Q: What two menu items does every restaurant in Charleston serve?

A: Tap water + the best shrimp and grits in town.

I jest– but any Google search of the “best shrimp and grits in Charleston” is so varied + inconclusive, it could leave even a seasoned foodie lost.

To fix that, we’re putting the question into the hands of our readers. (Yup, that means YOU.)
The poll is now closed. Congratulations to the winner of the showdown, Fleet Landing!

You're allowed to vote once per day. The poll will close Wednesday, May 16 at 5 p.m. + the winner will be announced in the Friday, May 18 newsletter. In the meantime, give all your friends the chance to weigh in too by hitting the social share buttons above.

And while you're here, enjoy a quick history of shrimp + grits:

1607: Native Americans offer a dish of soft, mashed corn called rockahomine to settlers in Jamestown. The dish is popular among the colonists, who eventually shorten its name to hominy.

1800s: The Gullah Geechee people, who are known for using the limited ingredients they had available to create innovative dishes, are believed to have added items like fish, oysters, + shrimp to their rations of grits.

1930: “Two-Hundred Years of Charleston Cooking” is published + features a recipe for “shrimp and hominy,”– the first appearance of the dish in a cookbook.

1982: South Carolina native Bill Neal begins serving shrimp + grits at his restaurant, Crook’s Corner, in Chapel Hill, N.C.

1985: Neal’s recipe is published in the New York Times, and the culinary world is forever changed.

2018: CHStoday readers cast their votes in a poll that will determine– once and for all– where to find the best shrimp and grits in Charleston.

If you’re looking to recreate the O.S.G. (original shrimp + grits) recipe that caught the world’s attention back in 1985, you can find it here.

And, assuming Charleston survives the shrimp + grits showdown, we want to know– which other popular local menu items would you’d like to see face off? She-crab soup? Biscuits + gravy? Tell us in an email to hello@thechstoday.com.

– Jen