Bowens Island Restaurant, Charleston: Rankings, Reviews & Crowd Score (October 2026)

Name: Bowens Island Restaurant
Price range: $$ - $$$

#2 Outdoor Dining #12 Seafood #98 Best Overall

3.9

TasteSignal Crowd ScoreBlended across 2 platforms · how this is calculated

Tripadvisor★ 3.91,035 reviews

Yelp★ 3.8about 1,100 reviews

Diner ratings checked Oct 2026. Platforms with fewer than 50 reviews are not counted.

Address1870 Bowens Island Rd, Charleston, SC 29412

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Opened1946

Why Bowens Island Restaurant ranks where it does

Best Outdoor Dining in Charleston, SC

Newly tracked

Outdoor dining recognition: Post and Courier (2024, finalist), Post and Courier (2022, finalist) and 2 more.
Critic recognition from Charleston City Paper and Post and Courier in the last five years.
Fresh critic coverage in the last six months (Charleston City Paper, Jul 2026).
Diner ratings: 3.8 on Yelp (about 1,100 reviews); 3.9 on Tripadvisor (1,035 reviews).
On major critic lists in 5 different years (2021, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026).

What critics and guides say

Charleston City Paper: 15 spots for outdoor dining around Charleston (Jul 2026)Post and Courier: Eating out is getting expensive in Charleston. Here are 5 affordable dinner ideas. (Mar 2026)Post and Courier: Charleston's Choice 2024: Outdoor Dining, Waterfront Restaurant, Pet-Friendly Restaurant (2024)Post and Courier: Charleston's Choice 2022: Outdoor Dining, Waterfront Restaurant, Pet-Friendly Restaurant (2022)

Also top-ranked for Outdoor Dining

Fleet Landing, The Ordinary, Lost Isle, Sullivan's Fish Camp. See the full ranking →

Frequently asked

Is Bowens Island Restaurant good?

Bowens Island Restaurant ranks #2 for Outdoor Dining in Charleston on TasteSignal for October 2026. Outdoor dining recognition: Post and Courier (2024, finalist), Post and Courier (2022, finalist) and 2 more.

What is Bowens Island Restaurant's TasteSignal Crowd Score?

3.9 out of 5, the average of its ratings on Yelp, Tripadvisor (platforms with 50+ reviews), checked Oct 2026.

Where is Bowens Island Restaurant?

Bowens Island Restaurant is at 1870 Bowens Island Rd, Charleston, SC 29412 (James Island).