From Cupcakes to Tapas: Welcome to Butter

By Rebekah Phillips

What do cupcakes and tapas have in common?: Butter

In Charleston, we love food- and sharing. If you’re looking for a new place with shareable plates, visit Butter in North Charleston. “People don’t know what tapas is,” laughs April Robinson, owner, explaining her biggest challenge.

Four months ago, April shut the doors to her then cupcake bakery. She remodeled and reopened as a tapas restaurant. Wait- tapas? “I like to have a variety of things.  When I go out to eat I want the chicken, fish, beef, and two desserts.” Her solution: small plates.  “Tapas encourages conversation, April says, “It’s how I like to entertain- food, wine, family.”

Walking into Butter feels like walking into a casual, modern, version of Marie Antoinette’s castle. Even the décor suggests a variety of flavors. Soft lighting and romantic patterns evoke the butterflies of a first date, while the Pandora station builds an atmosphere reminiscent of a family dinner. “I wanted to bring downtown to North Charleston… but leave some of it downtown,” she explains.

April wants her menu to be locally sourced and true to southern taste buds. Right now, the menu boasts braised beef and sweet potato grits- April’s favorite thing on the menu. Customers enjoy a lobster-tail corndog served with a sweet and spicy Lowcountry sauce made with heirloom tomatoes.

The cupcake hasn’t been lost, however.  April features eight cupcakes a week- changing with the seasons. Currently, her menu favorite is a peach-cobbler-filled cupcake. She also has a banana-hummingbird cupcake, combining bananas, pecans, and pineapples, topped with a cream-cheese frosting.

Note: the tapas are meant for sharing, but maybe keep the cupcakes for yourself.