Every year claims restaurants. Some close quietly after failed launches. Others exit dramatically after decades of service. 2025 brought losses across that spectrum, reshaping Charleston’s dining map in ways that will echo into the new year.

Charleston Grill’s closure hit hardest. The Belmond Charleston Place flagship defined fine dining in this city for more than 30 years. Its departure leaves a gap at the very top of the market that no single restaurant will fill.

Fuel Cantina’s end touched a different crowd. The converted gas station near MUSC had fed medical students and hospital staff for years, earning national exposure when Guy Fieri visited in 2012. Its closure removes an institution from a neighborhood that needed it.

The Rarebit, known for elevated comfort food and a devoted following, couldn’t survive the economics that plague Charleston restaurants. Rising rents, labor costs, and food prices squeeze margins that were never generous.

Marina Variety Store’s uncertain status rattled the city when word spread that the 62-year-old waterfront institution might close. Whether it returns in some form remains unknown, but the anxiety its silence provoked revealed how much these legacy places mean.

La Bonne Franquette and Bumpa’s also departed, adding to a year that felt unusually cruel to established restaurants.

The closures don’t tell the whole story. New restaurants continue opening, some already generating buzz that will define 2026’s dining conversation. The Wedge in West Ashley draws daily lines. Daniel Humm’s Charleston Place residency brings star power. Michelin stars landed on three local restaurants.

The churn continues. That’s how restaurant cities work. But the losses this year struck at establishments that felt permanent, reminding everyone that nothing is.