The 8 best ranked comfort food restaurants in SC for the chilly fall and winter months

As temperatures fall, that rising desire for comfort just seems inevitable.

Be it a bowl of hearty soup, a slice of meatloaf or a plate of chicken and waffles, everyone has their favorite comfort food to enjoy during the cold fall and winter months.

And there is some science to back up why.

“Cold weather can create biological changes that make us want to eat more,” Emma Laing, professor and director of dietetics at the University of Georgia, said in a post on UGA’s website. “When the temperature drops, it’s natural that we would want to crave foods that provide us warmth.”

She added that increased dehydration during winter months, hormonal changes and fewer daylight hours can also contribute to greater hunger.

So if you will likely be hungrier as the temperature drops in South Carolina, you might as well eat some quality comfort food. But where should you go?

The Palmetto State is replete with places to get southern comfort food, but there are restaurants that seem to rise above the rest.

Here are eight of the best comfort food restaurants in South Carolina from Google reviews, based on their overall ratings and number of reviews.

Page’s Okra Grill

Rating: 4.7 out of 5 (8,200 reviews)

Location: Mt. Pleasant

When it comes to Southern comfort food staples, okra tends to be on many must-have lists. And Page’s has plenty of okra to go around.

This family-owned and operated restaurant serves meals for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner.

Come in the morning for a country-fried steak biscuit or at lunch, try the southern-fried chicken livers, fried chicken or filet mignon salisbury steak. If you come at dinner, there’s the southern-fried pork chops, chicken and waffles and BBQ pork platter to try. There’s also plenty of southern sides, from butterbeans and collard greens to Pimiento cheese grits and stewed okra with tomatoes.

Stax Omega Diner

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 (4,200 reviews)

Location: Greenville

This locally-owned and operated diner opened in 1988 and offers all the comfort food and familiar favorites you’d expect, but with a twist.

Start off with appetizers like the Italian nachos or gyros quesadilla, stuffed with gyro meat and feta cheese and grilled in a flour tortilla. Follow that up with one of the diner’s many sandwiches and burgers, like the smoked turkey BLTA croissant or the smoked bacon and gouda smokehouse burger.

If those aren’t to your liking, you can always pick one of the house favorites, like the Stax fried chicken tender platter. Or how about the Stax meatloaf with marinara sauce or country-fried steak with sausage milk gravy, with sides of collard greens and buttered sweet corn?

Hannibal’s Soul Kitchen

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 (1,500 reviews)

Location: Charleston

Hannibal’s was opened in 1985 by the Huger family and got its name from the family patriarch, Robert Lawrence Huger. His nickname was Hannibal — also the name of the African general and ruler, famous for commanding the forces of Carthage against ancient Rome.

Hannibal’s is a soul food restaurant through and through, focusing on quality comfort food to satisfy customers. Try the restaurant’s signature dish, crab and shrimp rice. Salmon, shrimp and shark steak are also big favorites. And soul food wouldn’t be complete without hearty sides like lima beans, okra and collard greens.

Bertha’s Kitchen

Rating: 4.6 out of 5 (1,200 reviews)

Location: Charleston

Bertha’s Kitchen provides true comfort soul food. The restaurant was founded by the late Albertha Grant in 1979 and offers dishes that includes red rice and sausage, fried chicken encased in red-gold crust and pork chops. Don’t forget to order a side of macaroni and cheese fresh from the baking pan while you’re there.

Big Bull’s Bang’n BBQ and Southern Comfort Food

Rating: 4.3 out of 5 (925 reviews)

Location: Columbia

According to Big Bull’s, what began as making BBQ sandwiches in 2013 for co-workers, grew into a full-blown restaurant endeavor two years later. The restaurant is still going strong and offers a variety of southern-style BBQ to keep you warm and satisfied, from smoked sausage links and brisket Mac N Cheese to ribs and jumbo smoked turkey legs. Big Bull’s also has its own signature sauces to add extra flavor.

Compton’s Kitchen

Rating: 4.6 out of 5 (842 reviews)

Location: West Columbia

Perry Compton opened Compton’s Kitchen in 1977 and was known for his made-from-scratch buttermilk biscuits and home-cooked dishes. The current owner, Martha Cooke, managed the restaurant for 13 years before taking ownership in 2000.

Today, the restaurant offers a solid selection of breakfast and lunch options, from pancakes and omelets to ribeye, burgers and sandwiches.

Mr. Friendly’s New Southern Cafe

Rating: 4.6 out of 5 (656 reviews)

Location: Columbia

Mr. Friendly’s started in the 1980s as a sandwich and cookie shop, but has since evolved into a restaurant that serves new southern cuisine. A little more sophisticated than your typical southern homestyle restaurant, yet no less comforting, the restaurant’s menu changes regularly, but there’s always fresh fish and seafood specials, along with innovative meat, poultry and wild game dishes. Examples include buttermilk fried flounder, lump crab stuffed Atlantic salmon or a Nashville hot buttermilk fried chicken sandwich.

CHOICES Caribbean & Comfort Food

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 (237 reviews)

Location: Graniteville

CHOICES is chock full of flavorful, spicy and hearty meals to help you fight off frosty days. If you need an extra kick, try the curry chicken or curry goat. Also on the menu are turkey wings, jerk chicken, pork chops and sea food options. You also get your choice of filling sides like macaroni and cheese and collard greens.