Chubby Fish — Restaurant in Charleston

Great food and amazing service (usually). Until one day, we had put in for a table for 3. Apparently they do not seat 3 people at tables of 4 as those are reserved for parties of 4 people only. I get it though, it would be a loss of one seat for the restaurant. So if you are coming in at an odd party number like 3, you will not be seated until a specific table is available (there's only 1 specific table for 3 people per hostess) or at the communal table (which is fine, but they seat larger groups first). So beware, we waited way after tables of 4 (and larger) were seated even if we were listed way ahead of their party on the list. We were in line early with the belief of first come first serve, but that is also pending your party size. They also had our phone number down wrong so if we hadn't showed up on time, we would never have had a call. Curiously, this is the first time we had issues with getting seated as typically it is first come, first serve...

Our disappointment came with regards to the hostess. We arrived at our estimated time and saw other parties get seated before us who were not before us in line. 30 mins later, we inquired respectfully a few times and were told "we were next" with no other explanation. Yet we continued to see other parties get seated before us. Instead of just answering our frustration and questions, the hostess met us with anger and irritability. We were frustrated as we speculated that we were being discriminated against (which I admit we were wrong!). When we talked AMONGST ourselves (our own private conversation within our own party) about it, she eavesdropped on our conversation and reacted defensive and defiant saying that "discrimination is a bit harsh." She then proceeded to bad mouth us to the other staff and attacked us for saying something on our mind. We NEVER mentioned anything to her directly, never asked for the manager, never told other staff members our speculation or brought any other parties into our conversation. And never confronted her, yet she came in angry and attacked us within our own conversation which was well within our right to have. We have been at chubby fish countless times and have loved our experiences up until tonight. We love this place and as Charleston locals, it breaks my heart that we were met with such reactivity. I respect the staff and chefs that make this amazing place possible. The food is incredible and we are never disappointed. But, the hostess is the first impression people get from a restaurant and our experience left something to be desired. As per other reviews, it seems this is not an isolated issue as others have mentioned a less than desirable hosting experience. Food is AMAZING and service from the waiting staff are top tier, so if you don't mind the above issues. This...

Completely Worth the Wait - Come Hungry!

As seasoned travelers, my wife and I have eaten our way through many a town, but Chubby Fish is one spot that is 100% worth waiting for. Trust me, you’ll want to get in line by 4 PM, even though the doors don’t open until 5 PM. We showed up fashionably late at 4:30 PM and ended up waiting to eat with the second wave of customers at 6:30 PM. So, bring a bottle of water—it’s a wait, but worth it!

While we waited, we took a little stroll to a local bar to build up our appetites (highly recommend this move!). We got back to the restaurant around 6 PM, and by 6:20 PM, we were seated and ready to dive into the menu, which is conveniently written on a giant chalkboard.

We skipped the raw options because my wife is currently carrying our future food critic (we’ll be back for those, no doubt). We kicked things off with the Stone Crab Claws, and let me tell you, these were the biggest, meatiest claws we’ve ever seen! They came pre-cracked, making it super easy to enjoy every piece, and the accompanying aioli was spot-on. Next, we refreshed our palates with the Celery Salad—crunchy and light, perfect for a warm Charleston evening.

Now, onto the stars of the show: the Golden Fish Tempura and the Fried Oyster Roll. The Tempura was crispy perfection with a sauce that could make anything taste good. But the Fried Oyster Roll? That was the dish of the night! It was so good that I had to literally talk myself out of ordering a second one just to save room for dessert.

We also tried the Smoked King Mackerel in curry, which was a surprise in both size and flavor—definitely a dish to share, but in our opinion, it didn’t quite outshine the Golden Fish Tempura. And finally, dessert. The Not Fried Chicken was a fun, quirky way to end the meal.

In conclusion, if you’re in Charleston, Chubby Fish is a must-visit. It’s worth the wait, worth the calories, and worth trying as much food as you can manage. Honestly, I was too busy devouring everything to take pictures of it all! We’re already planning our next visit—hopefully, with less of a wait, but just as much...

What an absolutely incredible meal!

When we got to Charleston we knew we would be eating at Leon’s and FIG, but had decided on what we would eat our final night. While at FIG we asked our waiter what we absolutely had to have in town and he told us to go to Chubby Fish and get there before 4:30 to line up for a spot.

The next day a little after 4:00 we pulled into the neighborhood where it’s located and found street parking. I was surprised to find that we were about 5th in line at that point. If you haven’t heard already, I would definitely recommend the advice of arriving around 4:30.

When 5:00 rolled around we were seated inside at the bar next to the Line. The waitstaff and entire front of house were incredibly friendly, passionate, and played into the ambiance of the restaurant. The best way I can describe the environment of Chubby Fish would be if you smashed together all of the charm of your local neighborhood corner bar restaurant with the insane attention to detail of a Michelin star restaurant. I’ve never experienced such beautiful combination of warmth and excellence.

We started off with Triggerfish Tempura that came with a Soy Beurre Blanc. The fish tasted so fresh and played so nicely into the delicate tempura. The Soy Beurre Blanc was mouthwatering. An absolute perfect balance of acid and fat.

Next we had the Grilled Oysters with crab fat curry and cashews on top. With where we were situated at the bar we watched them prepare this dish in front of us which was a fun experience. The crab fat curry on top was so good, and the oysters themselves were incredible.

The Chili Garlic Shrimp was our next dish, which was served over an aromatic rice. The flavor profile and spice level was just right! Finally we had the Blue Crab Tagliatelle which was drool worthy. The pasta was just right and the crab hit at just the right level.

This was one of the best meals of my life! It was apparent at every moment of my experience here that everyone at Chubby Fish deeply cared about what they were creating there. If you are someone on the fence about going here or somewhere...