Leaf

Great location. Three different venues in one — warm dining room, awesome tree covered patio and a sports bar. Nick is a very attentive waiter. Unfortunately, the food is unremarkable. Fish and chips were bland. Truffle fries is a code word for out of the bag frozen coated shoestrings. Micro-​waved frozen Banquet Salisbury Steak dinner beats out the meatloaf and greens any day. My 15 year old daughter complained that the mac and cheese had only rigatoni and a trace of Gouda. Quite the disappointment for a place that has so much potential being only one block from the top of the market.

Super fast and polite service. We sat outside — their outdoor seating is really fantastic! Food was great. I got the portobello melt — loved it! Also — excellent cocktails. I ordered three different ones (all at my server’s recommendation) and loved them!

Food ok: Caesar salad good and uniquely presented. Beef vegetable soup very salty. Great outdoor seating; service friendly and attentive.

Came here during restaurant week for dinner before going out with my coworkers. We all ordered the steak and agreed it lacked some seasoning. Also, I prefer to have my steak medium well but this was more medium rare and too chewy for my liking. Our server was nice but also a bit slow in service. The highlight of my night was the crème brûlée. Finally some flavor!

Went on a Friday night to bar hop and try house drinks and an app. We walked in to an empty host stand, it wasn’t set up well, so much so that we thought we walked in the wrong door.
We decided to seat ourselves at the bar. The bartender saw us and ignored us for over 5 mins before he came over. He was not in a good mood and made that obvious, we almost thought we’d done something wrong. But we literally just sat down, how could we have been rude already?
The other waiters were kinda meandering around, strange for there to be no urgency on a Friday night.
We had the shepherd’s pie. It was good!
But we quickly finished that and one beer and left. Bartender said bye and possibly thanks, which was the most he said to us the whole time we were there.
Left us with a really bad taste in our mouth. We won’t be back.
(2 stars simply for the yummy app, could have been 1 stars easily)

Average written all over it. Very strange setup, sub-​par food, and not too friendly of a staff. Will not be returning.

Service is a bit aloof, but the food is pretty good. Wine list is as little limited, bit over priced. Atmosphere is nice, great patio. Casual, southern favs with a twist.

Leaf for Mother’s Day Brunch; and it was great. Have stopped here many times with friends for dinner because it’s off the beaten path, and offers the private outside dining which is a huge draw. They offered their regular Sunday Brunch menu and coupled with a few Mimosa’s and some really good coffee, we were all happy. The big surprise order was the fritata, which I never would have looked twice at, but my Mother saw something appealing in the menu description and our waitress recommended it, so she took a chance and it turned out to be fantastic, so much so that we all agreed that next time, we’d likely all order it!

Need a great place for lunch while shopping downtown Charleston. You found it here great food and service

I gave Leaf 3 stars but it could easily have been just 2. Went with three others on a Saturday night and not one of us really enjoyed our meals. Everything was just OK, which is a bummer when you’re in a town like Charleston with sure great restaurants.
Our friends started with the Frickles which they said were underdone. The flavor was good, but a strange texture for fried pickles. We started with the clams and mussels which again were just OK. I get mussels a lot when dining out and these were no where near as good as others I’ve had, very little flavor. Ordered the Shrimp Po Boy which was basically six shrimp on a VERY large hoagie roll. I pulled half of the bread off. The shrimp had a great taste, but there was nothing to the sandwich. Two in my group ordered the fish and chips and both said it was just fish, bummer. A draft beer was $ 8, which was the same as my cocktail so we thought that was strange.
Our waitress seemed new and apprehensive to serve us which made things feel a bit awkward and we waited a long time between appetizers and the entrée. Leaf wasn’t bad so thats why I gave 3 stars, but we won’t return and won’t be recommending. There are so many places in Charleston that can be 10 times better.

Went for lunch and ordered the Greek salad and added chicken. The salad was fine – nothing special – but was very expensive for how small it was (about $ 15). Someone else in our group ordered the Caesar, which apparently comes as a whole head of romaine with a little bit of dressing… Although to be fair, the menu pretty clearly states this.
Basically the salads are meh…
But it’s a cool space with a big patio!
The sandwich choices looked more appetizing and will probably go with that next time.
Apparently the fries are pretty good but I didn’t taste them myself.
I will say, our waitress went out of her way to be accommodating to some requests from my party – 5 stars to the staff!

I’ve eaten both lunch and dinner at Leaf, and both were nice. I could taste the truffle on the fries, and the menu was uncluttered yet diverse.
The courtyard was lovely except when one is seated near the front-​door side, the other side of the hedge is where smokers congregate outside the front of the restaurant.
The only negative was no Allagash on the menu, but nice local alternative choices.
The service was well-​done and our server was knowledgable. Leaf differentiates itself nicely in the amazing and sense Charleston dining scene. I would return again.

Wow. Ambience, food, staff… all A+. Right from the start we knew we made the right choice for dinner. I recommend you check this place out.

I think Leaf has the best patio in Charleston. I could sit there in the comfortable chairs all evening!
The menu is interesting and the food is very good. They have a full range of premium cocktails – pretty much everything a person would need.
Tonight I wasn’t that impressed with the friendliness of my server, but that is just one evening’s experience. I recommend Leaf as a very good restaurant.

Great dinner here. I had the grilled salmon over grits and everything was cooked to perfection and the service was top notch. We sat in the back dining area and the atmosphere was sophisticated yet fun. The bar area is expansive and plenty of room to find «your» spot. Good mix of locals and tourists.
Tried the mixed cocktails and they were strong but balanced.

Came here for the Sunday brunch!
The menu had a variety of options as well as a choice of either a mimosa or bloody mary with the meal. The outdoor seating and music was perfect for early March weather on «Second Sunday».
I tried the crab cake eggs benedict and enjoyed it. It was good but not anything extraordinary. Typical crab cake, substituting ham, on your traditional eggs benedict. Accompanying this was some roasted breakfast potatoes which were great!
Overall, I enjoyed the experience more so than the food. A great place to be taken for catch-​ups and rendezvous.

Incredible EVERYTHING!!! Key Lime
Pie with Roasted Pecans in the crust, roasted Romaine in our Ceasar Salad w/​toasted Parmesan and tiny bits of delicious other secret seasonings! The Lemon Chicken soup was so delightful with tons of chicken, spinach, tomato and Feta! My husband had the Beef Vegetable Stew and gives it 4.5 stars! The coffee was delicious but best of all was the Service by Eric and Chris, who treated us like Royalty. This place is a must for lunch on the Patio!

Love the Sunday brunch! Veggie omelette is quite tasty!
They were also very accommodating to my lactose intolerant friend!

Fabulous meal at Leaf. Ask for Katie!
Great meal and great service! I can not say enough good things about Leaf. Ask for Cole the bartender.

It has Leaf in the name… I couldn’t really pass that one up for my own reasons.
Name aside, the food and staff were average. We started with the meat & cheese plate which was nice. They even present a few of their appetizers on a wooden slab, this included the cheese plate. I’m really not into meat & cheese that much, but the atmosphere of the patio and how elegant it was waned to buying a fancy wooden cheese plate which was really nice. They also suggest some plates are better for sharing, so thumbs up to that.
My problem with Leaf though is it’s so refined it’s missing «umf» so to speak. I remember the cheese board well, and it was great, but our entrees, a portobello burger, truffle fries, and there was another entrée I can’t even recall, but were all so-​so and uninspired. I did, however, enjoy the truffle fries, sadly, they weren’t anything special.
What was nice about Leaf was the patio and space. We chose outside seating which is centered by a beautiful tree and enclosed by surrounding foliage, semi-​garden esque. The bar area looked well lit and breezy too.
Like others have noted, the wait staff was transparent and inattentive. I only say this as our waitress was MIA a decent amount and seated us to a table without silverware or napkins or… really anything, and even after we finally got someone’s attention it wasn’t til sometime after our entrees arrived that we received any silverware. It really wouldn’t have been a problem if there actually hadn’t been things we needed. I’d also ignore it if they were busy, it’s lunch, things happen, but there were about five tables seated with lots open.
In the end, I’d probably only recommend Leaf for the restaurant’s ambience.

Ok, this review is just for the space/​bar. I only ordered a Sierra Nevada pale ale.
The TVs were large and good to watch the Masters on. I loved the openness of the place, especially since the weather was gorgeous.
Downside: the barstool felt like it was going to collapse. The chair was missing one of the wood pieces, and the chair had lost its padding. They could definitely use an upgrade. I finally found a wooden chair with a woven seat that was much sturdier and safer. I’d go back for a beer again.

Bottom line: Follow the advice of many other reviewers — sit at the bar, order a drink, maybe an appetizer, then make like a tree and…
They did have a good wine selection. That’s all I have to say about that.

I have had drinks at the bar a couple times but recently found myself there for something to eat. I was involved in an event taking place in the parking lot so I grabbed my food to go and ate outside. Timmy took my order at the bar and even brought it out to me when it was ready. A friend and I ordered a couple meals to share so we could get more of their lunch menu.
We had the Fried Chicken Sandwich (add bacon) with Parmesan Truffle Fries and the Short Rib Grilled Cheese sandwich with a side of Frickles. Everything was great! The chicken was a hearty size breast of juicy fried chicken smothered in a creole aioli and you cant go wrong by adding truffle oil to fries. The Frickles were lightly battered with cornmeal instead of your typical heavy batter allowing you to taste the pickles a bit more. What stuck out the most as unique was the flavor in the Short Rib Grilled Cheese housing 2 different types of cheese and the most tender short ribs.
I didn’t see the dinner menu but the lunch prices were very reasonable. Leaf will definitely be on my lunch radar from now on.

Wow. Totally impressed.
Made reservations for brunch and was pleasantly surprised. When you first walk in, there is a center bar area and then high tables lined around the walls. eek. This doesn’t feel very cozy. The hostess walked us through that area and to the back… where the dinning room was. ahhhh. ok…this I like.
Very pleasant atmosphere. We ordered and sat and enjoyed our complimentary mimosa while listening to our two person jazz band. So cool. People were chatting quietly and respectfully. It was like a yoga experience. Very relaxing. I loved the décor and the big floor the ceiling windows.
Food was great and nice portion sizes. Service was prompt and friendly. Mimosa’s and bloody mary’s were only $ 3 after your first one.
I would love to come back and sit outside. The outside patio looks amazing.