The South’s best restaurant is in SC and has a 23-foot-long outdoor kitchen, Southern Living says
South Carolinians looking for the best cuisine in the South don’t have to go far, according to Southern Living.
The popular magazine recently unveiled its ninth annual South’s Best awards to celebrate readers’ favorite places, from beach towns to barbecue joints, seafood dives and resorts. Southern Living also named its overall best restaurant in the South for 2025.
Before choosing the awards though, a third-party agency, Proof Insights, conducted an online survey among Southern Living customers — asking them to rate their favorite places in the South. The survey was held from July 10 to Aug. 21, 2024 and had more than 10,000 respondents.
So, which restaurant took the top award this year?
The winner was Lost Isle in Johns Island, South Carolina.
Lost Isle in SC
Located about 10 miles from downtown Charleston, Lost Isle can be found at the end of a gravel driveway behind a tiny white house. In the back yard outside is where customers are served — surrounded by fire pits and large pecan trees.
Open since 2023, this fire-to-table restaurant concept is made possible by chef Josh Taylor and his team, with the help of a 23-foot-long outdoor kitchen. The restaurant is also no stranger to awards.
“They use local oak wood, a live fire, and seasonal ingredients from area farmers and purveyors to turn out dishes like caveman-worthy Smoked Tomahawk Pork Chops glistening with an ancho-cherry glaze and Charred Eggplant Dip begging to be slathered onto grilled sourdough,” Tara Massouleh McCay writes for Southern Living. “It’s a five-senses experience — you can smell the food cooking before it arrives at your table and watch chefs masterfully prepare it on the wood-fired grill.”
Although you’ll seat yourself and place orders at a register next to the kitchen, there’s still plenty of staff to attend to your needs — from delivering dishes and refilling drinks to even passing out blankets on colder nights.
“We want it to feel like you’re at a backyard party — just your friends happen to be chefs and bartenders,” Taylor told Southern Living.
Taylor, who opened the restaurant alongside his wife, Maggie MacMillan, cooks dishes familiar to Southern palates, but which are also reimagined based on the couple’s travels around the world.
“The oft-praised Curry Braised Collards borrow spices and a creamy broth from khao soi, a northern Thai noodle soup,” McCay writes about the menu. “Fire-roasted clams from Georgia’s Sapelo Island get an unexpected flavor boost from chili-chorizo butter, a berbere spice blend, and harissa.”
This story was originally published March 21, 2025 at 6:00 AM with the headline "The South’s best restaurant is in SC and has a 23-foot-long outdoor kitchen, Southern Living says."
