Kwei Fei takes its name from Yang Kwei Fei, an 8th-century consort to the last Tang Dynasty emperor, remembered for her beauty and her place in one of ancient China's most famous love stories. Chef David Schuttenberg built the restaurant around the cooking of Western China, specifically Sichuan province, known for its vibrant, piquant flavors.
The kitchen leans into that heat directly — dishes built on Sichuan peppercorns and chili oil rather than the broken sauces of French technique — and the restaurant encourages ordering family style, so a table can work through a range of dishes together. Kwei Fei describes its own approach as fun dining, not fine dining, and that casual, high-energy sensibility carries through the room.
The restaurant has earned a spot on the Eater 38 and was named to Charleston City Paper's best-of list for 2026.
The kitchen leans into that heat directly — dishes built on Sichuan peppercorns and chili oil rather than the broken sauces of French technique — and the restaurant encourages ordering family style, so a table can work through a range of dishes together. Kwei Fei describes its own approach as fun dining, not fine dining, and that casual, high-energy sensibility carries through the room.
The restaurant has earned a spot on the Eater 38 and was named to Charleston City Paper's best-of list for 2026.