Where to Eat in Greenville, South Carolina, According to ‘Top Chef’ Judges

“Pack your knives and go.” After greater than 20 years in skilled kitchens, Kristen Kish is aware of precisely who ought to hear these phrases on Top Chef. Alongside everlasting choose Gail Simmons and head choose Tom Colicchio, she helps resolve which cheftestants sauté on—and that are despatched packing.

Collectively, the trio’s résumés learn like a culinary grand tour, with stops at storied eating rooms comparable to Le Cirque, Gramercy Tavern, and Stir. So after they advocate a restaurant, we pay attention.

Season 23 of High Chef premieres on March 9 on Bravo, however filming has already wrapped on the Carolina-set season. After revealing their favourite spots in Charlotte—house to a part of the competitors—the judges headed south to Greenville, South Carolina, for the rest of the shoot. As soon as manufacturing wrapped (and the subsequent High Chef was topped, although the winner stays below wraps till the sequence airs), the trio shared their Greenville standouts. Think about this your final meals lover’s weekend itinerary.

Scout’s Doughnuts

Since 2022, husband-and-wife duo JP and Ryland Rainsford have been turning out part-croissant, part-doughnut creations alongside basic yeast doughnuts and powerful espresso at Scout’s Doughnuts. Taste choices vary from playful (sprinkled vanilla glaze, cinnamon sugar) to classy (bourbon vanilla pecan, espresso buttercream made with beans from Greenville’s personal Bridge City Coffee). Kish’s decide? The apple pie doughnut—she even rated the 100-layer magnificence a “10/10” on Instagram. The store’s title nods to Scout, the younger narrator of To Kill a Mockingbird—a mirrored image of the house owners’ purpose to create an area the place everybody feels welcome. “We hope that our enterprise can be an area the place all are welcomed and seen for who they’re,” the Rainsfords explain.

Swamp Rabbit Cafe and Grocery

Set simply off the scenic Swamp Rabbit Trail, which Kish says is “superior for biking and operating,” this neighborhood hub is definitely worth the journey—even if you happen to skip the jog. Kish loves Swamp Rabbit Cafe and Grocery for baked items and lunch; Simmons grew to become a repeat breakfast common and recommends the Pogacha (a Polish bun full of egg, cheese, and sausage). Come for the stecca bread, a country focaccia-meets-baguette baked contemporary every morning. Keep for breakfast Pogacha hearty sandwiches, crisp salads, and powerful espresso. The market cabinets highlight merchandise from greater than 100 native farmers and makers, a testomony to co-owners Jacqueline “Jac” Oliver and Mary Walsh’s early dedication to Greenville’s farm-to-table motion. In the event you linger, you’ll discover weekday comfortable hour specials, a Wednesday seafood truck, and Thursday music bingo—proof this café is as a lot a gathering place as a grocery.  

Scoundrel

On Greenville’s storybook Essential Road sits Scoundrel, chef Joe Money’s French-inspired bistro and a 2024 James Beard Awards semifinalist for Greatest New Restaurant. Money’s fine-dining pedigree (together with time at Per Se and Noma) would possibly counsel formality, however the brick partitions and leather-based banquettes really feel inviting, not intimidating. The menu ranges from an $8 Carolina wheat baguette with lemon dill butter to a luxe caviar service. In between: broiled oysters, steak frites, and a burger that earned near-universal reward from the judges. 

“Scoundrel was a standout,” Kish instructed T+L. “Everybody talked about how nice the burger was. After all, I needed to test it out myself. Can affirm, scrumptious! I loved so many issues there, however the burger was as marketed, and the chocolate cake was additionally excellent.” Simmons echoes the passion, citing martinis, beef tartare, scallops, duck fats fries, and—sure—the burger as her favourite.

Sum Bar

Greenville’s first devoted dim sum restaurant started as a pop-up earlier than opening its brick-and-mortar in 2023. Proprietor Khailing Neoh, a first-generation Chinese language American, attracts from household recipes—many impressed by her grandmother. The judges dropped in at Sum Bar throughout filming and gravitated towards hen wontons and flash-fried inexperienced beans tossed with garlic, rice vinegar, oyster sauce, and crispy shallots. The wontons, pleated with precision, arrive steamed and slicked with gentle chili crisp. One other fan favourite: deconstructed crab rangoon, served as a creamy dip with crisp wonton chips. Simmons sums it up merely: she “loves all of the dumplings, bao, and greens.” Pair them with beer, wine, or a baijiu-based cocktail—maybe the “Delta Sky Lounge,” vibrant with citrus and bitters.

Pink Mama’s Ice Cream

For dessert, Kish factors to this beloved native scoop store. Jessica and Jon Randall launched Pink Mama’s Ice Cream as an ice cream truck in 2009; immediately, you’ll discover two vehicles and storefronts in Greenville and Vacationers Relaxation. Order your taste in a waffle cone baked contemporary each day, or observe Kish’s lead with a cup of rainbow sherbet. Adventurous eaters can go for playful home creations like unicorn dream (vanilla with Pixy Stix mud and Nerds), lavender white chocolate, or pink mom load—a pink vanilla-almond base loaded with cookies and chocolate chips.