The Shellmore — Restaurant in Mount Pleasant

I've been told I HAD to visit The Shellmore since moving to Charleston. Unfortunately, while the atmosphere was nice, the rest of our experience there fell flat.

When we walked in, we were greeted by a busy waitress who told us that she would be with us momentarily, which is fine. We weren't in a rush. She continued to take the order of the party seated in front of us until a group of women came in behind us. My guess is that these women and the waitress were friends because she immediately greeted them and told them to make themselves comfortable on the patio for seating. Meanwhile, we were still standing in the middle of a very small dining area, waiting to be seated. After giving them directions, she told us that there was only patio seating available, which we said was fine, and walked to the back.

We were seated next to the party that came behind us, and the waitress continued to prioritize them over us, even though we had arrived first. They were very loud the entire time, and one of them had a small puppy in her purse. It was definitely not a service animal, either. Which was strange and inconsiderate since we were at a restaurant and dog allergies are common.

The food was good, not excellent, and the entree portions were quite small for the price. The appetizer was a reasonable portion for the cost. I'm not picky when it comes to food, but my husband is, and he did enjoy it.

One of the most peculiar experiences during the night occurred when the waitress took our order - she proudly informed us that the oysters and some of the other seafood were shipped from Connecticut. It's strange to me that this would be a point of pride for them, considering we were not 10 minutes from the coast. Why is the seafood not local? And why would you proudly tell people that you're choosing to ship frozen food in from a couple of states away when you're situated on a peninsula? It was strange and pretty frustrating to know that we were paying $40+ a plate for frozen seafood. I don't mind paying for quality food, but this wasn't it.

Overall, it was kind of a bummer. We were excited to try this restaurant, and because we had heard so much good about it, we chose it as our dinner spot for our anniversary. Between the poor service, the frozen food, and our noisey table neighbors, it was a...

Travelling from Malaysia and was jaded by the typical southern options, I sought to find a hidden gem that would tantalise the rest of my senses so my partner and I settled on this one. We were hesitant at first over the price and portions but the full experience made it worth while. Some may find it risky or frustrating but the changing menus were a strong appeal to me. There is something admirable about a restaurant that is willing to experiment and hone their craft to curate the best dining experience. If you have an eye for detail and feast with all your senses you would appreciate the ambiance of this intimate space, the mastery that went into honouring the ingredients of the meal, and the people it attracts. There was an interesting course served between our appetizer and entrée, it was extremely delectable and made our dinner complete. What more can you ask for from a meal than to be able to connect with perfect company. Remember to bring...

The wait staff were very friendly, understanding, and attentive - so this review is not geared towards them. Had it not been for our wonderful waitress, we probably would've walked out (thank you Mary).

The food was incredibly disappointing and the kitchen seemed to be unable to keep up with what I would consider a normal amount of customers. We waited for 40 minutes for our meals -after- we were finished with our appetizers. My pasta dish was an extremely small serving with what tasted like a frozen sausage sauce and it looked like it sat under a heat lamp for an extended amount of time. My wife's rainbow trout was unsalted, previously frozen, and came out like two slabs from a Gorton's box on top of a bed of greens with potatoes....and single black hair. Not worth the cost or the wait but the...