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Xiao Bao Biscuit
Chinese · Charleston
Restaurant in Charleston, United States
Book with PearlThe Read
Regional Chinese, Charleston Register
Chef
Joey Ryan
Dress
Casual
Why go
Xiao Bao Biscuit holds a Michelin Plate (2025) and three consecutive Opinionated About Dining Cheap Eats rankings, making it one of Charleston's most decorated casual restaurants. Chef Joey Ryan's Chinese-influenced kitchen on Rutledge Ave delivers genuine culinary credibility at an accessible price point. Open Monday through Saturday, easy to book, a strong call for groups who want flavour over formality.
About Xiao Bao Biscuit
Who Should Book Xiao Bao Biscuit
Xiao Bao Biscuit is the right call for anyone who wants a casual, flavour-forward dinner in Charleston without the formality or price point of the city's New American circuit. It earns a Michelin Plate (2025) and a Pearl Recommended rating, it has appeared on Opinionated About Dining's Cheap Eats in North America list every year from 2023 through 2025. For a special occasion that doesn't demand white tablecloths, or for a group that wants something with genuine culinary credibility at a price that won't require negotiation, this is a strong choice on Rutledge Ave.
The Xiao Bao Biscuit Experience
Chef Joey Ryan runs a kitchen that sits comfortably outside Charleston's dominant Southern and New American narrative. The cuisine is classified as Chinese, but the restaurant has built its reputation on a loosely Asian, market-driven approach that draws on a range of regional influences. That positioning has kept it relevant and well-regarded long enough to accumulate a consistent awards record; OAD ranked it #72 in 2023, #107 in 2024, #117 in 2025, which reflects a large and vocal following even as its relative ranking has shifted.
The room at 224 Rutledge Ave is casual. This is not a venue designed for hushed celebration-style dining in the way that FIG or Vern's are. Groups considering Xiao Bao Biscuit for a special occasion should factor that in. The energy skews lively and informal, which makes it a better fit for a birthday dinner among friends than a business meal or an anniversary where atmosphere carries significant weight. There is no confirmed private dining option in the current data, so groups wanting a dedicated space should call ahead to confirm availability before planning around it.
It is open six days a week, Monday through Saturday, 11 am to 10 pm, closed Sunday. That consistent daily-to-night availability is useful for travellers with shifting schedules. Lunch service starting at 11 am gives it an edge for daytime visits, hitting it at lunch typically means a shorter wait and a more relaxed pace than peak dinner hours.
Know Before You Go
- Address: 224 Rutledge Ave, Charleston, SC 29401
- Hours: Monday–Saturday, 11 am–10 pm; Sunday closed
- Booking difficulty: Easy
- Dress code: Casual; no formal attire expected or required
- Awards: Michelin Plate (2025); Pearl Recommended (2025); OAD Cheap Eats in North America #117 (2025)
- Price range: Not confirmed, classified as OAD Cheap Eats, which positions it at the accessible end of Charleston dining
More from Charleston
Xiao Bao Biscuit sits within a city with a strong dining scene across price points. Browse our full Charleston restaurants guide for a complete picture, or explore our Charleston hotels guide, bars guide, wineries guide, and experiences guide to plan the rest of your trip. For Chinese-influenced restaurants with serious culinary intent in other cities, Mister Jiu's in San Francisco and Restaurant Tim Raue in Berlin are two points of reference at the higher end of the category. Other Pearl Recommended casual spots worth knowing in Charleston include Malagón Mercado y Taperia and Lowland.
Planning details
- Hours
- Monday: 11 am–10 pm · Tuesday: 11 am–10 pm
- Location
- 224 Rutledge Ave, Charleston, SC 29401
- Website
- xiaobaobiscuit.com
The take
The Take
The Vibe
Xiao Bao Biscuit occupies a converted service station with a high ceiling, concrete floors and exposed rafters, and the result reads as industrial-casual rather than formal. The interior favors volume and a canteenlike layout, so the room feels energetic and unpretentious even as the kitchen takes its cooking seriously. It positions itself deliberately as a counterpoint to Charleston’s white‑table institutions: low on frills, high on personality, and unapologetically informal while still delivering focused, Asian-inflected cooking.
Best For
This is a place for casual, convivial meals—lunches and dinners where the point is good food without ceremony. The layout and service style make it well suited to groups and people looking for a relaxed night out rather than an intimate celebration. Because the kitchen stays open later than many white‑tableroom neighbors, it also works as a practical evening option on weekdays. It’s less about a quiet date or formal business dinner and more about lively shared plates and a social atmosphere.
Ordering Tips
The restaurant keeps extended hours (roughly 11am to 10pm Monday through Saturday; closed Sunday), so arriving for lunch or earlier in the evening can help avoid the busiest periods—'evenings fill quickly' on weekdays, the copy notes. Reviews point to consistent execution, so timing your visit around its open window is a reliable strategy. Expect a canteenlike experience where the pace is brisk and the room favors volume over intimacy.
Planning details
Hours
- Monday
- 11 am–10 pm
- Tuesday
- 11 am–10 pm
- Wednesday
- 11 am–10 pm
- Thursday
- 11 am–10 pm
- Friday
- 11 am–10 pm
- Saturday
- 11 am–10 pm
- Sunday
- Closed
Location
224 Rutledge Ave, Charleston, SC 29401 · Directions
Recognition and awards
Also consider
Also Consider
- Rodney Scott's BBQ; Barbecue, Barbecue
- 167 Raw; Oyster Bar, Oyster Bar
- Edmunds Oast; New American, New American
- FIG; New American, New American
- Husk; Southern, Southern
Restaurant context
How Xiao Bao Biscuit Compares in Charleston
Against Charleston's most-discussed casual options, Xiao Bao Biscuit holds a distinct position. Rodney Scott's BBQ is the better choice if you want a single-focus, deeply regional experience; whole-hog barbecue with national name recognition; but it does not have the range or the awards depth that Xiao Bao Biscuit carries. 167 Raw is the pick for oysters and a focused seafood format; those are different use cases and the two venues rarely compete for the same booking decision.
At the more polished end of the Charleston dining set, FIG and Edmunds Oast both offer more formal New American experiences with deeper wine programs and rooms better suited to business meals or anniversary dinners. If occasion atmosphere is a priority, book one of those instead. Husk sits in the Southern heritage lane and draws heavily on provenance and ingredient sourcing; it targets a different diner than Xiao Bao Biscuit's Asian-influenced, casual-but-credentialled approach.
The practical case for Xiao Bao Biscuit over its peers is value and booking ease. It is the easiest of the group to get into, carries the most consistent multi-year awards record in its price tier, gives you genuine culinary range that neither the barbecue spots nor the oyster bars can match. For a first visit to Charleston dining that isn't a special-occasion splurge, it is the most defensible choice in the set.
Explore Charleston
Around this place
Discover more on Pearl
Unlock the full Xiao Bao Biscuit guide in Pearl, including awards, comparisons, FAQs, planning details, and nearby places.
Compare Xiao Bao Biscuit
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xiao Bao Biscuit | Chinese | 2026 OAD Cheap Eats in North America Highly Recommended2025 OAD Cheap Eats in North America Ranked · #1172025 Michelin Plate2024 OAD Cheap Eats in North America Ranked · #1072023 OAD Cheap Eats in North America in Ranked · #72Pearl Recommended Restaurants | Easy |
| Rodney Scott's BBQ | Barbecue | 2025 OAD Cheap Eats in North America Ranked · #444Chef's Table Featured Restaurants · 20252025 Michelin Bib Gourmand2024 OAD Cheap Eats in North America Ranked · #3202023 OAD Cheap Eats in North America in RecommendedPearl Recommended Restaurants | Unknown |
| 167 Raw | Oyster Bar | 2026 OAD Casual in North America Recommended2024 OAD Casual in North America Ranked · #5742023 OAD Casual in North America RecommendedPearl Recommended Restaurants | Unknown |
| Edmunds Oast | New American | 2026 OAD Casual in North America Ranked · #702025 OAD Casual in North America Ranked · #932024 OAD Casual in North America Ranked · #382023 OAD Casual in North America Ranked · #29 | Unknown |
| FIG | New American | 2026 OAD Casual in North America Recommended2025 Robb Report 100 Greatest American Restaurants of the 21st Century · #662025 OAD Casual in North America Ranked · #2382025 Michelin Plate2024 OAD Casual in North America Ranked · #832023 OAD Casual in North America Ranked · #672023 OAD Gourmet Casual Dining in North America Ranked · #71Pearl Recommended Restaurants | Unknown |
| Husk | Southern | 2026 Wine Spectator Award of Excellence2026 OAD Casual in North America Recommended2025 Robb Report 100 Greatest American Restaurants of the 21st Century · #152025 OAD Casual in North America Ranked · #2562025 Wine Spectator Award of ExcellenceChef's Table Featured Restaurants · 20252024 OAD Casual in North America Ranked · #2622023 OAD Gourmet Casual Dining in North America Ranked · #362023 OAD Casual in North America Highly Recommended | Unknown |
How Xiao Bao Biscuit stacks up against the competition.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
How far ahead should I book Xiao Bao Biscuit?
Book a few days out for weekday lunch; weekend evenings fill faster and a week's notice is safer. The restaurant holds a Michelin Plate and has appeared in OAD's Cheap Eats North America rankings three consecutive years, so it pulls consistent demand. Walk-ins are worth trying at opening (11 am), particularly on weekdays. Sunday is the one day they're closed, so factor that in.
What should I wear to Xiao Bao Biscuit?
Dress casually. Xiao Bao Biscuit sits in the casual end of Charleston's dining spectrum; the same neighbourhood that includes relaxed neighbourhood spots on Rutledge Ave. Clean jeans and a t-shirt are fine; no one is dressing up for this room. Save the blazer for FIG or Husk down the road.
What should a first-timer know about Xiao Bao Biscuit?
Chef Joey Ryan runs a kitchen that doesn't follow Charleston's dominant Southern playbook; expect Asian-inflected cooking that sits outside the grits-and-BBQ circuit. It's ranked #117 on OAD's 2025 Cheap Eats North America list (up from #72 in 2023 and back from #107 in 2024), and holds a Michelin Plate, so the quality-to-price ratio is the main draw. Come at lunch if you want a lower-pressure introduction; the menu runs all day through 10 pm.
Is Xiao Bao Biscuit good for a special occasion?
For a low-key celebration where the food is the point, yes; the Michelin Plate recognition and OAD ranking give it credibility without the formality. For a milestone dinner where ambiance and wine service carry weight, FIG or Husk will serve that occasion better. Xiao Bao Biscuit earns its place on a celebratory shortlist through cooking quality, not ceremony.
Is lunch or dinner better at Xiao Bao Biscuit?
Lunch is the lower-friction option: easier to walk in, same menu, the room is less pressed. Dinner gets busier as the week progresses toward Friday and Saturday. Both run until 10 pm Monday through Saturday, so there's no abbreviated lunch service to worry about. If you're visiting on a Sunday, note the kitchen is closed; plan around it.
