5 new brunch restaurants to try in Charleston this month (2024)

Press releases touting new brunch offerings are floated into my inbox often. That's because operating this service at least once a week has become commonplace for many local restaurants, especially in downtown Charleston.

Some of the newer options to land in the Lowcountry in the past year have me cautiously optimistic about a service that can be overdone. The establishments below, though, have dedicated time and effort into their brunch programs rather than just throwing a menu together with leftover ingredients from the dinner service.

From a $30 all-you-can-eat buffet downtown to a surprising newcomer in North Charleston, here’s the scoop on five new brunch services in the Lowcountry:

Azur

159 Market St., downtown Charleston

Benjamin Boisson, Dominique Chantepie and his son Mathis Chantepie opened Azur more than a year ago, serving a French menu with Spanish and Italian influences. Lunch and brunch are served together Friday through Monday at the restaurant, making it a useful place for those in search of brunch on days not named Sunday.

Expect shrimp and avocado toast plus a beef burger on a bun made using croissant dough. Crêpes and quiche represent items that are more classically French-inspired.

The inside dining room is centered around a stunning bar with ocean-blue tile and a wood-frame display filled with bottles of vodka, tequila and whiskey. Those factor into Azur’s collection of co*cktails, including the Mon Chéri, with crème de cassis, Campari, sweet vermouth, mezcal and tequila.

Diners young and old filled the space on a recent Friday in the early afternoon. Many crowded the tan cushioned seats along the bar, sipping on mimosas, white wine and americanos while chatting with the bartender. Couples cozied into booths, and families gathered around tables near the window looking out on the patio.

While there are decadent options, Azur’s brunch menu highlights the kind of light, bright flavors to keep guests energized after a meal. Take the spinach and goat cheese quiche, whose burnished crust conceals fluffy eggs broken up by bits of green. Dollops of tart goat cheese float to the top.

Paired with the refreshing bite of a frisée salad on the side, the plate is a reminder that brunch doesn’t always have to be a big event with even bigger flavors. Sometimes a circle of quiche and a tart salad is exactly what the afternoon calls for.

Edmund’s Oast

1081 Morrison Drive, downtown Charleston

Edmund’s Oast did away with its brunch program for a few years after the pandemic. When longtime chef Bob Cook brought it back in February, he wanted to offer a different experience than the Benedicts, breakfast sandwiches and grits served at other local establishments.

Enter Edmund’s Oast’s “hot bar brunch,” an all-you-can-eat $30 buffet offered at the Morrison Drive eatery on Saturdays and Sundays. It’s anchored by a prime rib carving station set outside the open kitchen.

Cook slices the juicy prime rib himself, ladling a spoonful of juice before handing over your plate. The rest of the options — eggs, perfectly crisp bacon, buttery biscuits, fried chicken, curry-charged mac and cheese, crispy potatoes and a Caesar salad, among others — await to his right in The Library, where the restaurant hosts private events.

Patrons who opt in for the buffet are handed a heart-shaped sticker and given free rein to visit the line of food at their leisure. The flexibility offers diners the chance to catch up over drinks for a few minutes before surveying the scene — but those who want to get in and out could easily do so in 30 minutes.

On a recent Saturday, throwback tunes played over the speakers while calm chatter echoed in the background. (I imagine the setting is a little louder and livelier when there is a DJ present on Sundays.)

Kids cut into pancakes, and couples in casual clothing sank into the restaurant’s tall booths. Diners appeared at ease without the pressure of ordering and need to yell over animated patrons who are a few drinks deep.

That’s not to say that this needs to be an alcohol-free outing. Sip on one of several house-brewed beers or curated co*cktails — there’s an espresso martini if the afternoon calls for something strong and caffeinated.

Kultura

73 Spring St., downtown Charleston

Kultura is the Filipino word for “culture,” an apt name for a place that strives to share “good food and the roots of the people who make it.” During the restaurant’s brunch, James Beard Award-nominated chef and owner Nikko Cagalanan welcomes the opportunity to showcase food from his fiancé and business partner, Paula Kramer, co-owner of Baguette Magic.

Baguette Magic pastries are infused with Filipino flavors like ube and a tropical plant called pandan. Egg sandwiches showcase Kultura’s Filipino-American influence, with eggs and American cheese joining pork belly adobo, banana ketchup aioli and house-made pickles inside a Baguette Magic brioche bun.

Cagalanan serves a few holdovers from the dinner menu during brunch. From a seat in the back corner of the restaurant, patrons can watch him in Kultura’s pint-sized open kitchen, where he blends green lettuce and herbs with a tangle of long, tender noodles enrobed in calamansi sauce to make pancit. My favorite brunch item, though, is the baon box.

In the Filipino language, the term “baon” means to pack a supply of food for a long journey. Cagalanan's artfully plated lunch box is of the vegetarian variety, with a mushroom, red onion and carrot sisig served over sticky rice. A soft egg and orbs of caviar complete the attractive picture.

Sissy Bar

1067 E. Montague Ave., North Charleston

Sissy Bar opened in March with California cuisine and agave-based house co*cktails. The new bar took over the East Montague Avenue space after Three Sirens permanently closed in September 2023. Before that, it housed YoBo Cantina Fresca.

The setup remains the same at Sissy Bar, with a bar and seating up front and more tables in the back. What was once a dimly lit enclave is now brimming with eclectic décor and natural light.

The restaurant was nearly full the other day during Sunday brunch when our group stopped by for a 2 p.m. reservation. Sissy Bar does not have a phone number, so I made my booking in person. Owner Michael Whiteley scribbled his email address on a torn piece of paper and asked that I send him a note as a reminder.

This laid-back vibe is paired with a serious co*cktail program. Consider trying the Hermosa, a pink paloma-meets-aperol-spritz sparked by grapefruit-infused vermouth. Proceed with caution — the short glass packs a boozy punch.

Then again, this is the type of brunch service that welcomes guests to let loose— a far cry from the buttoned-up service at some downtown establishments. When it comes to the food, every bite is unexpected in the best kind of way.

A Sonoran hot dog is fattened by bacon, the meaty spiral resting underneath salty cotija cheese. It’s difficult to share — that’s fine given you won’t want to concede any of the five to six bites to your dining companions.

The beef quesadilla can be dunked in a sauce made of pineapple; the same fruit that’s dusted with Tajin to make up one of the brunch side plates. The pork chilaquiles are sharpened by two perfectly sunny eggs and tortilla chips that taste good when crisp or soggy.

The list of delightful hits keeps coming, with the only disappointment being a Caesar salad that’s overwhelmed by sesame. The espresso French toast, on the other hand, is a decadent winner and was the resounding favorite among our group.

Sorelle

88 Broad St., downtown Charleston

Sorelle’s new Sunday brunch service made its debut May 12. It’s filled with sweet and savory items, including Nutella toast with mascarpone, a croissant breakfast sandwich with house-made sausage and chicken Milanese with a sunny egg.

In true Sorelle fashion, there are plenty of luxurious picks, too, such as the eggs Benedict with butter-poached lobster and Roman toast — thick-cut brioche bread with vanilla bean custard, almond brittle and amaretto syrup.

Guests can order from a handful of a la carte options — notably the carbonara, Margherita and al Tartufo pizzas. But many of the guests who fill the opulent dining room opt for the two-course, $58 prix fixe meal. Patrons are asked to choose an appetizer and entrée, and brunch comes with a complimentary bread basket.

On a recent Sunday, we were wowed by the burrata, whose firm exterior concealed a creamy center. It was surrounded by some of the juiciest tomatoes and peaches I’ve had this season. Next came the bigeye tuna, set beneath Sungold tomatoes and spiked with Calabrian chili. It was a sharply seasoned stunner, showcasing the lighter side of what can be a heavy brunch.

Among the entrees our group shared, the chicken Milanese was the most impressive. Fried while affixed to the bone, the crisped bird’s bright white meat benefited from a golden egg yolk that created a subtly creamy sauce. Acid from a squirt of lemon pulled the dish together.

Brunch clocked in at just under two hours when it was all said and done. That timing fit our relaxed Sunday afternoon, but it might be excessive for you. The same could be said for the price tag; this is certainly a special occasion brunch destination.