Eat like a local and treat yourself to Southern food in Myrtle Beach at these spots serving the best Lowcountry cuisine, soul food, and barbecue around. While this area offers visitors and locals many award-winning restaurants and creative cocktail bars, there’s no better way to really indulge in the local food scene than to taste the area’s homestyle dishes.
Myrtle Beach country cooking is Southern cuisine at its finest, and the menus in the area nearly always include perfectly battered and fried chicken or seafood, plus creamed vegetables and greens on the side. The country cooking staples you need to try in Myrtle Beach include all the fried favorites (seafood, chicken, tomatoes, hush puppies), but also the tasty pulled pork and brisket from local smokehouses. Don’t let the popularity of seafood dishes here let you forget that this is barbecue country and some of these pitmasters have decades of experience cooking whole hogs slow and low.
Another must-try comfort food is Myrtle Beach soul food, a culinary tradition distinct from Southern food. The term ‘Southern’ can mean nearly any signature dish in the area, but soul food and Lowcountry are specific styles of cuisine you need to taste for yourself to really define. These foods have roots going back generations: Bubbling, rich seafood gumbo is a Lowcountry staple, red rice dishes and Hoppin’ John trace back to Gullah culture, and pan-fried chicken, field peas, and collards are shining examples of soul food.
Now that your mouth is watering, book your stay and make a plan to feast your way across the Grand Strand. Start your food tour with these restaurants serving the best comfort foods and Southern cuisine in Myrtle Beach: