Photo Credit: VisitGreenvilleSC
I’ve spent a majority of my life living in Greenville, and while it used to be known as such a “small town,” it has grown tremendously over the years!! With growth comes more things to do, places to eat, and (of course) shop! Greenville has become a travel destination and I can easily see why – there is A LOT to do here! I’ve had so many requests to share a travel guide and I’m so excited to finally have this ready for ya’ll! It was really hard to narrow down my list of recommendations (especially restaurants) – I cut the original list in half to get to this point! If you are visiting Greenville for the first time – I suggest sticking with the downtown options (I have marked what is in walking distance of Main Street) because downtown truly is the heart of the city and it’s where you will experience the culture. If you are local or moving to Greenville, I’ve included a few of my favorite non-downtown recommendations as well. So let’s get into it!
WHERE TO EAT:
Breakfast/Brunch
Soby’s (downtown): Upscale Southern restaurant in the center of downtown and famous for their Sunday brunch buffet. The menu changes weekly and never disappoints!
Another Broken Egg Cafe: Make sure you are hungry if you go here!! My go-to order is the eggs blackstone benedict, but the lobster & brie omelette and the crab cake benedict are definitely on my list to try. They also have great brunch cocktails and a large “gluten friendly” menu! Pro-tip: they don’t take reservations, but you can use their app to put your name on the wait list before showing up. There is usually a 30-40 minute wait on the weekends.
Sully’s Steamers (downtown): Great breakfast spot for steamed bagel sandwiches
Roost (downtown): Farm to table restaurant with a great breakfast/brunch buffet. Also love their build your own mimosa/Bloody Mary bar.
Caviar & Bananas (downtown): One of my favorite places to grab coffee and a quick breakfast downtown. Love the avocado toast!
Stella’s Southern Brasserie Adorable coffee shop with great pastries and amazing brunch! I don’t know if the food or cocktail menu is more impressive. Definitely worth a visit!!
Passerelle Bistro (downtown): French restaurant located in Falls Park – you can’t beat the location and the brunch is fantastic. Definitely request a table on the outdoor patio if it’s nice out!
Tupelo Honey (downtown): Great classic southern brunch – love the shrimp & grits and the avocado benedict.
Lunch
Happy & Hale (downtown): Great spot for a quick, healthy lunch (or smoothie) downtown! The ahi poke bowl is my favorite.
Nose Dive (downtown): Gastropub with great sandwiches and salads – I always get the chicken Caesar salad and a glass of pinot grigio!
Grill Marks (downtown): Amazing burger spot, and you have to try the milkshakes!
Willy Taco: True story – I hated margaritas until I had their strawberry jalapeño marg! This one drink converted me into a margarita drinker after all these years of missing out – it’s that good! The tacos are great, but the nachos are amazing! I love that they’re made with blue corn tortilla chips.
The Lazy Goat (downtown): I will mention this place again for dinner, but it’s a favorite spot for lunch too! You can’t beat the location, and they have great salads, wraps and pizzas available for lunch.
Brick Street Cafe: This is one of my favorite lunch spots, but Brick Street is really famous for their desserts – especially the sweet potato cake. If you’ve had it, you know. If you haven’t – it may sound weird, but you have to trust me on this. All of their cakes are amazing (I have tried more than I should admit) but the sweet potato cake is life changing.
Sidewall Pizza: It’s a little pricey for pizza ($18-$20 each) but it’s really, really good. I’ve tried most of the menu and my favorites are the hot Hawaiian, arugula, and antipasto. My suggestion is to go with a group and each get a different pizza and share them so you can try a few!
Saltwater Kitchen: Incredible new seafood restaurant located at Haywood Mall! I’ve had the lobster roll (amazing) and the southern cobb salad with grilled shrimp (also amazing.) They also make a great Bloody Mary!
Dinner
Sassafras Southern Bistro (downtown): Southern bistro with incredible seafood dishes. It’s SO hard to choose, but my favorite thing on the menu is probably the wasabi crusted tuna over grits. It’s incredible! You also need to try the fried green tomato and blue crab nacho appetizers. So so good!!
The Lazy Goat (downtown): My favorite place for tapas! You can’t go wrong with anything on the menu, but some of my favorites are the charcuterie board, truffle fries, fried goat cheese, crispy brussel sprouts, scallops, paella, and brie pizza.
Passerelle Bistro (downtown): I mentioned this place for brunch already, but the dinner is equally amazing and you really can’t beat the location!! Try the escargot (I promise it’s good!) mussels, and the lavender creme brûlée.
Soby’s (downtown): Upscale restaurant serving classic Southern dishes. You can’t go wrong with anything on the menu, but the fried green tomatoes and shrimp & grits are always amazing.
Smoke on the Water (downtown): Taproom & restaurant with great southern BBQ!
Purple (downtown): Purple is a hidden gem! It’s a tiny sushi place in the West End and the sushi is amazing.
Jianna (downown): Modern Italian restaurant with scratch made pasta, and amazing oysters! If it’s nice out, try to get a table on the terrace which looks out over downtown.
Tsunami (downtown): Upbeat bar & sushi restaurant with great sushi (and non-sushi) options
Hall’s Chophouse (downtown): Hall’s is my favorite “special occasion” restaurant – it’s pricey, but the food is incredible and service is outstanding. They give you complimentary champagne on your birthday! Whatever you order, add the truffle butter and it will change your life. They also have amazing happy hour specials in the bar area.
Nantucket Seafood (downtown): Upscale seafood restaurant – one of my favorites! If you’re with a group, split the shellfish tower. It’s amazing!
Sushi Asa: This place is Greenville’s best kept secret – my #1 favorite sushi place in town! It’s in a random location, but definitely worth a trip if you’re local.
Trappe Door (downtown): Very small, underground bar & restaurant with the most impressive beer list I have ever seen. The food is also amazing – definitely make a reservation for this place, especially on weekends.
Giovanni’s Italian: Small & intimate family owned restaurant – it’s a hole in the wall, but hands down the most authentic Italian food in Greenville. There are only 10-12 tables so you might have to wait, but trust me it’s worth it!
Basil Thai (downtown): A newer restaurant to Greenville with amazing Thai food! The curry is delicious – ask for extra Thai chili if you like it spicy!
WHERE TO DRINK:
Up on the Roof (downtown, rooftop bar): Highest rooftop bar with great views of downtown. It’s located at the top of the Embassy Suites, so you enter through the hotel.
Sip (downtown, rooftop bar): Second story rooftop wine bar overlooking main street. Great wine and beer selection!
Jask n Diane’s Dueling Piano Bar (downtown): Fun atmosphere with live music! Bring cash if you want to request a song.
Ink N Ivy (downtown, rooftop bar): I haven’t been to the rooftop bar yet, but I’ve heard it’s a great area!
Pour Taproom (downtown): This place is cool because you open a tab and they give you a wristband that you scan and pay for drinks by the ounce. There are hundreds of taps along the wall (beer & wine) and you pour them yourself. That way you can try multiple different things without having paying for a full drink!
Trappe Doore (downtown): I mentioned this place for dinner, but if you’re a beer person then you have to visit the bar! They have the most unique beer selection.
Grill Marks (downtown): Two words: alcoholic milkshakes.
Carolina Ale House (downtown): Great bar for watching sporting events – tons of big screen TV’s. Go to the upstairs bar if it’s open!
Quest Brewing Co: Good local craft beer & large outdoor area where they often have live music
Thomas Creek Brewery: I haven’t been to the brewery yet, but I’ve had the beer and really like it. Great IPA!
Birds Fly South Ale Project: Huge brewery with a lot of outdoor space. Super popular spot on the weekends!
WHERE TO SHOP:
Downtown: There are tons of shops in the downtown area – Anthropologie, Bevello, Lou Lou’s, Splash on Main, Monkee’s, Pink Bee, are some favorites. Just walk along Main Street and you’ll run into plenty of shops!
Haywood Mall: This is the main mall here with several department stores (Belk, Dillards, Macy’s, JCPenny) and some other good stores (Express, Forever 21, AE, Banana Republic, Michael Kors, Sephora, Pottery Barn) It’s probably best for my wallet that we don’t have a Nordstrom or a Neiman Marcus!
The Shops at Greenridge: This is where you’ll find Ulta, Loft, Lizard Thicket, Talbots, Swoozies, White House Black Market, and World Market.
Magnolia Shopping Center: This shopping center is mostly restaurants, but it’s where Nordstrom Rack and Pier 1 are located, so worth mentioning!
WHAT TO DO:
Visit Falls Park (downtown): We have a beautiful park right downtown that’s definitely worth visiting!
Greenville Drive baseball game (downtown): The season runs April – September. Thursday’s are $1 drink nights.
Greenville Zoo: It’s a small zoo, but always fun to visit!
Swamp Rabbit Trail: It’s a 22 mile trail running through Greenville that can be used for biking, walking, running, etc
Saturday Market (downtown): Every Saturday (8am-noon) May-October, Main Street closes for a farmer’s market with local companies & vendors.
Peace Center (downtown): This is our performing arts center – you can check their website to see the event schedule
Top Golf: It just opened and it’s SO much fun!! Definitely reserve a spot ahead of time if you go, because it’s always packed.
Downtown Alive (downtown): Every Thursday from March 21-August 29 a portion of Main Street closes to kick off the weekend with live music, food & drinks in the street. The event is free, but you have to purchase tickets to eat/drink.
Swamp Rabbit’s hockey game: The season runs October-April
WHERE TO STAY:
I have not stayed at most of these hotels, but here are a few options located downtown (and with good reviews) that you can check out:
Homewood Suites by Hilton Greenville Downtown – I actually stayed here for a weekend staycation! Read more about it in this blog post.
Hopefully this was helpful! If you’re local to Greenville or have been here, feel free to leave a comment below with your recommendations! And if you’re visiting, welcome!! I hope you love it here 🙂 Thanks for reading!
