Gone are the days when caviar was considered a rare luxury to be enjoyed by a few. Now, the salty specialty appears on restaurant menus across the South, often in surprising ways. (Even McDonald’s got in on the trend with its viral McCaviar kits.) If you’re hankering for your next briny, buttery bite, consider these standout options around the South.
The Caviar Bar at Zero George
Charleston, South Carolina
“Caviar continues to trend because it represents quiet, informed luxury,” says Dean Porter Andrews, co-founder of Easton Porter Group, which operates the Charleston boutique hotel Zero George. And eating Regiis Ova caviar out of an antique silver serving dish on the property’s intimate, eight-person porch bar can only be described as luxurious. Take a bump, pair it with a potato chip, or enjoy it on top of a deviled egg while you sip from the award-winning wine list.
East End Bistrot
Raleigh
Chef William D’Auvray covers both ends of the caviar spectrum at this Asian-infused French restaurant. In addition to ordering a traditional caviar service with homemade sourdough blinis, you can add a dollop of the good stuff to his karaage chicken nuggets, or try his caviar sandwich on toasted brioche with crème fraîche. “That’s more of a giveaway given the cost on my end,” he says of the sandwich, available Tuesday through Thursday for just $15, “but it’s a fun way to introduce people to caviar.”
Pier Top
Fort Lauderdale
Call ahead to order the $1,000 caviar pie to enjoy while you soak in the views from this seventeenth-floor bar. The extravagant offering is big enough for four to six people to enjoy and comes with nearly 125 grams of caviar perched on top of layers of smoked salmon, whipped crème fraîche, and chives in a golden tart shell. Bits of gold leaf dot the top of the pie for additional flair.
Bourbon Steak
Nashville
In a playful nod to childhood snack days, this Music City steakhouse offers a caviar “twinkie” in which yuzu crème fraîche is piped inside a cornmeal shell and topped with Petrossian caviar. “We’re blending luxury with nostalgia,” executive chef Travis Tanner says. “It is a small bite, but it tells a complete story about approachability, contrast, and the joy of elevating something unexpected.”
Mister Charles
Dallas
At this French- and Italian-inspired hotspot, chef Jared Harms takes cues from both cuisines for his caviar pasta. He describes the dish—fusilli in a dashi butter sauce with creamy fontina, topped with a spoonful of Osetra caviar—as a “decadent mac and cheese.” If you’re looking for something bite-size, the restaurant also serves a chicken nugget paired with caviar as well as a petite egg salad canapé with caviar on top.
Jewel of the South
New Orleans
On Wednesdays, “casual caviar” happy hour lasts all day at this French Quarter institution. Instead of serving it atop blinis, the team dredges thin potato slices with a flour mix and fries them into perfectly puffed pillows to accompany their Calvisius caviar.
Marigold by Jean-Georges
Keswick, Virginia
World-famous chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten first introduced his caviar egg toast at his flagship restaurant in New York City over fifteen years ago. Now, his signature dish—two pieces of buttery brioche sandwiching carefully toasted egg yolks and topped with a generous amount of caviar—is also available in Virginia wine country. “If you close your eyes it’s like eating a fancy grilled cheese sandwich,” he says.
