Myrtle Seashore, South Carolina, is a kind of locations so crammed with eating places, you simply want an area would inform you the place to go—the place they go when they need scrumptious seafood, steak, brunch, you title it. Look no additional: Right here’s the place to eat in Myrtle Seashore, aka the Grand Strand, based on an in-the-know native.
Restaurant Row could also be a Myrtle Seashore attraction in and of itself, however right here’s why you need to ignore the hype and comply with the locals to Myrtle Seashore’s finest eating places.
In the event you’ve ever left a Grand Strand eatery questioning why you spent a ton of cash on one thing so much like what you will get at house, it’s merely since you didn’t know the place to go. Naturally, you might be contemplating one of many space’s iconic eating places like Paula Dean’s Household Kitchen, or maybe one of many metropolis’s fashionable dinner theaters. However I implore you to additionally attempt institutions related to much less hype and extra homestyle cooking. In spite of everything, the South is legendary for its delicacies, and Myrtle Seashore is not any exception.
In Myrtle Seashore, you may virtually really feel the demand for an important meal growing each month. At the same time as an area, I discover it tough to maintain up with each new shingle that pops out on Restaurant Row or Ocean Boulevard. Vacationers love our seashores, our golf programs, and our theaters, however unbelievable meals is, and needs to be, one factor that’s anticipated by all who go to. In the event you’re in that camp, then understanding the place the locals really eat is an absolute should. Try these can’t-miss eating places in Myrtle Seashore to make sure an unforgettable meal.
*Whereas reservations are usually not required in any of the next institutions, they’re at all times advisable in the course of the Grand Strand’s peak seasons: from Memorial Day by Labor Day, and Thanksgiving by New 12 months’s.
Photograph courtesy of Chestnut Hill
Chestnut Hill Restaurant: The Most Well-known Restaurant You’ve By no means Heard Of
Chestnut Hill doesn’t at all times come to thoughts first amongst Myrtle Seashore vacationers, and people who reside right here favor it that means. This eatery doesn’t must do a lot promoting: Locals fill the place each evening and have completed so for many years.
Chestnut Hill doesn’t use phrases like “recent” and “home made” indiscriminately—or with out integrity—as sure different locations do on The Strand.
Every dinner on the restaurant’s beneficiant menu is made to order, and the substances are certainly recent and home made. Chestnut Hill doesn’t focus on a selected kind of meals, however quite in serving glorious meals throughout.
Whether or not you need beef ideas, lobster tail, veal (or eggplant) Parmesan, wild-caught Carolina white shrimp, or herb-roasted hen, will probably be ready to your liking from the highest-quality regional substances obtainable. Chris Lee, the proprietor and chef since 1987, makes certain of that. The environment manages to be each high-class and homespun, and a friendlier workers you’ll by no means meet. 9922 N Kings Hwy, map
Raccoon Cove Deck Bar at Joe’s Bar and Grill (courtesy of Jesse Broadt)
Joe’s Bar + Grill: Dine With a Bandit
Not many individuals notice you may dine with raccoons in Myrtle Seashore, however that’s not the one cause this elegant restaurant—with a really misleading title—has been a locals’ favourite since 1994. Though its title conjures up photographs of a greasy spoon serving fatty burgers and day-old chili, in actuality Joe’s Bar + Grill is a white tablecloth restaurant that treats all clients like household.
This eatery is each upscale and informal, with an outside bar, a stupendous eating space overlooking a reasonably marsh, and a good-looking cocktail lounge with leather-based couches and oak espresso tables. However if you happen to select a window seat within the eating room, you’ll get pleasure from your meal with a few of nature’s furry associates, because the restaurant is adjoining to its personal Raccoon Cove Deck Bar.
Acceptable leftovers are given to those masked marauders, who chow down a couple of yards from the restaurant’s patrons—and in full view of diners by a big image window. Maybe on a technicality, we should always add Joe’s Bar and Grill to the “Dinner and a Present” class.
Feast on Lowcountry-style crab desserts, shrimp and grits, or signature dishes just like the prime rib au jus and shrimp and scallops Alfredo, that are in excessive demand all year long. 810 Conway St, North Myrtle Seashore, map
Victoria’s Nation Cookin’ (courtesy of restaurant)
Victoria’s Nation Cookin’: Maintain the Tux
In the event you’re questioning the place the locals go for breakfast and lunch, it’s not IHOP or Jimmy John’s. Regardless of its excellent opinions in every single place, Victoria’s Nation Cookin’ goes totally unnoticed by guests until you’re conscious of its precise location. In any other case, you’ll blink and miss it.
Tucked within the coronary heart of Myrtle Seashore on a non-touristy avenue, Victoria’s provides real home made breakfast and lunch objects, which change every day. Contemporary catfish, turkey and dressing, and mega-burgers all adorn the whiteboard all through the week. A daily menu, plus tremendous inexpensive specials, can be found day-after-day. The meals is so good that locals (together with myself) recurrently beg the institution to open for dinner.
Victoria’s best-loved dishes embrace the fish and chips and the baked spaghetti, however the hibachi hen with white sauce—a creamy sweet-and-sour concoction—is to not be missed. From country-fried breakfast platters to omelets and egg plates, Victoria’s has morning fare to please everybody too, together with dishes the place conventional breakfast meats is perhaps substituted for liver mush, fried bologna, or fatback.
Even the edges are distinctive—suppose pineapple salad, “corn nuggets,” fried squash—and the unique desserts, like butterscotch cake and banana break up pie, are scrumptious. A phrase to the smart, although: Don’t gown up. The opposite patrons might marvel what you’re as much as. 1102 third Ave S, Myrtle Seashore, map
Winna’s Kitchen: A Scrumptious Thriller
One other hidden gem you’ll by no means discover with out a native’s assistance is Winna’s Kitchen. This family-owned and-operated eatery is exclusive in a number of methods, together with its ever-changing menu. As an example, on Saturday nights, for a set worth, the restaurant provides a four- or five-course chef’s tasting menu, normally with drink pairings, nevertheless it’s not launched upfront.
Strawberry milk tea, cast-iron omelets (pictured), and Ricardo toast are fashionable breakfast favorites, however its so-called kitchen’s hen—a juicy, natural hen breast over potatoes that’s “the dish everybody within the kitchen loves”—and the tuna croquette are prime alternatives for dinner.
In the event you’re on the lookout for scrumptious, eclectic consolation meals in an aesthetic surroundings, don’t miss this one-of-a-kind institution. 819 Principal St, map
*Word: On the time of publishing, Winna’s is closed for renovations, however will probably be again greater and higher within the spring of 2025.
Merely Southern Smokehouse (courtesy of Jesse Broadt)
Merely Southern Smokehouse: It is Your Grandma’s Barbecue
The phrase homestyle within the context of eating places tends to be overused—usually what you’ll uncover on these menus is identical business meals everybody else makes. However not so at Merely Southern Smokehouse. Right here you will be reminded of your grandmother’s house cooking (assuming Grandma was an important prepare dinner!). Tucked one block off busy route 17, it’d as effectively be in a distinct county: It appears to be like like an outdated farmhouse surrounded by timber in an space that, if you happen to didn’t know higher, you’d swear was rural.
The buffet will not be intensive, however every little thing on it’s a winner. It’s good for once you need a buffet-style meal, however don’t need to really feel such as you want an Uber to get from one finish of it to the opposite. Every merchandise is made to a selected recipe; you’ll discover fried hen and catfish, smoked pulled pork, fall-off-the-bone ribs, and a broad vary of recent greens and aspect dishes.
Among the many many sauces at this eatery, I extremely recommend the distinctive golden barbecue sauce, a mix of Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, mustard, and apple cider vinegar. The meals is at all times sizzling, and drinks and dessert are included within the worth, which is unusual for many Myrtle Seashore buffets. Don’t depart with out making an attempt the peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream.
Tables are spaced effectively, so that you by no means really feel crowded, and Merely Southern Smokehouse has the added distinction of that includes waiters and waitresses who burst into music at surprising instances–and so they can really sing! 1913 Mr. Joe White Ave, map
Thoroughbreds Chophouse: 5-Star Steaks
Maybe you’ve visited Broadway on the Seashore, walked the boardwalk, took in a present, splashed within the waves, and are actually on the lookout for a scrumptious meal in quiet, upscale surrounds. If that’s you, head straight for Thoroughbreds Chophouse for steaks that you simply will need to write house about. This fine-dining restaurant focuses on made-to-order butcher block alternatives of unparalleled high quality, however additionally they supply unforgettable seafood and pasta choices.
The environment is refined but cozy, and also you’ll quickly overlook that the boisterous Grand Strand is actually proper exterior the door. Specialties embrace prime chophouse ribeye, seared lamb chops, and the chef’s signature lobster tail with grilled asparagus; among the many successful appetizers are its angels on horseback (big bacon wrapped scallops with bourbon glaze), escargot, and French onion soup; and don’t, repeat don’t, skip the dessert cart! With a fame for excellence for practically 30 years, Thoroughbreds ensures every patron leaves glad. 9706 N Kings Hwy, map
These are solely six of my favourite Myrtle Seashore eating places, and it’s simply the tip of the iceberg. An extended piece would possibly embrace different nice local-approved eateries corresponding to old-school Sea Retailers for seafood and steak, and Sugrue’s Pub + Eatery for very well-executed (and cheap) consolation meals and pub grub, each in North Myrtle Seashore. Maintain it native in and round Myrtle Seashore and also you’ll maintain your style buds completely happy.
In regards to the creator: Jesse Broadt has been an expert internet content material author since 2004 and focuses on journey. After ditching the chilly Northeast for factors additional south, she took a short lived job writing advertisements for a journey company, which shortly parlayed into the freelance profession she nonetheless enjoys right now.
Featured picture courtesy of Dan J/Flickr
