If you want to know where College of Charleston kids still end up at midnight, the answer is AC's. It sits on King Street at 467, openly unapologetic about being a dive bar - pool tables, fluorescent everything, and a kitchen that stays open until 1:30 am six nights a week. You get a number on your receipt, watch it on a screen, and meanwhile pick up a beer for a couple bucks while the crowd of students, tourists, and local regulars mingles in a way that feels more like a party than a restaurant.
The food is the surprise. Cheeseburgers, Philly cheesesteaks, nachos, loaded fries, and a Death Burger for the brave - all cheap, all filling, and honestly good enough that a few reviews compared them to proper sit-down joints. It's not a meal you remember; it's a night you remember.