Cypress Restaurant

This place is first class fine dining without being pretentious. They have a high caliber of food quality, customer service and ambiance but support local too!
We were celebrating a birthday, so our menu choices were extensive. I called ahead to ask them to help me surprise my sis with a birthday dessert and they went above and beyond!
Greeted us with some bubbles to start! Then we dove into appetizers. Charcuterie tray (small) great selection from Artisan Meat Share with a «meat map» so you know what your trying! Great detail, you can take it with you when you go to buy some of your own and remember what you loved! Fried green tomatoes were fancy, but not amazing to me.
Second was Cesar salad and butter Bibb lettuce wedge salad. So the Bibb salad was all from a local place, «Curious Farms.» The review of that salad and its tomatoes was so stellar I’m «curious» if they offer a CSA now. Loving the local stuff.
Main was chicken and dumplings (phenomenal) and scallops and pork belly (delish) chicken and dumplings included large fresh veggies cooked to perfection, gnocchi style dumplings in a nicely flavored gravy. Fresh flavors stood out without any heavy salt or pepper or garlic. Loved that.
Dessert…surprise birthday truffles with a candle. Nice touch!!! We still split their chocolate cake with chocolate mousse. Perfect compliment to an awesome meal. Honestly customer service at this place is always so stellar, welcoming and perfectly polite.

I will not go back even though the food was spot on. We walked in for our reservation and were greeted by two young ladies who were very nice, we explained our reservation, and Then a middle aged lady turned to us glared at us and said, «what do you want?» We again said we had a reservation, and she barked, «put them at table 2.» She never said anything to us again until later in the evening.
We then had a wonderful waitress who was friendly, pleasant, and spot on. We thoroughly enjoyed our food… the cheese plate is delicious as is that salad with bacon jam. The food was very good. we slowed down our eating and were struggling with the large portions when the older lady from the host stand sent a young girl over to clear our table even though we all still had lots of food on our plates. I could see her send them over because table two is a booth that has full view of the door. When we were finished, our server brought us dessert menus. We spent time looking and were thinking about sharing something when the older host lady came over to the table and said «are you getting dessert.» She was rude and abrupt. We said no, she said nothing, and took the menus. She immediately came back and without a word threw our check in the table and walked away. Our server came over a minute or so later and asked about dessert and we then explained what happened and she said «oh» and looked really surprised. When I am spending this kind of money, I should NOT feel rushed or pushed out the door. From beginning to end we were in the restaurant less than an hour.
Despite the food being very good, I will not eat at a place that treats people so poorly. There are many many restaurants in the city that are as good or better in this price range, that to accept such poor treatment by returning would make no sense. Even their sister restaurant Magnolias we faired better during lunch on the same day… we had a leisurely lunch, were not rushed and generally truly enjoyed it.

So technically, this review is for the Cypress Monday 5 dollar burger night upstairs in the bar area. I had heard the place had closed, only to come to find out they closed for some remodeling. Since I really didn’t see the original, I can’t speak on any of the improvements except that the place is beautiful. The bar area is so cozy and gives off that high end class feel, with make you feel at home service. Laura and I were lucky enough to get a seat along the glass partition that separates the first and second floors. I HIGHLY recommend these seats as they give you a birds eye view into the kitchen down below. Service was excellent. I don’t’ recall our servers name, but I would have to say he portrayed the Cypress name extremely well. Of course we ordered the burgers. I had the wood grilled while Laura ordered the mushroom topped burger. We also ordered one each of the sides. The mac and cheese and the steak fries. The mac and cheese were so so. I wouldn’t order that again when we go back. But the steak fries were out of this world! They are served on top of the house made steak sauce and I couldn’t get enough of that yummy concoction. Both burgers were amazing; although my wood grilled burger was far superior. To this day I’m still craving that burger! As if amazingly good burgers priced at $ 5 dollars wasn’t enough, they also have a few select wines priced at $ 5 and even a craft beer priced at $ 4.75. All in all, the meal was fantastic! And certainly left a lasting impression on this guy.

Lavender martini and wasabi tuna, hands down the best meal of my trip to the south. The restaurant is clearly trendy and would be great for a date or group of friends. Huge fan of this place.

I have eaten at their main restaurant and their burger night upstairs at the bar several times, and I have to say I have never been disappointed with Cypress. I have had consistently great service, I love the atmosphere, I havent had a single bad dish, and I love their wine selection.
Five dollar burger night is one of my favorite Monday night activities in Charleston. The burgers are always good and their bar food is also quite fantastic. I have had the steam buns, the pimento cheese deviled eggs, the charcuterie, and the shrimp (unsure of menu items name). My favorite bar food is probably the shrimp dish and my lest favorite was the pimento cheese deviled eggs. They were ok, but I think your average deviled egg is much better.
If they ever feature the dulce de leche milkshake just order it. It is unbelievably delicious!
The fried mac and cheese side dish sounds great but every time I have had it it seemed dry and unappealing. I still ate it though. I am no quitter! The fried are great though, but if you arent daring about your sauces order the sauce on the side. They come with a very savory ketchup like sauce. its almost like a mixture of steak sauce and ketchup.
Parking can be done in the garage on Cumberland or in the lot adjacent to the building itself. The lot is typically full though because it is shared between Cypress’s sister restaurants near by.

Oh, Cypress. We wanted to love you, but you made it so hard. After an hour 8-​hour drive from South Florida on Christmas morning, we arrived early for our 7:45pm reservation for a quick cocktail and conversation before dinner. Looking forward to experiencing Southern hospitality firsthand (yes we’re from South Florida, no that does not apply here), we (4 of us, 2 couples for reference) found a spot at the bar and asked for a cocktail menu. The bearded bartender (I’m sure he refers to himself as a mixologist) seemed annoyed that we asked for cocktail menus, and when confirming that they carried blue cheese stuffed olives (some people don’t, right?), he replied in a decidedly non-​hospitality, non-​charming grunt, Uh, Yeah. We’re.like a Martini bar, and turned his back. One round, $ 98, and a 25% eff-​you and your attitude tip and Christmas cartoon on the bill later (now you remember me), we made our way downstairs to the hostess, still hopeful that the meal would make up for our lackluster welcome to Charleston.
And then we met Anna. Anna I-​am-​not-​happy-​to-​be-​working-​on-​Christmas-​Last Name made it very clear that she would like for us to eat as quickly as possible, pay her, and get the hell out of there (verbatim) so she could get back to her Christmas celebration. Not realizing that the last seating was at 8pm (because apparently Charleston goes to bed early), our 7:45pm reservation (which we thought was early) was actually pulling up the rear of their Christmas seatings. Seems we can’t do anything right. Anna lumbered through some specials, dropped a few «awesome sauces» and «cool beans,» promptly forgot to bring the wine we ordered with appetizers, offered to make up for it by buying us a round, forgot that too, and our entrees were there before our first round of cocktails arrived. (BTW, Wine Lists on iPads are so 2013. Sommeliers exist for a reason.)
And then the food was pretty good.
We considered dessert but figured we should beat feet before our server physically removed us. Oh and by the way, we spent $ 500.
But alas, the story doesn’t end there. Now for the culinary dénouement. When we called Cypress the next day to ask if there was anything that could be done to rectify the experience, explain the major disappointment and bizarre service, they looked up our receipt and commented, «Well, we can see you spent some „good money“ here, so we’d like to invite you in for some complimentary burgers on Monday.» Oh, burgers?
See Cypress does $ 5 Burgers on Monday. (
) So in exchange for almost $ 600 tab, we were invited to experience $ 20 worth of burgers, but only in the bar area and only after 6pm.
For what’s it worth, the charcuterie board was legit, but for anyone in from out of town, this is the culinary equivalent of Disney World: A place that locals avoid (we found this out later), and a place that tourists fall trap to because they’ve made a couple too many top 10 lists. Brava to their PR team.
Skip this place and ask a local where to eat. Especially if it’s Christmas.

We arrived around 7p and had no wait. We got seat immediately. The restaurant is very beautiful and the atmosphere is casual. Some people were dressed up fancier, but we were in jeans and a causal shirt and felt fine!
For a drink I got the Twisted Cosmo and it was delicious! (finally drinking!) my friend got the dulce de leche milkshake and it was so delicious and caramelly. The whipped cream on top was very sweet and thick, which complemented the milk shake nicely. I would get one the next time I come!
The burger I had was the best burger. I don’t usually like burgers, but this one was delicious. It had bacon jam and pimiento cheese on it. I could have had another one! The fries were delicious as well. They had a steak sauce mixed with ketchup on them. It was a nice combo. I will be coming back!

My wife and I came here for drinks and dessert during our date-​day/​night-​extravaganza! We sat upstairs overlooking the wine-​wall and kitchen. It was neat to see the chefs preparing food and watching them chop foods. We ordered drinks and the bread-​pudding dessert. (My wife loves bread pudding). It was delicious. The bar area upstairs wasn’t busy and we had our choice of seats. We qualified Cypress as ‘fancy’ since it’s a modern restaurant with cool lighting and comfy chairs, a floor to ceiling wine rack that takes up one of the walls, and a place to sit for any amount of time — not feeling the need to eat and run but instead eat/​drink and chill in downtown Charleston. Definitely a good place for a date.

Being at Cypress definitely gives the feel of being on a special night out. The ambiance, layout, décor of this restaurant is very appealing. It’s a large space but feels cozy & intimate. I loved it & am so glad to have tried it. Full view from the bar upstairs of the working kitchen on one side & the fabulous wine rack on the other side. The staff are very accommodating & attentive. The food is great. This restaurant is in the second nomination for a James Beard Award. A huge accomplishment on its own. They have a selection of great seating with great views either booths (that are roomy) it regular tables & chairs. The menu selection is great. Definitely put this spot on your to do list

This is my favorite restaurant in Charleston! I love the crisp wasabi tuna and the cocktails. Also our waiter, Will Middleton, is outstanding at service. Go here and ask for Will!

Sadly disappointed with our meal tonight. Service was really excellent, atmosphere was lovely, but the food fell short. Enjoyed the iPad wine list. Bread came out steamy hot and perfectly crusty. Ordered one of the special appetizers — poached egg over a mushroom pork belly ragout and grit cake. If there was pork belly, we couldn’t find it. Mushrooms were decent but salty. Egg was overdone, though not to the point that we lost the yummy yolk. Caesar salad prepared tableside was interesting to watch but too acidic for our tastes (and we love lemon!). Filet entrée was cooked perfectly but accompanying elements were overpowering and clashed with each other. We didn’t bother with dessert. Magnolia is a favorite, so we’ll keep going there — hoped to enjoy Blossom and Cypress just as much but apparently not this trip. :(

I am head over heels in love with Cypress’ lavender martini. I am sure they have other drink options that are great and possibly even some wonderful food, but I just can’t quit my lavender martini addiction. I HIGHLY recommend a «drive by» pass at Cypress. Enter and walk up the the second flood [to the left] for bar seating. Try to get a seat at the bar and order my favorite drink. The upstairs area is romantic, mature and feels exclusive. You have a view of the incredible wine cellar that runs from the bottle floor all the way to the top of the second. The lavender martini is sour and sweet all in one and has a flavor that I just haven’t been able to replicate. I can’t order anything else, because this drink is so great, my boyfriend tried the Bison Manhattan [which was obviously shaken, oops] and it fell short. So just stop in quick for this killer martini!

I love Cypress! It’s my go to restaurant for that special occasion, like my birthday recently. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner on a Wednesday night, found it even busy during the middle of the week. They always have a nice cocktail selection, then an even larger wine list that is available to review on an Ipad. We started dinner with a brie cheese with cranberries, had the tasty lobster bisque & then enjoyed the Caesar salad. It’s great that a restaurant offers a real Caesar salad made tableside in the traditional way. They have many other appetizers and salads, and we highly recommend the charcuterie as a special selection. Entrees are varied between red meats (awesome steaks, lamb), and seafood (smoked salmon wellington is fantastic), and always offer seasonal choices which deliver great taste and distinction. I enjoyed the Trio of pork (pork belly, sausage, and schnitzel) served on sauerkraut with a mustard glaze. Another tableside favorite is the Chateaubriand, a must do for couples. Then finish the night with a wonderful dessert like a chocolate molten cake or soufflé. Service is always good, with engaging servers who remain attentive all night. Cypress restaurant has a modern interior, a superb menu that never fails, and an attitude that delivers warm Charleston charm. Love it!

What a location! Exposed brick? Huge open dining area that connects to the raw bar? Three story wine racks that they have to take a spiral staircase to reach each level?
Check, check and check.
The food is also very good. Fish is fresh and well paired. The wasabi encrusted tuna is something special. Tuna oysters are a delicious starter. I did not get the filet, but let’s just say I will next time just based on how amazing it looks! Desserts were good but not the best around.
Overall I would definitely recommend eating here, feels upscale but you don’t have to get too dressed up. Interesting cocktails and great food.

Fresh on the heels of my two delightful meals at Magnolias, I decided that I needed to try their sister restaurant Cypress. Let’s just say that Cypress did not disappoint and is now officially my favorite restaurant in Charleston. (It might also be worth noting that my ex-​bf was in town for business and paid for the whole meal and I decided to show no restraint in ordering apps, entrees, desserts, and drinks and might have amassed a $ 350 bill.)
Friday night, 7:00 reservation, and I was honestly shocked that Cypress was not completely full when we arrived. The interior alone is stunning. The ceiling has really cool color changing circle lights. For the first time since living here, I felt like I was back in Atlanta eating in a trendy restaurant. The ambiance just screams «special occasion»…or in my case «about to order the whole menu and not even feel bad about it.»
To begin with, our server was a consummate professional. He was truly skilled at customer service, describing the menu, and making spot-​on recommendations. We started with the sashimi tuna & oysters and the crab cake. The sashimi tuna & oyster appetizer is out of this world good — raw oysters topped with raw tuna and pineapple wasabi. Genius! The crab cake was a crab cake. Once you live in Charleston, you quickly get spoiled by the amount of places you can get a phenomenal crab cake.
Cypress has iPads for wine selection, so that’s always a fun novelty to scroll through the outrageously priced wines and decide which one you want to pair for dinner. Speaking of dinner, I opted for the Steak Diane. It was a perfectly cut piece of meat serves over mushrooms and potatoes. There went the diet. My former gentleman caller had the scallops. It was a very hearty serving of scallops and I might get that next time I come back.
When you’re going all out on a meal, you might as well go for dessert and coffee. I’m not a huge chocolate person, the chocolate molten cake was amazing. You can’t go wrong with chocolate cake, hot chocolate sauce, and vanilla bean ice cream.
Everything about Cypress is perfection. It’s phenomenal food, service, and atmosphere. Due to the fact that I don’t have an unlimited budget, I’ll probably next be back for $ 5 burger night. However, it without a doubt tops my list as top Charleston spot to go for a special occasion. Thus far, Cypress is winning the chase to my foodie heart.

CYPRESS BAR:
Wandered into Cypress and headed to the upstairs bar for an after dinner cocktail on a Thursday night…
Disappointingly last call is announced at 10pm. Despite our arrival around 9:50pm, the waitress begrudgingly offered for us to take our time perusing the cocktail menu, maybe with a roll of the eyes.
The cocktails were delicious and the ambiance in this place is regal and conducive to romantic interaction. I’ve also had dinner here and the food is unblimeshed; but it is this negative experience with a rude wait-​person that has prompted me to write this review…
Yes, we had a large, slightly boisterous group in a reposeful drinkery, but I’m sorry, this is a bar at the end of the day.
Though she technically offered to split the bill any way that would be easy for the group, the fact that I wrote the credit card and last name next to each item to which they should be charged, it was not good enough. I even put the cards in order top to bottom as they were rung up, but another rolling of the eyes was my only thanks.
When each cocktail is $ 10+, the customer service is implied. Shame on this young bar attendant. Maybe take your next position down the street at Pearlz or Wet Willies.

Recommended by our hotel, Cypress was on the list of places to try so we could make recommendations to attendees of an upcoming conference with a «dine on your own» night.
I ordered «wreckfish», and yes, I looked it up before I ordered it. Apparently, it is a type of fish that lives around shipwrecks. I had never had it before, so I tried it. It was good. Nicely prepared, dense, sort of like swordfish, but more tender. Tasty. I would recommend it. Our waiter got the other two folks’ orders a bit mixed up and brought them the served them the sashimi tuna and oysters appetizer as their entrée, instead of the wasabi tuna entrée they ordered, but the error was quickly resolved.
They have an excellent wine selection, and a Muscadet was recommended as THE wine with wreckfish, so I ordered it. Delicious. It did not disappoint. I bought a bottle as soon as I got back home. I’m going to try it with other fish.
Upscale, modern, nice bar upstairs, back room for larger groups. Will probably stop in again when we are in town.

The title of my favorite salad of all time goes to cypress’s Almond-​fried Brie salad ! Hands down winner. Perfectly fried almond crusted Brie with baby greens, champagne vinaigrette and oh so delicious cranberry walnut sauce.
They have a great collection of wines.
A main disappointment was the vegetarian main entrée which they prepared on request. I was not given a choice about the dish and had no vegetarian option other than that. It was a bunch of vegs just put on a plate very bland no seasoning and ruined the dinner for me.
But the salad was so great and the wine that I had to give a 4star review

Beautiful restaurant!!! Great service! Stopped in here with my husband to grab a quick drink at the upstairs bar. A friend of mine told me I had to come here to try their Lavender Martini so we did. It was pretty good, might come back sometime to actually eat there.

Probably one the best modern restaurants in Charleston. The menu has plenty of options with great pairings.
I’ve dined here twice. First time, I had the filet and scallops. It was cooked perfectly; however, I wish the filet was 6oz instead of 4oz. I just did not feel remotely close to being «full» after eating this plate.
The second time I had dinner here, I selected the tuna steak. Easily the best dish on the menu. The tuna filet is a thick cut around 6oz.
Also that evening, a friend ordered the lamp chops — looked unreal!
Defiantly check out cypress. Will I return… Sure. But, I wouldn’t say it’s legendary.

Came here for our 1^st night in Charleston for a Bachelorette dinner with the ladies, the place was very fancy, the entire place was very spacious and are great for any special occasions.
I had ordered the Smoked Salmon Wellington that was accompanied with crushed peas underneath. The Salmon was cooked to perfection, not too under cooked or over cooked and the hint of smokiness gave it a great touch. However, the crushed peas were okay I think I would of substituted for something else instead.
They do have other many choices such as steak options and other seafood choices.
They own many collections of red wines, white wines, champagne choices that are stored along there wall.
Overall the place is a beautiful place to check out and the staff are friendly, the prices were a little bit steep yet but I believe its good for special occasions.

While there is no doubt that Cypress is a great option for dinner, their $ 5 Burger Night on Mondays is the best-​kept secret in Charleston. Every Monday in the upstairs bar area, Cypress offers a selection of gourmet burgers for only $ 5, with $ 3 sides like fried mac & cheese and French fries with steak sauce. Their $ 5 Wood Grilled Burger is such a steal, with bacon jam and pimento cheese served on a soft bun. The Tuna Burger is also awesome, topped with a tempura avocado and black sesame mayo. My advice– get to the bar area early on Mondays (like 5 – 530) and snag seating, as it fills up fast. A $ 5 burger and beer at Cypress is sure to cure even the worst case of the Mondays.
Must-​order items:
Wasabi Tuna
$ 5 Woodfire Grilled Burger (Mondays)
Lavendar Martini

Listen closely. There are some very specific instructions you need to know when you are casually dining at Cypress.
#1. Go to the upstairs bar and sit at the farthest bar table. The leather couch with high back is very comfy. You have a perfect overview angle of the kitchen. It is like watching the cooking channel in 3D. So worth the price of admission. Finally, you can choose from bar fare or the full menu. This is key.
#2. Start with a good cocktail, mocktail or glass of wine. You need to ease into your dining experience.
#3. Start with something light. The tuna cucumber sushi is bursting with flavor. Laid out on an avocado cream sauce, rolled in cucumber and dashed with paprika, this is not your ordinary roll. At $ 14.00, it is such a great way to start your evening.
#4. Sticky buns in beef. Simple yet perfect for the taste buds.
If you want a great cut of steak or fish, you will not be disappointed. There is a reason, this has a wonderful reputation in the Charleston dining community. The wall is over two stories of wine to the eyes content.
It is a beautiful and casual environment.
The downstairs for a very formal dining experience is also very much recommended. You cannot beat a great night for two right upstairs by the bar.