Here's a list of restaurants I've eaten at in the Myrtle Beach/Surfside/Garden City/Pawley's Island/Charleston
area of South Carolina. I've added some comments and I've rated them for your convenience, 4 stars being best.
I've also added in addresses where possible, and links with either more information about the restaurant, or reviews from other sources.
Myrtle Beach Shopping Complexes:
At Barefoot Landing (North Myrtle Beach on Hgwy 17 business):
Damon's (Ribs/Steak/American)
We have visited here almost every year since I was 12, except for recent years. The ribs were always wonderful here until recently, we had a batch that was kind of greasy and fatty. We haven't been back since, but plan on giving it another try this year - perhaps we had a bad year. We also had bad service the last time we were there, we got our dinners before our salads. This place does not take reservations, and you may wait on average 30-60 minutes to be seated.
This place has a golden oldies theme to it. Jukeboxes at the table are fun to occupy you while you wait for your order. This is a good family place for lunch or dinner, its all american type food - burgers and fries, hot dogs, milkshakes, etc. The food was good, the price was low, the service relatively fast. Nothing spectacular, but a quick cheap lunch.
Here we only sampled the beer menu, and the appetizer menu - though the entree's I saw passing by looked and smelled wonderful. We plan on actually having dinner here this year. Again, no reservations here, just a line to wait in.** read a review on this restaurant
At Broadway at the Beach (Myrtle Beach on Highway 17 Business):
We visited this restaurant for the first time 2 years ago, with my brother and his friend who is a picky eater - and only likes typical american food. I had a grilled shrimp kebob type platter, and while it was tasty, the shrimp were overcooked. Nothing bad about the place, other than service being the slowest I've experienced in a long time. It was hard to get drink refills, because we could never find a waitress, or our waitress! Nobody was over thrilled with their meals, but in fairness, we did not leave hungry. It was a bit pricey for the type of food they were serving... This too is a no reservations place.
I added this place in due to a review from my brother who took his friend there last year, and they both recommended it highly. I'm simply not giving it 4 stars because I haven't tried it myself! I plan to this year though.
In and Around MB:
it. It's on the beach in Surfside... you'll have to find it yourself. You can walk there from the beach, and even dine in their outer deck while
in your bathing suit, and in your bare feet if you choose (I believe you can go barefeet on the deck). You can enter directly from the beach,
or from the roadside. The place looks like a large beach house. I've only been for lunch & drinks. They make some wonderful mixed drinks
here, but keep count of how many you have, because they are not large, and not cheap. The lunch menu is simple, but good. The shrimp
po'boy is great, they have other sandwiches, burgers, and some great salads. The food is reasonably priced, but if you top it off with a few
of those great drinks while taking in the breeze, you could walk out having had a $40 lunch easily... The atmosphere here is great. I have often
walked here down the beach with my mom, and stopped for a drink or 2, walking it off on the way back to our condo. It does get a bit crowded
for seats on the outside though.
414 Myrtle Avenue
Mail to: P.O. Box 210
Pawley's Island, SC 29585
Well I won't write too much here, because I already have a whole page dedicated to this place, along with photos HERE. This is much more than just a place to drop by to eat. Remember, you can't just show up here - it's a B&B, you have to call 24 hours in advance and make reservations. They set you a table with name tags and all. Also, their menu is set week by week, so call the first day you get there so that
you may decided which menu/dinner you prefer. Oh, 'scuse me, they call it SUPPER at the SeaView... forgot, we're in the South here!
801 Front Street
Georgetown, South Carolina 29440-3505
Ph: 843.527.4110
** read a review on this restaurant
We stopped in here while walking around Georgetown (a beautiful little city). Wish we had managed to get here during daylight, and during shop hours. The restaurant looked great, the menu prices were more than reasonable for seafood, and everything smelled awesome. Unfortunately we were full from dinner in Charleston. This place comes highly recommended by the same friend who recommended the SeaView Inn to us. We plan on trying it this year.
Okay, so maybe I'm not a buffet style person. I've tried one or 2, but never been that enthused. I'm only going to say one thing about this place. My aunt found a ROACH in her coke glass. The food was overcooked and chewy, and I've never been back. This was about 10 years
ago, so in fairness these buffets may be different. I know people that swear by them. Just not for me.
275 Hwy. 17 S. Business
Garden City, SC
(843) 651-9768
This is another case of a good place gone bad. I remember as a child going here with my family, and loving the food here. It was definitely some of the best buffet style stuff I've had. It was very Low country, the food was a bit greasy and salty, but after all, that's part of the low country southern cooking appeal. The mashed potatoes were wonderful, not to mention the deserts. One could expect at least an hour wait to eat here almost any time of the day. Last time we went (4 years ago) we were not at all happy with the food quality, the service, or the even longer wait. So we haven't been back. I think as places become popular, very few are able to expand their services and retain their quality.
This place might be very good though if you have children. The buffet was very diverse, and I think it would please most children.
I've been told this place is not in existence anymore. It was actually recommended to us by a local couple who we met over dinner at another restaurant one night. We had asked for a good place that served southern food, and this was the recommendation. It was about 7.95 all you can eat, and the food was really good, along with the service. It was a bit too salty for my taste. I'm not a big salt lover, and that killed it for me. There is a decent sized billboard along Highway 17 south of Surfside that has an arrow pointing right, and it says "The Back Porch". I'll have to look again this year and see if it is really gone.
4201 Hwy. 17 Bypass
Murrells Inlet, SC
(843) 651-4616
This place is and has been one of my favorite dinners in Myrtle Beach ever since I can remember. I can't remember when we found this place, but not one year has gone by where we haven't managed to eat here. They are a japanese seafood/steakhouse, teppanyaki style (which means basically that each table seats 8 people, and you get your own chef who cooks right in front of you). There are about 11 grills in the restaurant that seat 8 people each, and a small bar/lounge area. The place is a bit fancy, you cannot wear sandals for guys, but I do believe you can wear shorts. You should check on this though. I would not wear jeans here. The other piece of advice that you absolutely have to follow is to MAKE reservations at LEAST 3-5 days in advance. We always call a week before we leave from home, so that we can get a Saturday night. This place fills up quick. If you are a drinker, DON'T go on a sunday, the SC liquor laws mean no drinks on sundays at restaurants (I believe this still holds true). The other thing you really want to do, is when you call and make your reservations - request the sunken grills in the middle of the restaurant. These are the coolest looking. There are only 3, so make sure to ask them to request it. It doesn't guarantee you'll get them, because when you finally do come in, if the party before you is just getting started your choice becomes - wait for the pit, or eat at another table. If you can wait, do it. Also, remember, reservations are a MUST here. You cannot just walk in - since they have exact seating numbers - 8 to a table. If you have a party of less than 8, you will be making some new friends! It's a real fun place, we meet a lot of local folk here. The other thing is make your reservations earlier than you would normally eat, because even with reservations, you
often end up waiting anywhere from 15-45 minutes to get your table. The prices here are also very affordable, you can get filet and shrimp, soup, salad, rice, vegetables all for about 15-17 dollars.
Bus. 17
Murrells Inlet, SC
(843) 651-2044
We've been here probably 2-3 times over the years, and it's one of those places you go for the location and the atmosphere, not so much for the food. We have ended up taking our vacation in MB several years during the 4th of July week, and this is where we take in the fireworks. Murrel's Inlet has a 4th of July boat parade, followed by fireworks. They've recently begun and finished some of the construction on a boardwalk that goes from one restaurant to the next, and ends up at Captain Dick's Marina. Drunken Jack's often has live music, and their outside deck is a good waiting area. The lower level and deck is a bar/lounge type set up. It is good size. The restaurant overlooks the water, and it's a great view from inside of out for the fireworks. We usually get there around 7:30-8, by time we are seated and eating, it is close to firework time (around 10 pm). You will wait about 1-2 hours to sit down here, so eat dinner first or eat something light if your goal is what ours was, to be here for the fireworks. The food itself leaves something to be desired, and is a bit pricey. We usually end up getting a crab soup and some appetizers, and perhaps a desert. Again, they don't take reservations.
4079 Highway 17 Business
Murrells Inlet, South Carolina 29576-6192
Ph: 843.651.0664
This is a place my dad frequents on his business/golf trips. My husband and I have eaten here 2-3 times - their seafood pasta combinations are wonderful. The seafood is always cooked right here, and the portions are large, and prices are fair. It is on the water, right near the marina,
and you can sit outside (if you dare! in the humidity). The wait staff is friendly, and we don't usually have more than a 10-15 minute wait here for dinner. It's a small restaurant, with a little bar section.
3797 Business Hwy. 17
Murrells Inlet
(843) 651-7222
** read a review on this restaurant
Ah, Flo's. We had driven by here many times, and my dad had kept telling us to try it, but we were put off by the appearance. It looks like a shack that's leaning over a bit. It's kind of rustic and old looking, and the porch has plastic liners to keep the wind or bugs out depending on the time of year. We decided to give it a go about 4 years ago, and we return every year without fail. The inside is a bit funny, the ceiling is covered with caps, caps from everywhere. The inside seating is air conditioned, of course you can sit out on the deck if you want. The raw bar here is great - you can get crawfish, oysters, mussels, etc. The cajun spiced cooking is wonderful. They even serve alligator here. A little pricey, but worth the food. The wait is not usually long here either.Charleston, SC:
161 East Bay Street.
Charleston, SC
(803) 853-4677
Every year we take on day out of our week in MB to drive down to Charleston for the day. It's only about a 1 1/2 hour drive, and it's a direct shot down Highway 17. You can cover most of the city on foot, and it is a BEAUTIFUL city. The old houses are great, you can tour some. The city is waterfront. We took a carriage ride one time, that was also nice. Back to the restaurant. We tried this place the first year we started going to Charleston - we were dripping in sweat from walking around in the heat wave style humidity, and stopped in here for a few drinks and to cool off. The place smelled SO wonderful, that we stayed on for dinner. This place's specialty is SMOKED stuff. Ribs, sausage, chicken, steak, you name it. The smells are awesome. Though, don't ignore their specials, because their seafood is also top notch too. The place is a very laid back style restaurant, you can draw on the tables if you have kids, they'll give you crayons (or if you're us, they'll give you crayons too!). The barbecue sauce is wonderful. We buy about 3-4 bottles each year to take home with us. There are supposed to be so many other wonderful restaurants in Charleston, but we just can't get past this place! This year we've resolved to eat here for lunch, and try someplace new for dinner.Hopefully I'll add more reviews after I return from Surfside Beach this summer...
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