These are 10 of the best seafood restaurants in SC, Southern Living says. Why they’re great
Have you decided on where you’re eating out tonight?
It’s an age-old question — one that’s often hard to answer — particularly in a state like South Carolina that’s full of top-tier local cuisine. The Palmetto State is known particularly for its distinctive style of barbecue.
However, foodies shouldn’t sleep on the seafood dishes the state has to offer either. The writers at Southern Living apparently think so too.
The popular magazine recently consulted its readers to determine which restaurants in South Carolina provide the best seafood.
Below are the 10 restaurants that made the cut.
Lee’s Inlet Kitchen
This is not the first time Lee’s Inlet Kitchen has been recognized for it’s excellent seafood. The Murrells Inlet eatery was honored by Southern Living as the best seafood restaurant in South Carolina in 2023.
For 75 years, Lee’s Inlet has provided loads of hush puppies, hand-peeled shrimp from the waters of nearby McClellanville and more.
“The shrimp salad ($28.95), made with boiled fantail shrimp and Duke’s mayo, is another house specialty,” Southern Living writes.
Hudson’s Seafood House on the Docks
Hudson’s Seafood House on the Docks has been a Hilton Head staple since 1967. The restaurant works with fishermen in Hilton Head, Charleston, Georgia and northern Florida to provide the freshest seasonal catches, such as swordfish, mahi-mahi, grouper, tilefish, triggerfish and black sea bass.
“Because of it’s enviable position on the edge of Port Royal Sound, guests can watch a local fishing fleet (one of only two on the island) unload the day’s loot, which could include anything from white shrimp to soft-shell crab,” Southern Living writes.
The magazine recommends ordering the steamed local cluster oysters from September through April.
Bowens Island Restaurant
Bowens Island Restaurant has been a fixture in Charleston along Folly Creek since 1946. The James Beard Foundation deemed the family-owned restaurant an American Classic in 2006 and for good reason. While inside it’s graffitied walls, customers are privy to fresh-steamed oysters from September through the first half of May and dishes of fried shrimp and hush puppies all year.
“It’s all delicious, — and it’s made even more so if you snag a seat on the waterside deck,” Southern Living writes.
The Crab Shack
The Crab Shacks is a family-friendly, casual establishment found on Folly Beach. Southern Living previously declared the restaurant one of the top five best seafood dives in the Southeast.
Locally owned and operated for more than 20 years, the restaurant serves a killer she-crab soup — not to mention the value seafood baskets, which you can order with generous portions of flounder, shrimp or scallops.
“The marquee offering, The Charleston Steamed Seafood Bucket, includes two snow crab clusters, large domestic shrimp, and steamed oysters,” Southern Living writes.
Here are links to the six other restaurants included on Southern Living’s list.
- Leon’s Fine Poultry & Oyster Shop
- The Sea Shack
- Sullivan’s Fish Camp
- The Wreck of the Richard and Charlene
- Shrimp Shack
- Mr. Fish Restaurant
