Best Restaurants in Myrtle Beach, SC: Eat & Drink Like a Local

Whether you’re visiting for a beach vacation or spending time exploring the Grand Strand as a possible place to live, the dining scene plays a central role in the Myrtle Beach experience. Stretching from the oceanfront boardwalk to Murrells Inlet and North Myrtle Beach, the area offers far more variety than many first-time visitors expect. Seafood institutions, golf-community staples, chef-driven restaurants, beach bars, breweries, and locally loved breakfast spots all shape the region’s food culture.

Like many coastal destinations, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, balances long-standing tourist classics with a steadily evolving local dining scene. Independent restaurants remain a major part of the area’s identity, and many have become year-round gathering places for both residents and returning visitors. Whether you are looking for waterfront seafood, upscale date-night dining, casual beach food, or late-night live music, these are the best restaurants in Myrtle Beach, SC — the gathering spots locals return to repeatedly.

Local Legends

These are the classic, go-to Myrtle Beach restaurants that anchor the local dining scene.

• Sea Captain’s House: One of the most iconic oceanfront restaurants on the Grand Strand, Sea Captain’s House has operated for decades inside a historic beach cottage setting overlooking the Atlantic. It remains one of the area’s defining seafood restaurants and consistently draws both tourists and locals year-round.
  What to order: She-crab soup and shrimp & grits.
• Hoskins Restaurant: A longtime North Myrtle Beach institution known for classic Southern breakfasts and comfort food. The atmosphere remains intentionally old-school and unfussy, which is part of the restaurant’s local appeal.
  What to order: Country-fried steak breakfast.
• Drunken Jack’s Restaurant & Lounge: Located directly along the Murrells Inlet waterfront, this longtime seafood destination has become one of the area’s most recognizable marshfront restaurants. Sunset dining here remains one of the classic Grand Strand experiences.
  What to order: Seafood platters and hushpuppies.
• River City Cafe: A casual burger institution known for peanut shells on the floor, beach-bar atmosphere, and oversized burgers. Multiple Grand Strand locations have helped make it one of the area’s enduring local chains.
  What to order: Signature burgers with hand-cut fries.
• Original Benjamin’s Calabash Seafood: One of the area’s best-known large-format seafood buffets, serving classic Calabash-style seafood and Southern sides. While tourist-heavy during peak season, it remains deeply tied to the Myrtle Beach dining identity.
  What to order: Fried seafood buffet and crab legs.

Where to Eat Tonight

Date Night & Upscale Fine Dining

• Hook & Barrel: A modern seafood-focused restaurant emphasizing sustainable sourcing and elevated coastal cuisine. The interior architecture and open kitchen create a more upscale atmosphere than many traditional beach seafood restaurants.
  What to order: Fresh local seafood specials.
• Frank’s Restaurant & Bar: Located farther south in Pawleys Island, Frank’s remains one of the Grand Strand’s most respected fine-dining destinations. The courtyard dining area is especially popular during warmer months.
  What to order: Filet and Lowcountry seafood dishes.
• The Library Restaurant: A longtime fine-dining restaurant known for classic service, tableside preparation, and a quieter atmosphere than many nearby tourist-heavy venues.
  What to order: Classic continental dishes and tableside desserts.
• Aspen Grille: A polished neighborhood restaurant blending Southern ingredients with elevated preparation. The smaller dining room creates a more intimate atmosphere than larger oceanfront venues.
  What to order: Shrimp and grits.
• 42nd Street Bar & Grill: A longtime local favorite that balances upscale dining with a more approachable neighborhood atmosphere. Live piano music remains part of the restaurant’s appeal.
  What to order: Prime rib and seafood specials.

Everyday Dining for Families & Large Groups

• Tupelo Honey Southern Kitchen & Bar: Located in The Market Common, this Southern-focused restaurant serves breakfast, brunch, and dinner in a highly accessible setting for families and larger groups.
  What to order: Fried chicken and biscuits.
• Croissants Bistro & Bakery: A longtime brunch and bakery favorite known for pastries, breakfast dishes, and approachable lunch offerings. The restaurant consistently attracts both visitors and year-round residents.
  What to order: Croissant French toast.
• Dagwood’s Deli & Sports Bar: A laid-back local favorite with oversized sandwiches and a strong sports-bar atmosphere. It remains especially popular with families and repeat visitors.
  What to order: Signature deli sandwiches.
• Johnny D’s Waffles and Benedicts: One of the area’s most popular breakfast spots, particularly during tourist season mornings. Expect wait times on weekends.
  What to order: Red velvet waffles.
• Blueberry’s Grill: A polished breakfast-and-lunch restaurant that has become a major local brunch destination along the Grand Strand.
  What to order: Stuffed French toast.

Live Music & Sports Bars

• King Street Grille: Located in The Market Common, this sports-focused restaurant combines a broad menu with a strong game-day atmosphere and multiple screens throughout the dining room.
  What to order: Wings and burgers.
• Tin Roof: An oceanfront live music venue and sports bar directly along the Myrtle Beach Boardwalk. The rooftop seating and live entertainment help keep the atmosphere active well into the evening.
  What to order: Nashville hot chicken sandwiches.
• The Boathouse Waterway Bar & Grill: A waterfront gathering spot along the Intracoastal Waterway known for live music, boat access, and outdoor seating. Summer concerts and Sunday gatherings remain major draws.
  What to order: Seafood baskets and frozen drinks.
• Handley’s Pub & Grub: A more neighborhood-oriented sports bar with a strong local following away from the oceanfront tourism core.
  What to order: Wings and pub-style appetizers.
• 810 Billiards & Bowling: A hybrid entertainment venue combining bowling, sports viewing, arcade games, and casual dining within one large indoor space.
  Local insight: Especially useful for rainy beach days or larger groups with mixed interests.

Quick Bites & International Flavors

• Melt: A small local restaurant specializing in elevated grilled cheese sandwiches and casual comfort food near Broadway at the Beach.
  What to order: Gourmet grilled cheese combinations.
• Sole Italian Restaurant: A locally respected Italian restaurant offering house-made pasta and a quieter atmosphere than many larger beach-area restaurants.
  What to order: House-made pasta dishes.
• Manta Steak & Seafood Sushi Bar: A contemporary restaurant blending sushi, seafood, and steakhouse-style dining into one menu.
  What to order: Specialty sushi rolls.
• Taqueria Las Comadres: A locally loved casual Mexican restaurant known for authentic street-style tacos and consistently strong local reviews.
  What to order: Birria tacos.

Coffee, Brews & Drinks

Myrtle Beach’s beverage scene extends well beyond beach bars and frozen cocktails. Breweries, coffee shops, marshfront bars, and live-music venues now play a major role in the Grand Strand’s year-round social scene.

Coffee & Community

• Beach Hippie Coffee: A colorful local coffee shop known for creative drinks and a more laid-back beach-town atmosphere.
  What to order: Specialty iced coffees.
• Grand Strand Coffee: A quieter coffee shop popular with remote workers, locals, and residents seeking a less tourist-oriented atmosphere.
  What to order: Seasonal lattes and cold brew.
• Tidal Creek Brewhouse: Part brewery, part coffee gathering space, Tidal Creek has become one of the area’s strongest community-oriented hangouts for locals, remote workers, and craft-beer fans alike.
  What to order: House-brewed beers and espresso drinks.
• Brown Fox Coffee: A minimalist specialty coffee shop popular with locals looking for a quieter alternative to larger tourist-heavy cafés.
  What to order: Pour-over coffee.

Craft Beer, Spirits & Nightlife

• New South Brewing: One of Myrtle Beach’s earliest craft breweries and still one of the area’s best-known local beer producers.
  What to order: White ale.
• Crooked Hammock Brewery: A large brewery and gathering space with lawn games, outdoor seating, and a family-friendly atmosphere near Barefoot Landing.
  What to order: Seasonal craft beers.
• Atlas Tap House: A downtown craft beer bar with rotating taps and a more locally focused nightlife atmosphere than many nearby tourist bars.
  What to order: Local South Carolina craft beer flights.
• 8th Ave Tiki Bar & Grill: An open-air oceanfront bar that captures the casual beach nightlife atmosphere Myrtle Beach is known for.
  What to order: Frozen tropical drinks.

Dining by District

While you’re exploring the best restaurants in Myrtle Beach, take a moment to look at the areas surrounding these culinary hubs:

• Downtown Myrtle Beach & Boardwalk: This is the center of the tourism-driven dining scene. If you are heading to Tin Roof, Sea Captain’s House, or Atlas Tap House, you are in the middle of the oceanfront entertainment corridor, where restaurants, bars, arcades, and beach access overlap within a highly walkable environment.
• The Market Common: This district offers one of the area’s more modern mixed-use dining environments. Restaurants like Tupelo Honey and King Street Grille sit within a walkable neighborhood filled with shops, parks, apartments, and public gathering spaces that feel more residential than tourist-focused.
• Murrells Inlet & Pawleys Island: This southern stretch of the Grand Strand reflects a quieter Lowcountry dining atmosphere built around marshfront seafood restaurants, waterfront bars, golf communities, and long-standing local institutions like Drunken Jack’s and Frank’s Restaurant & Bar.
• North Myrtle Beach & Barefoot Landing: This area combines family-oriented entertainment with restaurants, breweries, and waterfront gathering spaces. Crooked Hammock Brewery and Barefoot Landing function as major social anchors for both visitors and full-time residents.
• Carolina Forest & Inland Myrtle Beach: This inland corridor reflects more everyday local dining patterns, where residents rely on neighborhood restaurants, breweries, sports bars, and practical dining options outside the immediate beach tourism core.

Thinking of Turning Your Visit into a Move?

It’s not uncommon for a weekend of dining and exploring the Grand Strand to turn into a search for local real estate. Myrtle Beach’s restaurant scene varies dramatically depending on which part of the coast you choose to live in, and spending time exploring those differences can tell you a great deal about the lifestyle each area offers.

Grab morning coffee in The Market Common, spend an evening on the Murrells Inlet MarshWalk, or explore quieter neighborhood restaurants in Carolina Forest and Pine Lakes. The way each district approaches dining, nightlife, traffic, and daily routine offers a much clearer picture of what living along the Grand Strand actually feels like beyond a traditional beach vacation.

More to Devour: Things To Do + More Food & Drink

Be sure to explore our Ultimate Myrtle Beach Bucket List featuring beaches, golf courses, live music venues, marshfront adventures, breweries, shopping districts, and local attractions across the Grand Strand. From walking the Myrtle Beach Boardwalk and Promenade and catching sunset along the Murrells Inlet MarshWalk to spending afternoons at Broadway at the Beach or exploring quieter coastal communities like Pawleys Island, the Myrtle Beach area offers far more variety than many first-time visitors expect.

If food is your entry point into understanding the Grand Strand, continue exploring the neighborhoods, golf communities, beaches, and entertainment districts that shape how locals actually live here year-round.