Church and Union Charleston — Restaurant in Charleston

Went here a few nights ago with a group of friends for restaurant week. We all work in the industry and were excited when we made the reservation but things quickly fell short sadly. Our reservation was for 12 at 830pm because thats all they had available, which is fine, it worked for us instead of 5pm. However, We waited for a whole hour to be seated, no one seemed to care we were waiting that long either as I had to keep coming up to the host stand for updates they just couldn't give me on our table. Come to find out one of the hostesses was a manager, new or not she didn't take much action throughout the entire experience until absolutely forced and she seemed very scared and sheepish. The fact she told us she was new really was not an excuse to give. Even lower staff isn't allowed to use that excuse. I would feel bad if this wasn't directly her job and whats asked of her.. Well, we finally sit after a Lil over an hour and now we're about to be one of the only tables in the entire place, they close at 10. As I said we all work in the industry so we didn't like the awkward idea of being this fairly large table that kept the whole staff way past close because they didn't sit us on time. We didn't want to be rushed through 3 courses either. We were not at all compensated yet at this time too. Then in an even more awkward turn of events one of our friends is immediately kicked out for reasons unknown to us other than he had used to work there years prior but was banned from the establishment. Now, it is on both our friend and the restaurant, but how could you allow a man to be there for an hour, paying for drinks, not hiding at all, he was wearing a bright jacket in the middle of the bar standing, THEN you decide to kick him out once we've waited so long for a botched reservation?? No apologies whatsoever, had to grab a manager for explanation even cuz this kept slowing down our service. Managerial status there was nill and very unprofessional handling it all. Even the manager that seemed to be there for a while had no sense of emergency or responsibility.. Many of us complained now and 2 left as we really only felt like a paycheck to these people and not customers. Maybe it's because I said we were food n bev so they thought they could get away with more? Idk honestly. The rest of us wanted to leave after this incident build-up but now all of us are just tired and hangry. Took the time to get dressed up and everything. We also had one friend that had a babysitter to relieve at a certain time, but she still deserved a decent meal so we stayed and got restaurant week. The server was ok, nice enough to us. I think she was the one that had beef with our friend and got him flagged. Again if he's banned he should have been noticed and handled way prior by management or even anyone if he was that bad to be banned for life. She took a long time to get drinks and get the ball rolling like she was avoiding our table at first. I know I've refused to serve a table before so idk why she didn't if there was all this drama swirling. It just wasn't about us. It wasn't professional. It effected just everything because we're not sure of all the details, but tension was there. Food was also just ok, one friends salmon came out overcooked, which is just pitiful at this point since our ticket is the only one in that kitchens window, so there was not alot of love in preparation. We were the only table there at this point.This shows the kitchen was ready to leave and push food out, not ready to make a perfect meal which is exactly what we didnt want by being there late and last. They even brought out 2 whole extra entrees that were never ordered. How can there be a mix up when we are the only table present? And was this due to the server or the kitchen, don't know. Wasteful tho. Glad we paid restaurant week prices. My dessert was delicious but one of the others was just so so and not true to stature. I don't think we were gonna be compensated for this if we all didn't complain. Don't have enough space for the rest but you...

My wife and I wrapped up our four-day anniversary trip in Charleston with lunch at Church and Union—a spot I discovered through a Facebook reel and couldn’t resist trying on our last day. Set in a historic church building dating back to the early 1900s, this restaurant is part of the 5th Street Group, owned by Patrick Whalen, Chef Jamie Lynch (a Top Chef alumnus), and Chef Adam Hodgson. What they’ve created is a seamless blend of striking architecture, modern design, and creative cuisine—all under one spectacular roof.

From the moment we stepped inside, Monica at the front welcomed us warmly and quickly found a table for us in the main dining room, even though we hadn’t booked a reservation. The space is divided into three main areas:

The primary church setting, complete with high ceilings, an eye-catching open bar, and unique modern decor that still respects the building’s original features. A side dining room with stainless steel windows hinting at the church’s past. An outdoor patio, decked in garlands and Christmas lights that made it feel perfectly festive for December 2024. Our waiter, Corey, was extremely helpful—he patiently explained the menu and kept our waters topped off as best he could (though I think bigger water glasses would be a definite plus). My wife tried the shrimp and grits, which she rated an easy five stars, while I opted for a brunch breakfast sandwich served on a croissant sourced from a local bakery. The buttery, flaky bread took it to a whole new level.

Before heading out, we chatted with Craig, the manager, who filled us in on some of the building’s history—it was indeed once a church, and much of its character, including stained-glass windows and archways, has been beautifully preserved. The result is a dining experience that blends Charleston’s storied past with a sleek, modern vibe.

Notes for Management: Consider larger water glasses to reduce the need for frequent refills.

However, Everything else was absolutely wonderful—thank you for making our last day in Charleston...

On 7/5/2025 at 2:20 pm my wife and I took our son, along with my sister-in-law and her fiancé, for brunch here as we had heard good things about the restaurant, staff, and food. When my friends ask, I can now say I’ve eaten here, but if it is up to me I will not be back. When we first arrived we were met with quite possibly the rudest hostess I’ve run across to-date. She seemed annoyed we were at the door with a stroller, barely wanted to speak with us, gave short blunt answers to questions and generally was unacceptable for our first experience with Church and Union. We asked for a table for four and were promptly told, without her consulting any seating chart, that all tables after brunch were reserved already and we could not be seated. Remember, we arrived at 2:20 pm and brunch ends at 3:30 pm. An hour before it ends we’re told no seats are available for after brunch….. We ask if we can sit at the bar, and are told we can sit at the bar and ONLY at the bar. She made sure to stress this point in the most condescending tone she could muster. Once we do manage to find a seat, I check the online reservation openings out of curiosity. There are openings for four (4) adults at 2:45 pm, 3:00 pm, and 3:15 pm. I nearly called the manager there. My future brother-in-law and I both order the chicken sandwich and pay extra for the spicy honey sauce they have. Each sandwich is nearly $25. I should’ve gone to Chick-Fil-A. The chicken was tasteless, the breading bland, the sauce non-existent, and for what we were paying I was actually mad to have the result delivered to me. On a positive note, my wife and sister-in-law’s shrimp and grits was apparently very good. Which just makes a terrible sandwich from the same location even more annoying. The only things I have good to say about our visit was the atmosphere was great, being a converted church, and the young lady with the pony-tail behind the bar was on top of her game. Our drinks were always topped off. Too bad the hostess and the food ruined the rest...