Top 5 Places To Eat in Hilton Head

fried green tomato blt

If you saw my Hilton Head Travel Guide, you’ll know that we took a family vacation to Hilton Head in September. Now, I’m bringing you my Top 5 Places to Eat in Hilton Head!

I work with a few people who travel to HHI every year, so they had several recommendations for places to eat in Hilton Head. Plus, I did lots of research on Yelp to find out which places had the best reviews. 

As always, keep in mind that I’m a severely picky eater, so if I like something, then it really must be good.

Top 5 Places to Eat in Hilton Head

  • Giuseppi’s Pizza
  • Hudson’s Seafood House on the Docks
  • A Lowcountry Backyard
  • Hilton Head Diner Restaurant
  • The Salty Dog Cafe

Giuseppi’s Pizza

My friend, Tara, recommended this Hilton Head pizza place, and I’m glad she did!

If you know me at all, you know I love pizza, and this pizza was incredible. The kids even ate it, and they never eat anything!

hilton head pizza giuseppi's

We went to pick this up on the night we arrived in Hilton Head, and got our standard pizza order: Half pepperoni (for the kids and I) and half mushroom (for Cameron).

We actually wanted to get it again another night, but by the time we went to order on Door Dash, they were too busy to make anymore pizza that night… I guess? That’s the way it looked on Door Dash, anyway.

One other day, we were out at Shelter Cove Community Park, and I saw someone wearing a Giuseppi’s t-shirt, so it really must be popular. People love it so much that they buy their shirts!

Hudson’s Seafood House on the Docks

On our third day at Hilton Head, we went to Hudson’s for lunch. It’s a waterfront restaurant, and our table was on the dock.

hilton head hudson's seafood dock view

When we got there, they let us know that they catch all of the seafood themselves!

boy eating at hudson's hilton head

I’m really not a huge seafood fan. I only started eating fish once I went to England. That being said, I ordered the Fried Catch Basket, which is described as “traditional English Pub fish n’ chips.”

hudson's fish n chips

No surprise there. Post-England Rachel never passes up fish n’ chips!

Cameron got it, too. It was delicious! It came with hush puppies which were probably the best hush puppies I’ve ever had, and I wish I would’ve ordered more of them.

hudson's hilton head chicken tenders

The kids both got chicken tenders and friends, but there was so much, that we should’ve just let them split one order. I hated to see all their chicken go to waste, so I tasted it. They were so good!

girl eating at hudson's hilton head

Cameron and I also got cocktails. I can’t remember which ones we ordered, but we both liked what we got! I’m thinking mine was the Southern Berry, but I’m not positive.

A Lowcountry Backyard Restaurant

This is a place I found while digging through Yelp reviews, and Cameron said it was the best meal he’s ever had!

fried green tomato blt

He loves BLT’s, so he got the Charleston Fried Green Tomato BLT. I tasted it, but since I don’t even like tomatoes, my opinion isn’t important. 

lowcountry potato chip meatloaf

The potato chip meatloaf is what I ordered. I love meatloaf, but I love my own meatloaf. Normally, I won’t even try meatloaf anywhere because it scares me, but I tried Lowcountry’s.

It was really good! It would’ve been better if it didn’t have barbecue sauce on it, but I think I was only weirded out because I’m used to it having ketchup.

lowcountry grilled cheese cornbread

The kids got grilled cheese and corn bread, which was also really delicious. Grilled cheese is always amazing. We had them split a meal, because by this point, we were realizing that neither of them eat enough to eat one whole meal by themselves.

boy on alligator at lowcountry backyard

One of the best things (besides the food) about Lowcountry Backyard is the atmosphere. I wish we had gone when it wasn’t raining, but it rained during most of our trip!

lowcountry backyard outside

You can read their story on their website, but basically, the owners grew up on the island and their restaurant “brings back those simpler times.” They really make it feel like you’re in someone’s backyard!

little boy at lowcountry backyard

If you’re looking for places to eat in Hilton Head, definitely get the Lowcountry Backyard experience!

Hilton Head Diner Restaurant

This was another recommendation and the moment I heard about Hilton Head Diner, I knew we would have to go! We decided to go for brunch one day when it was rainy (as usual).

I love all breakfast food and diner food, so this was the perfect place for me. What I didn’t anticipate was HOW MUCH food they give you.

hilton head diner french toast

I’m not complaining, though. I will eat any amount of french toast and bacon that you sit in front of me.

That’s what I ordered. French toast and bacon. The kids did, too. We all loved it!

little girl at hilton head diner

Would you believe me if I said I never ate french toast with syrup before? Maybe I’m weird, but I’ve always just covered mine in tons of sugar. Regular sugar, not confectioners sugar.

They brought us tons of syrup, though, so I decided to try it, and it did not disappoint!

hilton head diner shrimp stuffed crap

Cameron decided on lunch instead of breakfast, and he got the shrimp stuffed crab, mashed potatoes, and collard greens. I didn’t taste it because it’s a little (a lot) too seafood-y for me, but he seemed to like it!

hilton head diner coffee mug

Before we left, we also bought these Hilton Head Diner coffee cups!

The Salty Dog Cafe

I don’t think you can go to Hilton Head without going to the Salty Dog Cafe, so that is why it’s listed in my top 5 places to eat in Hilton Head!

kids in front of salty dog cafe

It could be because we were HHI noobs, but did you know that the Salty Dog is in South Beach? And that, that entire section of the island is a “private resort” (Sea Pines) that you have to pay like $9 to get into?

That’s not a lot of money, but you should probably knock everything out that you want to do in Sea Pines in one day, so you aren’t paying $9 every day. Harbour Town is also in Sea Pines, FYI (that’s mentioned in my Hilton Head Travel Guide). 

Anyway, since we had just ate, SADLY, we did not eat actual food at the Salty Dog. I kind of regret that now, because I feel like it’s something you have to do while you’re there.

chocolate ice cream salty dog cafe

We did get ice cream, though!

salty dog cafe lavender ice cream

They had some crazy flavors that I’ve never tried before, like lavender, maple bacon, and banana oreo.

kids eating ice cream at salty dog cafe

I wasn’t feeling very risky that day, so I got chocolate, Liam got lavender (he wanted blue ice cream and that was the closest thing), and London got strawberry.

What are some of your favorite places to eat in Hilton Head? Let me know in the comments below!

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7 Comments

  • Reply
    Christine Duley
    December 1, 2020 at 3:25 pm

    We’ve been going to Hilton Head for 25+ years. Salty Dog is a tourist trap with mediocre food at best. We love Hudson’s. Hilton Head diner is a great breakfast place. Never heard of Lowcountry backyard. Sunrise Cafe is a wonderful place for breakfast. Charlie’s is also a great place for dinner, although a bit pricey. Hilton Head is one of our favorite places to vacation!

    • Reply
      rachelcorinne
      March 23, 2021 at 9:30 am

      Just looked up Sunrise Cafe, and we’re definitely going to have to check that out next time!

    • Reply
      Connie Sewell
      March 25, 2021 at 5:28 pm

      My fiance works at Guiseppi’s in the evenings a couple nights a week and he loves it. I have to agree with you, their pizza is amazing! They have the best raspberry vinaigrette salad dressing on Earth too! Here’s a tip though: they actually have a delivery service that runs until 10 p.m., use that instead of Door Dash. They won’t turn you down! Another great place to eat is the Black Marlin, it’s one of our favorite casual places. They have this appetizer called sushi nachos and I cannot describe how delicious they are. Definitely worth a try next time you visit.

      • Reply
        rachelcorinne
        May 27, 2021 at 12:25 pm

        That is good to know!! We’re actually going to be in Pawley’s Island in a few weeks (everything in HHI is booked), and I wish it wasn’t so far from HHI because I want that pizza!! If you have any Pawley’s Island recommendations, please send them my way. Haha.

  • Reply
    Linda
    March 9, 2021 at 12:35 pm

    We like sunrise cafe for breakfast, Giuseppes for pizza, one hot Mama’s for ribs, skull creek Boathouse always a must. Old Oyster factory is a great seafood stop, and captain Woody’s for grouper sandwich. Those are just a few, agree with above about salty dog, we usually go to their outlet to get our tee shirts!

    • Reply
      rachelcorinne
      March 23, 2021 at 9:31 am

      Is Skull Creek Boathouse the one right next to Hudson’s? I think we saw that!

  • Reply
    Karen
    May 30, 2021 at 9:09 pm

    Dockside is next to Hudson ‘s and Skull Creek is next to Dockside. Dockside and Skull Creek are part of Serg Restaurant group. You can’t go wrong with any of the Serg restaurants!

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