It’s well known that I spend a lot of time in Charleston, SC. It’s also no secret that I love a good rooftop bar, and Charleston has tons of them! Today I am rounding up my top picks for rooftop boozing in the Holy City. I am focusing on Downtown Charleston, but if you go outside of the peninsula you will find a ton more rooftop bars!!
Citrus Club at The Dewberry: This is one of the newest rooftop bars in Charleston, and I was finally able to get to check it out on my latest visit! It is atop the Dewberry Hotel, which is my favorite hotel in the city, and it is gorgeous. Things to remember with this bar:
-You cannot make a reservation unless you have a large party
-They have a hostess and waitstaff so you cannot just go up to the bar and order, so keep that in time when planning your timing. It functions more like a restaurant.
-First priority is given to hotel guests, so on busy nights they have a pretty long waitlist to get in, but while you’re waiting you can drink at the lobby bar or the restaurant in the Dewberry.
-Overall this bar has one of the best views! I highly recommend planning to go for Sunset and getting the loaded fries to snack on.
Stars Rooftop Bar: I’ve talked about this bar before in my Charleston Travel Guide, but it is seriously one of my favorite spots! It has 360 degree views of the city, and is affordable. I always go here for day drinking, so I can’t speak to its night time crowd. However, even on a super nice afternoon, it isn’t super crowded and is a great place to grab a frozen peach belini or frose.
Pour Taproom: This is a chain bar, but is super fun, so I still wanted to include it on my round up. If you’ve never been to Pour, it is a pour yourself bar that uses bar codes to track how much you’ve drank, so there isn’t a lot of waiting in line for drinks. They have a great outdoor patio, but also plenty of indoor space with great views. This makes it an awesome place to go on super hot or rainy days!
The Watch Rooftop at The Restoration: If you’re looking for a spot to grab a drink on the lower side of King Street, The Watch is a beautiful spot. They are a restaurant as well as a bar with outdoor and indoor seating.
The Rooftop at the Vendue: I love this bar’s atmosphere because they have multiple areas depending on the vibe you’re going for. You can either sit under the covered patio near the bar, around fire pits, or out in the open. They also have heaters in the winter, which is a plus! It gets a bit crowded and I’ve often seen the line for the elevator extend out of the lobby of the hotel.
Eleve at the Grand Bohemian Hotel Charleston: I finally check out this fun and colorful rooftop on my latest trip to Charleston. It is on top of the Grand Bohemian Hotel and is right off of the hotel restaurant, which is gorgeous. The place was empty! We ate brunch in the restaurant and then headed out to the rooftop patio to finish our drinks, so it was still a little early to expect a crowd. If you’re looking for a spot to get cute pictures, this is it!
Honorable Mentions:
Pavilion Bar at the Market Pavilion Hotel: I don’t love the setup of this bar, but it is always poppin’!
Henry’s Restaurant : I’ve only been here once and it was December, so I didn’t spend much time outside, but it seemed to have a lot of space. The bar on the top floor of the restaurant is pretty cool too.
Carolina Ale House: This chain restaurant is one of my favorites because I actually live half a mile from one. The one in Charleston has a rooftop patio overlooking Marion Square, and is my go-to spot when I want a cheap beer and snack!
