From its humble beginnings as a small restaurant on East Bay, 167 Raw has grown into a large-scale restaurant that quite literally always has a line out the door. The seafood spot is celebrating its 10th anniversary and continues to bring New England classics to Charleston.
We caught up with owner Jesse Sandole, a College of Charleston graduate (Go Cougars), to talk about how his business has changed over the past decade.
We’re sure you have several fond memories at 167 Raw, but do you have one that sticks out above the rest?
On the night of our soft opening, after years of planning and construction, the moment guests started streaming into our new King Street location is definitely a top memory. It turned into less of a mock service and more of a crazy party.
When you first started 10 years ago, did you ever see yourself where you are now?
We felt like we were offering something different that the city was excited about. When we opened, we only had four seats at the chef’s counter, but we quickly began to pivot to create more seating. A few years later, it eventually became clear to us that a bigger space was ultimately going to be necessary to streamline many aspects of the business. We are incredibly grateful for our new home at 193 King St. and for all of our guests who love to be there.
Someone new to town walks into your restaurant, what do you recommend they order (drink, appetizer, main)?
We have a great Tequila list, so I usually recommend one of our Tequila cocktails. If they are feeling adventurous, I would recommend the 167 Martini which is Tequila-based. For the small plates, the Ceviche is a classic and comes with house-made tortilla chips. For entrees, newcomers are usually drawn to the Lobster Roll. We like to recommend splitting the Lobster Roll and a Tuna Burger or Swordfish Pastrami.
How has the Charleston restaurant scene changed in the past decade?
There are so many more spots now than there were 10 years ago and lots of really good ones. Charleston has become this huge culinary bright spot in the country where people plan their entire vacations around what they’re going to eat and drink.
What is your goal for your restaurant for the next 10 years?
Right now, our goal is to just keep doing what we’re doing and focus on how we can make the experience at all of our locations better and better. I’m sure things will continue to evolve as they always have, which tends to be a lot of fun. We have some ideas for future expansion but nothing official as of now.
Other than your own, what are some of your favorite local restaurants?
There are so many great places in town that it’s hard to narrow it down. Chubby Fish, Malagon, FIG & The Ordinary, Graft, Last Saint, the list goes on, but I stop by Huriyali almost daily for an acai bowl or smoothie.
