Basic Kitchen — Restaurant in Charleston

On vacation to Charleston, four of us chose Basic Kitchen for dinner. The overall experience was good, but there is some room for improvement for the food. I do want to caveat that this review is my own opinion - I am not a vegetarian. Others in our party had a slightly better experience.

Service: The service was excellent from start to finish. Our waitress was friendly and knowledgeable. She took the time to answer some of the questions and she was very attentive, but we didn't feel rushed - great balance.

Food: For appetizers, we ordered the cauliflower buffalo wings, the pistachio beet dip, and the sweet potato fries. All of these were good and the cauliflower wings stood out as the best of the bunch (for me). Another from our group tagged the pistachio beet dip as her favorite. Sweet potato fries were good, but I would've asked for the ranch on the side as opposed to on top of the fries.

For main courses, my wife and I ordered the Vietnamese steak salad and the kale and hazelnut pesto pasta.

The steak salad was fresh but not tasty. The steak was cold, chewy, with lots of gristle. The salad itself was not really flavored well. I'm not a chef, but my two cents would be to offer a warmed steak (which may not amplify the gristle/fat as much) or a different cut of steak that would be better served cold. As for the salad, perhaps just a little more dressing.

The pesto pasta, we added chicken. The pasta was good for me, but my wife and our other two friends were not fans. None of us really liked the chicken. It looked like it was boiled, no spices, so it was bland. Again, not a chef, but perhaps even simple salt/pepper with a light sear would help.

I should add that our other two friends enjoyed their dishes except for the grilled tofu addition. They liked the vegan Caesar salad though.

Drinks: My wife and I both ordered the mango margarita. It was not that good. The menu listed one of the ingredients as mango puree, but it didn't have a mango taste. There was a slight "fruity" taste with alcohol and the ice.

Overall: I'm not sure we'd put this on the top of the list next time we're in Charleston, but the exceptional service, cauliflower buffalo wings, and the small plates may pull us in for another go around. If you're vegetarian, looking for something casual, with excellent staff and tasty small plates, this may...

I was the one who suggested this place to my friends, and I honestly left feeling embarrassed for picking it. From the beginning, the service was off. We arrived right before they opened at 5 PM and just heard the click of the door unlocking. No one opened the door or signaled they were ready to welcome guests. It was awkward. Our group and another party were just standing there wondering if we were supposed to walk in.

When we were finally seated, we were placed at a cramped corner table right by the entrance, even though we were a group of three and there were more spacious tables available. We asked to move, and the hostess was fine with it, but after that we got a new server who gave us an odd, passive vibe right away.

The food came out quickly and was just okay. I liked the corn ribs, but nothing else really stood out. The real issue was the lack of service during the meal. My friend asked for hot sauce, and we tried several times to get the server’s attention. She never once checked in. She was either chatting with coworkers or walking past us like we weren’t there. It wasn’t even busy. There were just a few other tables and plenty of staff on the floor.

Only after we finished eating did she suddenly start refilling our waters and rushing to clear the table, even bringing someone else to help. It felt like she just wanted us out. When I asked for the check, she gave a sarcastic laugh and a weird tone that left me wondering what the issue was.

We were the only POC in the restaurant, and while I can’t say for sure that played a role, the way we were treated made us uncomfortable. This was during what had been a really great day in Charleston, and ending it on this note honestly soured the experience.

I truly hope the owner or manager takes this as a learning opportunity and invests in customer service and diversity training. Every guest should feel seen, respected, and welcome. Anything less reflects poorly on the entire...

We were really looking forward to eating at Basic Kitchen for our 12-year wedding anniversary. The corner booth, where they sat us, seemed like a great place to enjoy our meal.

Unfortunately, the sewage smells leaking from the wall ruined our appetites. At first, we thought it was someone letting loose a bit. Maybe they enjoyed the cauliflower wings a little too much? Honestly, fresh flatulence from a neighbor would have been welcome. Instead of reminiscing on the past 12 years, we shoved our meals down without ceremony, paid with cash, and got out.

We felt horrible for not saying anything to our waitress, so we blamed ourselves for not speaking up. Next time, we will do better.

Still, the smell would not clear from our nostrils even after going outside. We walked to a shop down the street to try and forget about what just happened.

Upon checking out the cashier asked how our night was, we hesitated. “It was great,” we said, still in denial. “We went to Basic Kitchen.” She responded enthusiastically, “I love Basic Kitchen! Great fries.”

“Yes, it was, but unfortunately, there was a strong sewage smell coming from the wall where we were seated.”

Looking directly at us, she said, “Oh, I know exactly what you’re talking about. That’s why I always take my food to go—they shouldn’t seat people there.”

We suddenly felt understood. Somehow, we’d stumbled into an informal support group of people who’ve survived “The Smell” at Basic Kitchen. Were there other survivors?

This raised a few questions: Do they sell their own candles to cover up the stench? What was the stench exactly? Did the staff look at us and think, "They look like they won’t stand up for themselves!” I bet the turnaround time for that table is fast.

Whatever it may be, may this review not be in vain, but to protect the future customers victims who may be nice pushovers like us. Don’t do it, they know what they are doing... and it’s...