The Noisy Oyster

The Noisy Oyster on Market Street is right in the heart of Tourist town and delivers everything you would expect of a tourist trap restaurant - OK food, OK environment, expansive menu, and great people watching. The highlight was definitely the wide-open garage-door style windows that open up onto Market Street. The evening weather of Charleston in late September can't be beat. As one of Charleston's serious fault's is a lack of sidewalk-seating for restaurant's, I can recommend The Noisy Oyster based solely on this feature.

Why, you might ask, would we even bother going here? Look at it any way you like, but the Noisy Oyster is a staple of downtown Charleston and we had never been. It had to make the list, and we had to get it out of the way. It was also nice to get a bit of a break on the wallet.

The food was just fine, in the same way Chili's is. Our waiter was great, and Maggie and I bonded with him over our shared Northeastern roots (all three of us are from the Boston area). He generously gave us a $5-off coupon. Totally unnecessary, and very much appreciated.

I feel like I'm reviewing a restaurant everyone has been too, if not literally, then certainly figuratively. Local-sounding dishes that were likely frozen at some point, the decor overemphasizing local culture, and certainly no regulars. Really not bad, but really not good. If you're on Market Street and looking for a quick dinner though, you could do worse.