Our taste-and-tell guide to some of the latest food-and-beverage openings in Charleston
Container Bar
Built from repurposed shipping containers, this North Central arrival hosts a variety of food trucks, with lineups updated daily via social media. Make plans to visit when Sap-Lai’s Tee Somsnith serves Laotian and Thai street food (pictured above). Her rotating dishes are bright and bold: try the mii kati—rice noodles in a coconut broth perfumed with tamarind, galangal, and kaffir lime leaf. But Container Bar’s secret gem is the house-made Deluxe CB burger, whose juicy flat-top patty achieves Shake Shack-level craveability. Sometimes you just want an excellent, effortless burger; for $6.50, you get one with all the fixings, special sauce, and kettle chips. The burger is served out of the yellow-painted “home” truck on Sundays after 2 p.m., alongside the weekly oyster roast. Affordable drinks and giant Jenga are up for grabs all week. containerbarchs.com
Citrus Club
To get into the Citrus Club, you’ll need to snag a reservation, which grants you key-card access to the top of The Dewberry and its panoramic views. This pastel penthouse oasis is all about the details: Marcona almond-dusted mai tais, a custom-built coral backbar and matching frozen drink machine churning tropical tipples, and many an elaborate garnish (geranium leaves, dehydrated citrus wheels, and edible flowers that one bartender painstakingly unfurled with a set of tweezers). All the attention amounts to a thoughtful experience; beverages are boozy but not saccharine, in calibrated takes on tiki classics that still give a wink. The Tropical Itch (bourbon, rum, dry curaçao, passionfruit, and bitters) comes with a bamboo back-scratcher. Extended cocktail and food menus will debut in spring, but for now, the smoky-spiced calypso chips, crab dip, and raw bar eats are respectable standbys that can hit the spot. thedewberrycharleston.com
