Amen Street

If you recently dined off of Amen Street’s lunch and dinner specials, you may have particulary enjoyed the frequent and unique Flounder and Snapper entrees. So much more goes into creating Amen’s daily specials than meets the eye!  

Snapper

Flounder and Snapper made the “specials” cut not only because of how delicious they are, but because they are both ranked as “greatest available” in the month of September by the Sustainable Seafood Initiative guidelines. As if you really needed another reason to enjoy Amen Street, you know you can always satisfy your belly and your conscious.

Flounder

Enjoy some super fresh Snapper this weekend at Amen Street. Check out our daily specials to see what Chef Ollard has dreamed up.

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Lunch in Downtown Charleston SC Amen serves you only the best lunch in town.

How often do you experience this?

12:00 rolls around, your stomach is growling and the last thing you really want to eat is a turkey sandwich in front of your computer, BUT you do anyway.

Instead of begrudgingly accepting this routine, shake things up and try Amen Street for lunch. Amen opens at 11:30 and serves lunch until late afternoon. Chef Stephen Ollard creates inspired lunch specials each day with a great local catches or must-have, in season fish from faraway. This week, he created unique lunch specials with Red Porgy, Swordfish and Arctic Char, all served with two incredible sides each. Amen’s quick, friendly and welcoming staff can deliver your plate direct to the table, for a quick but delicious lunch.

Amen’s fresh, perfectly portioned lunch specials are $13 a plate or under. Yup, a full service, gourmet lunch on East Bay Street for just $13. If you are looking for lighter fare with a smaller budget, order a bowl of She-Crab soup and a Marinated Tomato Salad. Or if it’s red meat you crave in the afternoon, you must order the Amen Burger, a favorite among Amen Street’s visitors. Amen also has the cure the afternoon after the long night: the Amen Street Spicy Bloody Mary, filled to the brim and stacked high with okra. It can be a satisfying lunch all in itself.

Amen’s doors stay open straight through the afternoon. If you have the luxury of a free afternoon, linger longer and enjoy a plate from the Raw Bar or a split a bottle of wine.

See what’s on Amen Street’s lunch menu today. Check back for daily specials.

Amen Street gets a lot of praise for their food, but they also have an incredible drink offering. An afternoon drink at Amen Street is the perfect escape. You feel far removed from the bustle of East Bay Street as you pull up a big cushioned bar stool and sip on the bar’s unique ambiance that’s just the right mix of nautical, artsy and chic.

Some of Amen’s most impressive offerings are off the wine menu, with over fifty Reds, Whites and special varieties. Each wine was carefully chosen to compliment Amen’s fresh fish and local flavors. Whether you’re in the market for crudo, an oyster sampler or just need a glass to escape workday stress, your bartender can help you decide.

Just a few of Amen's Drink Selections

For the beer drinkers among us, Amen has five draught beers on tap, including the hard to find Allagash White and local favorite Holy City Porter from North Charleston’s latest microbrewery addition, Holy City Brewing Company. If you prefer bottles, they’ve got plenty of those, too.

Amen Street’s insistence on using local product doesn’t stop at their seafood. Their specialty cocktails are made with local ingredients, housemade mixes and when possible- Southern style liquor. Sip on a heavenly Frozen Bellini with fresh peach puree, super refreshing Hemmingway Mojito with a fresh grapefruit twist or throw back our signature Oyster Shooters with house infused spicy lemon pepper vodka.

Have we convinced you to come the bar yet?

Is every native Charlestonian born with a taste for oysters? They seem to have an innate ability to shuck, appropriately dress and slurp them down with ease. The whole process can be intimidating for those who do not own a personalized shucking knife or monogrammed oyster glove. Charleston’s oyster roast season (better known as any month that ends in an ‘R’) is lurking around the corner. Now is the time to reign in your oyster-eating skills so you’ll be free from awkward oyster roast experiences this fall.

Come to Amen Street and practice your skills in a non-threatening atmosphere. They offer oyster samplers by the half dozen, dozen, or singles. Amen always serves Gulf Oysters and Littleneck Clams from the Raw Bar but also offers a rotating variety of unique oysters from across the Eastern seaboard- even from the Pacific Northwest. (You can see an always updated list here.)

An Amen Oyster Sampler

Amen Street got the hardest part out of the way and shucked the oysters for you. If you’d like a lesson in shucking too, grab a seat at the bar and watch the resident Oyster Shucker go to work.

The oysters are served on the half shell with a lemon on hand to squeeze on before eating.  You also have a choice of super delicious, house made condiments: mignonette sauce to add a peppery taste, horseradish for some kick, and of course, cocktail sauce. (They’re not necessary to enjoy Amen’s oysters, but definitely add some excitement.) After you’ve decided what to add, throw your table manners to the wind and slurp it on down. You can chew it or swallow it whole. By the end of your sampler, you’ll have an oyster-eating style to call your own.

It’s not as nearly as complicated as it seems, but if you need a visual, here is a great video with an even better narrator. Stop by our raw bar and try ‘em out!

In 1886, a 7-point Richter Scale quake and widespread fire devastated downtown Charleston. The quake was so massive that even of our sister city Savannah and nearby Tybee Island were effected.

William M. Bird and Company, post 1886 Earthquake

At the time of the great earthquake, William M. Bird & Co, then a wholesale paint company, took up residence in our present-day location at 205 East Bay Street. The building was completely destroyed with exception of the cast iron storefront. The Birds, true Charleston survivors, rebuilt their store from a pile of rubble and stayed in business at the same location until the 1950′s.

The earthquake of 1886 affected life here in a major way. Amen Street Fish & Raw Bar has a deep appreciation for the history of our fantastic location: earthquake and all. When building Amen Street, Owner Keith Jones was sure to weave pieces of the building’s history throughout the restaurant. Surviving French plate glass and an iron column from the quake can be found at Amen’s gorgeous bar.

Once destroyed, but rebuilt into Amen Street

Charleston is always at the will of nature’s powerful forces, but we’d like to ask that all 1886-style quakes and Hugo-style hurricanes stay clear of our pretty little city.

Charleston Restaurant Week: it’s the most wonderful time of the year.  This year, the dates are set for September 7-18th. That’s twelve, glorious days to treat your taste buds. The list of restaurants is pretty amazing, but your obvious choice should be Amen Street.

Amen Street will offer three courses for $30. (That’s an appetizer, entree and dessert for the price of a large pizza.) Chef Ollard chose his personal favorite recipes and crowd-pleasers for Amen’s “3 for $30″ menu. Both fresh seafood fanatics and meat & potato lovers will go weak in the knees for Amen Street’s Restaurant Week Menu. 

Choose one item from each section for your three courses.

For Starters

• Described as a “true bit of heaven“, A Cup of She Crab Soup with Sherry   
• A Fresh, Simple Small Mixed Green Salad with Housemade White Balsamic Vinaigrette
• A Trip Advisor Reviewer Favorite, Calamari with Corn, Tomato, Bacon, Green Onion and Lemon Aioli
• Stacks of Fried Green Tomatoes with Creamy Pimento Cheese and Hot and Sour Okra

The Main Event

• Crab Cakes with Mashed Potatoes, Asparagus, Sweet Onion Remoulade
• Chef Ollard’s Delicious Shrimp and Grits with fresh local Tomatoes, Onion, Tasso Ham
• Pan Fried Flounder with Mashed Potatoes, Asparagus, Brown Butter Sauce
• A Hearty Seared Hanger Steak with Buttered Shallot Fondue, Fries

A Happy Ending

• The Way Too Good to be True Fresh Berry Bread Pudding
• Chocolate Terrine
• Lemon Roulade Cake
• Creme Brulee

Make your reservations here! And make sure you come back again- even for a second night during Restaurant Week- so you can try the Shrimp and Grits andthe Hanger Steak… and the Bread Pudding, and the Creme Brulee…

Please wait while you are redirected...or Click Here if you do not want to wait. A chorus of “amens” once echoed through the church-filled streets surrounding the restaurant. Now, the same song is sung from the mouths of our extremely satisfied guests. Most who dine here agree, Amen Street is like a spiritual experience: awe-inspiring, moving and unforgettable.

Amen Street’s guests are shelling out love for our food and amazing service all over the web. The Amen Street gospel is being spread to hundreds of seafood-seeking diners, and we cannot thank our reviewers enough. Here’s a couple of recent five-star experiences via Trip Advisor.

From an out-of-towner…

Amen

“I seldom write reviews about restaurants, but I loved this place so much that I came back twice on a short weekend trip to Charleston. All staff I had contact with (bar tender, the waiters, the manager) were truly welcoming and genuinely pleased to serve. But what kept me coming was the food. Wonderful fresh oysters, mouth watering fish and tasteful, right sized deserts. And I found the she-crab soup to be just perfect…

The bar is great on its own, with a wide selection of drinks and wine by the glass, and seems quite popular with locals…I am planning my next trip to Charleston to be back here.”

From a Family of Foodies…

The Best

“Oh where do I begin. Amen Street is exactly my kind of place and I have visited several times. The food is all delicious and so well prepared. The service is excellent. I highly recommend Amen Street to friends visiting Charleston and sometimes find that they visit more than once on their trip (as we always do).

The fish is fabulous and so fresh. I have tried several preparations, all wonderful. I especially enjoy the blackened, very flavorful but not overwhelming as blackened usually is. The she crab soup is delicious. I have witnessed several diners tip up their bowl for every last drop.

The fried green tomato appetizer is well prepared with wonderfully complimentary sauces. The fish tacos are the best I have ever had, I like those for lunch but my daughter enjoys them at supper too. If you have children, make sure to order them some of the children’s fruit. Beautiful, fresh berries with nothing on them, just like I would do at home. They don’t skimp on children’s items as most places do.

Everything is fantastic and it should not be missed when you are on the Peninsula. I cannot recommend Amen highly enough!”

If you, like these guests, have felt the power of Amen’s amazing food, share your experience – and don’t forget the pictures.

Please wait while you are redirected...or Click Here if you do not want to wait. Chef Stephen Ollard is a seafood and produce locavore.

He’s always dreaming up great new plates for his guests, offering a few unique seafood specials each day including a rotating Crudo Plate and variety of fresh catches with a choice of three preparations. Ollard and General Manager Laura Lovisone also hand select the best wines and draught beer to make your drink decision nice and easy.

Lunch, dinner and drink specials are posted here each day. Peruse the menu and make your decision before you grab a table, so not to delay your killer meal even for a moment.

I’ll take today’s special, the Blackened Cod with Red Rice and Fried Green Tomato, please.

Decide for yourself and take a seat under the oyster shell chandeliers for the freshest seafood and best prices Charleston offers.

While lots of school stuff really did fall into the “things I will never need to know again” category, economics is something I use and think of every day. Thanks to rising gas prices and dropping dows, the whole world has a front row seat in Econ 101. I recently continued my real world education with a little lesson from Megan Westmeyer of the SC Aquarium.

My Sustainabilty Sensei, Megan Westmeyer

During my chat with Megan, I thought about my mindless buying decisions at the supermarket. For years I’ve been buying fish from the counter without a second thought. If it was on sale and looked good, I’d buy it. So I asked Megan, if I want a pound of local, sustainable fish, where do I go? Can a typical Harris Teeter/Publix shopper find something fresh and local this weekend?

The answer is yes. Really, all you have to do is ask “Is any of this fish local?” or look at the sticker on the package. All packaged seafood will list its country of origin and whether it was farm raised or wild.

Just like the whole supply-demand theory, Megan assured me, the more local fish we ask for, the more we buy, the more selection we’ll have and the cheaper it will be. A-ha. It really makes perfect sense.

While many people are throwing fish filets on the grill this summer for a light dinner, local fisherman are struggling. Help them out! When you buy fish, try to buy something local. If you can’t find anything at the big markets, check out some of the seafood shops around town. Think about joining Abundant Seafood‘s Community Supported Fishery. Keep the SC Aquarium’s Seafood Availability Chart handy. And of course, let someone cook for you and support your local Fish and Raw Bar…

With many options and an ocean just a few minutes down the road, why not eat a Charleston catch?