Muse

This old house-​turned-​to-​restaurant place was a gem among Ansonborough. The bread basket was warm and fluffy, with garlic olive oil. As an appetizer, I got the lamb sausage. The best sausage I’ve ever tasted. Then the pasta w/​meat sauce came. A small portion can be extremely filling. A great meal from an overlooked restaurant in an overlooked portion of Ansonborough.

Great food in a tucked away casual environment. Service is on it. Super friendly.

Had a great time. The bartender and owner were extremely friendly. My coworker and I had a wonderful time chatting with them.

I want my New Year’s Eve dinner back. $ 79 prix fixe per person plus a mid range bottle of wine made for a $ 250 evening with tax and tip. They must be running 10% food costs here. We started with two minuscule mediocre tasting appetizers (pâté and carpaccio), tiny overcooked lobster tails (think $ 4.99 Harris Teeter) for an entrée, and a chocolate trio dessert with an inedible brownie. The wine (our third choice as they don’t actually carry much of their impressive menu) was superb however. The service was fine. The restaurant could use a deep clean and the carpets are filthy.
Returning would be self harming behavior.

Quaint little spot off the beaten path. Glad we found it by recommendation of girlfriends. Donny is a great bartender– he’s a riot. We tried to go back another night but it was packed. Probably because of the bartender! Thanks!

For certain, I’m not really sure where to begin. We were underwhelmed from the first moment we were seated. While I can say they do an excellent job of making you feel that you aren’t in Charleston and are more in a foreign country– which is the one thing I really did enjoy, the rest of the experience with the restaurant itself wasn’t the greatest. We were seated on a very slow night (and a later reservation) and waited 10 minutes to be approached for water service or a drink order. The two waitresses on staff were running around like crazy while the owner sat at the bar and talked to guests that were regulars. We sat outside and the sound quality of the speaker was so bad, we requested it to be turned off. The party on the upstairs porch sounded like there were 30 people out there– yelling and carrying on and guests from inside decided to come in the downstairs porch to smoke (disgusting!) and NOTHING was even said about it. The soup and beet salad were both good, as was the actual pasta noodle. Definitely home made. but the sauces were horrible! Absolutely zero flavor. I’ve heard such good things about this place and have been dying to try and it completely missed the mark for me on so many levels.

The food & patio atmosphere here are fantastic. Such a quaint little spot in downtown Charleston with lights on the patio and a charming old door entrance. Service was decent, nothing to write home about. Prices were high for the amount of food each dish serves and the sweet tea was not sweet enough for Charleston. I got the lobster risotto which was very flavorful and my husband got the chicken gnocchi, also delicious. I recommend getting a salad or appetizer before the meal and certainly sit outside!

I would highly recommend this restaurant for its amazing food, great service and its location. Its right by King st which means its right by the shopping area. All the pastas and desserts are made in house! I ordered the fettuccine and loved it after the first bite! I ate everything off of my plate. It has a separate bar area when you enter the inside of the restaurant. It is 2 stories. It also has an outside seating area. It was a little chilly when we went there so we couldn’t enjoy the patio but no complaints.
It is traditional and makes you feel like you are eating in someones house. It has a very homey feel to it.

A large group of my friends were in Charleston together and we needed to make a reservation. This was one of the few places that was available on opentable for the time and number we needed. I was not sure what type of food to expect as their menu said Mediterranean.
When we got there, we understood why this place was able to accommodate our large group. It was located in what appeared to be an old house with a downstairs and an upstairs. We were seated in a nearly private room, with just two other small tables with us.
Our food was fantastic. My roomie and I split one of their salads which was awesome and a pasta dish. Noone had any complaints about the food they received. We split a great bottle of wine and had a great time.
The reason for the deduction of the one star was only because of the server. I wouldn’t go as far as saying she was rude necessarily, but she definitely wasn’t friendly by any means. She was very short and to the point. When we asked for an extra minute to look at the menu, she rolled her eyes as she turned to walk away. I know that big groups are not the most fun, but still, at least pretend that you don’t despise us or your job. Oh well, the food was great and that was what we came for!

My husband and I returned to this restaurant for the third time last night while visiting. We discovered it about seven years ago after ducking under their patio during a rainstorm and had such fond memories that we couldn’t wait to go back. We actually introduced the place to
friends of ours who recently moved to Charleston. The food, service and ambiance were all
that we remembered. We shared a bunch of appetizers to start. We loved the sausage and the mussels, while our vegetarian friend said she really enjoyed the meze platter. Then I had the sea bass, which was cooked perfectly. My husband gobbled down his veal scaloppine, which came out a little bit crispy. Our one other friend took advantage of the restaurant week menu, so we got to try his pâté and tiramisu, both really good. Our server was Stephanie, and she couldn’t have been more accommodating. It is always nice to go back to a place and not be disappointed when you have such high expectations. I rarely take the time to write reviews, but I just love this restaurant.

I visited Muse recently for a going away party for one of my coworkers. This is her favorite restaurant and she raves about it all the time, so I was really excited to try it.
First, let’s talk about the space. The interior is a little small and rustic, but because the weather was nice, we were able to score primo seating out on the patio. It was absolutely gorgeous. Some of the best patio dining in Charleston, I’d say. I’d give it higher marks if the view was better.
We sat down and were greeted very promptly. They brought bread and some deliciously robust olive oil for us to dip it in. We ordered the cheese plate to share as a starter. It came with local honey, dried fruit, and nuts. There were 4 different kinds of cheeses, 2 softs, 1 medium, and 1 hard. They were all very tasty and creamy and paired really well with the honey.
For my meal, I chose to go on the lighter side and ordered the heirloom tomato salad with pickled shrimp. The salad was a little on the small side for the price, but it was very tasty, and I liked the tanginess of the pickled shrimp with the sweetness of the tomatoes. I’d definitely order this again!
I’d filled up on bread and cheese and tomatoes, so we didn’t end up ordering dessert, but I think it would be worth trying again! My coworker let me try some of her gnocchi, and it was just awesome. I have my eye on the pancetta alfredo pasta next time. Yum!

As soon as you walk into this dump the smell of feet hits you. The look of this place looks like they never reconstructed after the Civil War.
Saying that this place is OVER priced is an UNDER statement. My husband and I came here for Valentine’s Day while they were serving a pre-​fixed menu. The cost was either $ 45 or $ 65 depending on the entrée that you chose. We were served house bread which was pretty good. I had the Duck Confit salad to start. I actually enjoyed this salad and it gave me hope for the rest of the meal. My entrée was the Pan Seared Snapper. The fish was too salty for my liking. I ended my meal with the tasteless Velvet Crêpe except for the taste of burned caramel. The menu said «crepes», yet there was only one crêpe on my plate. I’m still looking for the taste of red velvet. My husband had the Tuna Tartare, Whole Roasted Sea Bass and Chocolate Trio. The Tuna Tartare was good, but the rest of the meal definitely did not deem the price tag.
The portions are small and I have never seen such a disheveled establishment, paint cracking, musky rugs etc. Also, I would not call the staff «friendly» by any means. It seemed that this restaurant was not prepared for this busy holiday. They appeared frazzled and they switched some items on the menu last minute.
Final Thoughts:
This place is a dump. For the kind of money that you are spending go to a restaurant that is actually clean!

Rushed through meal & asked to leave after one hour 15 minutes so they could seat another party. We had a 6:30 reservation and ordered three course meal plus wine. Food was ok but the experience of not being able to breathe between courses or digest our food before the next course ruined the evening.