Breakfast and coffee in Charleston: downtown cafes and bagels

Last checked Oct. 16, 2026. Refreshed every three months.

Breakfast and coffee in Charleston are a peninsula habit: 24 of the 25 places on this list are downtown, most within a few blocks of King, Meeting and Church streets and the College of Charleston, with a cluster on Cannon Street and two at WestEdge. Toast! All Day also has a West Ashley restaurant on Savannah Highway.

How we made this list. The places come from OpenStreetMap records inside Charleston, the same data behind our local directory, checked against each place’s own website on Oct. 16, 2026. We added the Toast! on King and West Ashley locations from Toast’s own site. We left out Eli’s Table, which now serves dinner only; Portside Galley, whose site says it is coming soon; and places whose own sites did not show a Charleston address or hours we could read, including Broad Street Cafe, Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit, Caviar & Bananas, Island Provisions, Ruby Sunshine, Second State Coffee and the Starbucks and Dunkin’ location pages. The Hollings Cancer Center cafe is a hospital counter and is not included. Bakeries are on their own list. The list is alphabetical. It is not a ranking or a recommendation, and nobody paid to be on it. Run one of these places? Write to us to correct your entry.

The list

The places

Alcove Market on Broad Street serves breakfast and lunch, pressed juices and a pantry shop with beer and wine, for dine-in or takeout.

Babas on Cannon is a neighborhood cafe modeled on the coffee bars of Italy, France and Spain, serving morning coffee through evening aperitifs.

Big Bad Breakfast on Meeting Street is a breakfast and lunch restaurant. It does not take reservations; seating is walk-in only.

Bitty & Beau’s Coffee on Church Street is a coffee shop that welcomes group visits.

Blūm on Meeting Street is a coffee and tea bar with nearly 2,500 square feet of seating and an evening wine and beer bar.

City Lights Eastside on Line Street is a cafe that hosts pop-ups and rents its space for events.

Clerks Coffee Company in the Emeline hotel serves breakfast from 7 to 11 a.m. and lunch from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Einstein Bros. Bagels on St. Philip Street is the bagel chain’s College of Charleston location.

Handy & Hot on Wentworth Street is a daytime breakfast and lunch cafe open every day.

Harken Cafe & Bakery on Queen Street is a downtown cafe and bakery.

Holey City Bagels on Cannon Street is a bagel shop and coffee bar with free parking across the street, its site says.

Kudu Coffee & Craft Beer near the College of Charleston pours coffee by day and beer and wine later, with a shaded courtyard and garden.

Mercantile & Mash on upper East Bay Street is a gourmet food shop and cafe serving breakfast and lunch.

Millers All Day on lower King Street serves breakfast, lunch and brunch daily, with a second location on James Island.

Mudhouse Specialty Coffee Roasters on King Street is the Charleston shop of a Virginia coffee roaster, with online ordering for pickup.

Saveurs du Monde Cafe at WestEdge is a breakfast and lunch cafe with a weekday happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m. and later hours Wednesday to Friday.

Spread Bagelry on upper King Street makes bagels from 6 a.m. until they sell out.

The Black Door Cafe on the ground floor of the Mills House Hotel is an all-day cafe with seating and internet.

The Coffee Counter in The Ryder Hotel on Meeting Street serves coffee with books and board games.

The Daily on upper King Street is a coffee and sandwich shop with sister stores in Atlanta.

The Rise Coffee Shop in The Restoration hotel on Wentworth Street brews custom blends daily.

Tinto Cafe & Provisions on John Street is a cafe and provisions shop with later hours on Thursday to Saturday evenings.

Toast! All Day serves breakfast, brunch and lunch at three Charleston restaurants, on Meeting Street, upper King Street and Savannah Highway in West Ashley.

More food lists

• Brunch
• Bakeries
• Ice cream and desserts
• All our where-to-eat lists
• Restaurant inspection scores
• Local business directory

Frequently asked questions

Where can I get breakfast in downtown Charleston?

Big Bad Breakfast on Meeting Street serves from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily, the three Toast! All Day restaurants open at 6 or 7 a.m. every day, and Millers All Day on King Street opens at 8 a.m.

Which Charleston coffee shops open earliest?

Spread Bagelry on upper King Street opens at 6 a.m. daily, Toast! on Meeting opens at 6 a.m., and The Black Door Cafe in the Mills House Hotel opens at 6:30 a.m.

Which Charleston coffee shops stay open in the evening?

Kudu Coffee & Craft Beer is open to 8 p.m. daily, The Black Door Cafe to 8 p.m., Mudhouse on King Street to 7 or 8 p.m., and Babas on Cannon to 8 p.m. or later Tuesday to Saturday.

Where can I get bagels in Charleston?

Holey City Bagels is at 43 Cannon St., Spread Bagelry is at 595 King St. and Einstein Bros. Bagels is at 80 St. Philip St. on the College of Charleston campus.

Is there a coffee shop with outdoor seating in Charleston?

Kudu Coffee & Craft Beer on Vanderhorst Street has a shaded courtyard and garden that its site describes as a place to work or meet under the oaks.