18 Mar Fine-dining options on South Carolina’s Hammock Coast: Top spots South Carolina enjoys a national reputation for the quality of its food, and some of the Palmetto State’s finest restaurants and chefs call South Carolina’s Hammock Coast® home. If you’re looking for some of the best options for fine dining on South Carolina’s Hammock Coast, we’ve prepared a list — backed up with some Tripadvisor reviews – that are sure to please. While the atmosphere may fit the fine-dining criteria, the restaurants of the Hammock Coast are, typical to the vibe of the area, easy on the dress code. Plenty of folks will be in low-key, beach attire. If it’s a special occasion and you want to dress to the nines, you won’t be out of place, either. On the Hammock Coast, it’s come as you want, but for bi Some consider Pawleys Island to be the epicenter of the Hammock Coast’s thriving culinary scene, and it’s true that Pawleys is home to an eclectic mix of restaurants that provide a mouth-watering array of choices for foodies. For vacationers looking for a fine-dining experience, though, you’re not limited to just Pawleys Island. Murrells Inlet has the well-deserved reputation as the “Seafood Capital of South Carolina,” and there historic city of Georgetown also has great eateries and definitely can fit the bill for fine dining on South Carolina’s Hammock Coast. The area’s casual charm provides a relaxed environment to enjoy a meal capable rivaling the best of a “big-city” dining experience, and here are some of the area’s finest restaurants: BISTRO 217 • Bistro 217, whose owner and executive chef, Adam Kirby was named one of South Carolina’s “Chef Ambassadors” in 2017, draws its inspiration from Southern and Pacific Rim foods, a combination that has delighted diners for years. On a menu full of memorable entrees, the 217 Eggplant Treasure Chest is a favorite. Local shrimp, scallops and grouper are served in a basil-parmesan cream sauce over fried eggplant. In a recent 5-star Tripadvisor evaluation, Karenstravel61 raved, “Loved the menu selection. Creative variations on classics. Everything was amazingly delicious. All 4 of us ordered different entrees and loved them. Soups great. Homemade ice cream was awesome. Great service.” FRANK’S & FRANK’S OUTBACK • For more than 30 years, Frank’s has been at the center of the Hammock Coast dining scene, and it’s as good now as it has ever been. The homemade jalapeno pimento cheese, served with wonton chips, will start your meal with a little spice, and the 8-ounce USDA prime filet mignon is the perfect entree for a memorable night out. “It always feels like a special evening when we have dinner at Franks Outback,” FrequentFlier183545 said in one of the 943 5-star reviews Frank’s has received on Tripadvisor.com. “The ambiance is dressy/causal but dignified.” THE INDEPENDENT • The Independent is one of the newest restaurants on the Georgetown dining scene as it’s part of the new boutique hotel, The George, the first hotel on Front Street in nearly 60 years. XXXXXXXXXX TIDE TO TABLE • The experience at a fine-dining restaurant extends beyond the food and that’s certainly the case at Tide to Table. Sometimes it’s what you see, as well as what you eat — and that’s where Tide to Table comes in. It’s the only restaurant on the Hammock Coast the overlooks the Atlantic Ocean. Located at the iconic Oceanfront Litchfield Inn in the South Litchfield Beach community of the Pawleys Island mainland, Tide to Table is fairly new to the Hammock Coast dining scene. Inside a dining room that features nearly floor-to-ceiling windows to highlight the stunning Atlantic Coast views of Litchfield Beach, the restaurant menu features fresh seafood, hand-cut steaks and more. On the Starters menu, which includes a delectable She Crab Bisque and a Sea Tide Wedge, there’s the Neptune Caesar, whose name is a nod to the original restaurant on the site, the Golden Neptune that opened in the 1960s and was a go-to eatery for many years and set the standard for hospitality that lives on today. With a five-star review on Tripadvisor, Katie R said it best: “We thoroughly enjoyed our meal at Tide To Table! From the drinks to the food everything was beautifully prepared and delicious. The ambience and view was beautiful, as well. We had a fabulous table at the very large windows overlooking the ocean. The servers were perfectly attentive without ‘hovering’ and the manager was making rounds to be sure everything was just right. The best part for me were the crab cakes. I am from Maryland and am very finicky about my cakes. I took a chance and ordered them in SC, something I would not ordinarily do. The chance paid off. They were wonderful! My husband ordered a pasta dish and he said it was wonderful, as well.” —- The quality of the fine dining in Pawleys Island matches the beauty of its stunning beach, which is saying something. Bistro 217, Frank’s, Tide to Table are among the best restaurants in Pawleys Island and all of South Carolina. Who’s hungry? For more on dining throughout South Carolina’s Hammock Coast, click here. For a first-person account of vacationing and dining on the Hammock Coast, click here. — By Chris King, King Communications 0 Hammock-All, Litchfield, Pawleys Island
