45-Day Dry-Aged Ribeye
Hand-selected Prime cut, aged in-house. Finished with roasted bone marrow butter and Maldon sea salt. Served with roasted garlic confit.
$68
Charleston, South Carolina
Ember & Salt.
Elevated American fare.
Reserve your table in the heart of King Street. Dry-aged steaks, coastal seafood, and a 400-label wine list curated by our sommelier.
RecognitionCharleston's most-awarded steakhouse
EstablishedOpen since 2011
Wine List400+ labels
Award-winning kitchen400+ wine labelsPrivate dining roomsSourced within 150 miles
The Kitchen
Signature Plates
Chef Marcus Cole sources from farms within 150 miles of our King Street kitchen. Every dish tells the story of the Carolina Lowcountry.
Whole Roasted Branzino
Wild-caught from the Gulf, roasted in the wood-burning oven. Meyer lemon, capers, olives, and extra-virgin olive oil from our Charleston supplier.
$52
Foie Gras Torchon
House-made torchon, 48-hour preparation. Brioche toast, Sichuan-pepper gel, pickled black walnut, and aged sherry vinegar.
$28
Lobster Bisque
Classic French preparation with South Carolina blue crab. House-made cream, tarragon oil, and a grilled claw garnish. Tableside pour.
$22
40-oz Tomahawk
USDA Prime Angus, 28-day wet-aged. Carved tableside with three house sauces: chimichurri, Bordelaise, and a smoked au poivre.
$145
Crispy Duck Confit
Liberty Duck leg, 36-hour confit, finished under the salamander. Beluga lentils, roasted cherry gastrique, and microgreens from our rooftop garden.
$46
Events & Gatherings
Three rooms for every occasion.
From intimate anniversary dinners to corporate retreats and rehearsal dinners, Ember & Salt offers three distinctive spaces. Our events team handles every detail, from custom menus to curated wine pairings and floral arrangements. We host 200+ private events each year.
Main Dining Room
Seats 80The Cellar
Private — 12 to 20 guestsThe Garden
Seasonal — seats 24
Marcus Cole
Executive Chef
The Kitchen
Rooted in the South.
Trained in France.
"Every plate I send out has to tell the guest where it came from."
Marcus Cole grew up in McClellanville, SC, shucking oysters before he could read a menu. He trained under three Michelin-starred chefs in Lyon before returning to the Lowcountry to open Ember & Salt in 2011.
His menus change with the tides and the seasons. In winter, you will find dry-aged beef and braised game. In summer, the kitchen tilts toward the coast: raw bar towers, chilled crab bisque, fire-roasted whole fish. Nothing arrives on the plate that did not arrive at the back door that morning.
A James Beard Award nominee in 2023, Cole has been recognized by Food & Wine as one of the South's most important culinary voices. He is a founding member of the Charleston Farm-to-Table Coalition and sources exclusively from partner farms within 150 miles of King Street.
The Cellar
A Wine Program Built Over Decades
Our 400-label list spans Burgundy to Barossa, with deep verticals in California Cabernet and Champagne. Sommelier Diane Fitch joined Ember & Salt in 2014 after six years at a three-Michelin-star restaurant in New York. She has received Wine Spectator's Award of Excellence three years running.
Cabernet Sauvignon
Insignia
Joseph Phelps Vineyards
2019 · Napa Valley
$380 / bottle
Burgundy — Pinot Noir
Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
Domaine Rossignol-Trapet
2021 · Bourgogne, France
$210 / bottle
Chardonnay
Montrachet Grand Cru
Domaine des Comtes Lafon
2020 · Bourgogne, France
$480 / bottle
What Guests Say
Loved by Charleston
★★★★★
“The dry-aged ribeye is simply the best steak I have had outside of New York. The bone marrow butter alone is worth the trip to Charleston.”
★★★★★
“We celebrated our anniversary in The Cellar. Chef Cole sent out an extra course as a surprise. The sommelier's pairing was flawless. We will be back for every milestone.”
★★★★★
“Hands down the best restaurant in Charleston. The lobster bisque with the tableside cream pour is theatrical and delicious. The service is impeccable.”
★★★★★
“I hosted a corporate dinner for 14 in the private room. Everything was perfect. The team handled our dietary restrictions without a single complaint.”
As seen in
Garden & GunConde Nast TravelerSouthern LivingFood & WineThe Post and Courier
Visit Us
Hours & Location
MondayClosed
Tuesday – ThursdayDinner 5pm – 10pm · Bar opens 4pm
Friday – SaturdayDinner 5pm – 11pm · Bar opens 4pm
SundayBrunch 10:30am – 2:30pm · Dinner 5pm – 9pm
Find Us
14 King Street
Ember & Salt
14 King Street, Charleston, SC 29401
Join Us Tonight
Reserve your table tonight.
Dinner service begins at 5pm, Tuesday through Sunday.