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Lacto
Ovo
American
Bakery
Non-veg
Serves meat, vegan options available. Cafe serves coffee drinks (almond milk available) & lots of vegan bakery & salad options, as well as gluten free. Some eggs & cheese, as well as dairy milk, is used. Has a comfortable interior with lots of seating. NOTE: Offers pork from time to time. Open Mon-Fri 7:00am-5:00pm, Sat-Sun 8:00am-3:00pm.
25 Reviews
First Review by DarleneMoak
lizardlucas
Points +1298
If only they labeled their vegan options - Edit
My sister picked some things up for me and the person working the front immediately went for the dairy free (but not vegan) selection. Thankfully my sister double checked and then someone more knowledgeable came up to help, but that can and will throw a lot of people. The cinnamon twist pastry was great, the oat bar wasn't my favorite, but I'll definitely be back to try more things. Make sure to double check honey and eggs if you get sent to the dairy free part of the case!
Read morePros: It has options, Good quality pastries
Cons: No labeled vegan options , Staff not always knowledgeable
Guest
JeramyNeugent
Points +67
Love this place - Edit
Great service and food. Not a lot of vegan options but what they have is great! The coffee is also great! We love going here for breakfast whenever we’re in Charleston!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2026-04-06
Pros: Flavor , Coffee , Vibes and patio
Cons: Would love more vegan options
Guest
KristinaEatsPlants
Points +7032
Cozy Café with Delicious Pastries 🤤 - Edit
I stopped by The Harbinger Café & Bakery and loved that they had a few dairy-free pastries and several milk options for drinks. I tried the coffee blueberry cake and it was absolutely delicious—moist, flavorful, and perfectly balanced. I also grabbed an oat peanut butter rice crispy treat, which was really good too—super filling and could easily work as a meal replacement, though a bit messy.
Read moreThe café has a cozy and charming vibe, but it’s a little cramped and tends to get busy, so seating can be tight. Overall, definitely worth visiting for the vegan-friendly pastries and good coffee options!
Updated from previous review on 2025-11-01
Guest
theCause
Points +183
Great options - Edit
Amazing vegan selection! Probably around 8-10 plant based pastries, desserts, breakfast sweets... they were all labelled as dairy free so easy to find. Other food options available but not super clear what they were. To be fair, we were only looking for a breakfast sweet and a chai latte. The latte was really good too. Price was big town standard. Our selections tasted outstanding!!!
Read moreGuest
juegomeister
Points +17
Fantastic - Edit
The vibe here is great, and the food is fantastic.
Read moreWe had the breakfast sandwich, which is vegetarian, and it was perfect. The cookie we had was pretty tasty too. The pastry case was full, and they all looked good, so we had a hard time choosing! All of the salads they had looked great, and we both were very nearly swayed to have salads even though we came for breakfast.
My latte was good, and the chai was so good that we got one to go when we left!
Pros: Cool atmosphere, Great selection of food, Good coffee
Guest
gcs
Points +75
Great coffee and bakery - Edit
Top 5 coffee in Charleston and a mostly vegan bakery. Avocado toast is great too.
Read moreVegan GF goods too.
Pros: Great coffee, Lots of vegan baked goods
Guest
TiaStreeterHutchins
Points +3217
Great coffee drinks and cafe w/ vegan options - Edit
Oat & soy milk for coffee drinks. Chai tea latte w/ oat milk was excellent and the avocado toast vegan options are fantastic. Outdoor dog friendly patio
Read moreGuest
MichaelTelesky
Points +1324
Many vegan options - Edit
We each ordered a different avocado toast and they were flat out amazing. This is a meal of itself. So many flavors that all worked together.
Read morePros: Clearly marked vegan options , Creative flavors
Guest
Raquel_
Points +612
Cute & calm atmosphere - Edit
This cute little cafe offers many vegan baked goods and vegetarian or vegan breakfast items. Staff is super friendly and you can tell it’s a spot for the locals of the town. Great place to bring your laptop to get work done or chat up with an old friend. Plenty of seating in the back but fills up quickly!
Read morePros: Fast service , Cute and calm atmosphere
Guest
ColleenJoy
Points +82
Great food, chill vibe - Edit
The salad plate was great. I got some pastries to go.
Read moreGuest
faskom
Points +178
Good and plenty vegan options - Edit
Read moreAll the vegan options they have are delicious and there are plenty especially with baked goods
Cons: Not purely vegan
Guest
peachinns
Points +104
Amazing Cafe - Edit
Amazing food in a cute Cafe. Menu has great variety of vegan options. Everything was quick and delicious.
Read morePros: lots of vegan options, clearly labeled menu, amazing flavor
Cons: popular so can be tricky to find seating
Guest
ChloeCanetti
Points +322
Delicious and great atmosphere! - Edit
Got an avocado toast thing that was nothing like your regular old avocado toast- it was super fresh, the bread was crunchy, and it was bursting with unique flavors! Loved it!
Read morePros: Lots of vegan options, Super fresh ingredients, Great atmosphere
Guest
carinonelove
Points +34
Highly Recommend! - Edit
I’m very happy I discovered this adorable café! The service was great, the food was delicious, and the atmosphere was quaint even with the steady flow of traffic coming in. I had a matcha latté, The Caterpillar avocado toast, and The Short & Sweet pastry. I highly recommend checking this place out the next time you’re in Charleston.
Read morePros: Great service , Delicious food , Quaint atmosphere
Guest
Maddy-VanC
Points +177
Cute - Edit
Cute place with healthy options and pastries too
Read morePros: vegan pastries , cute outdoor sitting area, has oat milk
Cons: sometimes the salads are too hardy, not solely vegan , no parking
Guest
2vegans2backpacks
Points +110
Delicious! - Edit
Delicious! Stopped here and got a black coffee, an iced oat latte, the Sriracha Mama and this pecan praline bar thing that I can't seem to find on the menu right now. The latte was INCREDIBLE and the black coffee was fantastic too. The pecan bar thing was also absolutely delicious and the Sriracha Mama was good, just a tad dry. They had so many dessert options to choose from and we were tempted to get them all because they all looked so good and were all vegan.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2020-12-21
Pros: Number of vegan bakery items, Iced oat latte
Guest
Alisha35
Points +167
So so good! - Edit
This may be my favorite place in Charleston. Tons of vegan options, everything is delicious and the atmosphere is adorable.
Read morePros: Tons of vegan sweets!, Non-dairy coffee drinks, Cute indoor and outdoor seating
Guest
lorihs
Points +72
Excellent food and ambiance - Edit
The food is excellent, the desserts are out of this world and it’s super cute eating area. Only challenge is people longer there for hours while working and it takes up spots for people who want to go there just to eat.
Read moreGuest
Judy Bug
Points +83
Good, but not great. - Edit
This hip restaurant is right in the heart of the college area. It was highly recommended, but the food was just ok. I had a plate of three different salads that were ok, but not worth the trouble of finding the place and finding seating. The restaurant is coveted by students studying and working on their computers. If you go early, you can get a premade sandwich, when we arrived there was only one left and we didn't know how long it had been there so I chose a salad and my husband chose pastries. The pastry selections were very good and they were also very tasty.
Read morePros: Good vegan options., Great vegan pastry items., Fresh coffee.
Cons: Not enough seating., Food overpriced.
Guest
hayley.ls
Points +144
Super delicious baked goods! - Edit
I went out of my way to go here because they have vegan pastries and sweets. I got a blueberry scone with maple halva. It was delicious! But I did get the last one available and it was only 8:30. Things must sell out quick, and I'm not sure that they make more once sold.
Read morePros: Vegan pastries, A lot of seating, Great atmosphere
Cons: Limited amounts of items available.
Guest
arniefr
Points +16
Naturally elegant - Edit
I go to Harbinger often as the salads are beautiful, tasty and varied. The space has a natural elegance along with a caring staff who remembers who I am and my preferences. Their prices are fair and there’s a no tipping policy. I look forward to returning often and that’s saying something.
Read morePros: Beautiful salads, Lovely surroundings , Wonderful staff
Cons: None
Guest
jhns
Points +41
great cakes, cookies and bars - Edit
good coffee, awesome pastries and great salads. nice interior.
Read moreGuest
ReganWalsh
Points +123
happy - Edit
The owners of this establishment are rude and are not eager to please the customer! Very disappointing!
Read moreThe owner since this time has gone above and beyond to make things right. So I have since then changed my rating. I’m happy to report by the way.
Pros: food good
Guest
Pthom
Points +62
Harbinger of things to come - Edit
Many gluten free bakery options. Triple chocolate brownie excellent. Nut butter and compote on bread, my selection, not so good, difficult to eat due to melted nut butter on a very tough gluten free bun. Hubby had Harbinger sandwich which I kept eyeing and wished I had ordered. Also strange, no sweetener options for the coffee, white sugar and simple syrup..huh?? Also the Methodical coffee is very acidic and almond milk does't quite do the trick at balancing, basically just disappears in your coffee. They really need to offer a legit soy creamer with more body and natural sweeteners, agave, coconut sugar, etc. Cute atmosphere, good service, but if they're going to appeal to vegans they'll need to work out some of these details.
Read morePros: southern shabby chic decor, friendly service, unique quality coffee, off beaten path
Guest
DarleneMoak
Points +91
Vegans will be very happy here!! - Edit
The Harbinger is a great new addition to the growing restaurant scene on upper Rutledge & King. Beginning with awesome coffee (almond milk is available) followed by a superb variety of baked goods (many of which are vegan, many are gluten free) as well as grab-and-go salads. I started with an iced latte and the sriracha mama cookie (fantastic!) then took 2 salads with me (tabouli & sweet potato/chickpea - fantastic choices!!). And local sourcing is very important to the Harbinger. I will going back a LOT! Lots of seating, friendly & fast service. Don't miss out on this!!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2017-07-01
Pros: Excellent range of choices!, Many vegan options!, Lots of indoor seating
Cons: None
Guest
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