It's been about 5 years since last visited this area. Teenage daughter and I will be visiting in August. Will spend 2 nights in Charleston and 5 nights in Hilton Head. Will be on King & Meeting St. in Charleston and in Palmetto Dunes in HHI. Any suggestions for must visits for breakfast, lunch and dinner would be appreciated. We are big seafood lovers and don't get a lot of terrific seafood in the MidWest. Anyone been to Poogan's Porch or 82 Queen lately? These will be within walking distance of hotel. We are foodies and lots of diverse taste, but would prefer to avoid chain restaurants. How about a seafood place in Beaufort with Ollie's in the name?? My daughter wants to go back there and can't remember name. We used to go to Hudson's in HHI, but I think they may have closed. Is the aquarium in Charleston worth while? Thanks for your help!!

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We had lunch at Poogan's Porch earlier this year, and it was very good. Last year we tried Red Fish in HH (also for lunch) and really enjoyed that.

My teenagers especially enjoyed A.W. Shucks and the Charleston Crab Shack in the Market. They also like Justines. Sermets, on the corner of King and Wentworth (I think) have good sweet potatoe fries. If you need a pizza fix and want a little bit of collegiate atmosphere, walk down King Street away from town for the Mellow Mushroom - a College of Charleston hang-out. I think the Aquarium is worth a trip - esp on a hot humid afternoon!!
On Hilton Head - we ate at Hudsons several weeks ago and were very disappointed. Really like the Old Oyster Factory and Crazy Crab (on the Parkway, not Sea Pines), esp if we can get a table overlooking the marsh. Take your daughter to Sea Pines, pay the $5.00 entrance fee and get a Salty Dog t-shirt at the Marina. We had excellent steamed shrimp there for lunch. The QuarterDeck at the Lighthouse also had a good, reasonably priced lunch - fried grouper and shrimp. Captain's Seafood beside the Motel 6 on the Parkway had good basic seafood, too. Try Cigne's (Signe's?) for breakfast or just to pick up a piece of key lime pie. Cracker Barrel also has decent basic breakfasts - eggs, grits, biscuits, etc. One place I plan to try next time is the Ole Fort Pub on the grounds of Fort Mitchell in Hilton Head Plantation.

Beaufort:

Ollie's Seafood, I think -- still there, but I was not bowled over by the food. Try Dockside in Port Royal instead or Barbara Jean's. Had fabulous meal at Bay Breeze (used to be The Bank) on Bay Street (upscale, and excellent but perhaps not for teenager.)

Charleston:

Hank's -- dinner only. Same folks who do Peninsula Grill (another great one but not just seafood!). Even though touristy, I was surprised to really like Hyman's Seafood as well.

Poogan's IMHO tends to run a bit hot and cold, but has a fun atmosphere, and excellent sides.

B/

Thanks everyone! Does Market St. Sweets still exist? We are salivating at the thought of less than a month to go for some delicious pecan pralines - hope it is still there.

Hope you and your daughter have a fun trip to Charleston. We were there last summer and also enjoyed Hyman's for lunch--friendly staff & great seafood sandwiches. Dinner at Peninsula Grill was superb--definitely recommend it. Have not been to Poogan's Porch in several years--perhaps the old house atmosphere was better than the food. We have been to 82 Queen St on each visit for over twenty years now and have never ever been disappointed--love the Shrimp & Grits there. Also Magnolia's is good but it has been several years since we tried it. There used to be (and most likely still there) a place in Beaufort that was all seafood and very casual where a bucket was in the center of the table for crab/shrimp shells and a roll of paper towels on table as well--cannot remember the name but anyone there will tell you--it was written up in a magazine and was patronized by various actors filming movies--I think we went around the time Prince of Tides was just finished filming there. Anyway, we loved the place!

We got to HH every summer w/our kids so here are my thoughts . . . We tried Hudson's once but were disapointed in the food. We really like Smokehouse BBQ, Kenny B's New Orleans Cafe (casual, inexpensive, good carryout & Sunday brunch buffet), Crazy Crab (we always go to the one on the parkway as well), Old Oyster Factory, and Redfish. It's Greek To Me is good if you like Greek food and pastries. Neno Il Toscano is very good italian, but we have not returned since it wasn't the best place for small children, but your daughter would obviously be fine there. Oops, forgot Marley's which we tried last year and liked as well.

I've also heard (haven't been due to the small children thing) that Sea Grass Grille and Charlie's le E'toile Verte are the top notch higher end restaurants on the island.

We're going this summer at the end of August, so I'd love the hear what you think when you return - we fine tune our restaurant list every year!

I ate at Poogan's Porch for dinner during a business trip in March and it was very good. I'm pretty sure I had scallops for my entree and a bowl of gumbo for an appetizer, and both were excellent.