Rappahannock Oyster Bar — Restaurant in Charleston

Nestled casually in the corner off East Bay Street, Rappahannock Oyster Bar is a surprising treat. The building was previously a cigar factory, so imagine historic brick and metal industrial softened by beautiful lighting, cozy tables, and a romantic history.

Inside, there is a stunning copper bar area, restaurant seating, and even a market (or pantry as they call it) where you'll find seasonally local fish and shellfish, their own oysters, sauces, wines and just all around friendly guidance. It's quite a treasure!

We sat outside under the patio lights ✨️ to enjoy our evening. It was easy to have an intimate conversation with fans blowing the evening heat away. Our waiter guided us to an excellent beer 🍺 selection to begin with, plus an Oyster Shooter, which was so much fun! Basically, it's a shot of Bloody Mary with a raw oyster. Light, slightly spicy & a fun treat to start the night.

Grilled Oysters (for my Mr.) and a dozen Raw Oysters for myself. We added the Lump Crab 🦀 Dip & the soup of the day - Clam & Corn Chowder. Yall, they didn't miss a step & everything was delicious. Each plate was expertly created by the chefs the presentation was excellent.

On another visit to Charleston, I would love to try their jumbo lump crabcake, or shrimp 🍤 + grits, and even the Smoked Tuna Roe on egg salad and chips would be a fun choice.

For our non-seafood eaters, don't worry. You won't be left out. They have beautiful fresh veggie side dishes, the Rapp Burger 🍔 and a CharGrilled Steak with new potato's and confit tomato's. I'm sure there's more if you ask, plus the menu appears to change based on seasonal availability.

Another piece of the business that may be less discussed is the service. From the hostesses to the bartenders to our waiter and the runners... it was perfect. The staff seemingly worked in harmony effortlessly with one another, attentively catering to each tables needs. They appear to have a style of casual elegance seamlessly working as a team to provide exceptional service.

For business meetings, wedding rehearsal dinners, date nights, proposals, or just a delicious meal... I don't think you can go wrong here. Definitely check out...

Decided to give it a try. Food was good, service was not. We sat at the bar, interesting that a table server waited on us and not the bartenders, but however they want to run the operation. Our server at times seemed pulled in too many directions and there were gaps of attentiveness. We ordered a couple of drinks to start, a bloody mary that was lack luster, flavor was eh/garnish had one very small broken olive and a tiny banana pepper, the amaretto sour we ordered arrived but didnt look like any we have ever seen (very clear golden color) which we questioned. The server asked us to "just taste it", nope definitely not an amaretto sour, it was whiskey & water. Server questioned the bartender and was told they were out Amaretto, there was 1/2 a bottle sitting on the shelf right in front of us 🤷. The bartender didnt take any intiative to acknowledege us or apologize for sending the wrong drink (he was too husy breaking glassware throughout the evening, saw him break no less than 3 glasses while we were there that hour. Sure hope none if the broken glass wound up in anything going to customers). Food did come out timely and was good, plate presentation was nice. When we expressed our displeasure with the staff, they made an offer to give us another drink which we didnt want at the end of the meal. No other concession was made, like removing the glass of wine we irdered in plafe ifbthe phantom Amaretto Sour. After bringing the snafu to the servers attention, the 2 bartenders proceeded to chat amongst themselves snickering over the situation/ giving us condescending looks, completely unprofessional. Not sure where the floor manager was but they certainly didn't come discuss the situation with us. In a city with many fine establishments, I would recommend to anyone, go elsewhere...

Awe man. I met some friends here for a birthday party after work and all I can say is...GET HERE! I'll start with the negative first cause I like to end on a good note. When I came in, I ordered from the bar. But it took a minute for someone to take my order. Two of my friends said they had been waiting for a while as well and the bar wasn't full at all. I just think that there should be more attentiveness from the bartenders to people coming in. That initial greeting is crucial because people want to feel seen and invited🤷🏾‍♂️Jumping to the end of the night, apparently the server got frustrated because there were bills that had all the wrong items on there. Our group wasn't unruly or being irate because we don't get down like that. But quite a few were visually frustrated at the almost 30-45mins of the back and forth of in getting the tickets right. And no one changed seats throughout the night. They need to make sure a more seasoned server is available for large parties and number the orders which I understand could be tricky with multiple drink orders. But having and knowing your system is key🤷🏾‍♂️ Ok...now to the food. SHEESH!! I got the Baked Scallops Imperial. And these bad boys was perfect. The flavor from the first bite made me slow down just so I could really enjoy it as long as possible. I also got some type of fried fish nuggets but I don't remember the name. I tasted one of my friend's Shrimp and Grits and it was good...different but good. I'll have to get my own to really try it for myself. I forgot to take pics of everything. But I will be back! Trust me💯 Now go and check out my other reviews on places to stay and eat. We...