The Ordinary — Restaurant in Charleston

Let's get this out of the way from the beginning the Ordinary is anything but ordinary.

We had been walking down King Street in Charleston for about 20 minutes reading menus on the outside of different restaurants looking for something that would speak to us. We came upon The Ordinary which looked inviting from the outside and the menu looked great.

When we popped in we were greeted by two of the nicest hostesses, Jessie and Kelly. Though everyone we have come into contact with in Charleston has been very pleasant, these two were as welcoming as long friends at the front door welcoming you into their home. Unfortunately, we didn't have a reservation, and it was about a 45-minute wait for our party of two to sit at the bar. Considering the time, we decided to continue our trek southbound on King Street. We came across another restaurant, popped in, and sat down. But, we couldn't stop thinking about the menu and, more importantly, the warm kind welcome we had received at The Ordinary. Ultimately, we decided to head back to The Ordinary regardless of the wait.

When we got back, fortunately, we only had a short 20-minute wait and pulled up two stools at the bar looking forward to something great to eat. What we had not expected was to be there for 3 and 1/2 hours because of great food, perfectly mixed drinks, and an amazing dessert. All of which would have been enough to make this a good experience! However, the three team members behind the bar, Rachel, Ellery, and Ben, seemed to be on a mission to make our evening perfect! From the beginning, Elery provided great recommendations on a lovely Pinot wine and detailed recommendations on food options.

With so many delicious sounding choices, it was hard to decide, but ultimately, we landed on the red snapper. We could not have been more pleased with the delicious light flavor and perfectly prepared fish. In less polite company, we likely would have licked our plates so as not to miss any of this delicious meal.

We wanted to try some of South Carolina Oysters, and Ellery helped us pick out a couple to try, but only after asking about our preferences. DELICIOUS! They we fresh and flavourful without being overpowering.

We rounded out the meal with the recommended desert and a cup of coffee.

Throughout the time we were there Racheal checked in and visited, making sure we were well taken care of. Effortlessly she topped off our drinks in such a suttle way it was almost noticeable. When my guest left to use the lavatory, she refolded her napkin and reset the space for her return. Truly paying attention to the small details.

I decided to ask for a drink from the 1930s and though Racheal didn't know the recipies she figured it out and blended up a delicious King Alfonce.

Throughout the evening Racheal and Ellery shared their favorite pics for restaurants in town, and treated us to conversations as if we had known each other a lifetime.

Many restaurants and bars excel at providing good drinks or maybe good food. On a lucky night, maybe both, but tonight we hit the trifecta, and we're truly gifted a perfect evening.

We will definitely recommend the Ordinary Restaurant, but only to those who are looking for something completely, out of...

It really is a shame to have to rate the restaurant 3 stars. The food was amazing from the light smoky flavor that perfectly accented the stone crab claws to the perfect balance of textures in the rock shrimp rice bowl.

Unfortunately, all of this was overshadowed by a lack of empathy and perspective on behalf of the service staff. We are away solo for a few days with our newborn for our one year wedding anniversary. That’s means we packed up an 8 week old baby and drove eight hours to come experience the charm, warmth, and experience that Charleston offers.

While dining at The Ordinary we were not received with this. Our newborn was fussy and starting to spiral. We noticed that his diaper needed changed and asked if there were changing tables. Should the staff have had an opinion on solutions, that would have been the time to offer it. Instead we were given a simple no unfortunately we do not.

As we sat there considering our options the only plausible outcomes were to either go on with a screaming baby or promptly, discreetly, and courteously changing his diaper. This was done on the bench next to my wife out of the sight of other diners and took all of 30 seconds. As we settled back in we were approached by a manager who it had seemed was alerted by the server. Although he was soft in his approach of delivering the message, it was understood the service staff did not approve of how we handled the situation.

Disapproval in how you care for your child is a slippery slope which led to a downward spiral of the evening as my wife and I struggled to decide whether to leave the restaurant mid meal or stay and try to stay and enjoy the remainder of our meal. This rift carried on through the evening and will always be our core memory of how our one year wedding anniversary went at your restaurant.

The easy answer is don’t bring a baby to a fine dining establishment. The other answer is get a portable changing table as we have been met with at other restaurants of similar caliber or do something to help rather than stand by and meet new parents with criticism after they have come from afar to share a special evening...

I was a single traveler to Charleston for the first time. Everyone I talked to said I needed to check out The Ordinary. So I did. The food was great. First thing I noticed was that there were no TVs at the bar, which was cool. I had three different oysters, steak tartare, and the gumbo. Let me tell you, the food was GOOD. However, the service did not match. When I sat down at the bar, there were four bartenders. One on service, two manning the rail and then someone in a suit coat that looked to be helping (maybe the bar manager or something). It took about 5 minutes to be greeted (at the bar). The people next to me on both sides had gotten their food while I was waiting to be greeted. I expected one of the bartenders, while busy, to tap the bar and say, “I’ll be right with you.” But that did not happen. The bartender (longish, brown haired male maybe named Keith?) suggested the oysters, answered my cocktail questions, all were delicious. Then, I ordered from another bartender (brown shortish/long hair who looks like Keith’s cousin or vice versa) took my food order. I’m pretty sure he forgot to ring it in, because I hadn’t gotten silverware or a set up and it took a long time. Then, he asked me how I was doing and I said fine, even though I had been waiting about 15 minutes for my raw beef and already prepared gumbo that just needed to be scooped into a bowl - and he got an “oh crap” look in his eyes. He went to the computer, came back over and said my food would be out shortly. The gumbo came shortly after followed by the tartar (I asked for the tartare to come out first). Overall, the service was meh but the food was great. As a single diner this is a risk, however, I’ve been in the restaurant industry for 15 years and believe that the every single table or guest should be treated like the very first guest. One highlight was the blonde girl with space buns who was working service, she came over to check on me. Idk if she caught a vibe but I am grateful that she did it! If I came back, it’d be at a table...