The Southern General

This is a little hole in the wall restaurant, but the food is great. It’s got only a handful of tables and a bar. It’s also on John’s Island. But it’s worth the drive and the possible tight squeeze. Fortunately, we’ve never had a problem getting a seat. They’ve got games to pass the time while you wait for your food. The staff is very friendly and attentive.
You’ve got to try the poutine or the cheese curds. We usually just get the curds. SO GOOD. The breading is perfect. It comes with marinara, but I get the ranch on the side. During our most recent visit, the ranch seemed to be a mix of ranch and tartar sauce. Even though it was a strange combination, I wasn’t mad about it. It was good.
While we’ve been here numerous times, I’ve only ever had the Sesame Shrimp Sandwich and the burger. The shrimp sandwich was great, but very spicy. After that, I moved on to the burger, and haven’t looked back. They’ve got tons of various extras and sauces to add on, but the burger is good on it’s own or to just add on the usual suspects. I recently added on Tillamook cheddar, applewood smoked bacon, and a fried egg. I made the rookie mistake of cutting the burger in half — don’t do it or it will fall apart! All the ingredients are fresh, and the lettuce is extra crispy which always makes me happy for some reason (who likes wilty lettuce?). The bun is toasted perfectly. The sandwiches usually come with their cucumber salad on the side which I usually love. It’s got a tangy twist that makes it stand out. This visit the salad was different. There was no tang, and the cucumbers weren’t crunchy. I didn’t eat it. I was so full from the huge burger, that it wasn’t necessary though.
Final thought — I tried «Not Your Father’s Root Beer» tonight and it was AMAZING. If you haven’t tried this and are a rootbeer fan, try it immediately. FYI — I’m pretty sure they don’t have any draft beers, all craft.

We found this gem today after visiting the AMAZING Angel Oak Tree. I had the Pot Roast Sandwich and it took me back to childhood. The roast tasted just like my moms… must have been that good gravy. If I lived in the area I’d eventually try everything on the menu. Down to earth, no frills, southern flair. Love!

Great burgers, and the best mozzarella curds in the area! The staff was friendly and helpful, the food hot, fresh and delicious. I would recommend the Southern general to everyone!

Great pulled pork, grilled cheese and potato chip sandwich known as the Super Butt. Nice place for burgers too if you are in John’s Island.

We enjoyed a great meal. One smoked butt .one Cuban sandwich.
Very good. The hand cut fries are perfect. Fresh potatoes and perfectly seasoned. Ice cream and cobbler for desert.
Service was great. Thank you. One southern Californian and a transplant to Charleston from the beach cities. It’s a favorite.

My new favorite spot. Very unique spin on local food. I had the greatest hot sausage sandwich ever. We will definitely be back next time we are out that way!

AMAZING FOOD!!!’ Sesame shrimp sandwich is to kill for, literally!!! The homemade Freedom fries are absolutely breathtaking b!!! I almost cried bc every bite brought back childhood memories! Please Goto this place to eat it is perfect no lie no exaggeration.

Nice veggie burgers, fries a bit too salty for my taste. Good atmosphere and service !

We happened upon this restaurant due to its high Unilocal rating. Delicious. We liked it so much that we came back a few nights later. We recommended it to all family and friends adding up to 5 visits in 1 week. #1 super butt. Also delicious was the sesame shrimp, Italian, pot roast and sloppy joe. You cannot go wrong eating at Southern General!

The power went out when we were on vacation in Seabrook Island so we decided to give this place a try for dinner. We called ahead and said they would only have half their menu because they didn’t have power. We thought we would still give it a try.
By the time we drove over there they had power and were thankfully serving the full menu. We were seated right away. The beers are served in bottles which I wasn’t crazy about and they serve your drinks in plastic cups which is kind of cheesy.
I had the greek wrap with the potato latke which was surprisingly delicious. I have never had this before but it was fantastic. My dad had the super butt and loved his. Said it was one of the best he had had. My brother had the burger and love it. We were very satisfied with our meal here and I would come back again.

Southern General is a great place to get some awesome sandwiches. These sandwiches are not your ordinary sandwich. The chicken schnitzel was really good. The cucumber salad that comes with all of the sandwiches was okay but nothing special. I would almost rather just have a pickle. The mac and cheese was not on the same level as the sandwiches. I would not get it again.
All the beer is cans and bottles. Service was friendly and attentive.

A small restaurant in a hard to find space in a mini mall. This is where I did not expect to get the best Italian grinder I’ve ever had. My wife’s jbt (or something like that) sandwich was outrageous as well. Great job! Nice craft beer selection. The board games and cards available for customers to play is a nice touch too. The one negative is they use only disposable solo plastic cups. Way too much waste and irresponsible. Come on guys it’s 2015 and you’re on John’s Island plus people don’t like to drink out of plastic.
Food is ridiculously good! Service was great! Really cool atmosphere with a good vibe. Average sandwich price $ 8-​$ 10 Average beer price $ 5-​$ 6
Food– 5 stars
Service– 5 stars
Atmosphere– 5 stars
Value– 4 stars

Let me start by saying this was a cute joint. Tucked away with an unassuming front, once inside your welcomed with moody lighting and light rock-​n-​roll. But then it all falls flat. With the lack luster «how many? You can sit over there.» To the most indifferent to the point of rude waiter, we almost left before we got our food.
We started with the cheese curds, which might have to be the best I’ve ever had. Light batter and super stringy cheese and seasoned perfectly. It was little messy, especially since they don’t give you appetizer plates.
My Greek wrap was delicious, though a little heavy on the dressing. The fries came out so crisp they were like eating potato chips. When we asked for less cooked fries, the waiter begrudgingly agreed, with the comment «that’s how we make them.» When we asked for salt he added, with a large amount of attitude «we don’t usually add salt.»
This place had the recipe for success if they would focus as much on the service as the quality of food.
Poor attitude = poor tip.

Had a late dinner with my family (including kids) here a few weeks ago. The food and service was great. I didn’t love my meal which was the wings but this was mostly due to personal preference. If you like dry rub wings you’ll probably love them. My family did. Others in our group got salads which I would definitely pass on. Overall, good place on johns island but next time I’ll get something easy like a sandwich or burger.
Lastly, the only thing that turned me off to this place was a guy being openly obnoxious using foul language and no one said anything. He seemed like a regular so who knows, but there were kids there so someone could have at least told him to keep it down. Probably wouldn’t go back with kids.

Buried in the back of a shopping center, we finally found this place after a missed approach. We were having a late lunch after touring the Tea Plantation and decided to follow the advice of our fellow Unilocalers.
It was a great time to come because the lunch crowd on that Tuesday was pretty much gone. Our server was smiling and efficient. We were served our food very quickly. This time in the afternoon is usually when a chef would be prepping for the dinner service.
And yet, chef cranked out the Cu Bhan Mi and holy sh÷%, it has to be the most amazing sandwich I have ever put in my mouth. Only a Southerner understands the tear-​inducing joy that comes from rendering bacon fat, contrasting with the sharp tanginess of the pickled veggies. I couldn’t utter a word. I also threw out an elbow: like you used to do at school lunch when you didn’t want anyone stealing your food.
My husband and son also loved their sandwiches and burgers, but honestly I was too busy making out with this sandwich to notice. Pork belly done wrong, is just wrong. Underdone, its just gross overdone, its just burnt bacon. My sandwich nailed it, perfectly. I also had the kimchi cucumber salad on the side, but should have gone for the pasta salad. Next time.
I would definitely make this a regular spot, it I had the honor to live here. I love this part of the greater Holy City area. It feels like home. Perhaps one day, I’ll get to call it home! Enjoy, y’all got a good one, there.
And…check out all the artwork for sale… don’t get sucked in to paying gallery prices if your visiting and you want to take home a nice canvas of Low Country life.

The Poutine was the best dish we had here today. Did not care for the pulled pork sand which or the cheese steak. The service is good and the décor is pretty cool. This place may earn another star if I have a better entrée next visit.

Great place! A lot similar to Seasame in Mt Pleasant. You can build your own burger with a great selection of toppings. The other food looks great too. Craft beer and wine only. Good atmosphere and they will bring your food to the Irish pub around the corner (who doesn’t serve food) if you want more of a bar atmosphere.
***this place is open for lunch and on a Monday it’s probably the only place on Johns Island that is****

After checking out Angel Oak, we realized it was already 1:30pm and we hadn’t eaten lunch yet! The ladies in the gift shop at the Oak were eating Chinese takeout and recommended a place nearby, but we always eat great Chinese in LA. Fat Hen had amazing reviews, but it wasn’t open for lunch. We spotted another shopping center across the street and there was Southern General. I have to admit the name was a turn off, but we checked it out and boy am I glad we did!
It’s a small place with dim lighting and homey wooden tables. In the back there’s a wall with board games. It was perfect for the rainy day we visited. We played a quick round of jenga while we waited on our food. We started with the poutine. I loved the fried cheese curds, but there wasn’t enough gravy and I didn’t care for the dill at all. The corn fritters were light and fluffy with a crisp exterior. They didn’t even need the sweet potato cream cheese.
Cucumber salad was served on the side of a lot of the dishes, a nice idea for a palate cleanser, but a bit too soggy and sour. I love a lot of crunch in my cucumber and this didn’t have it.
One of my favorite dishes was the sweet tea chicken wings. The BBQ was sweet and tangy, but honestly I enjoyed the dry rub so much that I barely used it! I also liked the cool creamy yogurt ranch. It’s a nice appetizer to share because of the variety of sauces and dips. Finally we shared two sandwiches. The sloppy joe had that same sweet and tangy quality of the BBQ sauce, plus pimiento cheese to add a contrasting smoky flavor. The schnitzel was a nice tender piece of chicken.
Plus our waitress was really sweet, I think her name is Sara? She’s having a baby soon? Anyway, very nice lady and we enjoyed chatting with her. There’s a little Wall of Carolina kitsch– candles, scrubs, housemade sauces and dips, nostalgic candies in the front of the restaurant. Even though we were stuffed, mom decided to buy a container of their onion dip to take home.
Don’t miss this place if you’re in the area.

This place is definitely a hidden gem for those of us in the John’s Island area. As others said, it’s unassuming from the outside and not well marked, but easy enough to find from the road if you look for the big Sweeney’s sign.
My dad and I both liked our meals (which both left us stuffed!) and it definitely put this place above the typical sandwich shop, but there were a few drawbacks. I got the black bean burger and it was enormous– the thickest black bean burger I’ve seen in my life. So it was incredibly filling and a huge step up from most half hearted veggie burger variations. That being said, mine could have used more sauce as it was a little dry and could have used more zing. But the burger itself was so filling and well-​executed I would just advise you ask for extra sauce on the side or add an extra topping to get this to perfection.
My dad got their special, a turkey reuben, and was pleased with his sandwich. We split the hand cut fries and were divided on them– he thought they were just okay. I gave them extra points for the seasoning which I thought set them apart (though they are a little salty– but I would only skip them if you’re particularly adverse to salty foods).
The service was good– I asked which sandwiches would hold up for a few hours to bring one home for someone and the server was nice enough to give me a few options and be honest enough to steer me away from my original choice of the JI3 as a to-​go option that would be sitting in a fridge for a few hours.
It’s a small place, but cozy and not cramped. Not great for parties over 4 – 5 but pleasant enough for a small group.
Service was about what I would expect at a sit-​down restaurant, not a sandwich place so I wouldn’t go in expect a quick in-​and-​out bite.

After reading the article in the Charleston City Paper, we tried The Southern General. It’s on John’s Island, so it’s a little drive for most in the Charleston area, but it’s definitely worth it (it wasn’t too far for us to drive).
You’ll pass some well known and well hyped restaurants on your way to the Southern General, but do not feel bad about not stopping! SG is a pretty innocent looking place at the end of a strip mall/​shopping center with some other restaurants. There’s no formal sign (which is one thing they should improve on) to let you know you’re there, so we didn’t know until we walked in and asked :).
Husband had the cuban sandwich and the poutine, which are hand cut fries with cheese on top and gravy. I had the black bean burger. Both our sandwiches came with marinated cucumbers which were really tasty. The black bean burger was probably the best I’ve had in Charleston, as it was breaded a little and stuck together well. I hate when black bean burgers don’t bind well and end up falling out of the bun completely– this one held together. I loved the aioli on top as well. It was quite delicious. My husband really liked his sandwich and the poutine as well. The poutine is pretty big, enough for the whole table to share as an appetizer.
SG has happy hour specials and they also do takeout. Since that article came out, it was pretty packed when we went, but you can sit at the bar or tables open up pretty quickly. We would definitely return.