RIVAYAT CREATIVE INDIAN

Wow! I had an amazing experience at this Indian restaurant. We were a group of five, and every one of us loved the food, it was absolutely beyond expectations! The dishes were full of authentic flavor, and you could really taste the quality and care put into each plate. The service was excellent as well; the staff were friendly, attentive, and made us feel very welcome. The atmosphere was warm and truly authentic, which added so much to the overall experience. Highly recommend this place if you're looking for delicious Indian food and a great dining experience!

Brenda and I had the most incredible Indian dinner tonight at Rivayat Creative Indian an authentic over the top gourmet Indian food brought to Charleston SC by Sujith Varghese who also owns Spice Palette in Mount Pleasant. The service, food, cocktails and ambiance all over the top 5 stars. The place was fully packed with happy customers all enjoying incredible Indian food. Thank you Sujith, and special thanks to Chris and Tommy hosts for seating us at such a great table. We highly recommend Rivayat Creative Indian in Charleston for a great night out.

Now THIS place with their South Indian chefs and owner at the helm is nothing short of Amazing! At the corner of former Hominey Grille (a favorite now for the memories), and Fuel, RIVAYAT has brought beauty, warmth, and delicious foods. I had the Ribeye and my wife had the shrimp korma. We had the roasted potato and cheese appetizer with curry sauce, and finished with the pineapple cake! Oh my goodness it was a slice of heaven on earth. The service is on point and the cocktails - including the Holy Trinity with bubble salts - were unique and delicious. The decor is warm, the seating and tables comfortable. And parking is a half a block walk. You must visit. No disappointments!

My dining experience at this Indian restaurant was exceptional. The staff were incredibly friendly, attentive, and welcoming, creating a pleasant atmosphere from the moment we arrived. The food was absolutely wonderful. The food was rich in flavor, beautifully presented, and clearly prepared with care and authenticity. The food was definitely made like authentic food from Kerala. My family and I ordered the Kerala Porotta, Idukki Gold Chicken, Lamb Mappas, Toddy Shop Beef Fry, Keema Methi Kulcha, and Chemmeen Manga Curry. My personal favorite was the Lamb Mappas. Every dish was phenomenal and so flavorful. We were quite full by the end. The ambiance was elegant yet comfortable, with warm lighting and tasteful décor that made the experience even more enjoyable. Overall, this restaurant offers an outstanding combination of exceptional food, genuine hospitality, and a refined atmosphere. I highly recommend it to everyone.

Rivayat was a wonderful experience!!! We had amazing service by Sujith, and enjoyed a variety of dishes including Kashmiri naan, vegetable samosas, oysters, paneer angara, and vegetable manga curry. The flavors were vibrant and the ambiance was warm and inviting. We will be back soon for drinks and dessert! 😊

Such an impressive restaurant!!! We ordered family style (which I recommend doing) and we loved every single dish. The staff took time to walk us through the menu and made great recommendations. What an exciting addition to Charleston! Cannot wait to come back. P.S. order the chai espresso martini!!!

Beautiful dining room and lovely table setting, but service was a little standoffish and no one ever checked on how my food was, or if I wanted another glass of wine, although my water glass was kept refilled. The food is tasty, nicely presented but not really fusion or "creative" cuisine that I expected. Even mild spice is very spicy in the meen manga fish entree, nicely cooked swordfish pieces in sauce served with perfect rice. The appetizers were small, especially tiny tandoori butter grilled oysters and therefore expensive for what it is. The spring croquettes were good but I didn't detect any truffle as mentioned on the menu. The spiced olive oil cake is a huge slice and good, but the carmelized pineapple slices layered in it are tough and need a knife to cut. It was an unremarkable meal, nothing noteworthy especially compared to other Indian restaurants in other places, and I found the music on the loud side especially when the room was relatively empty.

What a beautiful gem that just opened in downtown Charleston, near MUSC! We had the delicious samosa chat for an app and the lovely lunch specials. The lamb was extraordinary! We enjoyed meeting the owner, Sujith, who was very welcoming and friendly. We can’t wait to come back for dinner! Jane & Brian C. , St. Helena Isl, SC

Best dining experience in Charleston. Hands down. Amazing service, creative presentation, and perfectly executed dishes. Everything was full of immense flavor and well spiced. The renovations made this the most cozy and friendly dining experience. This restaurant will be winning many awards in the near future!

I was invited to a Diwali dinner by a good friend and loved Rivayat. First I had a cocktail that included coconut which was so different...a little spicy but delicious. We then had a selection of appetizers to start which were great. On to our dinners....we had an assortment of dishes which included different dishes of chicken. lamb, eggplant, soup, shrimp and I'm probably missing a few. Each dish was outstanding. Here comes dessert! I remember tasting everything on the plates that were put on the table and I had a lovely mango drink that was to die for. You could have rolled me out of there because I was so full. Yes, the food was a bit spicy with all the wonderful flavors of India, but the restaurant was filled to capacity so you know the food was a big hit!

Lunch photos First time trying the lunch service at Rivayat. Portions were great, just right and the restaurant offers a lunch special everyday. Lovely dark themed relaxing environment and a great space to unwind during the day.

Lovely dining room and nicely appointed table. Service was a little standoffish, it wasn't busy but other than keeping my water glass refilled, no one asked how my food was or if I wanted another glass of wine. The food is very good but I found it expensive for what it was - 3 croquettes, and tiny oysters broiled in tandoori butter were small appetizers for the price. The meen manga fish, nicely cooked swordfish pieces, was very good and the rice with it was excellent. The spice olive cake was a huge slice and tasty but it really needed a sharp knife because there's thick, rather tough, slices of carmelized pineapple layered in it.

Rivayat had some seriously delicious and tasty food!! We started off with an order of Calicut Calamari as an app: very tasty but had more of a rubbery feel as it wasn't fried up. Drinks: we ordered the Aam Panna (left) and Coconut Lassi (right). Very yummy although you had to search for the liquor a bit. Entrees: I had the butter chicken and my friend chose the lamb vindaloo medium spice. Heads up: the medium spice is spicy (but also not spicy enough to make you doubt a spicier option if that makes sense.) the plates came with a decently sized portion of rice and there was just enough food to take back a little bit of leftovers for lunch the next day. The plate portion was decently sized however the sauce to meat ratio was off for our plates(not a bad thing though, the sauce was terrific!) we also ordered a side of garlic naan which suited the meal deliciously. Waiter was very kind and friendly offering his favorite selections and explaining menu items. We recognize this is a new restaurant downtown at the time we went so service was a bit slow to bring our plates. You can tell they put a pretty penny for the establishment as the ambiance is nice and elegant although it is a smaller building so you are likely to sit close to another table. Overall, super tasty food and would likely dine here again. :)

Rivayat blew me out of the water! It had quickly become my favorite Indian place in Charleston. The drink menu was creative and the indoor atmosphere was fun and inviting. It was packed so it was a bit loud but I loved the new decor and lay out of the restaurant as I had been to the location for other restaurants before. Our server was intelligent and had many recommendations for us. We had the rosemary naan as well as the samosas and chicken masala. Everything was delicious! I can't wait to return to try more things on the menu!

What a beautiful spot! We started our meal with Papdum and chutney..for me, a must. We each had a cocktail..one a reimagined margarita with salt foam, and the other a tamarind gin cocktail...both were amazing! For our meals I had the appetizer mussels, not over powered in spices and delicious. My husband loved his butter chicken at spice level 3. We also had samosas and they were tender and flavorful. Everything is a la carte, so expect a pricey date night...but the food was so good it was worth it. Our servers were wonderful, and attentive. Couldn't ask for better. The low was in the welcoming, or lack there of. We made our reservation through resy, confirmation in my hand on my phone. But because they didn't see it, it was a full 5 minutes of rude and uncomfortable questioning and standing there as they wonder what to do, before putting us in a dark wall corner. Mind you, 5 pm and the place was empty, nor did it fill in the less than 90 min we were there. It really was a sad start to what was supposed to be a nice evening supporting a restaurant family we have loved.

I stopped in specifically because the label said creative Indian cuisine, and a more detailed read, suggested that they were trying to bring the flavors of Kerala. However, dinner reservations were hard to get so I stopped in for lunch. At lunch, they didn't really live up to the premise in the sense that the menu was pretty basic. It was a pleasant atmosphere and they have decorated the space well. It is a smaller space and does not have outdoor seating unlike many other local restaurants. From the lunch menu, I was able to get a small thali with chickpeas, paneer, one chutney, rice, and bread. The paneer dish brought a little bit of spice and it was a pleasant meal. It seemed like they were still working the kinks out on their services. I ordered a chai but had to wait for it until I was basically done with my actual food. It had a strong flavor and I didn't require any of the basic sweetener options they provided. I'm appreciative of what they're trying to do, and I would like to stop in and sample the full menu sometime.

It was super cute in there. The staff was great! Everyone was really nice and helpful! Started off with a Coconut Lassi for my drink. I didn't love this. Ended up switching with my friend and had her chai expresso martini. It could've been more chai for me. 7/10 Then had the Pani Puri, Tandoori Oysters & Spring Croquettes as our appetizers The Pani Puri are hands down the best thing of the night for me! It comes with a different Pani each time ours was blueberry and the flavored profile was just amazing! 15/10 The Tandoori oysters were also good but were small since it's not oyster season the flavor was good. I bet they are even better during season. 8/10 The spring croquettes were delicious and came with a delicious dipping sauce kind of a spicy sweet chili with mayo. 9/10 For my entree I had the Chemmeen Manga Curry. This would've been more amazing but it was a tad too spicy for me even though I asked for mild. It was definitely the spiciest entree on our table. But the flavoring was good! I would rank it higher if I wasn't slightly dying the entire time I was eating it. 8.5/10 We also got rosemary naan which I loved! Great to dip in my curry! 10/10

Wow once you get over the prices and realize lunch will cost almost $100 then you can enjoy the atmosphere of classiness and the aroma of delicious food to be served. They treated us well. We ordered the Mango Lassi and a Seva Spritz. We had the lunch special. Choosing Dhaba Chicken which was spicy and Vegetable Korma. I had the Butter Chicken and Chan Masala all were delicious.

We love Indian food & were so excited to eat at Rivayat! We were absolutely thrilled by the tandoori oysters, samosa chaat & pani puri. The atmosphere is fresh, with music fading from traditional Indian - Nicki Minaj. The owner was super friendly. I'm still dreaming about this chai espresso martini!! Can't wait to come back with a group to try everything on the menu soon.

Rivayat is a lovely, upscale South Indian restaurant with modern flair. The service is top notch and the food is delicious. We had the calamari, gunpowder dosa, and shrimp curry. Everything was tasty, but I'll be dreaming about that dosa. My only complaint is the tables are quite close together.

Loved this place! The open seating inside has an upscale and comfortable vibe and everything was spotless. The staff were so friendly and really attentive. I got the lunch special, which let me try a bunch of different dishes, all of them were delicious! Portions were huge, and I left totally full. Can't wait to come back!

As you read this have your phone or laptop nearby to make a reservation for Rivayat Creative Indian because you will definitely want to! Our experience here was mind blowing! The interior is sleek with subtle elegance providing an upscale yet relaxing environment. Rivayat means "tradition" and they embrace that thoroughly. We started with a few cocktails, so I ordered the Punjabi Old Fashioned which was rich and bourbon forward with an anise frozen inside the ice cube. My wife tried the Holi Trinity with tequila, pineapple, green chili syrup and topped with salt air bubbles. This turned out to be our favorite of the evening providing sweet, spicy and salty notes. The bubbles were truly unique! For our first appetizer we went with the Garlic & Cheese Kulcha. A cheese filled bread which reminded me of an Indian cheese pizza. A cup of garlic aioli provided a tangy and spicy counterpart. It was very hard not to fill up on these! Up next, we enjoyed our favorite bite of the meal the Tandoori Oysters. A half dozen baked oysters infused with tandoori spiced butter. The oysters were perfectly cooked, and that spiced butter was amazing. Be sure when eating them that you drink that butter with them! For our second round of cocktails my wife had the Aam Panna which was a rum drink with mango syrup, lime juice, club soda and topped with mint and mango foam. The mango provides a great cool down when eating spicy food and you could really taste the mint. I tried the Udyana with gin, tamarind, pomegranate honey and lemon. I think this would make a great dessert drink as it was sweet and tasty. Then it was on to the entrees which arrived with complimentary garlic naan. My wife ordered her favorite the Tandoori chicken a bone-in half chicken marinated in hung yogurt and classic tandoori spices. It was juicy with a nice spice blend. I had to try the Prawns Pista Korma which was shrimp cooked in a mild cashew and almond creamy sauce and topped with pistachios. You could choose your spice level, and I chose medium which was just the right level of heat for me. The sauce was creamy with light notes of nut and so smooth. The shrimp portion was quite generous having ten shrimp with the dish. All seafood here is locally sourced which I appreciated. There is a lunch menu, but it differs from the dinner menu and as of this posting is not available online so I will enclose a copy. It was perhaps one of the best dining experiences I have had in a while. Great service, delicious food so make that reservation now! You won't regret it!

Incredible food, incredible service, my new favorite restaurant! Went here with my husband, toddler and friend who was visiting and we had the most delicious meal. Ordered the lobster special (OMG!!), lamb korma, tikka masala and a few nans. I'll be craving this often.

Indian food in Charleston?, you bet! This place was close to our rental and they accommodated us on a busy Saturday night without a reservation. Place is cozy and staff was great. The butter chicken with garlic naan was very good. The lamb pista korma was a bit of a disappointment with not as much flavor as I had hoped. The dishes are pricy too. Special treat not regular night out place.

I had lunch here opening day and we loved it! Attentive service. Fresh, healthy, and delicious food with options for vegetarian. Well balanced flavors. Beautiful new restaurant!

We had an amazing dinner at Rivayat. Service was great. We had an idea of what we wanted before we got there, but the server took time to walk us through the idea of the restaurant and tied it to different items. We shifted our plan a bit and were not disappointed. The Gunpowder Dosa was not something we considered - but were glad we did. The cocktails were on point. The Naan was the best we've ever had. We can't wait to go back and try more dishes!

We met friends for dinner at a new Indian restaurant in Charleston. Rivayat has a welcoming wait staff and beautiful atmosphere. The menu has a variety of vegetarian and non vegetarian options, along with a fun-hip drink menu. We ordered a variety of appetizers and entrées to share amongst our friends. The Samosas were light and flavorful with a hint of hidden spice. and the Calamari was surprisingly light (not fried) and full of spicy flavors. The entrées were a perfect sharable size. We ordered Butter Chicken, Chicken Tikka Masala, and Dhaba Lamb Curry. It was wonderful that we could select the heat/spice level of each entrée. We also shared Butter Naan, light and crisp on the bottom. The entire meal was delicious. We had no room for dessert...maybe next time. By far the best Indian food in the Charleston area. Make a reservation, the restaurant was packed by the time we were paying our bill.

AMAZING experience! The food was fantastic and the service was excellent. The interior of the restaurant is really pretty, and the ambiance is fabulous. I highly recommend and I will be going again!

Lighting, music, food - it was all great. Don't feel bloated like I normally do after eating Indian meals, the waiter was attentive and ensured our order was correct - the lighting and music felt so relaxed and warm.

Delicious dinner at Rivayat! The tandoori oysters were delicious and I loved how fun the Pani Puri was. The beef fry appetizer was spicy but flavorful. Would definitely order the meena manga fish dish again. Little loud atmosphere but great service. 10/10 chai espresso martini too and the spiced olive oil cake was a nice dessert. Would definitely come back!

These guys really know how to make an authentic experience and cuisine!!! I have been to their sister restaurant almost 100 times. They're the best!!

Spice Palette in Mt Pleasant, SC came first and has been our all time favorite and go to for Indian cuisine since it opened a few years ago. Kudos to Sujith for recently opening up his second restaurant Rivayat in downtown Charleston, SC. We just had lunch there with our family this past weekend. OMG, the food, service and atmosphere is top notch!! No joke, eating this deliciousness makes one feel emotional. I always say that food is love! You sure can feel it being warmly welcomed in and then the wonderfully intoxicating mouth watering fragrances hitting your olfactory senses. Then, there comes the enjoyment of the adventures of every delightful and delicious mouthful! It's such a full and extremely satifying experience and meant to be savored! We cannot wait to go back for dinner!! It is a beautiful treat and we are thankful to now have both options. It will be a hard choice!! Lol! Sujith and his staff do it right regardless if you head into Spice Palette in Mt P or the brand new Rivayat downtown. OK, my mouth is watering! We may have a bit of an addiction. Haha! Cheers to both and thanks for sharing the great food love here in the lowcountry!!! :)