We went to Chubby Fish after checking into our house rental. We were a group of three women celebrating a 50th birthday. We put our name on the list (40 min wait), the hostess recommend a great cocktail bar called the Last Saint while we waited, it was really good! At Chubby Fish, we tried the raw and cooked fish (amazing flavors and new fish that we had not had before) and all were fantastic. We also had the tartar and it was so yummy. The name should be Amazing fresh fish, I would absolutely come back when in the area!
The restaurant felt more like a health bar rather than a restaurant…a chipotle feel. If I was feeling bad and or had a bad cold and I had to eat healthy to feel better this would be the place. Don’t expect luxury, even the caviar sandwich paired with champagne didn’t taste luxurious rather than heavy buttered bun that had some caviar on it, the dessert was the best part, the mismatch of cat plates is hideous but if you want food to feel better this is your place.
Great little neighborhood spot. Get there early as line forms for the first round of diners. The entire place sits about 30. Plates come out in bunches of what was ordered from the whole restaurant. Chef creates the menu each day depending on available ingredients. If you don’t get in on the first turn, head over to Elliotborough Mini Bar just around the corner for some drinks while you wait!
Over-rated... food was decent but they're getting an attitude you don't want when dining out. After waiting an hour, felt very rushed ("please order everything right now except dessert/coffee, so we can help the kitchen staff"). The prices aren't cheap, so you would expect more from the place in terms of putting the customer first... seems like they put the register / revenue first, at the expense of the customer. Table next to us did same thing - reduce order to a few apps, one glass of overpriced wine, then split.
My husband and I learned of this place over a year ago and just have not been able to go until now. To say it was worth the wait would be an understatement. OH MY WORD - it was fabulous. It was possibly the best meal we have ever had! Plus our server was very knowledgeable and helped us combine flavors and make selections. Tip: Go during the week and arrive at 5pm so you get a table.
Good food - but not as spectacular as these reviews would seem to suggest. Granted, I split my time between Miami, NY and Montreal - so perhaps these flavors are considered more exotic by others? Pretty standard for me. 4 stars for the food. Minus 1 for the fact that I had to eat my food while standing. Am I in Spain?? Not a fan. Certainly not at these prices - they should’ve put in some high seats for every single table setting in the resto. Ordered 4 dishes. Highlight was the poached black bass with horseradish. Sublime. Seasoning was spot on. Pleasant surprise. The garlic chili shrimp were well executed, though lacking in kick. Charleston always has great shrimp. The oysters order I blame on myself. Outside of one resto in Montreal, grilled oysters, especially with cheese, are never a great idea… But I was curious and wanted to try. Flavor profile like pizza. And why pay the premium for oysters if you want pizza? That mistake’s on me. The smoked wahoo curry was disappointing. Hailed as a popular signature dish, it failed utterly. No curry flavor whatsoever. It was a smoked fish dip with a lot of rice. Flavors that made little sense combined. I would skip the hype and check out other equally good spots - like The Glass Onion, or Page’s Okra Grill. The long lines, that no-seat seat and the good-but-not-great food are not worth it.
Hands down, one of the best dining experiences we ever had. And we dine out, A LOT. We were visiting Charleston and Chubby Fish was recommended to us by a bartender at another restaurant. Go EARLY to get your names on the waitlist (we had a 3 hour wait) but we expected this so we had drinks on King Street while waiting for our table. We got sat at the oyster bar and I am so glad we did. The chefs were so friendly, willing to chat with us and answer questions. One of them even wrote down a full list of other dining options as a “must try” while in Charleston. We hadn’t even asked for it but they knew we were here visiting and dining out so they gave us their list. Talk about amazing service! Everything that came out of the kitchen looked phenomenal. We had already visited other fresh seafood restaurants so we knew we wanted their unique plates. We ordered squash toast, smoked mahi-mahi curry, grilled oysters and charred lamb ribs. OMG. The plating of the food was bright and beautiful. The flavor pairings were bold, vegetables were crisp and the dishes were like nothing we had tried before. We were blown away by the meal and hospitality of the staff- we didn’t want to leave! Would absolutely eat here again when in Charleston. Highly recommend!!
Wow! Totally worth the wait. Every single dish was more divine than the one before it. The menu descriptions do not do the food justice-need more adjectives. Chili Garlic Shrimp and the Fresh Fish Curry were 2 favorites. Trust your wait staff when suggestions are offered. Three of us dined and ordered 6 dishes-plus one of each dessert selections. Don’t miss the “Not Fried Chicken” one. Get there at opening time and put your name on the wait list. Go have a drink and a nibble then come back for a dinner to remember.
First time visiting Chubby Fish last night, and let me just say - DELICIOUS!!! The atmosphere was so amazing, the waitresses, the cooking staff, host, and even the owner was out and about and all of therm were so very kind! Food was IMPECCABLE ? 100/10 I will deff be back!
Get there early to put your name down and then go get a drink at Last Saint down the street. Really yummy, funky selections. Menu changes most nights but can't go wrong.