Sports Bar in Downtown Charleston, SC

The Charleston sushi scene has been slowly expanding over the years. Just a few years ago, there were many places in the Lowcountry where you could grab a California roll or rainbow roll, but there were fewer places with fresh wasabi or rare delicacies like uni. Today, many sushi aficionados put Sushi-Wa Izakaya at the top, but there are a few other stops in town to quell nigiri cravings.

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Kyoto-trained chef Yuichiro “Junior” Takebata runs the sushi side of this Japanese steakhouse in West Ashley. He specializes in nigiri and sashimi, but Hachiya also offers an extensive signature roll menu as well. Takebata sources most of the fish he uses in his sushi bar from purveyors who order directly from Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo.

Tired of eating cheeseburgers and wings while at a sports bar? Locals offers an extensive sushi menu, full of classic rolls and nigiri, but most customers are in for the super-stuffed signature rolls. For example, the Charleston roll is yellowtail, shredded “krab,” cream cheese, jalapeño, asparagus, and avocado, topped with sweet mango, crispy onions, and sweet chili sauce. It’s not for sushi purists, but its fun.

Sushi Wa Izakaya offers some of the freshest fish around. Chefs Kazu Murakami and Chris Schoedler offer high-end sushi, chirashi, sake, and small plates in the intimate dining room. Experience the nigiri-focused omakase Wednesday through Sunday, beginning at $100 per person. Reservations are difficult to snag, but the restaurant will occasionally announce openings on Instagram.

O-Ku is a major King Street hot spot, but it still commits to a solid sushi program. From the lemon and salmon roll to the otoro nigiri, there’s something for everyone. The popular happy hour on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays is a fun way to try out the restaurant for less.

Shiki is a tucked-away space on East Bay Street beloved by locals since 2001. The long-standing sushi eatery is an intimate space to catch up with friends. The rolls are super fresh, the service is solid, and the sake is affordable. It's a relaxed night with raw fish and perfect rice.

In 2021, the team from always-packed oyster outlet 167 Raw turned their attention to even more seafood with the opening of 167 Sushi Bar. The sliver of a restaurant, which is 50 percent chef’s counter, offers a menu of the classic choices of nigiri, sashimi, and hand rolls. The eatery also offers izakaya options like a katsu sando and yakatori.

Chef Sean Park puts the utmost care into every plate and scores some of the freshest catches around. Kanpai was one of the first Lowcountry spots to put live uni on the menu. Mount Pleasant residents should definitely make a stop at Kanpai.

Kyoto-trained chef Yuichiro “Junior” Takebata runs the sushi side of this Japanese steakhouse in West Ashley. He specializes in nigiri and sashimi, but Hachiya also offers an extensive signature roll menu as well. Takebata sources most of the fish he uses in his sushi bar from purveyors who order directly from Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo.

Tired of eating cheeseburgers and wings while at a sports bar? Locals offers an extensive sushi menu, full of classic rolls and nigiri, but most customers are in for the super-stuffed signature rolls. For example, the Charleston roll is yellowtail, shredded “krab,” cream cheese, jalapeño, asparagus, and avocado, topped with sweet mango, crispy onions, and sweet chili sauce. It’s not for sushi purists, but its fun.

Sushi Wa Izakaya offers some of the freshest fish around. Chefs Kazu Murakami and Chris Schoedler offer high-end sushi, chirashi, sake, and small plates in the intimate dining room. Experience the nigiri-focused omakase Wednesday through Sunday, beginning at $100 per person. Reservations are difficult to snag, but the restaurant will occasionally announce openings on Instagram.

O-Ku is a major King Street hot spot, but it still commits to a solid sushi program. From the lemon and salmon roll to the otoro nigiri, there’s something for everyone. The popular happy hour on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays is a fun way to try out the restaurant for less.

Shiki is a tucked-away space on East Bay Street beloved by locals since 2001. The long-standing sushi eatery is an intimate space to catch up with friends. The rolls are super fresh, the service is solid, and the sake is affordable. It's a relaxed night with raw fish and perfect rice.

In 2021, the team from always-packed oyster outlet 167 Raw turned their attention to even more seafood with the opening of 167 Sushi Bar. The sliver of a restaurant, which is 50 percent chef’s counter, offers a menu of the classic choices of nigiri, sashimi, and hand rolls. The eatery also offers izakaya options like a katsu sando and yakatori.

Chef Sean Park puts the utmost care into every plate and scores some of the freshest catches around. Kanpai was one of the first Lowcountry spots to put live uni on the menu. Mount Pleasant residents should definitely make a stop at Kanpai.

Published: Nov. 1, 2024 at 12:50 PM PDT|

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Problems at a historic cemetery near downtown Charleston have been reported for years with family members who have their loved ones buried on the land reporting a lack of answers and accountability, but now a permanent solution is here.

The Monrovia Cemetery was declared a non-perpetual care cemetery, which means family members are responsible for keeping up with ownership information and gravesite maintenance.

A partnership coordinated by State Representative Wendall Gilliard, cemetery board members and Highland Resources Incorporated, a business located behind the cemetery, will now have an official cleanup plan.

“There were so many problems that were coming to our attention, so we figured that anybody and everybody should be involved in this movement,” Gilliard said. “Can you imagine having a loved one here and not being able to get in or see them? It’s not the best upkeep.”

“I am so grateful for the community from your story that they stepped forward,” he added.

Since the cemetery was declared non-perpetual, no management or groundskeeper maintained the property with family members required to maintain the graves.

Over 1,000 bodies have been buried at Monrovia Cemetery since the large property opened in the late 1800s. In the past, the property was full of overgrown grass and vegetation, sometimes completely covering people’s graves and tombstones.

Fronting the cost, the partnership with Highland Resources will start with the company hiring a contractor for two years to initially clean up the property including cutting the grass, cleaning up trash and debris, limbing up the trees and cleaning up the fence line of vines and brush.

“They’re going to do a long term fix here. We gave them a wish list and it looks promising,” Gilliard said. “Believe me, this is one successful story. It’s a great outcome.”

Headstones that have been covered with vegetation for years will be cleaned and Highland will provide reasonable funds to pay for the cost to survey the graves that need to have fill placed upon them, remove the headstones and put the headstones back in place.

After the initial cleanup, maintenance will continue, a landscape architecture plan will be created to improve Monrovia and the filling of low areas that typically flood.

This cemetery has been a problem for years with caskets coming up from the ground during storms and bad flooding.

Maurice Lee was one good samaritan who had worked to clean the cemetery and explained he is elated to hear of the new plan.

“This was my vision, whether we had to do it with volunteers or not. My vision was to get the cemetery maintained, and now hearing that we actually have a company that has the resources and the manpower to maintain it on a consistent basis, is all I wanted.” Lee said.

With hundreds of people buried on the property, many of the lives lost now have no one located nearby or alive to maintain the grave or tombstone, leaving the deceased forgotten. But now, they will be remembered again.

“I’m pretty sure it would mean the world is to them because when they used to come out, some people couldn’t even find their family members’ graves,” Lee said. “Now knowing that whether they come tomorrow or a year from now that the cemetery is going to be maintained, I’m pretty sure they’re going to be extremely happy.”

The effort to clean Monrovia was also a massive community effort with 50 volunteers cleaning the neglected grounds in July.

Gilliard sponsored a bill back in 2019 to protect forgotten cemeteries throughout South Carolina.

The bill proposes to authorize a county or municipality to maintain, preserve and protect any cemeteries located within its area that have been abandoned or not maintained.

After Live 5’s story in July, he said dozens of family members from across the state have contacted Gilliard about similar problems as Monrovia occurring statewide. The public outcry has prompted him to help create the cleanup plan and reintroduce the bill.

“I found out it’s just not a local problem with cemeteries being taken care of; nobody wanted to be accountable in other places,” Gilliard said. “That (the bill) would give local municipalities the right to empower them to come up with their own ordinances as to hold the people accountable, whether it’s perpetual or non-perpetual, but they have to be held accountable for the upkeep of these very beautiful cemeteries.”

The new partnership for the cemetery is almost official with board members just having to sign off on the final paperwork.

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.

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‘Southern Charm’ stars open downtown Charleston bar, restaurant

A pair of reality TV personalities and a local hospitality group have teamed up for a new downtown Charleston bar and restaurant.

By The Way, the neighborhood den from Charleston-based Uptown Hospitality Group and “Southern Charm” stars Craig Conover and Austen Kroll, has officially opened its doors at 45 1/2 Spring St.

This marks a first-time partnership between the hospitality outfit and longtime friends Conover and Kroll, whose shared vision is to create a warm and welcoming neighborhood establishment featuring food and drink and Southern hospitality, a news release stated.

“We are thrilled to [finally!] introduce By The Way to our Charleston community alongside our great friends Austen and Craig,” said Keith Benjamin, co-founder and director of operations at Uptown Hospitality Group, in the release. “Our hope is for By The Way to settle in and become a beloved, long-standing staple of this city’s outstanding hospitality landscape,” Benjamin added.

Located one block off King Street in the buzzy Cannonborough Elliotborough community, By The Way offers a cozy atmosphere, comforting American cuisine and well-crafted cocktails seven days a week, well into the night, the release stated.

“Craig and I are ecstatic to partner with Uptown Hospitality Group to share our idea of the ideal all-day, all-night neighborhood hang; a spot where friends old and new come together on the regular for good food, killer drinks, and great fun,” Kroll, co-founder, said in the release.

What’s on the menu

By The Way’s menu offers an elevated take on classic tavern fare from Executive Chef Marcus Shell, the release stated. Guests can expect familiar dishes — a mixture of appetizers, entrées, and shareables — with a commitment spotlighting local ingredients. Signature dishes include:

By The Way’s bar program celebrates a mix of old and new classics that speak to the moment, with a selection of premium spirits from global beverage alcohol leader Diageo, the release stated. A passion for well-made martinis is central to the By The Way experience, with an entire section of the menu dedicated to several variations. The beverage menu features well-balanced cocktails like the Hot Honey Margarita with Don Julio Blanco Tequila, Grapefruit Elderflower Spritz, Lavender Gimlet, or a large-format Old Fashioned to share featuring Blade and Bow Bourbon.

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The inspiration for the design

The team collaborated with Oliver Haslegrave of the Brooklyn-based interior architecture and design firm Home Studios to create a time-honored, sophisticated and playful space rooted in storytelling, the release stated. The design features bespoke lighting and furniture crafted by Home Studios, natural materials like leather, marble, metal and stone, a dramatic back bar, custom plasterwork by Benjamin Lai, and an entrance mosaic by Katherine Frost, the release stated.

Santa came early this year. By the Way is no longer on the way — it's officially open.

The highly anticipated upscale restaurant in downtown Charleston is the newest locally owned business to hit the Cannonborough Elliotborough neighborhood. It’s co-owned by "Southern Charm" reality TV stars Austen Kroll and Craig Conover along with Uptown Hospitality Group.

Unlike its predecessor Warehouse, By The Way at 45 1/2 Spring St. is geared toward a more mature crowd seeking a downtown place to eat and drink from an elevated menu without feeling overwhelmed by music or out of place with the "college energy" of King Street, Conover said.

Charleston Scene

"It's really about catering to an older crowd, without the young people knowing," he noted. "Young people can still come in and have fun, but if you’re in your 30s or 40s, it’s a place to go and fit in."

While renovations took 18 months, Kroll said he idea started years ago, as he and Conover — now in their mid-30s — were looking for quieter places to take friends or colleagues for after-dinner drinks or small bites.

"Craig and I calmed down a bit with the social scene, going out all the time, drinking and misbehaving," Kroll said. "When all of that subsided, it became apparent for us to open our own bar."

From there, it was finding the right opportunity to collaborate with his good friend and UHG co-founder Keith Benjamin.

UHG owns Bodega, Share House and Uptown Social and they were the only partner for Kroll. The group is a tight-knit with about 20 individuals, including Benjamin, who have been opening up social spots in New York and Charleston for the last decade.

"For years I asked Keith, 'When are you gonna let me in on one?'" Kroll recalled. "He always laughed and said, ‘We don’t let in outside people’ and basically told me to get in line."

Kroll and Conover began looking into their own food and beverage venture in 2022 and couldn't get past the idea to renovate the old Warehouse. It was the first bar Kroll visited when he came to Charleston and held great nostalgia, in addition to a great location.

Benjamin put in a bid to purchase the property and surprised Kroll with the opportunity to build something together finally.

A charming makeover

The restaurant is located in the up-and-coming Spring Street retail district, where short-term rentals are packed each weekend and small, women-owned businesses like Taxidermy, The Paper Canopy and Goldbug Collection are booming.

Outside, the white cement building is simple, clean with a single wooden door to gain entry. Inside, the restaurant is anything but unassuming with every detail meticulously planned out by the owners.

The open floorplan is warmly lit wall by gold sconces. A hand-painted wall mural by artist Amanda Lamontagne stretches the length of the restaurant while a bar runs parallel along the other side. A skylight lets in the bright sunshine or for dinner times, the starry nights.

The BTW team collaborated closely with Oliver Haslegrave of the Brooklyn-based interior architecture and design firm Home Studios to bring the space to life.

Past the buttery leather chairs, wood and metal tables and a VIP corner nook with banquette seating reminiscent of New York City scenes is a back wall of curated photos Kroll describes as “Old Charleston and beyond." They stretch towards the ceiling.

Diageo supplies top shelf liquor to the restaurant and its hospitality advisor Sam Lindenfeldar said the company worked with Benjamin and the crew to pin down a premium liquor program.

Notable cocktails in December include the hot honey margarita with Don Julio Blanco tequila, Gran Marnier, Red Clay hot sauce, Red Clay hot honey and lime with a spicy salt rim. The old fashioned is mixed with Blade and Bow Bourbon, orange and angostura bitters, Turbinado syrup and sea salt.

The Freezing Cold martini is made with a choice of Ketel One Vodka or Tanqueray No. Ten Gin, orange bitters, olive, brine and dry vermouth.

Conover said the bar was designed by the bartenders themselves, with four stations to serve customers.

The kitchen similarly was laid out by the culinary team, headed by Marcus Shell, formerly of Rue de Jean.

Food plans initially called for light snacks, but Conover said the menu has morphed since then to incorporate four entrée dishes, including steak frites, chicken and fish dishes. Other highlights are fried oyster and caviar, 'Nduja deviled eggs and a duck confit sandwich with goat cheese.

Tables and high tops will line the floor during dinner service, but Conover said afterward they’ll clear the floor for people to socialize.

"The lighting, the crowd, this place has a life of its own," he said. "I used to think a bar was cool because people said it was cool, but now I see that it really comes from the structure itself."

Charleston Scene

This isn't Conover’s first venture into the food and beverage business, but it already is his best, he said.

He currently owns Carriage House NYC in Manhattan.

"We really burned our hands a lot on the stove, but we’ve been able to take those lessons and apply them here," he said. "This vibe is everything we wanted when we did that."

While the co-owners won’t be at By The Way daily, Kroll plans to pop in whenever he’s downtown — and possibly even film there.

"I very much want the bar staff to be able to tell fans that they see me often," he said.

Fans will most definitely ask once they hear discussions about By The Way on Season 10 of “Southern Charm,” now airing on Bravo.

Conover will also send over clientele from Sewing Down South, the lifestyle store he owns around the corner on King Street.

"My DMs are constantly full of people asking where to go when they come to Charleston and I can finally say go to By The Way," Kroll said.

By The Way is open weekdays from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. and from noon to 2 a.m. on the weekends. The team plans to expand its hours in the new year, eventually adding weekend brunch, a happy hour and a Wednesday night steak frites feature.

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After a nearly 40-year journey with The Charleston Place, Beemok Hospitality Collection is one year away from opening another downtown luxury hotel — this one with waterfront access.

Anticipated to open in October 2025, The Cooper will be seated in between the Charleston Waterfront Park and Union Pier on Concord Street. The Cooper’s name was inspired by the Ashley Cooper River that it overlooks.

The six-story hotel will provide 191 rooms and suites starting on the second level , as well as amenities for both private guests and public visitors, Ellie Locke, sales experience manager for The Cooper, said.

Construction on the building, which previously served as an office building for the South Carolina Ports Authority, began in 2019, Locke said. The Cooper will be the first luxury waterfront hotel with access to downtown Charleston.

“We’re combining this resort feel within a city,” Lukus Grace, managing director of The Cooper, said. “You’re surrounded by this lush landscaping, looking out over the Charleston Harbor. You could be enjoying that and within five minutes you could leave the hotel, walk to some of the great dining Charleston has, or some of the great shopping on King Street, and that’s not something that happens anywhere else.”

Charleston’s public will have access to The Cooper’s four restaurants: a waterfront diner, coffee shop, seafood restaurant and rooftop lounge. The rooftop bar, enclosed in floor-to-ceiling glass doors, will overlook both the Arthur Ravenel Jr. bridge to the left and the waterfront park’s pineapple fountain to the right.

The waterfront sidewalk will connect to the sidewalks on the rest of the peninsula and open into the hotel’s lawn area, which is also available to the public, Courtney Capata, senior vice president of communications for BHC, said. Storefront spaces will be available to rent and access from the street.

One of The Cooper amenities that is exclusive to guests will be the infinity pool on the roof, with its own bar. The pool will be located beside the rooftop bar which is open to the public.

“I think the pool is going to be the big differentiator,” Grace said. “It’s going to be one of the best pool experiences, definitely in the Southeast, but it should rival anything on the East Coast. I think that’s what I’m most excited to bring to life and see people’s faces once they walk out onto that pool deck.”

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Related: 5 luxury retailers to set up shop at Charleston Place Hotel

The hotel will have three different boats for guests of The Cooper including a yacht for dinners and events, as well as a water taxi service to Daniel Island, Capata said. Guests in BHC-affiliated locations like The Charleston Place will also have access to the boats.

A spa for skincare, body and beauty treatments is included for people staying at The Cooper but will also be available for outside customers.

Having worked in hotel hospitality through large cities such as Singapore, Chicago and Los Angeles, Grace said hotels usually focus on creating a sense of place within the establishment.

“Charleston is this amazing destination and city that has so much history, it’s got its own sense of place,” Grace said. “It’s amazing to introduce this ultra luxury experience to a city that’s been voted best city in America 10 times, and we’re able to bring a new layer to the best city in the country.”

The Cooper campus will include 20,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting and event space including a grand lawn, grand ballroom, junior ballroom, pre-function space and boardroom, Capata said. The grand ballroom and junior ballroom can be broken out into smaller spaces.

Capata said The Cooper, though available for business and conference use, will be focused more on sentimental event space like weddings. The Cooper event room and ballroom open directly to the waterfront access and grand staircase.

The Cooper is located beside Union Pier, which was sold by the South Carolina Ports Authority to Ben Navarro, the owner of BHC. The city will have a say in the further development of Union Pier, which will include commercial, residential and public space, concluding it being used as a cruise terminal.

The team working on The Cooper with BHC includes BL Harbert as the general contractor, MPS as the architect, Lowe as the developer, Rees Roberts + Partners and DesignWorks are landscape architects, Champalimaud Design is the interior designer and Meyer Davis is the interior designer for one of the restaurants.