Looking for the best Hilton Head restaurants on the water? Here’s where to find fresh shrimp right off the boat, oysters on the deck, and drinks looking straight out at the ocean.
Hilton Head Island is surrounded by water, with 12 miles of Atlantic beach on one side, Skull Creek and Calibogue Sound on the other, and Broad Creek winding through the middle. That means plenty of waterfront restaurants to choose from. These are my picks, from a seafood house right on the docks to the deck next to the Harbour Town Lighthouse. I’ve eaten at every one.
This list has you covered for lunch, dinner, and drinks with a view. For the morning, start with my go-to spots for the best breakfast in Hilton Head before you hit the beach.
The Best Waterfront Restaurants in Hilton Head
These are organized loosely by location, starting in Sea Pines, moving up to Skull Creek on the north end, then along Broad Creek. The first three are inside Sea Pines, which has a $10 gate fee to enter. Local’s Tip: ask your server about gate fee reimbursement (there’s a $30 minimum purchase, which dinner will cover easily).
Quarterdeck
Quarterdeck sits in Harbour Town right next to the lighthouse, and the views and atmosphere are hard to beat. There are decks upstairs and down, and I’ve eaten just about everywhere here, on both decks, at the oyster bar, and at the tables inside. There’s no bad seat, with views of the pier, the marina, and the famous 18th hole of the PGA golf course.
I love the charcoal-grilled oysters with parmesan, and if the wreckfish is on the fresh catch list, get it. Make a reservation. This one books up.
Coast
Coast is on the first floor of the Sea Pines Beach Club, and it’s one of only two restaurants on this list with a true ocean view. Grab a table on the patio, order something off the raw bar, and settle in. There’s usually live music in the evenings, and the whole place has that barefoot-casual beach club feeling that’s exactly what you want after a day in the sand.
Ocean Lounge
Upstairs from Coast, Ocean Lounge is the more grown-up option, for ages 21 and up, open from 4 pm for drinks and dinner. I’ve had dinner inside and drinks out on the deck, and the views are gorgeous, just the Atlantic stretching out in front of you. It’s the other true beach view on this list, and worth dressing up a little for (resort attire applies here).
Hudson’s Seafood House on the Docks
Hudson’s is my pick for the best local seafood on Hilton Head. It sits right on the docks along Skull Creek at the edge of Port Royal Sound, and if your timing is good you’ll watch the shrimp boats unload the day’s catch while you eat. Order anything with shrimp (it’s fresh off those boats), the catch of the day, or the oysters, which they farm themselves in Port Royal Sound through their own Shell Ring Oyster Company…