With an open-air kitchen and live-fire cooking, Lost Isle in Johns Island, South Carolina, redefines eating out.

Dining at Lost Isle is an adventure from the moment you arrive. Look for a sign directing you down a gravel driveway, or you might miss the restaurant altogether. You’ll see a tiny white house nearly swallowed by the lush Lowcountry vegetation, but you can bypass the front door—instead, head to the backyard. Pass under a trellis tangled with vines to reach a tucked-away escape where people are strewn about a patio passing plates, toasting cocktails, congregating around crackling firepits, and marveling at the giant, moss-draped pecan tree above.

If you didn’t know better, you might think you’d stumbled upon an intimate house party. And in many ways, you’d be right—but you don’t need an invitation to join the festivities.

Under the light of the moon and some strategically placed chandeliers and sailcloth, chef Josh Taylor and his team create culinary magic in a 23-foot-long outdoor kitchen on Johns Island (about 10 miles from downtown Charleston). They use local oak wood, a live fire, and seasonal ingredients from area farmers and purveyors to turn out dishes like caveman-worthy Smoked Tomahawk Pork Chops glistening with an ancho-cherry glaze and Charred Eggplant Dip begging to be slathered onto grilled sourdough. It’s a five-senses experience—you can smell the food cooking before it arrives at your table and watch chefs masterfully prepare it on the wood-fired grill.

Although you’ll seat yourself, grab drinks at the bar, and place orders at a register next to the kitchen, you’ll never once feel neglected by the attentive staff. The hospitality team takes care of everything, from delivering dishes and refilling drinks to stoking nearby fires and passing out cozy blankets on cooler nights.

The atmosphere at Lost Isle is laid-back, but the style of cooking and effort put into providing a five-star experience are anything but. “We want it to feel like you’re at a backyard party—just your friends happen to be chefs and bartenders,” Taylor says of the operation, which he opened in 2023 alongside his wife, Maggie MacMillan, and partners, T.J. Lynch and Thomas Wilson.

Dishes familiar to Southern palates are reimagined with notes from Taylor and MacMillan’s travels around the world. The oft-praised Curry Braised Collards borrow spices and a creamy broth from khao soi, a northern Thai noodle soup. Fire-roasted clams from Georgia’s Sapelo Island get an unexpected flavor boost from chili-chorizo butter, a berbere spice blend, and harissa. It’s a one-of-a-kind menu that’s made even more special once you’re privy to the chain of events that allowed the restaurant to be.

In 2014, former college sweethearts Taylor and MacMillan reconnected in Charleston, where they’d each moved following time spent away from the South. After five years running a food truck, they set out to find a restaurant space and ended up touring the site that would become Lost Isle just minutes after Lynch, a local restaurateur, did. Lynch won the bid, but after seeing Taylor (a longtime acquaintance) at the property, he reached out with a partnership proposition.

PHOTO:

Peter Frank Edwards

The Down the Wabbit Hole cocktail features a smoked pepita-Tajín rim. PHOTO:

Peter Frank Edwards

“Timing is crazy sometimes,” Taylor says. “If we had not run into each other at that point, it wouldn’t have happened. It all kind of serendipitously worked out, and here we are now.” As you’re sitting under the stars (at a table Taylor and Lynch built themselves) after finishing a meal that’s top-to-bottom wonderful, it’s hard to imagine a place like this existing without a bit of help from fate.

More often than not, tipsters, readers, friends, and family of Eater have one question: Where should I eat right now? What are the new restaurants? What's everyone talking about? While the Eater 18 is a crucial resource covering old standbys and neighborhood essentials across the city, it is not a chronicle of the "it" places of the moment. Enter the Eater Heatmap, which will change continually to highlight the spots crowds are flocking to at the moment or generating a big buzz. Folks are asking, "Have you been yet?" Try one of these newbies today.

This month, chef Sean Brock’s Joyland location joins the list.

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Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process.

Chinese American restaurant Jackrabbit Filly moved up the street to a bigger dining room and more prominent location. With the move comes a more extensive menu with exciting new options. Karrage, dumplings, and fried rice are still on the menu, but now there’s also a crab rangoon cheese ball, mapo tofu vol au vent, spicy Korean gnocchi, and Sichuan seafood wonton soup.

The couple behind Wagener Terrace hangout Berkeley’s recently opened their second restaurant, the Archer. They want it to have the same neighborhood vibes but raise the stakes with a full bar and fine dining-level comfort plates. Chef Paul Farmer (formerly of Three Sirens), puts out plates like duck frites, baked oysters, beef stroganoff, chicken liver mousse, and chilled crab dip.

Chubby Fish (most recently visited by Martha Stewart) has smartly expanded into the space next door with another cozy nautical space, but this time, the team is focused on world-class cocktails from Christian Favier (formerly of the Ordinary). Rum figures heavily on the list, but there’s also a delicious smoked dirty martini and plenty of fizzy drinks thanks to a fancy Japanese Suntory highball machine. Customers can order snacks from the ever-changing menu, including oysters, crudos, agnolotti, Iberico ham, and more.

Legami is a new Italian restaurant boasting a chef brought in from Rome by a family with roots in Turin, Italy. Washington Street Hospitality, which controls three Pasta Beach restaurants in New England, thought the King Street building would be another location for Pasta Beach, but decided to switch it up once they got into the historic building. Chef Andrea Congiusta cooks modern Italian fare with some influences from France. “We took inspiration from the classic fine dining, but we also want to have something fun, something that looks very fancy, and something you can crave,” says Congiusta. Dishes include king crab tagliolini, beef Wellington, and veal Milanese.

Modern steakhouse Marbled & Fin is giving all the other steakhouses a run for their money. The expansive dining room fills nightly with well-heeled customers ready to see and be seen. On the menu, chef Eucepe “Cepe” Puntriano includes all the steakhouse classics plus an emphasis on seafood dishes for non-meat eaters. Look for seafood towers, wedge salads, wagyu beef, bone marrow with oysters, creamed spinach, and more.

Superstar chef Sean Brock has brought his fast-casual burger/biscuit joint to the Lowcountry. Joyland is Brock’s fun nod to the fast-food joints of yesteryear. Breakfast includes all types of biscuit sandwiches and a breakfast burrito. The lunch and dinner menu includes the Joyburger Deluxe, fried chicken sandwiches, Chicago dogs, Crustburgers, and Joysticks. Most of the menu items can be made gluten-free.

Chef Micheal Toscano recently opened a taco shop next to his Italian restaurant Le Farfalle. Blanca Estrada is Toscano’s ode to his Mexican mother and grandmother, whose cooking was an early influence on his culinary journey. The kitchen offers a selection of tacos, from cochinita pibil to lengua, several specials, like a lamb neck burrito, and several tequila drinks and pineapple vinegar soda.

Ice-cold martinis with a side of caviar set the vibe at By the Way, a new upscale lounge and restaurant in Cannonborough/Elliotborough hoping to draw a slightly more mature clientele away from King Street. It’s from Uptown Hospitality Group, the folks behind hotspots like Uptown Social and Bodega, in partnership with Craig Conover and Austen Kroll, two stars of Bravo TV’s Southern Charm. Fairly intimate with the feel of an old-world tavern, By the Way serves a menu of trendy pub fare like ’nduja deviled eggs, poutine, fried oysters with caviar, and steak frites.

Charming new hotel the Dunlin offers sweeping views of the Kiawah River, abundant hospitality, and coastal Southern fare in its signature restaurant, Linnette’s. Chef Michael DeCicco puts out dishes like a pressed and pickled watermelon salad, wood-fired oysters, cornmeal-crusted flounder, and a sorghum-benne lacquered steak with charred okra.

Chinese American restaurant Jackrabbit Filly moved up the street to a bigger dining room and more prominent location. With the move comes a more extensive menu with exciting new options. Karrage, dumplings, and fried rice are still on the menu, but now there’s also a crab rangoon cheese ball, mapo tofu vol au vent, spicy Korean gnocchi, and Sichuan seafood wonton soup.

The couple behind Wagener Terrace hangout Berkeley’s recently opened their second restaurant, the Archer. They want it to have the same neighborhood vibes but raise the stakes with a full bar and fine dining-level comfort plates. Chef Paul Farmer (formerly of Three Sirens), puts out plates like duck frites, baked oysters, beef stroganoff, chicken liver mousse, and chilled crab dip.

Chubby Fish (most recently visited by Martha Stewart) has smartly expanded into the space next door with another cozy nautical space, but this time, the team is focused on world-class cocktails from Christian Favier (formerly of the Ordinary). Rum figures heavily on the list, but there’s also a delicious smoked dirty martini and plenty of fizzy drinks thanks to a fancy Japanese Suntory highball machine. Customers can order snacks from the ever-changing menu, including oysters, crudos, agnolotti, Iberico ham, and more.

Legami is a new Italian restaurant boasting a chef brought in from Rome by a family with roots in Turin, Italy. Washington Street Hospitality, which controls three Pasta Beach restaurants in New England, thought the King Street building would be another location for Pasta Beach, but decided to switch it up once they got into the historic building. Chef Andrea Congiusta cooks modern Italian fare with some influences from France. “We took inspiration from the classic fine dining, but we also want to have something fun, something that looks very fancy, and something you can crave,” says Congiusta. Dishes include king crab tagliolini, beef Wellington, and veal Milanese.

Modern steakhouse Marbled & Fin is giving all the other steakhouses a run for their money. The expansive dining room fills nightly with well-heeled customers ready to see and be seen. On the menu, chef Eucepe “Cepe” Puntriano includes all the steakhouse classics plus an emphasis on seafood dishes for non-meat eaters. Look for seafood towers, wedge salads, wagyu beef, bone marrow with oysters, creamed spinach, and more.

Superstar chef Sean Brock has brought his fast-casual burger/biscuit joint to the Lowcountry. Joyland is Brock’s fun nod to the fast-food joints of yesteryear. Breakfast includes all types of biscuit sandwiches and a breakfast burrito. The lunch and dinner menu includes the Joyburger Deluxe, fried chicken sandwiches, Chicago dogs, Crustburgers, and Joysticks. Most of the menu items can be made gluten-free.

Chef Micheal Toscano recently opened a taco shop next to his Italian restaurant Le Farfalle. Blanca Estrada is Toscano’s ode to his Mexican mother and grandmother, whose cooking was an early influence on his culinary journey. The kitchen offers a selection of tacos, from cochinita pibil to lengua, several specials, like a lamb neck burrito, and several tequila drinks and pineapple vinegar soda.

Ice-cold martinis with a side of caviar set the vibe at By the Way, a new upscale lounge and restaurant in Cannonborough/Elliotborough hoping to draw a slightly more mature clientele away from King Street. It’s from Uptown Hospitality Group, the folks behind hotspots like Uptown Social and Bodega, in partnership with Craig Conover and Austen Kroll, two stars of Bravo TV’s Southern Charm. Fairly intimate with the feel of an old-world tavern, By the Way serves a menu of trendy pub fare like ’nduja deviled eggs, poutine, fried oysters with caviar, and steak frites.

Charming new hotel the Dunlin offers sweeping views of the Kiawah River, abundant hospitality, and coastal Southern fare in its signature restaurant, Linnette’s. Chef Michael DeCicco puts out dishes like a pressed and pickled watermelon salad, wood-fired oysters, cornmeal-crusted flounder, and a sorghum-benne lacquered steak with charred okra.

JOHNS ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) - City of Charleston leaders are in the process of bringing the first-ever recreation center to Johns Island.

This facility will be funded by a $70 million parks bond referendum that Charleston voters overwhelmingly passed back in 2023.

Officials say the Johns Island Recreation Center and Aquatic Facility will be located next to the Johns Island City Park.

City council member Jim McBride, who represents Johns Island, says this project is crucial for the community, given the lack of facilities they currently have.

“Johns Island has the fewest parks and recreation facilities government offered per capita anywhere in Charleston, so this is sorely needed. It will have a pool and there is going to be a budget, you know, several million dollars and we’re going to try and fit in as many functions as we possibly can based on public input,” McBride says.

McBride says he is part of a selection committee where they are currently working to review qualifications and eventually choose a construction manager at risk for the project.

A construction manager at risk is when a construction manager commits to completing a project within a set guaranteed maximum price, if the construction manager goes over that price during construction then they have to pay for the extra costs, not the city.

McBride says that public input is going to be key in shaping the design of this facility. He says in the coming months, community members will have the opportunity to share what they want to see included in the project with city leaders.

The goal is to incorporate as many amenities as possible within budget while also ensuring high-quality construction. McBride says that Mayor Cogswell has pointed out that he wants this facility to be of the same high quality as the Daniel Island Recreation Center.

He says this facility could also reduce traffic concerns, saying that residents are often having to travel to other areas of Charleston to find a recreation center to use.

“People have to drive to West Ashley, or James Island, or other parts of Charleston to find a recreation center, find a pool and it makes it harder on parents for their children to do activities that they could do on Johns Island here in a couple of years hopefully, so this is one of many aspects of fighting the traffic problems on Johns Island,” McBride says.

He says once a construction manager is selected, they will be able to establish a more definitive timeline for the project. McBride says he hopes that within two years, shovels will be in the ground if construction isn’t completed already.

Copyright 2025 WCSC. All rights reserved.

JOHNS ISLAND, S.C. (WCBD) – Johns Island Elementary is expected to open in Fall 2025, however once open it will cause more traffic for surrounding residential neighborhoods.

City of Charleston council members met on Jan. 28 for a Traffic and Transportation Committee meeting. They discussed where the progress lies for the new school and heard about traffic pattern setbacks that may delay the project. However, the school is planned to have exits going into two neighborhoods, which has created some concerns.

“I think the main thing is really just – let’s say there’s an accident on River Road which is already ridiculous as it stands. Where’s everyone going to come from? They’re going to go right through here,” Michelle Ballinger, a Johns Island resident, said. “This neighborhood is fantastic for kiddos but I think the issue is that let’s say a mom is running late or something like that – and a kid darts out. I think it’s just safety for the children in the neighborhood and then feasibility for us to take on all that additional traffic.”

Officials expect nearly 700 students from second to fifth grade to attend. The two exits are on Moonbeam Drive and Claybrook Street, where there are single family homes.

“Talked to the city to do preemptive speed humps or other traffic calming measures in those neighborhoods,” Jim McBride, City of Charleston council member, said of some safety aspects he had asked about.

Ballinger mentioned she had tried accomplish an initiative that would bring such measures into her neighborhood, but was suggested that a traffic study should be done. However, she said it wouldn’t become useful until the regular school day traffic is in full swing.

While the neighbors are excited to have the elementary school, some said even though a new traffic pattern may be necessary, officials need to reassess their priorities first.

“At the end of the day, protecting the kids, the pets and the community is very important, and they need to make sure that message gets out. It will be convenient for us to be able to get our kids to school but it will also be a cut through for others,” Jamie Bradford, a Johns Island resident, said. “We know that, so we want to find out what’s going to happen and then we can address that once we know what’s its going to look like.”

The City of Charleston mayor and Charleston County School District are expected to meet to discuss further road improvements.

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Updated: Jan. 30, 2025 at 2:19 PM PST

JOHNS ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) - Charleston County School District staff ensure the opening of upgraded baseball fields for St. Johns High School baseball and softball players is “on schedule,” after concern from families over winter weather delays and turning over the turf in time.

Newly upgraded baseball fields at Johns Island Park are set to be the new dugout for St. Johns High School athletes. The upgrades include new grass, fences, lighting, scoreboards and batting cages costing around $4.8 million. The project has seen a long list of delays nearing the year-and-a-half mark.

The district and its contractors claim to be preparing for one of the two renovated fields to be available for practice and tryouts next week, February 3. The district added a second field for school use will be available “soon thereafter.”

The district expects all aspects of the project to be done in time to start high school baseball season in March.

Parents say baseball and softball are a hotspot on Johns Island, with more than 600 kids involved in Little League programs, yet a majority of its student athletes travel to other areas for the sport. They believe the problem is a lack of resources.

“We want it to be done. I want it all, I’m sorry. I don’t want halfway anymore. They tell us they want to give us an equitable solution, equitable fields. On par with what we’re seeing elsewhere at other schools. We’re just not seeing that,” parent Lindsay Jackson says.

Shelton’s son is a senior at St. Johns High School, among many who are hoping to play college baseball.

" The goalpost is continuing to be moved. We’ve never had a good, every deadline or timeline we’ve been given has fallen through, it’s been broken, it’s inadequate. Everything in this process along the way has been completely inadequate and our kids deserve more. They put in the work, the effort, they deserve a lot more," parent Jeremy Shelton says.

In Monday’s board of trustees meeting, the district pointed to snow and ice from last week’s storm, prompting challenges for construction crews. Chief Operating Officer Jeff Borowy mentioned the weather placed workers out of a week’s worth of work.

“We have fielded questions from constituents, from board members, about that. We have ensured we’ve prioritized a practice space and we are scheduled to open on time, although last week’s weather episode with the ice made it challenging,” Superintendent Anita Huggins says.

Borowy intends to keep the opening date, set for the beginning of February, despite those delays. Borowy also mentioned collaboration with the City of Charleston, who owns Johns Island Park, added a step to the process.

The district expects to install the new scoreboard, venue parking, stands and pavilion pavers by the end of February. It does not intend to interfere with St. Johns High students' ability to practice.

“We feel very confident that the best has been done with that field to minimize the impact on St. Johns High School and as the superintendent pointed out, have it ready for the upcoming season this spring,” Borowy says. “That project, from a construction perspective, will end up taking 10 months. 10 months for a construction project is pretty incredible. We’ve had other teams that have lost an entire season because of the construction process.”

The district claims sod for the fields was placed last October, along with an emergent to accelerate root establishment. Once installed, the sod takes root within 10-14 days and 406 weeks to establish. The district claims the sod is suitable for play.

Since August 2023, Live5News has published three articles surrounding the completion of the fields, not including this one:

In 2023, those delays were prompted by reallocating the funding to other “priority projects.” The district claims the cost of the project was never cut, but rather increased by the board of trustees.

In the meantime, players have been using rectangular fields on campus, formerly tennis courts, or traveling to different parks, fields or facilities. The district says one of those facilities is the Haut Gap Middle School baseball fields, located 1.4 miles from St. Johns High.

“How are they going to provide what they promised? Not really for us, but our kids. They’re the ones getting affected most by it,” parent Jothem Jayne says.

“This is the best way to get parents to keep kids on the island. 50% of the kids living on the island at high school age leave and go to other high schools. I wonder why. We don’t have a baseball field and we haven’t had one since 1923,” parent Karen Tetrev says.

The district replied to comparisons of St. Johns infrastructure to Lucky Beckham High’s baseball field. The district claims that the field was under construction for 15 months, making it so the team could not use the existing field for an entire baseball season. The Johns Island Park project, on the other hand, was compressed to 10 months so the team would not lose a season of play, according to the district.

The team is asking for a defined completion date and full commitment to the completion. If the district is unable to provide the requested information, parents are asking for help with transportation to alternate parks, practice fields or facilities.

Copyright 2025 WCSC. All rights reserved.