The Best Pralines Ever
Charleston, South Carolina
Cuisine Style: Dessert
Average Price: $
Overall Rating: 4/5
Enjoyed From: 2010 - 2013
By Sean Overpeck (CFE)
**A full article and index glossary of restaurants, wines, recipes and travel for
Wine Dine and Play are in the pages section above, or by following these links:
Pastry Chef:
Tim Strickland
River Street Sweets (Market Street) became a Charleston location that for a period of three years I would visit often. At that time my daughter lived close by in one of the suburbs called Goose Creek. While in this historical city I wanted to take advantage of the food scene. I’ve done reviews on the many restaurants, but not one on dessert. This is where the River Street Sweets Company comes into play. They started in Savanah, Georgia in 1973, and as of 2017 have expanded to 12 locations in three states with their eyes set on Key West, Florida next. They have a variety of homemade desserts from fudge, brittle, cakes, and chocolates but their grand prize goes to the praline, the best I have ever had.
Menu:
- Pecan Pralines and Bear Claw Combos
- Bear Claws
- Glazed Pecans
- Cakes, Pies, and Pastries
- Chocolates
- Gourmet Caramel Candy Apples
- Homemade Fudge
- Brittle and Toffee Candies
- Gluten Free Candy
- Gourmet Popcorn
- Salt Water Taffy
- Pecan Divinity & Log Rolls
- Roasted and Candied Nuts
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| Pralines - All dessert pictures in this article are courtesy of River Street Sweets |
River Street Sweets first location in the Habersham Village of Savanna, was an instant success which led to future openings at Broadway at the Beach & Barefoot Landing (1986) both in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Phipps Plaza, Atlanta (1999), and Mall of Georgia, Nashville, Maryland, and now two Charleston, South Carolina locations - Market Street in 1984 which is what I base this review on, and the second location on King Street which opened in February 2011.
The Market Street shop is located in the Old Market area of downtown, wherein the not too distant past you could only buy food and other items from abroad, which including human slave trafficking. This was a part of the history that Charleston would like to forget, but they have embraced the past by turning all of Market Street into a world food and arts center where the people who were the slaved are now the business owners, working side by side with people who are local or from around the world.
Pralines which is one of their top selling items are made in front of the customers, and samples are given out all day long to people that pass by. This is what originally attracted me to walk inside, after all, at the time I was much heavier in weight than I am now and was not going to turn down sugar baked with more sugar.
In 1978 they began with their homemade fudge, and then came their most popular treats, the world famous pralines as I just mentioned; hand-dipped onto a piece of marble Stan bought from a gravestone company. Today, the pralines generate more than $30 million in annual sales, making them the leading supplier of pralines in the United States, if not most of the world. From there, they continued to expand to include saltwater taffy, crunchy, hand stretched peanut brittle, homemade pecan pies, and much more. They will also Ship edibles to Military addresses (APO, FPO, AE etc... )
In 2014, they began to franchise under the merged brand name River Street Sweets~Savannah's Candy Kitchen, with the first location in Pooler, Georgia at the Tanger Outlet Mall. For information on their franchise opportunities follow this link.
Other Noteworthy Dessert, Candy, and Cheese Shop Favorites:
Asail AlSham Sweets “Mastic” Ice-cream in Deira Dubai, UAE
Café du Monde Iconic café & coffeehouse serving beignets since 1862 in New Orleans, Louisiana
Canterbury Cheesemongers Artisan cheese & pastry shop in Christchurch, New Zealand
Cowgirl Creamery Artisan cheese shop “aka” Cowgirl Cantina in Point Reyes Station, California
Mount Nelson Afternoon Tea Banquet of pastries & sandwiches at the Belmond, in Cape Town, S. Africa
See the whole list by visiting “The Wine Dine and Play Article Glossary”
Other Noteworthy Charleston Articles and Restaurants:
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Acclaimed high-concept inspired Farm to Table tavern
A top 20 on Wine Dine and Play
Charleston, South Carolina, USA
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A classy southern seafood eatery house
Charleston, South Carolina, USA
|
Top 10 American fine-dining ornate chophouse
A top 20 on Wine Dine and Play
Charleston, South Carolina, USA
|
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Refined eatery with Lowcountry fare and Southern Brunch
Charleston, South Carolina, USA
|
Bistro w/Southern & Lowcountry cuisine
Charleston, South Carolina, USA
|
Classic Mediterranean dishes and wine bar
Charleston, South Carolina, USA
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See the whole list by visiting “The Wine Dine and Play Article Glossary by country”
Final notes, review basics, observations and more pictures:
Most reviews are subjective, depending on the writer; but they should also be responsible, and respectfully written, upholding the truth, and accurately conveying the experience to the best of the writer's knowledge, even if it includes metaphors the restaurant may not like to read about. My ratings are by the stars I award (from 0 to 5). The rating is calculated on a point accumulation of six separate factors based on individual experience. They include wine and other beverage selections, plate presentation, customer service, restaurant or café ambiance, food quality, and wow factor. To see more details of this rating list, read this article:
Overall from this experience, and the score factors outlined in the ‘about page’ section, based on my individual experience and rating, I give River Street Sweets a 4 out of 5 stars, meaning that they not only exceeded my expectations and were far above the average dining experience of most restaurants, but they were just outstanding.
***
Overall Star Rating:
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4 of 5 Stars:
95% Rating with a 2 point “wow” bonus
An Extraordinary Dining Experience
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Restaurant style:
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Casual dining
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Cuisine style:
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Desserts, Southern Treats, Ice Cream
Allergen or dietary accommodations:
Gluten-Free, Vegetarian options
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Reservations:
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Not Required
Walk-Ins:
Accepted
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Experiences:
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Place for foodies, Trendy, Lounge, Hotspot, Tourist grabber, and a Neighborhood Gem.
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Payments:
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Cash, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express
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Parking:
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Street meter parking
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Wifi
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The restaurants reviewed on this site may have Wi-Fi, but do not require you to go online, because the excitement of the food and wine alone will keep you too entertained instead of checking your social media and emails.
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Smoking:
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Nonsmoking Store
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Patio or terrace:
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No
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Food Prices
(excludes, alcohol, taxes & 20% gratuity’s)
$£€¥ - Under 50.00 (inexpensive)
$£€¥ x 2 - 51.00- 99.00 (moderate)
$£€¥ x 3 - Over 100.00 (pricy)
$£€¥ x 4 - Over 200.00 (expensive)
$£€¥ x 5 - Over 400.00 (very expensive)
**Currencies reflect the world’s major travelers, restaurant, or wine connoisseur’s**
Currency:
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Price
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United States Dollar (USD)
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$
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Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP)
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£
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Canadian Dollar (CAN)
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$
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Chinese Yuan (CNY)
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¥¥
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European Union (EUR)
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€
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River Street Sweets on Market Street:
100 North Market Street
Charleston, South Carolina
29401
Contact Information:
Website:
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Contact:
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+1 843 722 1397
+1 800 793 3876
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Serving hours:
Eastern Standard Time
(GMT, Zulu, or UTC - 5:00)
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Mon-Sun
9:00 am to 11:00 pm
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Email
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Social Media
&
Accolades:
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****
The worlds best restaurants is a subjective list of who is writing it and changes on a regular basis. The Wine Dine and Play best experiences are based on my highest rated stared restaurants, meaning that the visit was an outstanding or extraordinary experience. From cafés, chains, mom + pops, hole in the walls, to fine dining including a few Michelin spots. Visit the Top 100 page to see the entire list.
A few to tease you with…
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Creatively presented high-energy Mediterranean Fare
Denver, Colorado, USA
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Farm-to-fork upscale local chain for Southwestern cuisine
Austin, Texas, USA
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Upscale eatery with butchery at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Tampa, Florida, USA
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Other Pictures:
“Culinary perfection consists not in doing extraordinary things,
But in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.”
-Angelique Arnauld (1591-1661)
Who is John Galt?
TTFN
