Marty's HHI Restaurant Thread [Ongoing - Post #896 Update]

[pedro47]

I would liked to thanks Marty (jme) for all the research, hard work, time and hours; he has dedicated to this thread. Outstanding !!!!!

 

[Dean]

I would liked to thanks Marty (jme) for all the research, hard work, time and hours; he has dedicated to this thread. Outstanding !!!!!

I couldn't agree more, what an asset.

 

[jont]

I couldn't agree more, what an asset.

ditto. Marty is da man!

 

[Superchief]

It appears that restaurant week will be 2/20-27. Unfortunately I will be gone by then. I hope some of you can enjoy it.

Restaurants

Discover the best restaurants on Hilton Head Island. From fine dining to casual eateries, explore a variety of culinary options for a memorable dining experience.

www.hiltonheadisland.org

 

[davidvel]

And your Williamsburg? Thanks

Here's my contribution: Francesco's Ristorante Italiano
We've been to hundreds of Italian restaurants, and some of the best in the country. This one is in a strip mall, but we had some of the best authentic pizza, pasta as well as Pollo parmigiano ever.

Pedro, have you been there?
6524 Richmond Rd, Williamsburg, VA 23188

Home

www.francescosristoranteitaliano.com

 

[Steve A]

https://www.islandpacket.com/news/business/article248150800.html?ac_cid=DM353620&ac_bid=-1014310140

 

[Dean]

https://www.islandpacket.com/news/business/article248150800.html?ac_cid=DM353620&ac_bid=-1014310140

Subscriber only content, Steve might I ask that you post a quick summary of such articles when linking, maybe 1 or 2 sentences.

 

[Steve A]

Article below. Frankly, I wasn't impressed by the Tio's at the Shelter Cove location. Food wasn't anything special and it was too noisy. We ate there once and never went back.


Tio’s Latin American Kitchen is coming to Bluffton.


The restaurant has become a fixture at Shelter Cove Towne Centre on Hilton Head over the last several years, and its owners, Chef Lynden Zuniga and Sally Zuniga, are putting the finishing touches on a new Bluffton location.

“We are going to open as soon as possible,” Sally Zuniga said, “hopefully in the next month.”

The new restaurant will be in Buckwalter Place near Kroger.

Sally Zuniga said the couple signed a lease agreement for the space in 2019 and intended to be open before now, but COVID-19 slowed their plans.

“We really wanted to be in Bluffton,” she said. “It was our plan from the beginning.”

Tio’s first opened on the north end of Hilton Head in 2017 before moving to a larger, 4,000-square-foot space at Shelter Cove Towne Centre in 2019. Prior to opening his own restaurant, Lynden Zuniga worked as a chef in several SERG group restaurants, including Skull Creek BoathouseThe Bluffton Tio’s will feature an open kitchen.


“The kitchen will be front and center of the restaurant,” Sally Zuniga said. “You are going to be able to sit around the kitchen.”


Those who love the look of the Hilton Head location likely will feel at home in the new space. The young artist who painted a mural at the Hilton Head location, Charlotte Ofee, also is creating one for the Bluffton restaurant.

Sally Zuniga described the overall decor as “rustic industrial.”

The Bluffton restaurant will be furnished similarly to the one on Hilton Head, with an eclectic mix of tables and chairs purchased from local resale shops setting the tone.

“I think there’s a coziness to having a family table at a restaurant,” Sally Zuniga explained.


The restaurant also will offer takeout and outdoor seating for those who are uncomfortable dining indoors during the coronavirus pandemic.

The menu

The menu at the Bluffton location will be the same as the one on Hilton Head, at least at the beginning. However, the Zunigas plan to let the new restaurant’s menu “evolve” with the wishes of their Bluffton clientele.

Lynden Zuniga was born in Honduras and moved to the United States when he was 14. Tio’s menu reflects not only this heritage but also includes dishes from other Latin American countries and Puerto Rico.
Diners will find Argentinian camarones, Mexican enchiladas, Honduran tamales and Cuban ropa vieja tacos among other options on the extensive fusion menu.

Subscriber only content, Steve might I ask that you post a quick summary of such articles when linking, maybe 1 or 2 sentences.

The Zunigas not only have a new restaurant, but the parents of three daughters welcomed a baby son in November.

Said Sally Zuniga: “It’s been a real exciting 2020 for our family.”

The Plato Vegano (vegan plate) from Tio’s Latin American Kitchen. Owners of the Hilton Head restaurant are opening a second location next month in Bluffton. Submitted photo

Lisa Wilson

 

[Dean]

Thanks Steve.

 

[Steve A]

The Whiskey Room, attached to the SERG Charbar restaurant, is closing. The space will be renovated and Charbar will expand into it. We never went there although we have been to the Charbar. Great burgers.

 

[nanceetom]

We will be at the Grande Ocean for 16 days, 1/15-31. It may be a little cool, but just a change of scenery and walks on the beach will be welcoming. First, which oceanfront building would most recommend? Second, our choice only, we have not gone into "inside" of restaurants. Anyone know of places still serving, maybe with heaters outside this time of year?

 

[Steve A]

Old Fort Pub to close to be replaced by six story condo building

https://www.islandpacket.com/news/business/article248430430.html?ac_cid=DM362317&ac_bid=-891807031

 

[jme]

Old Fort Pub to close to be replaced by six story condo building

https://www.islandpacket.com/news/business/article248430430.html?ac_cid=DM362317&ac_bid=-891807031

Thanks, Steve.
Sad, it used to be THE place to go for a wonderful, elegant meal with great old-fashioned service.
Low lights, white table cloths, and candles made it a nice special-occasion spot.
The view of the waterway through the lovely moss-covered live oak trees was beautiful, one of the best anywhere.

 

[Steve A]

For any of you who are considering buying a place in Hilton Head you need to be careful about what role developers have in any of the gated communities you’re thinking about buying into.

 

[JIMinNC]

Old Fort Pub to close to be replaced by six story condo building

https://www.islandpacket.com/news/business/article248430430.html?ac_cid=DM362317&ac_bid=-891807031

Also sad to see it go. We ate there only once, but thought it was excellent. Hilton Head has so many great restaurants, but most of the places with a great view are more casual vs the white table cloth style. In that way, Old Fort Pub was unique - fine dining and a view.

 

[jmhpsu93]

For any of you who are considering buying a place in Hilton Head you need to be careful about what role developers have in any of the gated communities you’re thinking about buying into.

In what regard, Steve? Not in the market yet, but a long-term possibility.

 

[Steve A]

In some of the gated communities, the Sea Pines and Hilton Head communities for example (I was trained in southern history at the graduate level at a southern university and I hate the word plantation) developers own land that they can do things with that the home owners have no control over and may not like. The construction of the six story condo building on the site of the Old Fort Pub is an example. There is often conflict in Sea Pines between the home owners and the developers, https://www.islandpacket.com/news/business/real-estate-news/article163340163.html

 

[Big Matt]

Back to the food stuff. I got takeout from Gruby's Deli yesterday. It's a New York/Jewish deli theme. Sandwhiches were pricey, but my hot corned beef and pastrami was pretty darned good. Not easy to find a place selling chopped liver and brisket (not smoked). I'm going to try it again later this week.

 

[Laurie]

Back to the food stuff. I got takeout from Gruby's Deli yesterday. It's a New York/Jewish deli theme. Sandwhiches were pricey, but my hot corned beef and pastrami was pretty darned good. Not easy to find a place selling chopped liver and brisket (not smoked). I'm going to try it again later this week.

As a NY-Jewish-deli-raised person, I concur! You can pick up chopped liver to go, then stop in almost next-door to buy a reasonably decent loaf of rye at the supermarket. It's one of my go-to places every visit. (Their entire in-person menu seemed a bit more extensive than what I just saw online, fwiw.)

 

[jme]

Back to the food stuff. I got takeout from Gruby's Deli yesterday. It's a New York/Jewish deli theme. Sandwhiches were pricey, but my hot corned beef and pastrami was pretty darned good. Not easy to find a place selling chopped liver and brisket (not smoked). I'm going to try it again later this week.

Hey, what are you DOING posting stuff like this???????

You know I'm home working while you're loose on the island! Totally unfair.

And I thought when I left you guys on Sunday that you said you'd be working from the villa! Right.
Just wait'll I get back this weekend!

(sounds like an awesome spot for lunch....let's go!!!)

 

[Big Matt]

Hey, what are you DOING posting stuff like this???????

You know I'm home working while you're loose on the island! Totally unfair.

And I thought when I left you guys on Sunday that you said you'd be working from the villa! Right.
Just wait'll I get back this weekend!

(sounds like an awesome spot for lunch....let's go!!!)

I got takeout so that I could work from the villa.......

 

[amycurl]

I can't believe that about the Old Fort Pub. One of our favorites, and definitely a treat. I thought the land it was on was protected? I can't believe they're building condos on it. So sad.

And I would seriously recommend the academic--but quite readable and enjoyable--Profits and Politics in Paradise, which is about the history of the development of Hilton Head Island. I actually picked it up on one of our early-on trips at the Coastal Discovery Museum, and it just gave me a greater appreciation of why HHI is the way that it is (both good and bad; the story about "Indigo Ruin" is esp. fascinating.) #planningnerd

 

[JoeWilly]

Jme - Wow, that's a wonderful restaurant list--thank you! We are headed to HHI for the first time in November 2021. Is that list up to date and/or when was the last time it was updated? We are looking forward to our trip.

 

[jme]

Jme - Wow, that's a wonderful restaurant list--thank you! We are headed to HHI for the first time in November 2021.
Is that list up to date and/or when was the last time it was updated? We are looking forward to our trip.

Thanks....you have a lot to look forward to.
The current list was updated in early 2019. ....... 2020 certainly put a wrench in the wheel, though.
Because of the closure of a few restaurants (whether temporary or permanent) that occurred in 2020 due to Covid,
and also the resulting travel restrictions, I was waiting until Feb/March of this year to update it.
That gives me time to properly address things that have undergone change-----i.e., restaurants that permanently closed,
restaurants with any restrictions (or anything that warrants comment), and also any NEW restaurants that opened
that are worthy of being listed.
My intention is never to compile a complete list of restaurants at Hilton Head, but rather to list only those that I like a lot
and would heartily recommend without worry. Plus, a couple of the new places that I already know about must still be tested.

Luckily I was at Hilton Head the past two weekends and will return for two long weekends in February, and a full week in early April.
I do anticipate doing an update soon, though, probably sometime during March.

Thank you to all who send their comments and especially to those who use and appreciate the list.
I do recognize that such a list can be subjective, but I try to be fair.
(If a place is good but inconsistent, it either won't make the list or I'll mention it with a caveat.)

 

[JoeWilly]

Thanks....you have a lot to look forward to.
The current list was updated in early 2019. ....... 2020 certainly put a wrench in the wheel, though.
Because of the closure of a few restaurants (whether temporary or permanent) that occurred in 2020 due to Covid,
and also the resulting travel restrictions, I was waiting until Feb/March of this year to update it.
That gives me time to properly address things that have undergone change-----i.e., restaurants that permanently closed,
restaurants with any restrictions (or anything that warrants comment), and also any NEW restaurants that opened
that are worthy of being listed.
My intention is never to compile a complete list of restaurants at Hilton Head, but rather to list only those that I like a lot
and would heartily recommend without worry. Plus, a couple of the new places that I already know about must still be tested.

Luckily I was at Hilton Head the past two weekends and will return for two long weekends in February, and a full week in early April.
I do anticipate doing an update soon, though, probably sometime during March.

Thank you to all who send their comments and especially to those who use and appreciate the list.
I do recognize that such a list can be subjective, but I try to be fair.
(If a place is good but inconsistent, it either won't make the list or I'll mention it with a caveat.)

Thank you so much jme! I love that the restaurants listed have already been vetted by you. That's the best kind of restaurant recommendations. I'm also excited to hear the list will be updated before our trip. Thank you!!!