Soby's

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Downtown Institution Built from the Ground Up

The building at 207 South Main Street was a shoe store when Carl Sobocinski and David Williams bought it in the mid-1990s. Working alongside wine director Frank Kapp, they stripped back layers of plaster to reveal original brick, uncovered a skylight hidden above dropped ceiling tiles, and rallied their staff to restore a fireplace before opening night. On the morning Soby's opened in November 1997, The Greenville News announced that the historic Poinsett Hotel across the street would also be restored — a coincidence that signaled the south end of Main Street was about to become the heart of downtown again. More than 27 years later, that bet has more than paid off.

Southern American Cuisine with Seasonal Intention

Soby's describes its cooking as New South Cuisine: southern-inspired dishes built around locally-grown, seasonal ingredients, presented with a modern touch in what the restaurant calls a "casually elegant" setting. The numbers behind the menu tell their own story — over 175,000 plates of Shrimp & Grits, 420,000 crab cakes, 144,000 servings of fried green tomatoes, and 93,000 slices of the White Chocolate Banana Cream Pie that has been on the menu since the doors opened. That pie, in fact, caught the attention of Taste of Home, which called it a menu staple for as long as the restaurant has existed.

Executive Chef Jon Buck brings a particular rigor to sourcing. Raised on Hilton Head Island, trained at the Culinary Institute of America, and shaped by years at Husk under Chef Sean Brock, he arrived at Soby's in 2025 with deep knowledge of Southeastern food traditions and long-standing relationships with small farmers and artisan purveyors. "I developed a kindred spirit of sorts through found stories and friendships with small farmers," he has said, "who have inspired me to cook food that reflects memories from my past and traditions of the south." Pastry Chef Tarciani Harger — Brazilian-born, fluent in three languages, and trained alongside Michelin-recognized chefs — handles the dessert program with the same seriousness.

A Wine Program in Rare Company

In July 2025, Soby's received Wine Spectator's Grand Award, placing it among only 96 restaurants in the world to hold that designation. The recognition reflects a wine list built over decades: thousands of bottles curated from around the world, overseen by a dedicated sommelier team whose aim is pairing the right vintage to every occasion, from a weeknight dinner to a milestone celebration. The Grand Award sits alongside recognition in the MICHELIN American South Guide — two very different lenses that arrive at the same conclusion about the quality of what happens at this address.

The Room, the Loft, and Table 301

The dining room itself rewards attention: exposed brick, a working fireplace, and a skylight that the founders uncovered during renovation. On the second-floor mezzanine, Table 301 — the table that lent its name to the broader restaurant group — overlooks the open kitchen and the entire dining room below. For private events, The Loft at Soby's offers a rooftop view of downtown Greenville with a dedicated chef and custom menu. It is, as the restaurant puts it, "like no other" event space in the city.

What makes Soby's endure is perhaps best captured in a single line from their own account of opening night: finishing the restaurant as a team made a real difference in how guests were treated — and still does.