Mount Pleasant’s Mic-Drop Shrimp & Grits You Can’t Skip

Food & Drink Travel
By Amelia Brooks

When you think about Southern comfort food, shrimp and grits probably comes to mind and Mount Pleasant knows how to do it right. This charming town just across the bridge from Charleston has earned serious bragging rights for serving up one of the most talked-about versions of this classic dish. Whether you’re a local or just passing through, there’s one spot that keeps winning awards, impressing food critics, and making diners come back for seconds (and thirds).

1. Not in Charleston proper—yet a local favorite in the metro

Image Credit: Canadian2006, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Via Wikimedia Commons.

Geography might say Page’s Okra Grill isn’t technically inside Charleston city limits, but ask anyone who loves Lowcountry food and they’ll tell you it’s absolutely part of the essential dining scene. Sitting at 302 Coleman Boulevard in Mount Pleasant, just over the iconic Ravenel Bridge, this restaurant has become a must-visit for anyone craving authentic Southern flavors. The location makes it easy to reach whether you’re coming from downtown Charleston or exploring the Mount Pleasant area.

Page’s isn’t just a one-hit wonder, either. Beyond the flagship Mount Pleasant spot, there’s a sister location in Summerville, showing how the brand has grown while keeping its roots strong. Locals and tourists alike consider it a cornerstone of the metro Charleston food circuit, even if the mailing address doesn’t say “Charleston.”

What really matters isn’t which side of the bridge you’re on—it’s the quality of what’s on your plate. Page’s has built a reputation that crosses city boundaries, drawing crowds who know good Southern cooking when they taste it. The restaurant proves that sometimes the best food experiences happen just outside the postcard-perfect downtown areas, in neighborhoods where real community dining thrives.

2. The dish: fried grit cakes, andouille cream, jumbo shrimp

© Jam Down Foodie

Forget everything you think you know about standard shrimp and grits—Page’s flips the script with “Ashleigh’s Shrimp & Grits,” a dish that’s become legendary for good reason. Instead of soft, creamy grits served in a bowl, you get battered and fried cheddar cheese grit cakes that add a crispy, golden exterior to every bite. These aren’t your grandmother’s grits, though she’d probably approve of the upgrade.

Topping those crispy cakes is a rich smoked andouille sausage cream sauce that brings smoky, savory depth to the plate. Then come the jumbo pan-seared shrimp, cooked just right so they’re tender and flavorful without being rubbery. The combination of textures—crunchy grit cakes, velvety sauce, and perfectly seared shrimp—makes every forkful interesting.

This signature dish has earned serious media attention, getting featured on the Travel Channel and in Southern Living magazine. You’ll find it front and center on both the dine-in menu and the online ordering pages, proof that Page’s knows this is their star player. The exact build of the dish stays consistent, so whether you visit on a Tuesday lunch or Saturday dinner, you’re getting the same award-winning experience that’s made food lovers talk.

3. Crowd-verified: awards and list mentions

© PICRYL

Awards can sometimes feel like marketing fluff, but when real diners vote with their wallets and their ballots, it means something. In 2024, readers of Charleston’s Choice—run by The Post and Courier, the region’s major newspaper—crowned Page’s Okra Grill the Winner for Shrimp & Grits. That’s not a panel of food snobs making the call; it’s everyday people who eat out regularly and know what tastes good.

The recognition doesn’t stop there. Eater Carolinas, a respected food publication covering the region’s dining scene, included Page’s on their roundup of the best shrimp and grits around Charleston. Their praise specifically called out those lightly fried grit cakes and the andouille cream sauce, the same elements that make the dish so memorable.

Being on multiple “best of” lists isn’t luck—it’s consistency. When food writers and regular customers both agree that a restaurant deserves recognition, you know the kitchen is doing something right. Page’s hasn’t just stumbled into the spotlight; they’ve earned it through years of delivering a dish that stands out in a region where shrimp and grits competition is fierce and everyone has an opinion about the “right” way to make it.

4. Ratings that match the hype

Image Credit: Robert Scoble from Half Moon Bay, USA, licensed under CC BY 2.0. Via Wikimedia Commons.

Social media buzz can be manufactured, but OpenTable ratings come from real diners who made reservations, showed up, ate the food, and then took time to share honest feedback. Page’s Okra Grill holds a solid 4.7-star rating on the platform, built from hundreds of recent reviews. That’s not a small sample size—it’s a meaningful collection of opinions from people who’ve actually experienced the restaurant firsthand.

High ratings on OpenTable matter because the platform verifies that reviewers actually dined at the restaurant through their reservation system. You can’t just drop by to leave a fake review or pile on without proof. When hundreds of diners consistently rate a place above 4.5 stars, it signals that the experience—food, service, atmosphere—meets or exceeds expectations most of the time.

Word-of-mouth extends beyond Instagram stories and Facebook posts. OpenTable ratings represent the kind of quiet endorsement that happens when satisfied customers take a few minutes after their meal to recommend a place to others. For Page’s, that 4.7-star score confirms what locals already know: the shrimp and grits live up to the hype, and the overall dining experience keeps people coming back and telling their friends to give it a try.

5. A family recipe with roots (since 2006) and room to grow

© Amber Dollarhite

Page’s Okra Grill opened its doors back in 2006, founded by chef and co-owner Ashleigh Sbrochi alongside her father, Tony Page. That family connection runs deep through the menu, especially in the signature shrimp and grits dish named after Ashleigh herself. Starting a restaurant is hard; keeping it thriving for nearly two decades while expanding shows real staying power and community support.

Southern Living magazine recognized that dedication by profiling Page’s as South Carolina’s pick for “The South’s Best Locally Owned Restaurant.” The article highlighted the restaurant’s loyal following and its successful growth beyond the original Mount Pleasant location. Growing from one spot to multiple locations isn’t easy in the restaurant world, where most new places close within the first few years.

What makes Page’s special isn’t just the food—it’s the story behind it. Family recipes and partnerships create a different kind of dining experience, one where the owners have personal stakes in every plate that leaves the kitchen. Nearly twenty years in, the restaurant continues to draw crowds, earn awards, and expand its reach while staying true to the Lowcountry flavors that put it on the map in the first place.