Take a bite out of Greenville

by

Editor’s note: As this story went to press in the April issue, restaurants across South Carolina were forced to temporarily close dining rooms in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of the establishments in this story continued to serve customers with curbside takeout and delivery options. For the latest information, please contact each restaurant.

Before Greenville became one of the most talked-about destinations for foodies—those dedicated souls who travel in search of new and exciting dining experiences—downtown Greenville was, to be frank, somewhat sketchy after dark.

That began to change in 1997 when Carl Sobocinski, a Clemson architecture graduate with a passion for food, renovated a vacant shoe store and opened Soby’s New South Cuisine. More restaurants followed and today, the 10-block stretch of Main Street, with its twinkling lights, inviting storefronts, alfresco dining and pleasant pedestrian flow of locals and visitors, is hard to imagine without Michelin star-caliber cuisine.

Sobocinski laid the groundwork for turning Greenville into an award-winning foodie destination that now boasts more than 150 local restaurants providing a smorgasbord of culinary experiences for hungry (and thirsty) travelers from across the state, nation and globe.

“We were simply at the forefront,” says Sobocinski, who now operates multiple restaurants in the city under his Table 301 group. “So many other restaurateurs, chefs and—most importantly—diners, realized the potential that Greenville cuisine had to offer the Upstate. It truly has been the cornerstone of Greenville’s tourism explosion.”

Need an in-state weekend getaway to satisfy your appetite for great food? Look no further than this tasting menu of dining experiences that put #yeahthatgreenville on the culinary map.

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Soby’s New South Cuisine

Under Chef Shaun Garcia, Soby’s New South Cuisine is still turning out traditional Southern dishes with exciting culinary twists. It all starts with a basket of their signature warm cheddar biscuits to whet the appetite. From there, starters like spicy pimento cheese with crispy pita and pickled okra, crispy fried green tomatoes or a steaming bowl of she-crab soup set the tone for the meal ahead. The entrees are a who’s who of Southern specialties, including blackened snapper with butterbean succotash, crispy fried chicken with mac ’n cheese, and crab cakes with a sweet corn maque choux.

“It all started with the crab cake,” says Chef Garcia about their cult-worthy top seller. “It’s still the same recipe as we used on opening day and it still outsells every other dish on the menu.”

Soby’s is located at 207 S. Main Street and serves dinner daily, as well as Sunday brunch. The bar opens daily at 4 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome, but reservations are highly recommended. (864) 232-7007; sobys.com.

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Jianna

The tantalizing flavors of Northern Italy aren’t the only reason to dine at Jianna. Located on the second floor of Falls Park Place, the wraparound balcony offers a commanding view of Main Street and Falls Park, and houses a 40-foot signature indoor/outdoor bar with shuck-to-order oysters on one end and a sliced-to-order Prosciutto di Parma station on the other. Inside the unpretentious dining room, chef/owner Michael Kramer has created a quintessential Italian osteria, and it’s hard to decide between so many creative starters, including the ricotta crostini with truffle honey, the char-grilled octopus or the light-as-a-pillow potato gnocchi. Of his signature octopus dish, Kramer says, “It’s the one everyone goes crazy for. It’s got potatoes, guanciale, garlic aioli, and we sell a ton of it. It’s been on the menu since day one and we can’t take it off now.”

The rotating selection of daily house-made pastas are drool-worthy. So are the Italian-leaning large plates, including the bavette steak tagliata and pan-roasted red snapper. Save room for the scratch-made desserts and classic Italian after-dinner drinks.

Jianna is in the heart of downtown at 600 South Main St., 2nd Floor. Closed Mondays,Jianna serves dinner Tuesday through Sunday, weekend lunch (11 a.m. to 3 p.m.) and a piccolo menu (3 p.m. to 5 p.m.). Reservations are highly recommended. (864) 720-2200; jiannagreenville.com.

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Husk

With superstar outposts in Charleston, Savannah and Nashville, Husk has a reputation to live up to. Executive Chef (and South Carolina native) Jon Buck and his team focus on Upcountry culinary traditions and local ingredients to create ever-changing menus based on what’s in season. Whether it’s crispy pig-ear wraps with sweet-tea glaze and preserved Meyer lemon cucumber slaw, grilled pork chops with Appalachian tomato gravy or mountain trout with roasted winter squash and fingerling tomatoes in a squash broth, the menu celebrates the rich agrarian traditions of the region.

“We’re a disciplined group of culinarians, but our food is about storytelling at its core,” says Buck. “The dishes first start with a conversation and the sharing of food memories. We’re really cooking soul food and the soul comes from these stories.”

The 20th century storefront location in Greenville’s West End adds to the ambiance, with its warm exposed brick, open kitchen and stacks of firewood to keep the wood-fired oven stoked. A welcoming chalkboard near the entrance gives thanks to the farmers whose ingredients make up that day’s menu.

Located at 722 S. Main Street, Husk is open for dinner daily and serves lunch Wednesday through Friday and brunch on the weekend. Reservations are highly recommended. (864) 627-0404; huskgreenville.com.

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The Anchorage

Boasting a globally inspired menu made from locally sourced ingredients, Chef Greg McPhee and his wife, Beth, present a spectacularly curated, vegetable-centric menu based on what came in the door that day—with as much as 85% of the produce grown at their own 21-acre Horseshoe Farm. Located in a rustic farmhouse space with an open kitchen and second-floor loft and patio, The Anchorage is the heart of the burgeoning West Village arts community. The restaurant’s name had multiple meanings for the McPhees.

“We wanted to create a space that would be a cornerstone for the neighborhood, embrace a commitment to local producers and artisans, and would also keep us anchored to Greenville as we had been somewhat nomadic up to the point of opening,” says Greg McPhee.

The menu is heavy on small plates served family style, with a tasting table option that includes almost everything on the menu—like rock shrimp with a nuoc cham sauce, pappardelle verde with Ossabaw pork sausage and spiced carrots with dukkuh and mustard seed oil. When it’s shared by the table, it’s a bargain.

The Anchorage is located at 586 Perry Avenue and serves dinner Tuesday through Saturday and Sunday brunch. Reservations are highly recommended. (864) 219-3082; theanchoragerestaurant.com.

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Saltwater Kitchen

Saltwater Kitchen opened in Haywood Mall in mid-2019, bringing fresh, local seafood and Lowcountry fare to Greenville’s suburban Eastside, thanks to Executive Chef Josh Thomsen, who has created an approachable menu for the whole family. Guests can enjoy an extensive selection of starters—from a lusciously creamy, warm Carolina pimento cheese crab dip to perfectly crispy calamari to “Nashville” hot fried oysters and tomato pie. But don’t skip the Instagrammable tackle box—a neatly organized sampler of raw, steamed and fried seafood served on beds of ice in a tackle box.

“When I moved to Greenville, I came across my father’s little metal tackle box,” says Thomsen. “I brought it in, filled the trays with ice and started filling it up with shrimp cocktail, oysters and king crab legs. Then we added fried clams, fish sticks and hush puppies. So we get to show off the treasures of the sea in an approachable way.”

Entrees run the gamut from fresh fish, crab cakes and seafood pasta, to shrimp and grits and a host of landlubber options. Look for nightly specials like their three for $30 three-course choices and crab legs on Fridays and Saturdays.

Located at 700 Haywood Road, Saltwater Kitchen serves lunch and dinner daily, along with a daily happy hour from 4–7 p.m. Reservations accepted. (864) 900-3007; saltwatergvl.com.

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Stella’s Southern Brasserie

Following rave reviews for Stella’s Southern Bistro in neighboring Simpsonville, Jason and Julia Scholz opened this Greenville outpost in 2017. Serving up classic French cuisine with a Southern twist, the ambiance is all brasserie, with white subway-tile walls, dark woods and floor-to-ceiling windows. Working with dozens of local farms, creameries, cheese mongers, bakers, fishermen and artisan purveyors, the menu features country pâté, quiche, Lyonnaise salad, croque madames and mussel and steak frites.

“French cuisine techniques and dishes marry well with the ingredients in the Southeast and the Lowcountry,” says Chef Scholz. “Local ingredients often add a layer of familiarity like adding smoked bacon and bourbon to our mussels frites or making a Southern play on classic ‘frites’ by using okra, cornmeal and sorghum in the aioli.”

In keeping with a typical brasserie, a full coffee menu and house-made pastries are served all day.

Stella’s Southern Brasserie is in the Verdae community about five miles outside of downtown at 340 Rocky Slope Road. Closed Mondays, Stella’s serves weekday lunch, weekend brunch, and dinner Tuesday through Saturday. Coffee, pastries and grab-and-go items are available starting at 10 a.m. Reservations are recommended. (864) 626-6900; stellasbrasserie.com.

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Bacon Bros. Public House

With bacon in the name and a slogan like “Dine on the Swine Divine,” you know pork is going to be on the menu in a big way at Bacon Bros. Public House. This convivial farmhouse-chic spot on the east side of town has become one of Greenville’s major meat meccas. The rustic recycled pallet décor features a large curing room complete with window viewing for true carnivores.

“I love exploring traditional preserving techniques and being able to truly show off the quality and care that is given to these animals. I feel that it’s a great way to honor traditions of the Southeast,” says Chef Anthony Gray.

For patrons who prefer their meat on a plate, charcuterie and meat boards are lovingly garnished with beer mustard, dill pickles and cheddar thyme biscuits, all scratch-made. The menu is filled with more carnivore options including smoked chicken wings, traditional barbecue ribs and pulled pork and brisket. But don’t overlook the snacks (think deviled eggs, pimento cheese and bacon caramel popcorn), salads, sandwiches and oh-so-Southern sides.

Bacon Bros. Public House is located at 3620 Pelham Road. Open Monday through Saturday for lunch and dinner, walk-ins are welcome, and reservations are accepted. (864) 297-6000; baconbrospublichouse.com.

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Oak Hill Café and Farm

What do you get when you combine a chemist from the Earth and Environmental Sciences Department at Greenville’s Furman University with a classically trained Costa Rican chef? You get Oak Hill Café and Farm, an entirely new definition of a farm-to-table restaurant. With a farm and greenhouse behind the unassuming restaurant on Poinsett Highway (just two miles south of Furman’s campus) and a food lab on the second floor, Lori Nelson and Chef David Porras caught the attention of the James Beard Foundation this spring with their über-creative, veggie-centric and molecular approach to cuisine.

“Every part of life is better understood if we look at the building blocks of whatever we’re making,” says Nelson. “We should look at food in the same way and use the principles of science to create fresh ways of cooking and producing meals with more interesting textures and tastes.”

We’re talking creations like smoked trout on a crunchy bed of wild rice puff with charred apple coins, fried broccoli and cauliflower with sauerkraut powder and aged gouda, and legumes and wild mushrooms in a fermented black bean broth. But don’t fret. They can also satisfy the pickiest meat-and-potato palate with options like chicken breast with polenta and brisket stew with potatoes and vegetables.

Oak Hill Café and Farm is located at 2510 Poinsett Highway and is open for dinner Wednesday through Saturday and brunch from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. They also feature coffee, baked goods and a market throughout the day. (864) 631-1397; oakhillcafe.com.

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Food Experiences

In between meals, there are plenty of tasty ways to take a bite out of Greenville.

Cooking classes

Ready to roll up your sleeves and create your own culinary masterpieces? Head to The Cook’s Station at 515 Buncombe Street, Greenville’s 11,000-square-foot gourmet appliance and cookware store, where they host a variety of culinary classes for home cooks and wannabe chefs of all ages. Visit thecooksstation.com or call (864) 250-0091 for class schedules.

Learn the secrets behind La Petit Croissant’s insane selection of sweets during macaron, pastry, chocolate, bread and croissant workshops. The bakery is located at 640 S. Main Street in Greenville’s West End and open Tuesday through Sunday. Visit lepetitcroissantgreenville.com or call (864) 520-1555 for class schedules

Tasty tours

Pressed for time? Hit multiple restaurants in a single day with Greenville Culinary Tours, led by historian John Nolan. Choose from the BBQ Trail Tour, the Breakfast Tour or the popular Chef’s Table Tour, which visits five of downtown’s most renowned restaurants. For details, visit greenvillehistorytours.com or call (866) 246-2099.

Food halls

Food halls combining artisan dining experiences with food-oriented shops in a convivial mall environment are all the rage in foodie cities across the nation, and Greenville is no different.

The Commons, situated along the Swamp Rabbit Trail, is housed in a 12,000-square-foot renovated warehouse. With plenty of indoor and outdoor seating and green space, it’s the perfect place to pick up scratch-made breads and pastries, freshly roasted coffee, dozens of beers on tap or wines by the glass, picnic provisions, creative tacos or golden-brown burgers. The Commons is located at 147 Welborn Street and is open daily (check each merchant’s website for specific hours of operation). For details, visit commonsgvl.com.

At Gather GVL, located in Greenville’s West End near Fluor Field, repurposed shipping containers serve as an alfresco gathering spot for more than a dozen local restaurants, bars and bakeries. There’s also a stage for live music and performances and a rooftop deck to take in the downtown skyline. Gather GVL is located at 126 Augusta Street and is open Tuesday to Saturday 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sunday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and closed Monday. For details, visit gathergreenville.com.

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Greenville’s foodie festivals

The city of Greenville hosts dozens of festivals throughout the year, but none are tastier than this trio.

TD Saturday Market

Saturday mornings, May to October

Every Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon during market season, two blocks along Greenville’s Main Street morph into a bustling farmers market. More than 75 vendors offer the season’s freshest, locally grown produce along with high quality arts and crafts, while patrons enjoy live music, children’s activities and chef demonstrations. saturdaymarketlive.com.

euphoria

September 17–20

The third week of September brings euphoria, Greenville’s premier food, wine and music festival. Founded by Restaurateur Carl Sobocinski and platinum-selling singer/songwriter Edwin McCain, this four-day event features exclusive tastings, cooking demonstrations, wine seminars, multi-course dinners and live concerts at multiple venues around town. For tickets and details, visit euphoriagreenville.com or call (864) 233-5663.

Fall for Greenville

October 9–11

Fall for Greenville hosts upward of 150,000 hungry visitors each year who gather on Main Street to sip, savor and sample more than 250 food offerings from 45-plus area restaurants. Between bites, you can sway and shimmy to the sounds of more than 70 bands performing on six stages. There’s also a kids’ area, beer garden, wine garden and culinary demonstrations and competitions. fallforgreenville.net.

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The next big thing

Much of the most talked-about dining excitement in the Upcountry is happening about 10 miles north of Greenville in the hidden gem of Travelers Rest, an up-and-coming enclave of about 5,000 residents. Located on the northern end of the 22-mile-long Swamp Rabbit Trail, downtown TR has seen an explosion of restaurants, breweries, wine rooms and cafes opening in the past few years.

Topsoil Kitchen & Market (topsoilrestaurant.com) in the historic Williams Hardware store is one of the newest arrivals, with a highly creative plant-forward menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Started by three area entrepreneurs—and friends—Topsoil uses many products from their own 16-acre farm just a few miles from the restaurant, along with other local farmers who are celebrating the fruits of their labor. Other restaurants that are raising the TR bar—all within a half-mile stretch along Main Street—include creative tacos, quesadilla and burrito bowls at Farmhouse Tacos (farmhousetacos.com); pizzas, salads and homemade ice cream at Sidewall Pizza (sidewallpizza.com)—don’t miss the Bacon Bliss pizza, with 16 slices of all-natural nitrate-free bacon plus mozzarella, pecorino and roasted garlic sauce; and crêpes and coffee at Tandem (tandemcc.com), where the Lumberjack—with ham, bacon, eggs and cheese topped with maple syrup and béchamel—is their top seller, along with their blueberry and cream crêpe to satisfy the sweet tooth.