Chef 21 sits in McBee Station on the eastern side of downtown Greenville, close enough to Main Street to feel central but with the easy parking that end of McBee Avenue is known for.
What sets it apart is how much it tries to be at once. Under one roof it runs a sushi bar, a Korean BBQ house with tabletop grills, a ramen kitchen, a hot pot table, and a chef's table serving a thirteen-course sushi and wagyu omakase. Diners tend to pick a lane and stay loyal to it. The Atlantis Roll and the homemade crab rangoon come up again and again in reviews, a self-described ramen snob singled out the tonkotsu, and the namesake sushi burgers and Korean fried chicken pull their own following.
The room leans into a futuristic, space-themed look with upbeat music, which reads as fun and a little theatrical rather than quiet and traditional. There's a full bar with unusual barware and a respectable bourbon list, and the space handles groups and celebrations easily. Between the grills, the rolls, the ramen, and the omakase, most people need a few visits before they land on what keeps bringing them back.