Paddock & Whisky — Restaurant in Charleston

We went to the Terrace Theatre's special showing of Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me for my birthday and wanted to grab a bite first, but I wanted to stay REAL CLOSE to the Theatre on Maybank Hwy. I asked my foodie group for recommendations and read reviews here and chose this place because they have a Sushi Ninja popup on Wed-Thur-Fri. We LOVE SUSHI! And hubs loves whiskey!

Traffic was SO BAD it took an hour and a half to get to the Terrace from Goose Creek. Left at 4:45, parked at 6:15. Show at 7:30. This is why I stick close to home. But we hit Paddock & Whiskey and had the best time, great drinks, and excellent Sushi Ninja sushi! Best in Charleston? That's a high bar. But wow. This was excellent sushi. I ate a piece before the pic, it looked so good.

We got the Nigiri Mori at the recommendation of the amazing bartender, and I also got her favorite gin and tonic. Local, very fruity and naturally sweet. Lovely! The drink was good too LOL Seriously, though, the Tropical Gin from Beyond Distilling Company is sweet and fruity-good.

The Aburi scallop is not to be missed! I swear I got an almost Bleu cheese taste from it, in the most pleasant and pungent way. The A5 Wagyu was also a hit. The Bluefin Tuna, Hamachi, and regular scallop with smoked sea salt were all so fresh and delicious. It was all so good. The sushi chef came out since he was told it was our first time and was so kind and genuine in his appreciation for the fish. I am impressed.

The sushi was gone in a minute so we ordered another round and hubby was offered a discount dram (or 2) of a special bourbon and of course he couldn't say no. It was worth it.

The space is tight but that makes it cozy and sincere. I would totally hang out all the time if I were local. The outdoor seating is great, too.

This is an incredible locals bar tucked away in an art theater strip mall with an amazing sushi meal three nights a week. Where do I sign up? If you're in the area, check 'em out! If you're on the way, be patient and turn up the music. It's all waiting for you.

Would brave the horrific traffic...

‘Been coming to Paddock since they opened. Other than the weekend vibe, which can be a bit over the top, I’ve always enjoyed coming here midweek after a long day working in the hot sun. This eve, however, I was served by a bartender I’ve never met before. Instead of the usual smile and banter, he stopped in the middle of processing my credit card, walked over and asked, “you’re not gonna pour this drink into that cup and take it outta here are you?” Cheesus, dude. Paranoid much? I was finishing a cup of watered down lemonade and had planned to find a trash can for it. I’m a professional, and Charleston native. Not that that automatically provides credibility, but I do tip well and I consider myself to be a good patron. Other bartenders would surely agree. I hate to use the phrase “I was offended”, but the accusatory question was definitely out of line. It’s gonna be a minute before I return here, to one of my fave neighborhood bars. I’ll definitely not even bother coming in if this paranoid dude is working the bar. All he had to say to me, if he was that “suspicious” of my scrunchie, would have been, “I’m sorry but can you finish that drink and toss out the cup real quick? I’m happy to give you a fresh glass of ice water, but we can’t allow outside cups in the bar- I hope you understand!” Honestly, I’d forgotten I even had the cup in my hand. It was strawberry lemonade; I was thirsty and finishing it up. That is all. So, thank you rude Paddock Bartender with a mall-cop mentality, for ruining my experience, my evening, and my drink. But because I’m better than that attitude, I still left a 20% tip. I hope the owners train their bartenders in the future to not chase off and insult one of their most dedicated customers. Maybe it doesn’t matter, anymore, once the City Paper gives you an award. It was very disappointing. My company has their Christmas party here every year. I’m going to have to really think about this, before committing this season. I am soured. It’s so sad when a neighborhood bar shows...

It was supposed to be a fun night out with friends, but it turned into a nightmare at the bar. The moment we walked in, we could tell something was off. The music was too loud, the lighting was dim and flickering, and the air smelled stale and musty.

We tried to ignore the ambiance and ordered our drinks. But even that didn't go smoothly. The bartender was rude and dismissive, barely acknowledging our presence as he sloppily poured our drinks. We should have taken it as a sign and left right then, but we decided to give the place a chance.

Big mistake.

As we sipped our drinks, we noticed the other patrons were rowdy and aggressive. They kept bumping into us and yelling, making it impossible to have a conversation. The atmosphere was tense, and it felt like a fight could break out at any moment.

And then it happened. One of the patrons got into a heated argument with another, and it quickly escalated into a full-blown brawl. Bottles were smashed, chairs were overturned, and people were screaming and running in all directions. We were caught in the middle of the chaos and had to duck for cover to avoid getting hit.

When the police finally arrived and broke up the fight, we were shaken and traumatized. We had never experienced anything like it before, and we couldn't believe how quickly a fun night out had turned into a nightmare.

We left the bar in a hurry, vowing never to return. It was a bad time at a bar we would...