Hilton Head Restaurants & Dining

Hilton Head, SC is home to nearly 275 restaurants. The common theme is low-country style cooking, embracing the area's native ingredients. The seafood on and around Hilton Head Island is always fresh and succulent, adding to the rich, wide range of dining options. The island, however, is not limited to just low-country cuisine and seafood; with so many restaurants it is easy to find any and every style of food.

Your Hilton Head dining options range from family fare, breakfast and diner-style establishments, to fine and casual dining and ethnic cuisine. Each of the Hilton Head restaurants on the Island feature an extensive menu and most offer carry out service. In the summer season dinner is often served on patios or decks and set to live music, creating a soothing ambiance to compliment any meal of the day.

Happy Hour!

Hilton Head Island has nearly fifty restaurants featuring Happy Hours! Happy Hours at array of island eateries start at various times, feature all types of different specials, and last from one hour to several, depending on the location. More than anything else, which location you choose depends on what you're looking for, and what time you would like to go. Often, it's also important where you sit. For instance, many restaurants offer happy hour only at the bar, while others offer happy hour specials in the lounge, but not the dining room. Still others offer their specials restaurant-wide. The earliest Happy Hours start at about 3:00 and the latest run until about 8:00, with a few restaurants offering special late night menus that start at around 10:00 or 11:00 and last "until...". So here's the low-down on where to go for what.

Best Seafood Specials
The Kingfisher, in Shelter Cove Harbour has a great happy hour, lasting for three full hours (from 5:00 until 8:00); however, to take advantage of these specials you will have to eat in the lounge area. Should the hostess seat you in the main dining room or on the deck you may enjoy a great time, but you'll be paying full price! Still, if seafood is what you are looking for the lounge and bar areas are very comfortable, and the specials are great; 45 cent Shrimp, 75 cent Oysters, and $11.95 for a full pound of Snow Crab Legs, not to mention $2.00 drafts!

Best Exotic
If Sushi is more to your liking, the Alligator Grill offers two-for-one Sushi rolls between 5:00 and 7:00.

Best Hours
The Big Bamboo has one of the longest and earliest happy hours; lasting from 3:00 until 7:05. its only in the bar area, but the specials are terrific: crab cakes, peel and eat shrimp, grouper fingers, and two-for-one Margaritas and Bamboo beers.

Best on Weekends
Turtles Beach Bar & Grill beats them all, but only has happy hour on Saturdays and Sundays. This location makes up for lost week days by offering $2.50 drafts and free popcorn from 1:00 in the afternoon until 11:00PM. It also provides a great view overlooking the pool and ocean (at the Westin Resort).

Best Sports Bar
For sports bar happy hours, it's hard to beat Casey's (on New Orleans Road, in Orleans Plaza) with its $1.50 drafts, and 35 cent Shrimp and Wings from 4:00 until 7:00!

Best Over All
The Hurricane Bar at the Black Marlin is another terrific place to enjoy happy hour. From 4:00 'til 7:00, this terrific outside area offers $2.00 off liquor drinks, $1.00 off all beers, sushi nachos, crab legs, and peel and eat shrimp. Not to mention, this place offers a great view of Palmetto Bay Marina with fans mounted on the trees to keep you cool!

Where can I find a restaurant that serves alligator?

Alligators are the subject of many conversations around Hilton Head, as well as many questions. The two most frequently asked alligator questions seem to be where to see 'em and where to eat 'em! Before setting off on an epicurean alligator pilgrimage, diners should know that the gator served in island restaurants is farm-raised gator. We don't pull them out of the ponds and hack 'em up for stew; the alligators on the island are protected by law, so we couldn't eat 'em if we wanted to. Even though many proclaim the edibility and taste of gator to be nothing short of a gastronomical delight, don't expect the wine expert at the restaurant to give much advice in the proper pairing of the meat with anything other than Ripple, MD 20/20, or Billy Beer. Likewise, you needn't worry about being frowned upon should you not choose the correct vintage to accompany your reptile as the locals typically enjoy "Chateau Lousianne" with their gator. This is a concoction made of fox grapes and poke berries fermented in swamp water. All that being said, there are a few island eateries that offer alligator prepared in various ways, and most visitors have just got to have at least one meal of it before they return home.

Turtles Beach Bar & Grill in the Westin Resort (Port Royal Plantation) offers Corn Fried Gator Puppies and Southern Alligator Medallions with Tonga dipping sauce. Both the Sea Shack and Captain's Seafood offer alligator tail on their appetizer menus. Tapas, the restaurant where the entire menu is made up of appetizers, offers Cajun Style Alligator. Any restaurant with "Alligator" in its name would basically have to serve the critter in one way or another, and the Alligator Grill (in Park Plaza) is no exception. Here, you can get alligator gumbo.

If you're a serious connoisseur of alligator creations, (or just really in to unusual menus), then don't miss Kenny B's in Circle Center on Pope Avenue. At this restaurant you can enjoy either a Fried Gator and Cajun Tator Sandwich or a South Georgia Swamp Thing - the Kenny B's featured entree comprised of fried gator and frog legs, blackened catfish, and Vidalia onion rings!



Unusual or "Out-of-the-ordinary" Menu Selections

No matter what your epicurean cravings may be, chances are you will find a Hilton Head restaurant capable of fulfilling your desires. An old Dr. Hook song proclaims, "...some folks likes ham hocks and some folks likes pork chops and some folks likes vegetable soup...". On this island you may be able to replace those dishes with preparations of alligator, duck, venison, escargot, or any number of other unusual gourmet delights.

Once a staple at most any stage stop, wild game has pretty much disappeared from American menus. But you can still find venison offered at The Studio (20 Executive Park Road, just off of Pope Ave.), where it is served with cherries Zinfandel and black pepper. At Kwizen (in Park Plaza at 33 Office Park Road) it is offered either as an appetizer or an entree served in an apricot molasses glaze. Tapas at Northridge Plaza offers three different venison dishes on its all-appetizer menu. Frog legs and alligator (farm raised) are both on the menu at Kenny B's (Circle Center on Pope Ave.), and alligator is offered in one form or another at the Sea Shack, The Alligator Grill (of course), Tapas, Captain's Seafood, and Turtles Beach Bar and Grill.

Other wild game available on select menus includes rabbit, which is served at Eat (in the Village at Wexford) as an appetizer with black bean chili relleno and as a braised entree with a blackberry barbeque sauce served atop a bed of grits. Wood roasted quail with wild mushroom cornbread stuffing and pecan glaze is served at the Sante Fe Cafe (807 William Hilton Parkway). Duck is served in no less than ten island eating establishments and prepared in several interesting ways, including a duck spring roll served as an appetizer at the Alligator Grill.

Other unusual or interesting dishes and foods found around the island include: Catch 22's southern fried pickles and the Brew Pub's beer battered pickles. Scotch eggs are on the menu at the British Open Pub (The Village at Wexford), while Frankie Bones serves a whole roasted artichoke stuffed with crabmeat. Sweet potato ravioli and chicken with grits are prepared at Cranes Tavern (New Orleans Rd.), while Two Eleven Park (Park Plaza) prepares a delightful sounding cedar planked salmon. Island Bistro's menu includes a one-of-a-kind homemade smoked chicken and fig sausage. Other unusual offerings include: oyster tacos and oyster burritos (Amigo's Cafe y Cantina), lobster tacos (Marley's at Park Plaza), poached pear salad (Stripes on Office Park Rd.), conch fritters (Hudson's on Squire Pope Road), and "Cono Italiano" or "Pizza in a Cone" (Pino Gelato at the Village at Wexford).

Still haven't satisfied you're craving for something hard to find or unusual? Then try fried smetl-offered as an appetizer at Street Meet, sweet potato fries at the Brew Pub, octopus vinaigrette at Vassili's, crawfish tails at Shrimp Michaels, or fish tacos-available at either Jalapenos or the Carolina Cafe in the Westin Resort!

Hungry right now? Visit our friends at Vegetarian Recipes & Cooking!