kathleen

Seven favorite places to eat near Seabrook Island and Kiawah Islands, plus two more to add to the list.

For those who are interested or who might be thinking of vacationing on one of these two barrier islands near Charleston, SC, the following is my list of favorite places to eat close by. These are places I’ve eaten at in the past three months (we recently moved to Seabrook Island). At the end of the list are two additional places with great reviews from friends. They’re in no particular order and are simply my preferences. Hope they help.

1. Crave. http://www.cravecharleston.com/
5-10 minutes outside the gates at 4430 Betsy Kerrison Parkway. It has a great breakfast and lunch menu and many items to go. The breakfast frittata was fantastic.

2. Chez Fish. http://johnskiawahseabrook.live5news...-reopens/58524
http://www.charlestoncitypaper.com/c...on?oid=1068469
10 minutes outside the gates at 3966 Betsy Kerrison Parkway. This restaurant had a strong and loyal following for quite a while, and then it closed. It has now reopened and appears to be back in full swing. The parking lot is always packed. Food is wonderful.

3. Wild Olive. http://www.wildoliverestaurant.com/
A favorite already known to many Fodorites. 20-25 minutes away at 2867Maybank Highway. Simply fantastic food and atmosphere. We’ve eaten there several times already.

4. Fat Hen. http://www.thefathen.com/
Again, a favorite already known to many Fodorites. Also 20-25 minutes away, near Wild Olive, at 3140 Maybank Highway. Again, great food. We really like it, but tend to favor Wild Olive.

5. Caliente. http://www.calientecharleston.com/
25-30 minutes away, at 3669 Savannah Highway heading away from Charleston, just past the turn onto Main Road to go to Seabrook and Kiawah. Some of the best Mexican food I’ve had. Starter chips are unique, very fresh and really good. My husband loved the fish tacos. Since it is located on the Savannah highway, it’s an easy, convenient stop for those driving from Charleston to Savannah.

6. Hege’s. http://www.heges-kiawah.com/
5 minutes away in Freshfields Village http://freshfieldsvillage.com/ between Kiawah and Seabrook Islands. Convenient location and nicely prepared dishes. Freshfields Village is easily reached by bicycle from either island, and has other more casual places to eat, including a Marble Slab creamery. Nice treat at the end of a bike ride. There’s also a farmers market there each Monday.

7. Red’s Ice House. http://www.redsicehouse.com/RedsMenu.pdf
2 minute bike ride away, in Bohicket Marina, Seabrook Island. Very good, basic food and very convenient.

The following are two additional places with great reviews, but no personal experience.

8. Maria’s Mexican Grill.
20 minutes away at 2817 Maybank Highway. We’ve heard (and read wonderful reports on the food at Maria’s Mexican Grill) http://www.yelp.com/biz/marias-mexican-grill-charleston. It’s located in a shopping center at the intersection of Maybank Highway and River Road.

9. Rosebank Farms Café. http://www.rosebankfarmscafe.com/Home_Page.php
Again, a 2 minute bike ride away, in Bohicket Marina, Seabrook Island. Can’t believe we haven’t tried this very convenient place yet, but it’s at the top of the list.

suewoo

Well done! Thanks.

BobN

Why would one leave LaTela at Freshfields off the list? Anyone, especially from the North, will realize it to be the best Italian food in the Charleston area.

suewoo

BobN are you sure? have you been to Il Cortile del Rey or Pane e Vino? We don't do North like Italian in Charleston(why would we?) but we do have okay Italian.

kathleen

BobN, You know, I've walked past La Tela http://latelapizzeria.com/ at Freshfields
many times and thought about going in. I should have done so. On your rec I'll add it to my list. And, I am from the north, originally, so I'll report back after a meal there. Are there any other places I should check out in the vicinity?

Suewoo, So many times suggestions are made for places to eat in Charleston, Sullivan's, and IOP, but not so many for this far side of the city. I thought naming a few that I personally tried out and liked might help others who may be considering a stay on one of these two islands. I do appreciate your thumbs up.

I'm not familiar with the two Italian places you mentioned, but I'll look them up and try them.

suewoo

kathleen, those 2 are downtown and they're both nice and they both have outdoor seating. I like them both, but when most people visit they like traditional lowcountry food they can't find at home.

And you are right. Restaurants on that side aren't mentioned often. Fat Hen is as good as many of the downtown places. Those fries!

suewoo

Oh and welcome to the neighborhood!

Digbydog

Kathleen--we are heading to Kiawah at the end of March, and this list was so helpful! Thanks for taking the time to post it.

The sites for Caliente and Hege's are gone--have they gone out of business?

kathleen

Hi Digbydog,
Alas Caliente is gone.

Hege should be there--it is still at Freshfields (the shopping center between the two islands). I haven't eaten there in a long time, but I'll be at Freshfields tomorrow so I'll check on it for you.
I've now eaten at Maria's (discussed above) and would recommend it.

And, at La Tela's at Freshfields which I would highly recommend! Great Italian food, pizza and extensive wine list. Thanks BobN for recommending it on this list.

Hope you enjoy your stay on Kiawah. We love it here. Let me know if you need any other local information (local to this side of town).

kathleen

Digbydog,
Hege's is still at Freshfields. Walked right by it this morning.

http://freshfieldsvillage.com/

On this freshfields site, if you look under Dining you'll find more information about Hege. You're right about the other Hege's website. It doesn't seem to take you anywhere.

If you go into Charleston and would like some very, very good french fries, I recommend Patat Spot on George St. www.patatspot.com/ It's a small inexpensive place with mostly college students (from what I can gather), but those fries! They reminded me of the french fries that we ate in Bruges, Belgium on the square. So very good.

Have a great time here. There are so many good choices of eating places around the Charleston area. Even without Calientes (alas, again) you really can't go wrong.

Digbydog

Kathleen,

Thank you so much for all the information! We have been coming to Kiawah for years (since only West Beach was developed and the rest of the island was jungle). But the restaurants have changed so much over the years, and there are so many more choices. We loved Fat Hen on our last visit, but will try some of your suggestions this time. Those fries sound incredible!! Again, thanks!

kathleen

You're welcome. Have a great visit!