Kel's Tavern — Restaurant in Charleston

I went at 4:05pm as an impulse after reading some great reviews online for this new restaurant and was immediately greeted kindly and seated. After about 20 minutes of waiting to give my drink order, I flagged someone down to see if my table had a server assigned. I was told it was shift change and that was why I'd been seated and forgotten. I didn't see a change in wait staff, but it was 4pm after all and stuff like that sometimes happens. I went ahead and put my entire order in; which was water, their meatloaf sandwich with a premium side - baked mac and cheese, and a pretzel appetizer (appetizer to go). I went ahead and put my entire order in at once since service seemed iffy but the food reviews were stupendous. I was then told the mac had just been put in the oven and "would be AWHILE." I decided to leave because I had a hungry 12 month old with me and that mac was for him. Luckily, they were able to make the mac and cheese come up much quicker, so I stayed. Let me tell you, I was so very glad I did. The meatloaf sandwich is delicious. The baked mac and cheese is delicious. The pretzel and beer cheese is delicious. The portions were enough to fill both a hungry me and a hungry one year old up on one entree with mac & cheese left to take home for later with the pretzel. I'm so glad I decided to stay!

I highly recommend this place. The food and atmosphere is wonderful. I did give 2 stars for service because 20 minutes to put in a drink order of water is agreeably ridiculous when there is a full staff and only six other patrons in view there and I, sitting in full view of the door, didn't see anyone else arrive. But, that's an easy issue to fix. The food is fantastic and once service got started, everything went smoothly.

I will definitely be back and I am sure any wrenches in the service system will swiftly improve as this newer restaurant gets used to itself. Both the food and staff...

Kel Tavern has a fun, lively atmosphere with lots of energy, but it’s definitely noisy. We went at 6pm with five adults, and between the clatter of plates, people talking, and music coming from the bar area next to the kitchen, it was hard to hear each other talk without yelling once we were seated.

Our server, Naysia, was quick at the start—drinks came out fast and our order was in by 6:10. Food arrived around 6:42.

The fried food was the highlight. The fish was crisp, fresh, and perfectly portioned. The hush puppies were meaty and cooked just right. Chicken sandwiches with homemade chips were very good, especially with the spicy ranch dip. The sirloin steak was solid, while the mac and cheese wasn’t very cheesy and just ok at best. The Alfredo pasta was thin and lacking flavor, with the pasta only okay and grilled chicken that wasn’t warm.

Service had its ups and downs. Naysia kept drinks full, but after food came out (delivered by someone else), we didn’t see her much. A side salad was missed but still showed up on the bill, and ranch requested with sandwiches never arrived. When the bill came ($148 for five of us), our server added a 20% tip automatically. We asked for an itemized bill and saw that the salad was charged even though it never came, and the added tip was more generous than I was feeling based on the service that night. On top of that, we noticed a 4% service charge added just for using a credit card. It wasn’t a huge deal, but it also wasn’t communicated, and I would’ve appreciated being told upfront.

Fried food here is a clear win while pasta is not. 4 stars is generous, but I think this place has real potential and just needs to tighten up a few things to get there. We’ll give it another go another day to see how...

Had a mid-afternoon lunch at this new restaurant. It's located where Sergio's used to be. The interior is all still the same with lots of booths and tables and the full bar at the back of the room. Service was attentive and actually a little too much. That was confusing because a mom came in with her excited 10 year old son. After they were seated and given menus, no one waited on them and they left after 20 minutes or so. I felt bad for them and the youth seemed disappointed. As far as the food: I tried the fresh made mozzarella wedges. The 3 pieces came with marinara sauce on them and topped with shaved parmesan cheese. I would have preferred the sauce on the side. The picture below was after I sliced them up. I also had a burger that came with beer cheese, sautéed onions, and a generous portion of bacon. The side was either seasoned fries (yes) or fresh made chips. The meal was so big that I took half of it home. This newest Charleston resturant is a place for a casual meal, with large portions, at a good price. When I go back I'll try their seafood scampi...