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Updated Hilton Head Restaurants

jme

jme

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Marriotts:
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I sent this to a recent TUG poster and new friend by PM because she was visiting HH for the first time, so I thought I might as well post it.

Updated "Hilton Head Restaurants"

Sorry if I left out your favorite, but here is my list, and reflects my personal opinion, for what that's worth. There are some mentioned and unmentioned that I still need to get to--- just haven't had time, or the real reason: I haven't been able to skip my favorites. There are several "good" restaurants I left out, because my focus here is only the "outstanding" ones, i.e., ones I highly recommend to HH visitors and friends. I honestly believe the list is a "can't miss" list, where you won't be disappointed. Basically this is not a "good restaurant" list, it's a "great restaurant" list.

My list contains a general mix of restaurant types, but under the Personal Best lists A and B, they are mostly "fine dining" category. Dress is always casual at Hilton Head, but for a few of these, I recommend "dressy casual", aka "business casual" and "resort casual".

OLD LINK worth revisiting (Dave's excellent list included, and my old list):
http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=69854&highlight=hilton+head+restaurants

Complete "Online List"...just for reference, to be fair, website links included.
http://www.hiltonheadisland.org/dining/restaurants/

Here's my list, broken into categories:

Breakfast:
Palmetto Bay Sunrise Cafe (far and away the favorite---awesome, a must).
Original Pancake House (off island, but a great diner atmosphere).
Signe's (small, unique).
Skillets (old fashioned,nothing fancy,just good).

Lunch:
Truffles Cafe(Pope Ave location, full outstanding menu, upscale contemporary, Sea Pines location has same menu, different decor and feel, also top notch---recommend the Mango Tea , Black Bean Burger, but everything is excellent).
Harbour Town Bakery and Cafe-(small casual deli-like, sandwiches, soups, salads, inside or 2 front porch tables!!).
Main Street Cafe (full varied menu, excellent, locals' favorite).

Seafood: (some also listed in Personal Best below)
Old Oyster Factory, Skull Creek Boathouse, Crazy Crab at Harbour Town, Westin Hotel Seafood Buffet (summertime, nightly---very pricey but good)

Personal Best/Ultimate Favorite list "A":
(the ones we frequent the most, "fine dining" but still casual, reservations(*) a MUST if they accept them, others honor call-ahead seating, available only thru Marriott concierge)

Santa Fe* (our favorite, go there 1st and last each trip--signature dish Grouper, Cowboy Cut Rib Chop).
Charlie's L'Etoile Verte* (maybe the best all-round food/service/atmosphere on island--"elegant bistro", very special, new hand-written menu daily, lots of fish choices, also duck, veal, lamb, etc).
Alexander's* (small,quiet,refined,romantic,elegant).
Old Fort Pub* (small,quiet,refined,romantic,elegant).
Skull Creek Boathouse (love it! awesome,crazy busy,huge menu,great food,inside or outside/waterway view).
Old Oyster Factory (beautiful huge new knotty-pine building and breathtaking view of marsh, varied seafood menu, very popular).
Frankie Bones* (warm cozy club atmosphere, huge high-back maroon leather booths, totally "Sinatra cool"!).
Crane's Tavern* (steak and seafood, traditional, quiet & elegant)

star above (*) means "Reservations a must"!!!!!!!
(others honor Marriott Call-Ahead by concierge---use it to avoid a 1.5 hour wait!!! you'll be seated in about 10-15 minutes)

FAVORITE LIST "B":
(excellent, highly rated, tried and true---only listed separately because we don't seem to get there as often because of list "A". but still great, reservations a must):
Red Fish (modern cuisine, upscale contemporary); Michael Anthony's (fine Italian); Bonefish (a chain, but a superior one); Sunset Grille(great sunset view, great chef, local's favorite, wish I went here more often---it's a great one! probably adults only); Catch 22(small, local fave); Marley's Island Grille (fun, busy, Caribbean decor/music, sometimes inconsistent but who cares); The Studio (different, quirky artsy cool, quiet, adult); A Low Country Backyard (a new popular hot spot, great reviews, patio dining).

VERY HIGHLY rated by trusted locals, but haven't been here yet:
Sage Room, Alfred's (German), Flavors, Sea Grass Grille

"Crazy fun" category:
Wild Wing Cafe... highly popular, younger crowd loves it, beyond casual, big screen TV, bar, really good wings, extensive menu, 20+ flavor selections.


Pizza: Mellow Mushroom, Giuseppe's (Shelter Cove location)

New hot spot:
supposedly very good, but haven't been yet:
RoastFish and Cornbread (down-home southern cooking, described as authentic Gullah Cuisine, by Chef David--- generally great reviews and worth trying....parking lot always packed, near Old Oyster Factory)

Enjoy.
 
I agree!

you're list is the same as mine would be! We've been going to HHI for years.

I'll add that we ate at RoastFish and Cornbread last November and it was excellent! Go early, otherwise there's a long wait.
 
Thanks for this extensive list. We're headed to Hilton Head in November for the first time, and this list will give me a great starting point on investigating restaurants. Much appreciated!!!
 
dls0210 said:
Thanks for this extensive list. We're headed to Hilton Head in November for the first time, and this list will give me a great starting point on investigating restaurants. Much appreciated!!!
Click to expand...



Keep in mind, many (if not most) of the evening menus on Hilton Head Island Restaurants offer an early bird menu with early bird (lower) pricing.

Generally, you need to be seated prior to 5:45 pm in order to take advantage of this lower pricing. My suggestion is to make a telephone inquiry about early bird pricing prior to making plans at any one particular restaurant.

Also, keep in mind that I have experienced this early bird pricing only during the fall season (when I have gone to Hilton Head), so I can't speak for the peak summertime season policies.

Maybe another Tugger can chime in....




.
 
mlfrancis said:
you're list is the same as mine would be! We've been going to HHI for years.

I'll add that we ate at RoastFish and Cornbread last November and it was excellent! Go early, otherwise there's a long wait.
Click to expand...

no more long waits!!!!....have concierge do call-ahead. they honor it---marriott must have an "arrangement". it works even for places that don't accept reservations. for example, we are currently back at HH for a spontaneous weekend, and we have "call-ahead" reservations tonight already for a particular place that normally has over an hour wait, sometimes more. We will be seated within 10 minutes. it's the one advantage in having that Marriott "concierge" who always calls a few days before arrival.... got it, use it..... no thanks on the tour (DC push) , yes on the dinner reservations!:D
 
jme said:
I sent this to a recent TUG poster and new friend by PM because she was visiting HH for the first time, so I thought I might as well post it.

Updated "Hilton Head Restaurants"

Sorry if I left out your favorite, but here is my list, and reflects my personal opinion, for what that's worth. There are some mentioned and unmentioned that I still need to get to--- just haven't had time, or the real reason: I haven't been able to skip my favorites. There are several "good" restaurants I left out, because my focus here is only the "outstanding" ones, i.e., ones I highly recommend to HH visitors and friends. I honestly believe the list is a "can't miss" list, where you won't be disappointed. Basically this is not a "good restaurant" list, it's a "great restaurant" list.

My list contains a general mix of restaurant types, but under the Personal Best lists A and B, they are mostly "fine dining" category. Dress is always casual at Hilton Head, but for a few of these, I recommend "dressy casual", aka "business casual" and "resort casual".

OLD LINK worth revisiting (Dave's excellent list included, and my old list):
http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=69854&highlight=hilton+head+restaurants

Complete "Online List"...just for reference, to be fair, website links included.
http://www.hiltonheadisland.org/dining/restaurants/

Here's my list, broken into categories:

Breakfast:
Palmetto Bay Sunrise Cafe (far and away the favorite---awesome, a must).
Original Pancake House (off island, but a great diner atmosphere).
Signe's (small, unique).
Skillets (old fashioned,nothing fancy,just good).

Lunch:
Truffles Cafe(Pope Ave location, full outstanding menu, upscale contemporary, Sea Pines location has same menu, different decor and feel, also top notch---recommend the Mango Tea , Black Bean Burger, but everything is excellent).
Harbour Town Bakery and Cafe-(small casual deli-like, sandwiches, soups, salads, inside or 2 front porch tables!!).
Main Street Cafe (full varied menu, excellent, locals' favorite).

Seafood: (some also listed in Personal Best below)
Old Oyster Factory, Skull Creek Boathouse, Crazy Crab at Harbour Town, Westin Hotel Seafood Buffet (summertime, nightly---very pricey but good)

Personal Best/Ultimate Favorite list "A":
(the ones we frequent the most, "fine dining" but still casual, reservations(*) a MUST if they accept them, others honor call-ahead seating, available only thru Marriott concierge)

Santa Fe* (our favorite, go there 1st and last each trip--signature dish Grouper, Cowboy Cut Rib Chop).
Charlie's L'Etoile Verte* (maybe the best all-round food/service/atmosphere on island--"elegant bistro", very special, new hand-written menu daily, lots of fish choices, also duck, veal, lamb, etc).
Alexander's* (small,quiet,refined,romantic,elegant).
Old Fort Pub* (small,quiet,refined,romantic,elegant).
Skull Creek Boathouse (love it! awesome,crazy busy,huge menu,great food,inside or outside/waterway view).
Old Oyster Factory (beautiful huge new knotty-pine building and breathtaking view of marsh, varied seafood menu, very popular).
Frankie Bones* (warm cozy club atmosphere, huge high-back maroon leather booths, totally "Sinatra cool"!).
Crane's Tavern* (steak and seafood, traditional, quiet & elegant)

star above (*) means "Reservations a must"!!!!!!!
(others honor Marriott Call-Ahead by concierge---use it to avoid a 1.5 hour wait!!! you'll be seated in about 10-15 minutes)

FAVORITE LIST "B":
(excellent, highly rated, tried and true---only listed separately because we don't seem to get there as often because of list "A". but still great, reservations a must):
Red Fish (modern cuisine, upscale contemporary); Michael Anthony's (fine Italian); Bonefish (a chain, but a superior one); Sunset Grille(great sunset view, great chef, local's favorite, wish I went here more often---it's a great one! probably adults only); Catch 22(small, local fave); Marley's Island Grille (fun, busy, Caribbean decor/music, sometimes inconsistent but who cares); The Studio (different, quirky artsy cool, quiet, adult); A Low Country Backyard (a new popular hot spot, great reviews, patio dining).

VERY HIGHLY rated by trusted locals, but haven't been here yet:
Sage Room, Alfred's (German), Flavors, Sea Grass Grille

"Crazy fun" category:
Wild Wing Cafe... highly popular, younger crowd loves it, beyond casual, big screen TV, bar, really good wings, extensive menu, 20+ flavor selections.


Pizza: Mellow Mushroom, Giuseppe's (Shelter Cove location)

New hot spot:
supposedly very good, but haven't been yet:
RoastFish and Cornbread (down-home southern cooking, described as authentic Gullah Cuisine, by Chef David--- generally great reviews and worth trying....parking lot always packed, near Old Oyster Factory)

Enjoy.
Click to expand...

Thx so much!, This is an awesome compilation!
 
Thanks for the list. Marty

We will give a couple a try.

We will be back at Grande Ocean Memorial Day week.

David
 
Thanks for the great info! We just booked today for our first trip to HHI and we'll look forward to enjoying some special meals during our stay.
 
A few new ones we found on our last trip not mentioned by Marty are the Hilton Head Diner which had a nice breakfast selection we thought and the British Open Pub.
 
JME, You should try the Sage Room. The chef is the son of my former (retired) physical therapist. It is my recollection that he was at Santa Fe before he opened Sage Room.

Regarding Santa Fe, did it change hands? We have a house near Beaufort, and we ate there during Restaurant Week earlier this year. My wife (who lives in Beaufort most of the time) said she had been by the restaurant before that week and that it looked closed. Regardless, I thought the furnishings were worn. The chairs are in desperate need of recovering, as the leather is worn and cracked.
 
Very nice list, Marty, thanks! We're slo-o-o-o-owly making our way through the tried and true favorites because now that we've been introduced by TUGgers to Fresh Market, we actually prefer shopping there for the specialty beef/lamb/fish cuts and inventive sides, then cooking at the resorts. There just is never enough time to try everything.

By the way, Sea Grass Grille, which you put in your "trusted by locals" section, was fantastic! Here's what I posted after our trip in September:
"We tried a new restaurant for us, the Sea Grass Grille on 278 just past the Palmetto Dunes entrance heading south. Excellent! I had an asiago-encrusted tilapia that was delicious, the others had salmon, mahi-mahi and a pasta/clams dish. They don't offer a choice of sides but I think they change them up every day. The night we were there the potato dish was a very light au gratin-type that tasted of gruyere, and the vegetables were mixed grilled asparagus, broccoli, carrots and snap peas. It's pretty inside - low lighting, different printed cloth tablecloths on every table, different oil lamps, comfy chairs. We liked it very much and will go back." Forgot to mention, too, that it had an extensive wine list.
 
I would second the addition of Roastfish and Cornbread, and I can't believe that Hudson's on the Docks is not anywhere on this list. (It's one of my "can't miss" restaurants--love their she crab soup!)
 
One other thought regarding food options on HHI. We don't have them up here on Long Island but Publix Supermarket is a great value for good food on certain items.

A few nights we had their fried whole chicken dinner which I think were $5. It was fabulous chicken at a great vlaue. They also make the best Boars Head Heros for picnics or just lunch very reasonable prices.
 
Tapas are half price on Tues night at Robert Irvine's EATS. Some of us in the area go there and order several tapas. In fact the waiter suggests it. A friend ordered a salad and two tapas. You do need reservations and maybe even a few weeks in advance. Ask to make sure they still do this but it has been the same for over a year. It is a unique restaurant and Robert is there sometimes.

Kenny B's is a hole in the wall in the BiLo shopping center near Coligny. They have good cajun and seafood. No atmosphere, but very inexpensive, good food. They also have a good brunch on the weekend. If you aren't a Georgia Bulldawg like me, just ignore all the DAWG decor. Kenny worked for UGA and at the Superdome, thus DAWG and New Orleans decor.

Roast fish and Cornbread is good, as is Low Country Backyard. We really do eat at home sometimes!
 
Barnacle Bill's Seafood Market

We did a lot of cooking while staying in Sea Pines on our last trip and bought most of our groceries at the Publix. We wanted to try Stone Crab Claws that I learned about during a boat ride in Edisto a little further north in South Carolina. We were given a recommendation to try Barnacle Bill's Seafood Market. We had seen the roadside stand/shack before but never stopped there. We bought 2 lbs of Crab Claws which were ok and 2 lbs of jumbo Shrimp which were excellent. It was a little confusing because the Stone crab claws were listed on the various boards with a different price on each of the boards, with about $1.25 difference in the 3 prices per pound. "Bill" was very chatty and friendly with the patrons he knew but not so much to us. He was waiting on someone and chatting for about 10 minutes while I waited in line. Then when the 1st person finished he took someone else who he also knew who came about the same time as I did but about a minute after. He also spent a few minutes on this person. Then while getting our stuff together he talked to one of the 5 other people who were waiting by this time. At this point I got the feeling that the differences in the prices might be for locals and tourist but maybe it was just yesterdays prices that had not been updated. By the time I left 25 minutes later there were about 7 people waiting in line.

So the seafood was good and the prices were decent but the experience wasn't the best and I learned that I wasn't missing anything by not eating Stone Crab Claws.
 
We go to Hilton Head every year and I have to say the Sage Room is one of the best restaurants I've EVER eaten at.....we never miss eating there and last year we ate there twice. It's a little pricey....dinner for three with a bottle of wine and desserts ran over $200.
 
Great List.
Can you update it with the restaurants that offer outdoor seating?
We like to sit outside if possible.
We are on our way to HHI this weekend.
Thanks.
 
vail said:
Great List.
Can you update it with the restaurants that offer outdoor seating?
We like to sit outside if possible.
We are on our way to HHI this weekend.
Thanks.
Click to expand...

Santa Fe has outdoor dining upstairs. Old Oyster Factory and Skull Creek Boathouse also have outdoor dining. Both have outstanding views.

(I went down my whole list...)
Also with outdoor dining, sort of in order mentioned in my list:
Breakfast: Palmetto Bay Sunrise Cafe, Skillets.
Lunch: Truffles (Pope Ave location), Harbour Town Bakery and Cafe.
Seafood: Old Oyster Factory, Skull Creek Boathouse---nice views for both.

Low Country Backyard....patio dining.

Maybe Old Fort Pub......seems they have an area off one end that accommodates outside dining, but we have never walked over there. Great inside window views anyway---view is outstanding.

That's it.... most of the fine dining restaurants do not have outdoor dining. Have a great trip. VERY beautiful weather today.....nice and cool...should be perfect for you....quite envious.
 
somerville said:
JME, You should try the Sage Room. The chef is the son of my former (retired) physical therapist. It is my recollection that he was at Santa Fe before he opened Sage Room.

Regarding Santa Fe, did it change hands? We have a house near Beaufort, and we ate there during Restaurant Week earlier this year. My wife (who lives in Beaufort most of the time) said she had been by the restaurant before that week and that it looked closed. Regardless, I thought the furnishings were worn. The chairs are in desperate need of recovering, as the leather is worn and cracked.
Click to expand...

I will try Sage Room the next time I'm there, guaranteed, which will be in June (3 consecutive June weeks!!!)

Santa Fe is not closed. If it's changed hands (and I'm not sure about that, don't think so), the food has not suffered....We've been there a dozen times already this year, and my wife also just returned from a girl trip TODAY, and they dined there Tuesday night and had a blast.

If the furnishings appeared worn, it's because the place is so packed all the time. The chairs are sort of a woven or heavy wicker-type, several years old for sure, and probably need replacement, but they are not in bad shape at all......I've never thought they were a problem, or even noticed them as deficient in any way. To me, it's part of being back at one of my favorite spots anywhere. Would I not go there even if I had to sit on the floor? Never. I love the food and the atmosphere. It has a very hip vibe because of the crowd and clientele.....quite fun and romantic. Always energetic, always lively. Not a place where "tourists" go.
 
Janette said:
JME, are you there the week of the 23rd? My entire family will be here the 23rd. We might get to share our tree.
Click to expand...

May 23? My DD, 5 yr old grandson and 2 yr old granddaughter will be here for a few weeks starting on the 22nd. Maybe the grands can get together for some play time??
 
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