Anchored on the square of the I’ON Neighborhood in the heart of Mount Pleasant

Square Onion has been a community-oriented go-to for gourmet sandwiches, soups,

salads, specials, and family take-home meals for over two decades.

As resident chef and shop owner, Cary Zapatka celebrates his 21st year at the helm, he

reflects on the corner shop’s successes, the ups and downs, and the fact he wouldn’t

change a thing for the world. “I think I am having more fun at this than I ever had!”

“With a core group of employees that have been with me for years, to loyal customers

where many have become friends, it is quite a humble and grateful feeling to enjoy 21

on the books.”

As people continue to seek a reconnection to communities, he feels his neighborhood

shop is more relevant now than ever. With many customers commenting on the

memories they’ve developed over years of lunches, celebratory meals, and interactions

with staff, the Square Onion is embracing the nod of being a fixture.

It all started in 2003, as Cary kept analyzing the burgeoning Charleston food scene he

kept noticing an underserved gap —well-built gourmet lunches and meals to-go in a

friendly neighborhood setting. Cary attributes the Onion’s ongoing success to keeping

his plan simple and consistent. For starters, it is an unwavering commitment to high-

quality ingredients and meticulous attention to preparation. With the good food and

the details of a sound kitchen in place, the rest is all about connection with his

customers and his community.

With this double-decade milestone, Cary and his crew now get to enjoy another

benefit of a long-standing neighborhood business— seeing young families and their

once very young kids grow into young adults. As some head off to college, many come

back and work over summer breaks to earn some good cash and help. Cary adds,

“They fit right in, they know the deal.” “We work hard, we have a process, we have fun,

and we take care of our customers, they take pride it in and it’s fun to see.”

Back to the food, as it really is the star. It’s nice that the staff is talented and friendly and

all, but the food has to shine (consistently) to keep people coming back. Rooted in

Southern tradition, Square Onion's menu tends to reflect a range of influences from

family recipes and cooking traditions. Whether it’s a gourmet sandwich, a freshly made

salad, a hearty soup, or an outright tasty take-home meal for the family...nothing

comes out of the kitchen that isn’t crafted with precision and care, showcasing a secret-

recipe style of balanced flavors and textures. Whoever said a “good sandwich is a work

of art”, must have just finished the Sassafrass or Turkey Parm, or maybe it was the

Goose or the Meredith. Who knows, but it is a bet worth making that one of their

sandwiches was involved. Some of the sandwiches are even named after customers’

pets.

One more thing, for now. Beyond its delectable cuisine and mostly cool staff, Square

Onion’s location adjacent to the I’ON Neighborhood’s quaint eat-in park makes it a

great outdoor cafe-style gathering place. It has become a favorite spot for friends or

business people to get outside, and enjoy a great, deserving meal after dealing with all

the morning responsibilities. Many make their day even better and less stressful by

grabbing a homemade casserole, baguette, and bottle of wine to take home for the

family dinner. A Square Onion life hack is to strategically prepare the casserole before

you know who gets home, then ditch all the Square Onion branding evidence, and

then take all the credit by plating it on the indigenous housewares you have handy.

We’ve done it. It works. We’ll never tell.

As some others say, it is often hard to write an ending to an article. So we’ll just say,

come see us because that is not hard. We’re right off Mathis Ferry Road. There is plenty

of parking and friendly people we like friendly dogs, too. We always have fresh

water out so Rover can wash down one of our Pup Cups. We’d love to see you and

serve you a great meal. Maybe someday we’ll even name a sandwich after your furry friend.