Where to Eat and Drink in the Pee Dee | Listen

By: The Local Palate

Copy to clipboard

Knock on the wood-paneled wall and whisper the secret password to enter this speakeasy. Don’t be deceived by its modern surroundings (Dunkin’ is right next door to this roadside business)—elements from the black-and-white photos of Prohibition pioneers to dark leather and walnut accents transport visitors to a 1920s urban speakeasy. With a wide range of spirits—from a tequila-style agave liquor to peach vodka and multiple types of whiskey—there’s a vice for everyone. Pop in to tour the facilities and finish with a flight of up to six of their spirits. Tell the bartender your favorite and let them pour you a signature cocktail.

Crooked Hammock Brewery

Myrtle Beach

If you’re looking for more draft than craft, head to this brewery where the mismatched patio chairs and hammocks make it feel like you’re having a beer in your friend’s backyard. The beachside locale comes through in the beers’ undertones—look for notes of pineapple, coconut, guava, or citrus shining within the hops.

Hook & Barrel

Myrtle Beach

This spot is owned by chef Heidi Vukov, a former South Carolina Chef Ambassador. She was one of the city’s first chefs to toy with simpler seafood preparations where the protein shares the spotlight with the seasonal produce. The complimentary house-made pimento cheese and lavash crackers served on a South Carolina-shaped cutting board remind guests of the restaurant’s commitment to celebrating South Carolina ingredients and flavors. Fish, meat, and vegetables are sourced thoughtfully, coming from regional purveyors as available or, if from afar, commercial suppliers with sustainable certifications.

Root

Georgetown

Fresh ingredients shine at this nouveau-Southern bistro with an artsy, rustic ambiance. Order the crispy ponzu-tossed brussels sprouts for the table (a favorite on the menu) and follow with the signature country fried steak, hand-breaded and pan fried, served with mashed potatoes and green beans. It’ll power you through the final stretch of the pine tree-lined highway leading to Charleston.

Jazz on Dargan

Florence

At this live music bar owned by Florence native Tommy Mitchell, there’s culinary revelation to be found in the rich flavors of collard green-stuffed egg rolls and Cajun-inspired po’boys. A whisper of Atlanta lies in the wet lemon pepper wings, while New Orleans shyly peeks out in the Nawlins gumbo rife with andouille sausage, crab, and shrimp. The menu features small plates, a few sandwiches, wings, and a couple of desserts for those who need a little something sweet after a meal. The bar stays busy shaking up drinks like the signature Paradise Punch featuring tropical flavors of coconut, pineapple, and rum.

Johnny D’s Waffles and Benedicts

Myrtle Beach

Founded by Johnny Daskalis and now run by his daughter, Culinary Institute of America graduate and chef Jamie Daskalis, Johnny D’s creates not only amazing breakfast and lunch food but also an atmosphere of welcome that makes for repeat customers. Make any day a weekend with the Pancake Shot served with a slice of bacon, then tuck into a Southern brisket bowl or a Food Network-ranked red velvet waffle.

Perrone’s

Pawleys Island

Owned and run by husband-and-wife team chef Steve Perrone and Eileen Perrone, this Mediterranean-influenced steakhouse of world cuisine is the spot for dry aged steaks, phenomenal pasta, and an epic cocktail menu. This is the place for a splurge: Start with one of their Black and Blue martinis or a low-ABV Como spritz and the caviar service, then pick two or three appetizers, which change frequently but never disappoint. The spicy crab spaghetti on the entrée menu is not to be missed, and a dry-aged steak with a bottle of wine from their Wine Spectator-awarded wine list is nonnegotiable.

Rustic Table and Bistro 217

Pawleys Island

Chef Adam Kirby wanted access to fresh produce and honey so much, he now owns his own farm and apiary, where he sources a significant portion of the ingredients for his restaurants. Rustic Table focuses on expertly prepared, down-home Southern favorites—do not miss the fried chicken with pimento cheese grits and sweet tea collards—while Bistro 217 offers an international range of dishes that incorporate local seafood and game.

Eliza’s Vegan Café

Florence

Hop off I-95 at the Dillon exit to get some flavor-packed vegan food at this Black-owned café tucked into a gas station. Whether you’re in the mood for an avocado chickpea wrap with crispy warm chickpea cakes against creamy avocado and plenty of crunchy veggies or a pea protein burger with melted “cheese” and famous Eliza Sauce, you can enjoy some healthy road trip food with a homemade juice—and rest assured everything is always 100 percent vegan.

Rivertown Bistro and Bonfire—A Smokin’ Taqueria

Conway

Executive chef Darren Smith left Charleston 30 years ago to open Rivertown Bistro, and never looked back. His upscale bar and grill menu is full of familiar favorites with a Southern, cheffed-up spin, like Lowcountry spring rolls with tasso ham and a buttery duck banh mi complemented by tart, crisp matchstick slaw. Smith opened Bonfire, voted number one barbecue in the Grand Strand, along the Conway Riverwalk, where he serves house-smoked meats, nacho pie, and, of course, tacos of all kinds.

Croissants Bistro & Bakery

Myrtle Beach

Since 1995, Croissants has been offering locavore bakery and bistro options from Chef Ambassador Heidi Vukov and her team. Enjoy options on the French-influenced menu from smoothies to benedicts, sandwiches to salads, then stop at the pastry counter for daily baked goods and house-roasted coffee for the road.

The Chive Blossom

Pawleys Island

Trina and P.K. Renault’s mix of international dishes and Southern flair have combined to make this restaurant a standout for lunch and dinner. Trina’s she crab soup has developed a cult following, and dishes like pan-seared conch with spiced butter rum sauce, watermelon salad, and blackened pork porterhouse with black-eyed peas and collards seal the deal.

The Tasting Room on 9th

Myrtle Beach

Newly opened in the spring of 2024 in the Arts and Innovation District, this casual-chic wine bar from longtime local and chef Jamie Daskalis pairs boards and bites with sophisticated wines. We love the Slammin’ Salami sandwich with blueberry lavender jam and the Shroomin’ Leek flatbread.

1229 Shine

Myrtle Beach

Located in Market Common, Myrtle’s shopping mecca, Shine serves a coastal-inspired menu from the team behind CO and Whitaker’s. Enjoy lobster sliders, the Viet Cajun boil riff on a Lowcountry boil, crab cakes, and a variety of seafood tacos—plus fried chicken and a burger for landlubbers.

Wicked Tuna

Murrells Inlet

Wicked Tuna sends out their own fleet of boats up to 100 miles off the coast, while also buying from other local anglers in the grouper capital of South Carolina. Then, chef Elan Bar-el will prepare your fresh catch in a number of ways—we recommend the Ocean Prime style with lump crab, shrimp, and scallop mix over a blue cheese cream sauce.

Benjamin’s Bakery

Surfside Beach

This bakery, café, and coffee roaster has been a popular breakfast and lunch spot for more than 30 years, starting with owner Lee Zulanch’s desire to bring top-quality bagels, coffee, and baked goods to the Grand Strand. The Austin’s Choice breakfast bagel with egg, roasted red pepper, provolone sausage, and jalapeño roasted red pepper mayo is a great place to start.

The Independent

Georgetown

Seafood shines on executive chef Thomas Vance’s menu at this elegant restaurant adjacent to the newly opened George hotel. Start with a Low Tide or High Tide to enjoy peel-and-eat shrimp, oysters, deviled crab salad, and other raw bar delights; the scallops with morel mushrooms are a revelation, as is the key lime pie with torched meringue.

Between the Antlers

Georgetown

A rustic waterside spot with a charmingly industrial view, Between the Antlers gives you a sense that you’ve wandered into a James Dickey or Pat Conroy novel. The restaurant was born out of a desire among friends for a really good bloody mary. Now, with executive chef Chelsea Cribb at the helm, they’ve created a “rice-based, Lowcountry-indigenous kitchen” with a menu ranging from perlau fritters and she crab soup to a six-ounce filet, loaded brisket fries, and the Brice’s Country Store sandwich made with thick-cut fried baloney.

Eve’s Caribbean Soul Food

Georgetown

For true island flavor and soul food favorites, Eve’s delivers with jerk chicken, curry chicken and goat, escovitch, barbecue ribs, fried chicken, and a whole host of sides. Owner Eva Knowlin, who got into the restaurant business after retiring from a career in the medical field, calls cooking Caribbean-style food her “therapy”—eating it is ours!

Winna’s Kitchen

Myrtle Beach

Owner Jess Sagun opened this restaurant named for her mother in The Arts & Innovation District to serve “relaxed, elevated comfort food”—which means lemon ricotta pancakes, bacon and egg fried rice, tuna croquettes, hand-rolled pasta, and good wine. For $5 you can add The Number One to your ticket and provide a meal from the restaurant for a person in need.

Kainan

Conway

At Kainan, husband-and-wife team Steve and Grace Harrington serve familiar flavors to Filipino locals and a delicious education to anyone unfamiliar with dishes like adobo chicken and lechon kawali. Their breakfast, in particular, caught our eye (and the rest of our senses) with its notable similarities to Southern breakfast plate standards but with variations like rice and longganisa, a Filipino-style sausage.

Hamptons

Sumter

Dishes like osso buco, hand-cut tagliolini with truffle, and togarashi-crusted redfish shine on this Italian-influenced menu from executive chef Raffaele Dall’Erta, formerly of Michelin-starred The Inn at Little Washington by way of Milan, Italy. The restaurant renovated its current space in a historic property that now offers an upstairs cocktail bar, a private dining room, and a rooftop space in addition to the main dining room.