by 
By Mark A Leon
A tiny Harleston Village bistro has earned a major national spotlight, with Merci in Charleston named to The New York Times’ 2026 Restaurant List — its annual collection of 50 favorite restaurants across the United States.
Merci, located at 28 Pitt Street in Harleston Village, opened in March 2025 and is owned by chef Michael Zentner and his wife, Courtney. The intimate restaurant occupies a former corner grocery and has just 24 seats.
The Times describes Merci as a French and Lowcountry bistro, highlighting its changing menu, French technique, Lowcountry ingredients and what it calls clever twists on familiar dishes. Among the dishes specifically mentioned are housemade focaccia with stracciatella and Benton’s ham, leeks vinaigrette with Cheddar and mint, and a beef Wellington for two.
The recognition is particularly notable because The New York Times does not rank the 50 restaurants. Instead, the publication calls them its “50 favorite places in America right now.” For the 2026 list, a team of 16 reporters and editors traveled throughout the country. The Times says its reviewers ate as regular diners would — making reservations, standing in lines and occasionally walking in unannounced — and paid for their meals rather than accepting complimentary food.
Merci is the only South Carolina restaurant on the 2026 list.
The Times’ Patrick Farrell wrote that the restaurant’s small size can make securing one of its 24 seats something of an “odyssey,” but characterized the welcome at the end as feeling like a homecoming.
The national recognition comes just 18 months after Merci opened, making the Charleston restaurant one of the newer establishments to receive a place on this year’s national list.
The New York Times’ Complete 2026 Restaurant List
The list is not ranked. Here are all 50 restaurants, organized alphabetically by state:
Alabama
- Little Bird — Fairhope
- Perennial — Montgomery
Arizona
- Durant’s — Phoenix
Arkansas
- Lasang Pinoy — Rogers
California
- Yerord Mas Bakery and Deli — Glendale
- Komal — Los Angeles
- Jacaranda — Los Angeles
- Restaurant Naides — San Francisco
- Mesa Agricola — Escondido
- Bar Panisse — Berkeley
Colorado
- Heretik — Denver
- Milpero — Denver
District of Columbia
- Rye Bunny — Washington, D.C.
- Albi — Washington, D.C.
Florida
- Tin Tin — Miami
- The Tides Market — Safety Harbor
Georgia
- So. Fox — Atlanta
Hawaii
- Māze — Honolulu
Illinois
- Creepies — Chicago
- Kouklas Greek Eatery — Niles
Louisiana
- Dakar NOLA — New Orleans
- Dolfy’s — New Orleans
Maine
- Douro — Portland
Maryland
- Chef’s Counter at Burnt Hill Farm — Clarksburg
Massachusetts
- Dalia — Boston
Michigan
- Tacos Wuey — Detroit
- Roses — Detroit
Minnesota
- Khue’s Kitchen — St. Paul
Missouri
- Anjin — Kansas City
New Jersey
- Korai Kitchen — Jersey City
New Mexico
- Leo’s — Santa Fe
New York
- Bistrot Ha — New York City
- Meju — New York City
- Yamada — New York City
- Zoli — New York City
North Carolina
- Big Cat — Raleigh
Ohio
- Rosy — Cleveland
Oregon
- Hayward — Carlton
- OK Chicken and Khao Soi — Portland
Pennsylvania
- Titusz — Pittsburgh
- Bomb Bomb — Philadelphia
South Carolina
- Merci — Charleston
Tennessee
- Junior — Nashville
- Cauponor — Nashville
Texas
- Paprika — Austin
- Elemi Taqueria — El Paso
Utah
- Junah — Salt Lake City
Washington
- Passage — Langley
- Hama Hama Oyster Saloon — Lilliwaup
Wisconsin
- La Sirena — Ephraim
The complete list and individual restaurant descriptions are published by The New York Times.
For Charleston, the takeaway is simple: a 24-seat neighborhood bistro that opened only in March 2025 is now part of a national restaurant conversation — putting Merci and Charleston’s food scene in the spotlight alongside restaurants from 38 states and Washington, D.C.
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Photo Credit: Merci
