2 SC restaurants among the 100 best in the US for 2026, Yelp says. See which were honored
Yelp has released its list of top 100 restaurants in the United States and two are located in South Carolina.
Lewis BBQ in Charleston, which also has a location in Greenville is No. 49 and 167 Raw Oyster Bar in Charleston is 53.
The top restaurant is Ci Siamo in New York City, where Executive Chef Hillary Sterling makes her favorites from her travels through Italy, Yelp said.
Yelp based its list on the volume and ratings of reviews by Yelpers.
John Lewis opened Lewis BBQ in 2016 after moving to Charleston from Texas. His parents gave him his first smoker for his 18th birthday. The restaurant’s website says, “he started dabbling in Austin’s longstanding tradition of the backyard barbecue. He was soon getting creative with both his smokers and his meats, taking liberties with the design and construction.”
He worked in Denver for a time then returned to Austin to help Aaron Franklin open Franklin Barbecue, then with LeAnn Mueller to open La Barbecue.
The Charleston restaurant has been lauded by Southern Living, Conde Nast Traveler, Garden & Gun, all mentioning its “legendary brisket, honky tonk music, and laid-back vibes,” the website says.
He also owns Rancho Lewis and the Greenville site and ships smoked meats through an online shop here.
167 Raw began as a wholesale seafood company and grew to operate seafood restaurants in Nantucket, Massachusetts and Charleston. It’s known for lobster rolls and the Big Boy — a seafood platter loaded with shrimp, clams and oysters.
It, too, has been featured in various national magazines including Fodor’s, The New York Times and Conde Nast.
Other restaurants in Yelp’s top 10 are:
2. Taste of Texas, Houston, Texas
3. NAM Kitchen, Gardena, California
4. Waffle and Berry, Honolulu, Hawaii
5. Comfort Cafe – San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
6. Adela’s Country Eatery, Kaneohe, Honolulu, Hawaii
7. Broken Mouth, Los Angeles, California
8. GW Fins, New Orleans, Louisiana
9. Slackwater — Salt Lake City, Salt Lake City, Utah
10. Pepp & Dolores, Cincinnati, Ohio
Yelp also noted several trends in the restaurant business including “Grandma-core” or “nonna-stalgia” featuring “old-fashioned, slow-cooked family recipes made with simple ingredients — often served on charmingly mismatched dinnerware in warm settings that remind them of simpler times” and elevated comfort foods like sandwiches. Also, breakfast served all day and Asian cuisine.