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14 new treats for food lovers in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

The Myrtle Beach area received several new accolades in 2018 including being ranked by Google as the “Third Most Searched Travel Destination in the World”, one of the Travel Channel’s “Best East Coast Beaches” and a “Top 10 Beach Town with the Highest Quality of Life” by Coastal Living, but did you know that the resort has an ever-evolving food scene? Here are 14 places to look out for on your next visit. Barefoot Landing new restaurant district A new restaurant district has opened in the Barefoot Landing shopping and entertainment complex in North Myrtle Beach. The district is called Dockside Village and features waterfront dining along the Intracoastal Waterway as well as new outdoor attractions and live music. It is anchored by Lulu’s restaurant, owned by musician Jimmy Buffet’s sister, Lucy. The restaurant offers live nightly music, a large sandy beach area, and a ropes climbing course, arcade and other activities in the 20,000 square-foot-space. Additional new restaurants include Taco Mundo Kitchen Y Cantina (Mexican) and Blueberry’s Grill (creative breakfast and lunch fare). Broadway at the Beach new food spots A few new epicurean spots have opened or are planning to open at Broadway at the Beach in Myrtle Beach. Recent openings include the Doughnuttery, an innovative, family-owned doughnut shop and Tipsy Scoop, an alcohol infused ice cream and sorbet shop. New restaurants coming this summer include Bar Louie and MELT. Bar Louie, the nation’s hottest Gastrobar, is dedicated to revolutionizing the guest dining experience and serves shareable, chef-inspired grub, craft cocktails and local beers. MELT will be a lunch, dinner and late-night spot to eat featuring an industrial style feel and a brick oven focal point to welcome people in. The menu consists of handcrafted grilled sandwiches and wood-fired pizza with every recipe used, unique to their own. Carolina Food Tours A new food tour option is available in the Myrtle Beach area. Corina Whitehead, owner of Carolina Food Tours has opened new food tour locations in Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach and Conway. The guided food tours last between two and a half to three hours and include three to four restaurant stops along with historical background of the area. Tours are currently offered in Murrells Inlet, Georgetown and Pawley’s Island. Prices range from $70 to $100 a person. Crepe Creation Café expansion Crepe Creation Café, located in the Market Common district of Myrtle Beach recently expanded adding a full bar and new menu items. A new daily happy hour has been added as well as new breakfast items including eggs, omelets and French entrées. Lucy Buffet’s Lulu’s to open a Sky Trail ropes course Lucy Buffet’s Lulu’s restaurant located inside Barefoot Landing in North Myrtle Beach opened a new Sky Trail Ropes Course to the complex in February 2019. The tropical-themed 48-feet tall Sky Trail is named LuLu’s Mountain of Youth. With its splashy color scheme of hot pink, turquoise and yellow, it’s sure to catch the eye of diners. It includes 26 elements to challenge children and adults. Among them are lily pad stepping stones and a tippy version of ‘walk the plank’. Ms. Margaret’s Soul Food Located in historic Conway, Ms. Margaret’s Soul Food Restaurant and catering recently opened, serving up traditional southern and Gullah dishes native to the African-American history of the region. The restaurant offers daily lunch and dinner specials serving regional favourites like chicken bog and staples like fried chicken and flounder. All of the ingredients are fresh and sweet tea is included in the meal price. Reynolds by the Ocean A new music-themed restaurant has opened at the former location of The Library restaurant in downtown Myrtle Beach. P. Reynolds by the Ocean features live jazz music and Cajun French style cuisine. Owner Patrice Reynolds, who is also a musician and playwright, hosts an open jazz night where local musicians can sign up to play. Other nights are filled with local and out-of-state recording artists. The venue has 61 seats and can be changed to theater-style seating or restaurant seating. Sea Captain’s House new outside bar The iconic Sea Captain’s House restaurant in Myrtle Beach is expanding with a brand new outdoor bar. The area is currently being constructed in the shape of a ship deck with the bar in the middle. The sails and masts are part of the bar. It will overlook the ocean. It is expected to be completed by Summer 2019. Sweet & Sour Asian Kitchen In early 2019, local restaurateur Greg Pranzo opened Sweet & Sour Asian Kitchen in the Grande Dunes Marketplace in Myrtle Beach. The restaurant will feature an eclectic blend of Asian cuisines with many options served on shareable plates. It will also include unique cocktails, rice and noodle combinations plus classic signature sushi rolls. Tidal Creek Brewhouse A new brewery is planned to open in the Market Common district of Myrtle Beach in the fall of 2019 named Tidal Creek Brewhouse. It will be owned by Myrtle Beach entrepreneur, Michael Grossman who has been in the beer brewing industry for over 23 years. Myrtle Beach currently has three brew pubs and one production brewery. Twelve 33 Distillery The Myrtle Beach area’s first craft distillery opened in Little River in May 2019. Named Twelve 33 after the end of prohibition in the U.S. in December 1933, the distillery opened in a former beachwear store location and is now full with an infusion room for spirits and a hidden speakeasy. The owners are a husband and wife couple originally from California that decided the Myrtle Beach area would be the best location to open. They are currently making vodka, rye whiskey, bourbon whiskey and rum. La Vinotinto Venezuela Restaurant A new South American restaurant has opened in downtown Myrtle Beach named La Vinotinto. The restaurant offers dishes from Venezuela and Columbia and plans to also offer dishes from Peru. Classic dishes include Pabellon Criolla; a shredded beef, rice and beans dish, and Reina Pepiada; bread filled with chicken and avocado. Uncommon Chocolatier A new local chocolate shop has opened in the Market Common district of Myrtle Beach. Uncommon Chocolatier specializes in made-from-scratch, gourmet fudge and other specialty chocolates. Using only fresh ingredients, they have over 100 flavors of fudge available from gluten-free to sugar-free to vegan. Wicked Tuna second location Wicked Tuna, which is a restaurant in Murrells Inlet, the seafood capital of South Carolina, is opening a second location in the heart of Myrtle Beach. The restaurant is going to take over the top two floors of the three-story 2nd Avenue Pier. The owners have signed a 20-year lease on the building and is projected to open by June 2019. This location will be open from morning through the night with a breakfast menu, live music and creative cocktail selection. The owners own two fishing boats and contract with seven others to provide fresh seafood for diners.

Paul Johnson

Paul Johnson is Editor of A Luxury Travel Blog and has worked in the travel industry for more than 30 years. He is Winner of the Innovations in Travel ‘Best Travel Influencer’ Award from WIRED magazine. In addition to other awards, the blog has also been voted “one of the world’s best travel blogs” and “best for luxury” by The Daily Telegraph.

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10 Comments

  1. Once I had walked through the door of Uncommon Chocolatier I don’t think that I could ever bring myself to leave.

    For a chocoholic over 100 different varieties is quite incredible. Who knows there might be some new flavours that even I haven’t tried?

    It’s great that they do Gluten-Free and Vegan too. Isn’t it one of the fundamental rights guaranteed by the American constitution that every citizen should have the right to Chocolate?

  2. A Carolina Food Tour sounds a really good way to orientate yourself to what’s hot on the local food scene. I’ve been to a lot of American States but never done Carolina so it would be brilliant to get a bit of a steer on the local specialities. Having a foodie guide would be a brilliant way of knowing what was around.

  3. Can’t quite make up my mind about the lead-in photo. Naughty or nice? Strawberries and blueberries suggest healthy eating but they are sitting on top of a whopping great calorific waffle!

  4. Lucy Buffet’s Lulu’s Restaurant have got a winner there. Eateries are stressful times for parents, kids just aren’t designed to sit still for the whole process of menu, choosing, waiting, food, more waiting, food, waiting, Bill, paying etc etc. Parents have to keep them quiet and still which makes eating out a bit of a battle. The Sky Trail Ropes is a great idea to keep them occupied over the meal. Definitely taking things onto another level from some coloured crayons and a colouring in book.

  5. Well I’m astounded that Myrtle Beach is the third most searched for tourist destination on Google. I would have thought some of the big tourist destinations would have topped it Paris, Rome, New York etc. Just goes to show how little I know. If the food’s anything to go by then Myrtle Beach has got tons going for it.

  6. Myrtle Beach understands the formula for good times. A lot of the places have got some of the key ingredients for being out having great times with friends. Live music always adds a buzz and gets the crowds going. Also I like if that they have sharing plates too. All good stuff.

  7. Nice story about Twelve 33. It must have been some party when Prohibition was finally over. There must have been some serious losers too. I know one of the US Presidents had a Californian Vineyard and obviously he had to stop producing wine.

  8. The food tours is a really cool idea for those who wants a little more background on the area and to sample a food places along the way. With the three or four restaurant stops, I wonder if that’s just for a quick drink? It’s a good length of time at up to three hours so I imagine you get plenty packed in for money. The Lulu’s restaurant has me really confused. So it’s a rope course and there are different challenges as part of the experience, but where’s the food? Certainly very novel! I’d think I’d head straight to the Twelve 33 to check out their bourbon and then Uncommon Chocolatier, where I could probably spend several hours. I love how different all of these options are, they’re so imaginative and creative. I do hope they do well, rather than being novelty or too highly priced to sustain themselves, because they all sound fascinating and worth visiting.

  9. We’re thinking of a trip to South Carolina later this year, probably in the autumn, when temperatures have cooled off. I’m just doing a bit of research on what should be doing and where we should be going when I came across this piece. Great read, definitely tells us what and where we should be eating. I’m beginning to think that South Carolina’s definitely got to be on our agenda for 2020.

  10. Mmm that strawberry and blueberry waffle looks so good. I never knew Jimmy Buffet’s sister owned a restaurant out there. Sounds like the Dockside Village is perfectly located, you can’t quite beat waterside dining. I’d definitely be up for a food tour. I’ve only done one once before and it was a brilliant way to discover places I wouldn’t have ordinarily gone to and you can learn some interesting factoids at the same time. Plus, if you’re feeling a bit ‘out of it’, especially if you’re on your own or just with one other person. you get to engage with others in a similar boat and feel part of a group for a while, which I found especially good when I did it. If all else fails, I’d happily spend the time sampling the bourbon at that Twelve 33 distillery. Yum!

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