Restaurant Experience – Fleet Landing, Charleston

Tiffy: I will always promote Fleet Landing Restaurant and Bar as one of the best seafood restaurants in the Charleston area to have a freshly prepared seafood dish that also happens to be seasoned and very delicious.

Located in downtown Charleston, Fleet Landing is one of the only, if not the only waterfront dining entities on the peninsula. A window seat, or outdoor seating on the deck means that you can gaze out at the beautiful Charleston harbor or Waterfront park while enjoying your meal and maybe one of their fruitylicious specialty cocktails.

This past week, I choose Fleet Landing as the restaurant to celebrate my birthday. It was a spur of the moment decision as my original plan was to keep it simple by dining at one of the nearby chain restaurants, but since I was craving a really good seafood pasta, Fleet Landing immediately came to mind.

The restaurant was busy even on a Tuesday evening after peak dinner hours, and although I neglected to make reservations [which I usually always do], the wait time was less than 10 minutes. After being seated, courtesy glasses of water were provided by the hostess, then we were promptly greeted by our server. The collaboration of the staff ensured anticipatory service was provided which also contributed to the great dining experience.

Fleet Landing has an array of seafood dishes that is certain to please any seafood lovers’ appetite, but what I’d like to highlight about their menu is the simplicity. A patron does not need a culinary degree to understand what they are ordering. My go-to meal at Fleet Landing tends to be the Lowcountry Seafood Pasta. Whenever I dine out at any restaurant, I usually stick to pastas if any are featured on the menu, so when I say that Fleet Landing’s pasta dish is one of the best, I mean it from the bottom of my taste buds. The Lowcountry Seafood Pasta is a fettuccine noodle dish mixed with a nicely seasoned creamy creole sauce and fulling portions of scallops, mussels, shrimp, crawfish, sausage and more. I can’t even describe how succulent the seafood is in this pasta. Other dishes that can be enjoyed at Fleet Landing include their selection of fried seafood platters, shrimp and grits, seafood boil, and fish options including the crispy whole flounder [pictured below] served with a sweet apricot glaze to add a flavorful tasting experience. Also, the side dish options like the red rice and collard greens have a really good taste.

As Charleston is a culinary destination city, many of the restaurants in the historic district can seem a bit pretentious with their crisp white table cloth setting and over fancy descriptions for simple meals like baked chicken and vegetables. But, Fleet Landing Restaurant and Bar is one of those places where guests can step into a casual atmosphere, whether it’s a date night, celebration with a group of friends, or you just happen to be in the area. The seafood quality is fresh, the staff is friendly, and the price range is reasonable. And, if it’s your birthday, your server may just be nice enough to purchase you one of the items off of their delectable desert menu.