7 Best Restaurants in Myrtle Beach and the Grand Strand, South Carolina

Dining extends seamlessly from indoors to the game-filled outside at this laid-back pub known for fresh takes on Southern fare, from chicken pie to shrimp with sweet potato grits. The lawn includes a bocce court and cornhole boards.

Cut, trimmed, and seasoned to order, steaks sizzle on their way to the tables and then melt in your mouth at this Italian-style steak house. Pasta is served up on the daily Italian buffet, featuring standard favorites such as spaghetti, meatballs, lasagna, and tortellini Alfredo. A tableside magic show is performed Tuesday through Saturday. If you visit one all-you-can-eat buffet in Myrtle Beach, there's a strong case for Angelo's.

Part barbecue joint, part seafood shack, Hog Heaven has a wonderful smoky aroma that perfumes U.S. 17 as you approach. Pulled-pork barbecue has the tang of vinegar and the taste of long hours in the pit. Although sandwiches are available, the buffet, which includes fried chicken, greens, and sweet potato casserole, is the main event. Add on all-you-can-eat shrimp, or, during winter, local oysters, for a true surf-and-turf feast.

Hoskins has kept the lights on—including their iconic star-laden horseshoe over the red roof—since 1948, and locals and visitors alike know it's worth the queue outside for hearty omelets and hotcakes in the morning, daily lunch specials like meatloaf and fried chicken, and satisfying rib eyes and seafood platters in the evening. 

If the Jimmy Buffett tie-in (Lucy, or "LuLu," is his sister) doesn't get people in the door of this festive landmark at Barefoot Landing, the on-site aerial ropes course and arcade certainly will. The open-air environment and view of the Intracoastal Waterway make this a place where parents can while away the afternoon with a platter of fresh seafood and a margarita while the kids harness up and swing around up in the air.

It's hard to walk past this inviting, family-owned nook on Main Street without ducking in for a cone of one of their homemade ice cream flavors like salted Bananas Foster or Midnight Caramel River.

If you're a hungry hippo, then slide a stool over to a large plate of nachos at this hip corner cantina in three locations: the Market Common, North Myrtle Beach, and inside the airport. It's bold, fresh, and fun—from the funky wall and ceiling decor to the creative Mexican dishes. Wee hungry hippos will be happy with Hungry Hippo games available at the hostess station.