Taverna Philosophia: Aegean Brasserie — Restaurant in Mount Pleasant

ALLERGIES BEWARE! Never leave reviews and hate to do this to a local business but for the safety of others I feel like I have to. If you or your children have allergies, DO NOT RISK THIS RESTAURANT. I was so excited for this restaurant after seeing the menu and thought it might be one of my weekly go-to’s, but after trying it out tonight, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to return. After explaining my milk allergy multiple times (even pulled out the epi-pen to let them know it wasn’t just an intolerance), I was served dairy THREE TIMES. First my potatoes came out with yogurt sauce. I told the bartender and he took it away without saying anything. Then my octopus came served on a salad with feta cheese all over it. I again told the bartender and he said “I put allergy in the computer, idk why it’s on there”. I asked him 2-3 times while ordering if he could tell the kitchen in person about my allergy and he obviously never did. They took my plate away and a minute later bring me another plate, again, covered in feta cheese. At this point I’m fuming and they say again they will remake it and I just say that I don’t trust them to cook my food anymore and they just say “okay” and walk away. What I didn’t realize was that the owner was standing in front of me the whole time and not once asked what was going on. Once I found out who he was and told him what happened he casually said they wouldn’t charge me for that item. Minutes later he came back to ask if there was anything else they could get me and again I told them at this point I didn’t trust them to cook my food without killing me. He assured me he would personally oversee it so I agreed. The octopus came out and I wearily took a bite and immediately started having a reaction in my mouth before I swallowed the first bite. Didn’t take a second bite. They never came over again the rest of the time and took away my entire uneaten plate without asking if there was an issue. I really had high hopes for this place and it probably is a great restaurant if you don’t have any allergy requirements, but if you do, you are NOT SAFE here. I’ve been accidentally served my allergen many times in my life and I can typically level with the staff based on their reaction to messing up, but this one was so bad I felt an obligation to warn others. They do not take allergens seriously or have good protocols in place to avoid them and the owner obviously doesn’t care to based on his response to what I was served. For comparison, I’ve eaten out 3-5 meals minimum per week in Charleston for years and this was the first time I felt I had to leave a review....

I chose Taverna for dinner this evening because I had not had the pleasure of dining here yet and because this is the only restaurant in Mt. Pleasant that has 4.9 out of 5 star reviews. We were seated immediately and had service within a couple of minutes. Our server, Jack was friendly and prompt for our ordering. We started with the escargot appetizer and it was some of the best I've ever eaten! My son that has never tried escargot decided to try it and he loved it! We ordered the 8 oz filet, the lamb porterhouse and the skirt steak with lump crap meat. We also had Truffle frites and goat cheese potatoes for sides. Everything that was put on the table was absolutely amazing! We all shared our plates and we all loved every bit of it! This was our first time at Taverna but we will definitely be back very soon to experience another delicious dinner! Thank you Jack for an amazing experience! See y'all soon! Update: August 20, 2025 Google won't let me leave another review for the same place so I will add on to this one... My son chose Taverna tonight for his 15th birthday and once again we had the most amazing experience! Anthony was our server again and he was just as great as the last time. Thank you Anthony! We try to order different things every time we eat at Taverna because in the past everything is so delicious. This evening our birthday boy ordered grilled octopus because he has never had it and oh my it was so delicious! I highly recommend the octopus if you've ever wanted to try it. We also had a dozen raw oysters, the NY strip, the whole flounder and the Greek salad. All cooked to perfection! Thank you Taverna for another...

Dimitri and Justin continue to knock it out of the park. While my wife and I love Philosophia - especially the bar - for a more relaxed/casual night out and also love the Taverna bar for a bit more special date nite, we took our daughter and friends out for dinner on Friday and it was beyond amazing. Our party of 6 was seated promptly at a fantastic table - and they are all fantastic given the care and attention given to every aspect there from the seating to the ambiance. They staff is also very attentive and Dimitri is a perfect host.

We then split a few appetizers- the Octopus Cassoulet is a favorite of mine - which were delicious along with drinks.

For dinner, 2 of us got fish (whole snapper and the salmon wrapped in grape leaves), 2 of us got the double cut pork chop, one the petit fillet and I ordered the pasta. We shared tastes around the table because everything was phenomenal. But the pork shank pasta was even better than I thought it would be - the pork was so tender, the pasta was perfect with the sauce and the portion was enough to have for lunch on Saturday.

Dessert was equally fantastic (2 gelatos, baklavas, and a delicious piece of cake)..

We left so totally satisfied on every level - and while I won’t claim it low priced I will say it was super high value and the check was a bit less than I had calculated in my head.

We will go back again and again - it is a fantastic experience from the people that work there, to the comfortable atmosphere to the food and drink. Love it, love...