Hilton Head Island Has Amazing Lowcountry Flavors—Here Are the Best Places to Taste Them

Shrimp and Grits

A Lowcountry Backyard Restaurant

This combination of fresh caught shrimp and creamy grits is pure Lowcountry cuisine; as such, Hilton Head Island has its own rightful claim to the dish. Those in the know head to the 11-year-old “Backyard” for their dose of grits goodness.

Conveniently located on the south end of the island, the Backyard exemplifies “beach-shack style” as soon as you enter. The best seat in the house is—of course—in the backyard, where twinkling lights, umbrellas, and live music invite diners to linger.

“The shrimp and grits are our most popular menu item, and about 50 percent of our guests order it, “ says owner Dave Peck. “The recipe is a secret, but I developed it years ago, and how we prepare our grits is the key. They are thick and fluffy, and all I can say is that we cook them low and slow.” Atop the pillowy porridge are white shrimp bathed in bacon cream sauce, garnished with a few slices of sausage and a sprinkling of chopped fresh green onions.

Hushpuppies

Skull Creek Boathouse

In a seafood paradise like Hilton Head Island, hushpuppies aren’t an afterthought; many visitors have their favorites, but a standout example is made fresh daily at Skull Creek Boathouse, whose laid-back style, live music, and breathtaking sunset views almost ensure a good time no matter if you’re dining indoors or out—all year round.

Made with flour from Southeastern Mills in South Carolina, Skull Creek’s hushpuppies are round dollops of crispy fried dough served with a side of whipped honey-cayenne butter, available as a side on seafood platters and in a basket as an appetizer for the table. “We try not to overpower them with a bunch of things, “ says Brad Blake, culinary director of Skull Creek Boathouse, WiseGuys, and Frankie Bones Restaurant & Lounge. “We don’t believe in overfrying, but just try to do things right, and do them in a very classic Southern way.“

Local Eggs and Other Farm-Fresh Produce

Nectar Farm Kitchen

Although it’s one of the newer players on the Hilton Head Island dining scene, Nectar has nonetheless already established itself as a go-to for all-day eats—especially those locally sourced and sustainable. This restaurant opens for breakfast daily and stays open through dinner except for Sundays, so anytime is a good time to eat local.

At Nectar, farm fresh eggs aren’t just for breakfast; sure, you’ll see them on their own with their classic bacon pairing, but also atop a decadent Southern fried bologna sandwich, or on a smothered pork and rice bowl on the dinner menu, and in salads including the Cobb. The restaurant sources its eggs from Keegan-Filion Farm just up the road in Walterboro, SC. It’s a Certified SC farm that specializes in hormone- and antibiotic-free, grass-fed chicken (and subsequently eggs), and it’s just one of the farms that supply this bright and comfortable restaurant located just a short drive—or bike ride—away from Lowcountry Celebration Park.

In fact, local ingredients are the certifiable star on all the seasonal menus that Nectar sources locally, 365 days a year, and they prove just how delicious the Lowcountry can be, even down to the many local brews they have available on tap at the bar. Whether it’s just a stop in for a morning bite or a round of drinks for a leisurely lunch, local food at Nectar is the star of the plate.

Collard Greens

One Hot Mama’s

Owning a restaurant was always part of “Mama” Orchid Paulmeier’s personal American dream, working her way up from the hostess stand to becoming one of South Carolina’s Chef Ambassadors and a competitor on Food Network Star. That dream has been realized in One Hot Mama’s, with two locations, including one on the south end of the island, where Paulmeier melds the Filipino cooking fundamentals of her mother and grandmother with some of the deep cooking traditions of the Lowcountry, including taking on a beloved Southern side dish: collard greens.

“I originally learned how to make collards from Miss Marilyn, a woman from Walterboro, S.C. who I used to work with,” Paulmeier says. “We put smoked ham hocks, our own smoked turkey, and a little dash of sugar to pay homage to my sweet Filipino heritage, balancing the sweet with a little bit of heat, something characteristic of a lot of what we do at One Hot Mama’s.”

Lowcountry Boil

Hudson’s Seafood House on the Docks

Operating since 1967 and still processing fresh seafood, Hudson’s—the oldest operating restaurant on Hilton Head Island—also serves local seafood, with more than 90 percent of the items on the menu from boats fishing waters around the island. Therefore, it’s the spot for one of the Lowcountry’s most popular menu items: Lowcountry Boil.

A “need-plenty-of-napkins” kind of dish, Lowcountry Boil is steamed shell-on shrimp, smoked sausage, corn, potatoes, and seasoning (usually Old Bay) that invites the diner to enjoy the fresh flavors as the sweet shrimp and seasonings are tasted throughout the whole dish.

“If you use good, fresh corn, good, small-production sausage, and local shrimp, the ingredients are the star of the show,” says Hudson’s President Andrew Carmines. “That’s the essence of what I love about Lowcountry Boil.”

Hudson’s has an agreement with area shrimp boats, contracting them to fish the last 24-36 hours of a trip exclusively for Hudson’s. This means that the in-season shrimp in Hudson’s Lowcountry Boil are harvested fresh and never frozen, “and a never frozen East Coast white shrimp is something few people have ever tasted. To me, they are the sweetest and the best shrimp you can get, and we love being able to share that unique experience with our guests.”