If you’re looking for a new casual place to eat in Spartanburg, The Silo might be right up your alley. The brains behind RJ Rockers and HenHouse Brunch combined forces to bring us an eclectic menu of shareable plates with a slight Cajun flair. Like a lot of people, you may be wondering how you get there: you can enter through RJ Rockers or through the main entrance from the Cribbs/Silo parking lot (pictured below). Parking can be found all around, but your best bets are probably the QS1 lot and the lot down the hill behind The Silo after 5pm.

All over the new Spartanburg restaurant are indications of a lifelong love of beer. There is a fabulous beer can collection room, with a garage-door type window that will be great when the weather is consistently warm. The walls are adorned with the most extensive beer can collection I’ve certainly seen, and checking them out is a super fun way to pass the time with friends. (This room does have chairs now!!)

You’ll also find a beer bottle wall on the way to the bathrooms, whose ceilings are decked with old beer crates and scrabble letters. I also love the garage door that pays homage to the buildings original purpose: Dodge. 

The bar is long and inviting, a great place to wind down at the end of a long day. You’ll find all your favorite RJ Rockers beer on tap, plus some specialties like home brewed ginger beer. While your enjoying that cold beer, take a look at the first two sections of the menu for some smaller bites that are sure to please like the Smoked Trout Terrine – you need to like fishy things, but if you do, you’ll love this appetizer which comes topped with a fried trout tail (brings me back to my childhood memories of fishing and cooking with my dad!) If you want to try a little bit of everything, get The Chow Tray to share: you'll get mini biscuits and slices of tenderloin to make little sandwiches, slaw, fried oysters, deviled eggs and several other sides that are all inspired by beer.

If you’re with a group of friends, don’t be afraid to order several dishes to pass around! My favorites to share include the Chicken Not Pie, Upstate Poutine and Ancho Chili Chicken Wings. The Chicken Not Pie is a biscuit as big as your face, smothered with piping hot, creamy gravy filling from a chicken pot pie. This dish goes a long way! The Upstate Poutine has a lot of flavors going on between the blue pimento cheese (tangy), the Son of a Peach preserves (sweet), the bacon (salty), and finally the gravy with its onion-y goodness. Prepare to lick your fingers clean. The chicken wings have a great crunch on the outside while staying juicy on the inside, and the rub is sweet, smoky and a little bit spicy. 

For a larger meal that you might not want to share, I’d head toward the Catfish & Chips, BBQ Biscuit, Crawfish and Collards, Crab Cakes or the Shrimp and Sweet Potatoes. (Can you tell I’ve already been here a few times??) The Catfish and Chips is a huge serving of hot, crispy catfish with fries on the side as well as some of the unique boiled peanut slaw, a pile of pickled radish, and the house made tartar sauce. You could eat the fish with your hands the way it holds together, and I like to take a bite with a little of the radish and tartar sauce. The boiled peanut and apple slaw is a must-try! I loved it, but the strong peanut flavor might not be for everyone. BBQ Biscuit – another enormous biscuit, this time covered in BBQ and served with your choice of sauces: Carolina Mustard, Kansas City, or Alabama White (or try all 3!). 

Crawfish & Collards – surprisingly delicious with the crawfish and collards smothered in a creamy sauce. The star of this dish could have been the cornbread which had a crunch crust and was quite sweet, but use it to soak up some of that sauce…YUM. You may think crab cakes are a fairly standard dish, but you know when you get good ones – these are chock full of lump crab meat and served with a corn salsa that gives just the right amount of sweetness and crunch. And the Shrimp and Sweet Potatoes – what southerner doesn’t love shrimp and grits? Well get ready for this twist: cajun shrimp + crispy sweet potatoes over a corn risotto...delectable. 

We’re not done yet, you haven’t had dessert. It’s a Pound Cake Flight! Three small pound cakes with seasonal toppings like strawberry, chili chocolate and blackberry. Get an order and pass these around at the end of the night to satisfy everyone’s sweet tooth! (and see, THEY even pair well with a beer flight)

​What I love: the casual, comfortable vibe, the unique, flavorful dishes, and that it all pairs perfectly with our local brews from RJ Rockers. As a new place to eat in Spartanburg, The Silo just fits right in.

location.
225 W. Main Street, Suite 100
10th level of the AC Hotel

hours.
mon-sat 4:30pm - until

what they are known for.
stunning views and shareable dishes

Spartanburg has been elevated…by Level 10. Located at the top of the new AC Hotel by Marriott, Level 10 is an upscale dining experience that (IMHO) Spartanburg has needed. Not only is the food spectacular but the views are unreal. ​

The restaurant itself is quite spacious, with several semi-separate dining spaces plus the bar which extends onto the “rooftop”. There are both booths and tables – check out these swanky chairs! I love when tables are set before you sit down…really taking it up a notch.

The dishes are described as shareable, so kind of like tapas. There were 4 of us, so naturally we ordered about 9 dishes in total. It may have been a little much but #noregrets.

Our first round included the Pomme Frites, Roasted Mushrooms, Grilled Oysters, and the Crab Beignets. The beignets surprised me in that they were denser than I imagined – basically like a tempura battered, deep fried, crab cake ball – no complaints here!  Plus the tempura onion rings served with them were to so light and crispy - a perfect compliment. The grilled oysters are great even for people who don’t love oysters because they are cooked through and sprinkled with cheese. The roasted mushrooms had a delicious complex flavor with parmesan and truffle vinaigrette, and went perfectly with a bite of the creamy polenta. But I’m not going to lie, the pomme frites were probably the hit of the first round. Yes, they are "just" French fries, but they were cooked in a way that made them both soft and crunchy, and the dusting of rosemary, garlic and parmesan…finger licking good. 

The second round included our only “For the Table” menu item, which are larger and should be ordered early. The Roasted Chicken Roulade with sage and lemon-caper juice was a great main course dish that everyone loved. We got the Roasted Beets to go along side, and even if you aren’t a huge fan of beets, I implore you to try them! They were sweet and earthy, but mild – perfect side dish.

Last round included the Gnocchi, Seared Salmon and PEI Mussels. I’m a huge fan of mussels, and these did not disappoint. While the mussels themselves were yummy, the best part is obviously dipping that crusty bread into the coconutty, green curry sauce they were cooked in. The seared salmon is a great dish to share because it is mild yet still has a twist with the celery root puree and fennel. Lastly, the gnocchi, which was heavy on the duck confit, was doughy and complimented well by the duck, apples, walnuts and sage. 

Before and/or after your meal, be sure to take time to take in the stunning views. I think we’re all looking at Spartanburg a little differently these days, and the view from Level 10 is definitely one you must take in.

​And, as always, if you’re looking for more Spartanburg restaurant reviews, look no further!

If you’ve been following Hub City Bites, it is no surprise to you that we have another newcomer to downtown Spartanburg: Bond Street Wines. 

Owner Jeff House has been a resident of Spartanburg for over 10 years and has just opened the second branch of Bond Street Wines on Main Street! They specialize in offering unique and limited production wines either by the glass or bottle in the store, or you can take some home to share – perfect for the upcoming holiday season. He is extremely knowledgeable…I learned more about what I was drinking in the 10 minutes he spoke to us than I ever have at any wine bar. 

The store is simple and modern, with floor-to-ceiling shelves lined with all the varieties you could hope for. In addition to a long and inviting bar, there are two high-top tables with fabulous views of main street through the enormous wrap-around windows in the corner shop. 

Bond Street will offer charcuterie to-order from Renato’s on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, and be on the lookout for announcements about wine-tastings for the community.

​Spartanburg is proud to have not only Bond Street Wines but also Carriage House Wines to fulfill our dreams of hosting that perfect meal. Please consider patronizing both for the holiday season, and welcome Bond Street Wines to Spartanburg!

​Be sure to keep an eye out for the next RJ Rockers beer dinner because these are events that you Spartanburg foodies do not want to miss!  This collaboration with HenHouse Brunch was the third dinner in the series, the first two being with Southside Smokehouse and The Farmer’s Table.  How I wish I’d been at those!  Included in your ticket price is a pint of beer to enjoy while you wait for the first course to be served, so be sure to get there early to enjoy your pint.