Hilton Head, Charleston Restaurants

[w.bob]

We will be in Hilton Head for a week this Sept. and would be interested in hearing Tugger's recommendations for restaurants in Hilton Head. Will also be visiting Charleston for the day and would like a couple of suggestions for lunch or dinner while there.

I have looked at a number of dinning sites like http://hhidining.com/ but many do not have actual reviews of the restaurants by patrons, just a write up about the place.
We like to read what the actual patron has to say and then take it for what it's worth. Thanks

[MULTIZ321]

w.bob

Sally's Place has Hilton Head Island Restaurant Reviews


Richard

[MULTIZ321]

Forgot to add - Sally's Place Charlestone Restaurant Reviews


Richard

[w.bob]

Thanks Richard, First time I came across Sally's place. I will go through each area.
I would still enjoy hearing Tug suggestions for their favorites.

[Deb from NC]

Red Fish is our favorite on Hilton Head. In Charleston we really like
Magnolias. It's hard to go wrong either place!
Enjoy...

[Pat H]

Sunset Grille has excellent food.

[Dave M]

Ditto, Sunset Grille. (Pat and I have been there together. )

See post #2 in this linked thread for my favorites and some comments about each of them.

[KenK]

Ya'll sure it was the food & not the company??

Originally Posted by Dave M

Ditto, Sunset Grille. (Pat and I have been there together. )

See post #2 in this linked thread for my favorites and some comments about each of them.

[Pat H]

Originally Posted by KenK

Ya'll sure it was the food & not the company??

It was definitely the food. Why would you think it was the company?

Okay, I'm only kidding. The company is so much better than the food anywhere!

[jme]

Fine dining (no particular order, but ALL OF THESE are "can't miss" category....tried and true!!!): Crane's Tavern, Charlie's L'Etoile Verte, Sunset Grille, Frankie Bones, Michael Anthony's, Santa Fe, Catch 22, The Studio, Marley's Island Grille, Redfish, Bonefish, Old Fort Pub, CQ's, Westin Hotel's seafood buffet.

Casual seafood: Old Oyster Factory, Kingfisher, Crazy Crab at Harbour Town. (also, Westin Hotel's seafood buffet, but it's so good, and pricey, that I placed it in the fine dining category above )

Breakfast: Skillet's, Waterfront Cafe (formerly Cafe Europa), Hilton Head Diner.

Mexican: San Miguel's .

Most popular/"extreme casual"/ family fun/teens' choice: Wild Wing Cafe.

Lunch: British Open Pub, Hilton Head Diner, Truffles.

Casual family/ popular and inexpensive: Aunt Chilada's.

!!!!!!!!!!! I have to add these notes, for FEAR that somebody may live life and NOT have the pleasure of experiencing these:::: at Santa Fe, order either the Grouper or the Cowboy Cut Rib Chop---both are specialty items on my personal "best of the best" list, and you will thank me forever! At Crane's Tavern, try the prime rib (or anything else)....All the other restaurants on my "fine dining" list have extraordinary entrees (ESPECIALLY Charlie's L'Etoile Verte and Sunset Grill !!!!), but these three items mentioned are unique and soooo delicious.....Also, you all may notice that I have added a few extra restaurants since my last list....well, that's because we've had the pleasure of trying a few new places, all well recommended, and they did not disappoint.

*****Enjoy, Marty (jme)**********************************

[Gramma5]

We stopped in Charleston on our way up to D.C. from Fl. and loved Poogan's Porch. It is a very cute little restaurant tucked away on historic Queen St. The food was delicious! We decided to have some "low country" food and both ordered shrimp and grits on the advice of the waitress. (Note: my husband grew up in the South and thought he HATED grits because his mom made them all the time.) However, we gambled and LOVED the shrimp & grits. They are like no grits that we have ever had! The service was a bit slow but the biscuits were great while we waited.
Charleston is a wonderful town and we hope to visit it again now that we are retired.....

[pcgirl54]

Hugo's Wexford Pecan chicken

Truffles for lunch

Redfish for lunch

Aunt Chiladas

Stacks for breakfast

Stickey Fingers BBQ

[somerville]

Sage Room is one of our favorites and is on Sally's top 10 list. The chef is the son of my former physical therapist.

[Kim R]

I second the recommendation for Redfish - we eat there every year when we are in Hilton Head. They also have great shrimp and grits. And it's fun to select your bottle of wine for your meal from their in house wine shop.

Also, for lunch or breakfast - Signe's Heaven Bound Cafe & Bakery on Arrow Rd. They have sandwiches, quiche, salads, etc. and yummy baked goods. They will also pack a lunch for you - maybe something for the beach!

[pacheco18]

Charleston lunch

Magnolia's -- just divine

One meal in Charleston is not enough. It is a dining dream.

[breezylawn]

We just loved BoneFish. Great food, great ambience, great prices! It's a win-win! Bill

[pcgirl54]

FYI-Carrabas (yummy garlic mussels and lots of them )and Bonefish Grill on HH open at 4pm. They are not open for lunch as we sadly found out. Bonefish is on my list for this year. Each year we try 3-4 new places on HHI. There are so many options.

Check Sally's list and this site for what's new. Scroll down for the links to other HH things. There is a first timers link.
http://www.hhisleinfo.com/what's_new.htm

I have yet to try Mellow Mushroom,Crane's,Marley's,Old Fort Pub and Jazz Cafe and so many others.
http://www.mellowmushroom.com

Liked Frankie Bones and they serve lunch. Large menu and leather booths. http://www.frankiebonesrestaurant.com

Black Marlin Grill has a waterway view and outdoor dining near the bridge on Palmetto Bay Marina. We ate there last year when it was called Hemmingways but they had to change the name due to the writer of the same name. http://www.hemingwaysbaysidegrill.com/

There is a popular breakfast lunch place Sunrise Cafe where locals dine but no waterviews. http://www.hiltonheadisland.com/palmettobay/pbm2.htm

If you want to dine in. Do try "Fresh Market "Gourmet Grocer like Whole Foods. Wonderful,meats,seafoods and really nice prepared meals and awesome bakery. What a place located in the fresh market plaza on Wm Hilton Pkwy.

[Ann-Marie]

Right over the HHI bridge in Bluffton, we ate at the Upper Crust Restaurant in the Moss Creek Shopping Center. I purchased a restaurant.com coupon for lunch. It was very good. I think there is also one on HHI.

[w.bob]

Wow. Checked in this morning and found all of the above recommendations. Thanks to everyone. I enjoy reading them and also checking links to look at menus.

Keep them coming. I'm sure there are a lot of other travelers to the area who are taking advantage of the info. Thanks again

[jme]

Originally Posted by w.bob

Wow. Checked in this morning and found all of the above recommendations. Thanks to everyone. I enjoy reading them and also checking links to look at menus.

Keep them coming. I'm sure there are a lot of other travelers to the area who are taking advantage of the info. Thanks again

Get the Restaurant Guide, which has a lot of the menus inside, at the front desk in the magazine rack....or anywhere you see a magazine rack....it'll give most of the good places, plus the maps on where to find them on the island. The locations are pegged , so it's easy to see what's nearby.. ******It's also good to have that laying around the condo so you can pick it up, thumb thru it, and visually decide on dinner...rather than having to get out the laptop.

BUT remember, some of the really GREAT places do not advertise, so please trust the recommendations above (especially MINE) and you'll be glad you did. (Don't miss Frankie Bones...it's our favorite "newly discovered " place...I CANNOT BELIEVE we had not gone there...oh, the shame!!!!) Enjoy! Marty (jme)

[w.bob]

Thanks again to anyone who responded with info. It helps to hear form the source. I might have to stay for a couple of weeks in order to try all of the places reviewed here.

[Janette]

Also on Queen Street in Charleston is 82 Queens which is WONDERFUL for lunch. You can't go wrong on Queen Street. Everyone has touched on most of our favorites on the island. This makes me want to rush out to dinner but I must play mah jong tonight. What a life!!