cold but we wanted to get out for a walk and when there was talk of just getting potato chips at CVS, I steered us directly to Jestine's. Thank goodness!
I eat fish sometimes but my boyfriend is a vegetarian and even with a fish and meat filled menu we still walked away VERY satisfied.
The moment we sat down they brought us some homemade pickled cucumbers and onion which were perfect, light so that we didn't fill up but had something to nosh on while we made our decision. We had the sweet tea and the service is so prompt we never had an empty glass! - really wonderful, sweet but not too sweet. We also had the grilled cheese with fries...super yummy! - the bread the the grilled cheese was made on was thick and delicious (but not heavy) and tasted like home baked bread, the cheese may have been a marble cheese (monterey jack/cheddar mix), and the tomatoes were thick slices that perfectly complimented the rest of the sandwich. The fries were greasy which I would normally count as a bad thing but these were wonderful and "real" tasting. We also had mac and cheese - yum!, fried green tomatoes - yum, yum! and coleslaw - the pickled kind, not the mayonnaise laden heavy kind...yum, yum, yum!
Let's not forget dessert (word to the wise - if you don't have a huge appetite upon arrival pace yourself and share an entree and some sides so that you definitely have some room for dessert!!!). We tried the pecan pie which was delicious but our favorite was the peach-blueberry cobbler which was a perfect medley of fruit and topping that was made so that the flavor of the fruit was enhanced with just the right amount of sugar so that it had the sweetness of dessert without being too sweet. I'm not sure we got enough of it!
Oh, they have a bakery just around the corner that ships food and I am so going to try their Coca-Cola cake! I bet it rocks.
The service is so wonderful and it is just unpretentious and nice. Not fake nice, I'm working for a tip...just really warm and genuine nice.
All this and reasonable prices too. The serving sizes are just right - they don't give you massive quantities, and they don't need to. They give a good-sized portion of really nice quality food - we were pretty hungry and shared an entree and the sides and, although the portions weren't ginormous, we had leftovers and full bellies.
The only thing I don't like is that it is too far from Boston!!! :(
We found a favorite in Charleston!
If you want huge portions of your favorite Southern foods, then this is the place! Every couple of months, I dream of their fried pork chops with mashed potato's and gravy. I am a Southern girl through and through. The biggest compliment I can think of giving Jestin's is some dishes are better than my Momma's. (I'll take that to my grave!)
I was in search of a place to have lunch while touring downtown Charleston, and remembered having read some great things about Jestine's. It is close to the downtown attractions, so we decided to give it a try.
We were seated immediately (the advantage of having a late lunch). The unsweetened tea didn't have much flavor, but the waitress was very attentive in keeping my glass topped off throughout the meal and dessert.
We each had the shrimp po' boy sandwich. It came with six small pieces of fried shrimp served on French bread with lettuce and tomato, topped with a small amount of a mayo-based sauce. The bread was thick, tough, and dry, and the sandwich lacked any sort of flavor. I had French fries on the side which were respectable. Overall, it was unimpressive, but thankfully we saved room for dessert.
This was my first time trying a Coca-Cola cake, and it was amazing! It was moist, melt-in-your-mouth, sugary goodness! Jestine's po' boy may have been a bit dry and bland (and cost this review a couple of stars), but this cake is reason enough to go back!
This was one Charleston restaurant that definitely lived up to the hype. We did have to wait in line outside the restaurant till a table was ready (15 mins) but it was worth it. My only gripe was they only have shrimp and grits one day a week. Anyway, I settled for crab cakes and didn't regret it.
Cute place but I was not too impressed with the food after eating such wonderful food all throughout Charleston. The mixed fried seafood plate was just lots of deep fry batter and grease which overpowered the fish. The gumbo special was a pretty small portion and just average. The best food ordered by our group was probably the fried chicken which was a HUGE portion - enough for three people! The desserts were great though - pecan pie and a fruit cobbler. There are so many outstanding places to eat in this city that I would not go back here again.
Can't believe I haven't reviewed this place yet. My wife and I love Jestine's so much, we are going there tonight for our 2nd anniversary. We usually get the fried chicken, which is a copious amount, I can't even finish it. They have great meatloaf, catfish, and others as well. My favorite sides are the collards, beans and rice, red rice, and corn bread. For desert, the bread pudding is the way to go.
I've only been to the South a couple of times, so I can't tell what is and isn't authentic, but Jestine's was absolutely delicious. Great service with solid suggestions from the staff... I had the baked ham, which was very good. The pies were insane. I had a slice of the coconut AND the lemon meringue.
This is a really great place for some Southern/Lowcountry food.
Sundays is shrimp and grits and it is a good style
Tuesdays is Chicken with Limas and I highly recommend that dish!
The fried chicken and meatloaf is very good as well.
Great atmosphere and the staff is amazing! They are very friendly.
Maybe it just got too big. So much hype over such a great restaurant and it fell apart.
I've been back to Jestine's a couple times in the last year and nothing blew me away.
It's not on the top of my list for recommendations in downtown anymore.
Eat at 82 Queen!
I love southern cooking!!!!!!! The meatloaf is great! But you can fill up on the sides, macaroni… Read more »
I am a southerner and a foodie, and in my opinion, this is about as good as it gets. The food is like the best soul food you've had at your grandmother's house, really. Here's the play-by-play:
-fried green tomatoes - nothing frozen and it shows. Crispy, well salted, and with a delicious pepper relish.
-baked dark meat chicken over lima beans with a sweet(ish) sauce and white rice - unexpectedly tender and flavorful. The meat literally fell off the bone.
-fried catfish - no muddy river taste, no soggy crust. Perfectly crispy and catfish-y, topped with the same pepper relish.
-red rice - there are no words. It's that good, really.
-coca cola cake - cake? brownie? Moist, chocolaty deliciousness topped with a (boiled) chocolate pecan frosting. VERY sweet, but so good.
-pineapple bread pudding - served warm in a clay ramekin with a mildly sweet sauce.
Delicious tea, tasty beers, absolutely great. Really lives up to the hype.
(One caveat: the collard greens were a tad overdone for my tastes and a little blah. Much better with some salt. That was the only less-than-perfect detail.)
Jestine's was probably one of the culinary highlights of our week in Charleston. We'd heard the locals love Jestine's, so we planned a special trip there. You know a place is good if there's a line going around the corner, for lunch on a (torrentially) rainy day! I'm sure a lot of people there were tourists, like us, but it doesn't matter. The food speaks for itself.
We each had fried chicken, greens, and cornbread: the works. We were so very impressed with the full flavors and terrific quality of the food! The chicken was crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside; the greens were tasty; and the corn bread was just too yummy. We also had sweet tea, which we understand is a southern tradition, and really enjoyed that as well!
The decor is kind of country and home-like, and made us feel like we were in somebody's grandma's kitchen, which I guess is the truth in a way. We felt comfortable and welcome.
I'm from the north, and my partner is from England, so we feel very fortunate to be have been able to eat some authentic southern fare in what is certainly one of Charleston's most beloved establishments. If you are ever in Charleston, please visit Jestine's Kitchen. You won't be disappointed!
Meh. I wasn't "wowed." The waiting outdoors in a line thing is kinda weird and the hostess refuses to even give an estimate of how long you might wait.
I was sad that you have to pay for cornbread, rather than just receiving it for free, but the butter/honey mixture to put on the cornbread makes it delicious. The sweet tea was also very good and they were quick on the refills.
Overall the staff were friendly, but I didn't think the food was anything too amazing. Most of the dishes ranged from $8-15 dollars and the more expensive ones included small side vegetables.
I know this is a tourist destination, and being a tourist, this was totally worth going to. I love Southern comfort food, and Jestine's did not scrimp on that at all. I had fried chicken (my FAVORITE) and it was amazing. I definitely hope to go back next time I am in town!
So I bought into the hype on a recent trip to Charleston and ended up at Jestine's. It's a cute homey little joint in the heart of historic Charleston...and my affection stops there. I reluctantly ordered the fried shrimp, (since at Jestine's shrimp & grits is a dish only served on Sundays.) The shrimp were small, greasy, and nothing special. My parents ordered the fried chicken, which to Jestine's credit, was much better than the shrimp, but no better than your neighborhood Popeye's. In a word...despite the lines outfront, Jestine's was....underwhelming.
I was in Charleston last week for our international sales meeting and really wanted to try some authentic Southern food. I could not have been happier with our choice to go to Jestine's. We got there around 8 on Tuesday night and were the only people in the place. Which is good because we ordered a lot of food.
If they have pork chops covered in cheese on the specials board, get it. The corn fritters were amazing, so much actual corn! Fried oysters are in season and even I tried one. Fried okra was better than my mom's, which is saying a lot. Then there was the red rice (think spanish rice) which was also great. And then there was corn bread and did I mention we had coconut cream pie for dessert. And fried green tomatoes? And the prices were great - two appetizers, extra corn bread, two beers, two full dinners and one dessert was less than $50 with tax and tip.
Whether you live in Charleston or are just visiting definitely add Jestine's to your to do list. It is worth it!!
If you are visiting Charleston, Jestine's is a great choice. Classic Southern food at a great price in the downtown area. The atmosphere is comfortable and homey and the service is excellent.
My parents live in Charleston and every time I come to town this is one of my "must haves"! Often (because of its upstanding reputation and location) the line will snake around the building, but do not despair! It is well worth any wait.
Every meal starts off with a dish of their sweet cucumbers. As far as menu choices are concerned, sweet tea is a must for beverage, and a basket of down home cornbread, complete with honey butter. Yum! Among my favorite things on the menu there is Pecan Crusted Chicken dinner, Herbed Meatloaf, Fried Chicken, and always a great selection of specials. Side dishes are a real treat as well with fried okra, mashed potatoes, and black eyed peas. If there is anything I can stress in this review it is...save room for dessert! Their desserts are made fresh daily and are all fabulous. Usually, my family and I each order a different type and pass them around. Banana pudding, cobbler, and coca cola cake are some of the best to name just a few.
The service is also part of the charm in this real southern kitchen. Ya'll enjoy!
Charleston, SC
Category: Southern
Charleston, SC
Category: Seafood
Charleston, SC
Category: Soul Food
Charleston, SC
Category: French
Charleston, SC
Category: Seafood
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