Where to Eat Near North Myrtle Beach: A Local’s Dining Guide
The shrimp arrives golden and crackling, so hot the steam curls off the plate before you can pick one up. You bite through the Calabash batter — that thin, impossibly light crust — and the shrimp inside is sweet, briny, and gone in two seconds. You reach for another. Then another. Your wife has already stolen a hush puppy off your plate, and the waiter is asking if you want the second basket.
That’s dinner on a Tuesday in North Myrtle Beach. And it’s why “Where should we eat?” is the most common question I get from guests.
The Grand Strand has hundreds of restaurants, and sorting the gems from the tourist traps can feel impossible when you’re planning from out of town. So here’s the insider version — the restaurants I actually go to, the ones I recommend to friends, and the honest assessments that help you spend your dining budget wisely.
Walk to Dinner: Main Street Is 7 Minutes from Your Door
This is the biggest dining perk of staying at 601 Hillside Dr N. Walk out the side of the Ocean Keyes complex to 2nd Ave N — just two blocks to Ocean Drive’s Main Street (~0.4 miles, about 7 minutes). Sushi, pizza, Southern cooking, seafood, rooftop cocktails — all walkable. No car, no parking, no designated driver.
| Restaurant | Cuisine | Price | The Quick Take |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soho on Main Street | Sushi, steak, hibachi | $$-$$$ | Owner’s pick. Award-winning sushi, 16+ years. Date night or family. |
| NY Pizza Kitchen | NY brick oven pizza | $ | Owner’s pick. Real thin crust. Get the garlic knots. |
| Hoskins Restaurant | Southern home cooking | $$ | NMB landmark since 1948. The fried chicken arrives golden and crackling, and the coconut cream pie is the reason locals have lined up at the screen door for 75 years. Expect a wait. |
| OD Arcade & Lounge | Bar, arcade, burgers | $$ | Main Street institution. Famous burgers, pool tables, arcade games, live music, karaoke. Shag district landmark. |
| Sky Bar | Rooftop bar, nightclub | $$ | Owner’s pick. Multi-story rooftop, DJs, the best walkable night out. 21+. |
| The Crazy Mason Milkshake Bar | Milkshakes, desserts | $$ | Over-the-top Mason jar milkshakes with candy-covered rims. Walkable dessert stop. 801 Main St. |
Plus Fat Harold’s Beach Club and Duck’s for shag dancing and beach music — the cultural heart of NMB, right on Main Street.
Read the full walkable restaurants guide →
Seafood Buffets Worth the Drive
The Grand Strand’s famous seafood buffets are a must-do at least once. Here’s how the best ones stack up:
| Buffet | Drive | Price | Standout |
|---|---|---|---|
| Captain George’s | 20 min | ~$50/adult | The gold standard. 70+ items — crack open snow crab legs until your fingers are sore, then finish with Greek pastries so flaky they shatter at the touch. Sunday “First Catch” discount 12-4 PM. |
| Benjamin’s Calabash Seafood | 20 min | ~$48/adult | Iconic Calabash-style fried seafood. Massive themed dining rooms. |
| Captain Jack’s (Giant Crab) | 5-8 min | ~$50/adult | Best raw bar. DIY pasta station. Kids love the giant crabs outside. |
| Bennett’s Calabash Seafood | 20 min | ~$42/adult | The original MB seafood buffet. 40+ years. Authentic Calabash roots. |
Tips: Go early (4:30 PM) or late (after 8 PM) to avoid waits. Start with crab legs and raw bar for best value. Captain George’s Sunday “First Catch” special is the best deal.
Read the full seafood buffet rankings →
Hibachi & Japanese
There’s something about watching a chef send a column of fire three feet off a flat-top grill while your five-year-old screams with delight and a shrimp lands in someone’s shirt pocket. Hibachi is dinner and a show — and the Grand Strand has three solid options:
| Restaurant | Drive | Price | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miyabi Kyoto | 15-20 min | $25-40 | Full teppanyaki show — onion volcano, flying shrimp, egg-in-the-hat. No reservations — arrive by 5:30. |
| Soho on Main Street | Walk | $18-35 | Hibachi + sushi. The only walkable option. Great for date night. |
| Sakura Hibachi Buffet | 5 min | $14-20 | Best value. Hibachi grill sizzling right in front of you, sushi bar for the adventurous, and soft-serve to seal the deal. Perfect for picky eaters. |
Waterfront Dining
Salt air on your skin, water lapping at the dock below, the sun doing something unreasonable to the sky over the Intracoastal — waterfront dining here isn’t just a meal. It’s the meal you’ll still be talking about in December.
Molly Darcy’s Irish Pub (1701 S Ocean Blvd) — Right on the beach in Crescent Beach. Walk from the sand directly onto the back porch with salt still on your skin, the ocean ten yards behind you, and a cold pint waiting at the bar. Irish fare, American classics, seafood. Full bar. Game room with pool tables. Open 11 AM–1 AM (til 2 AM Fri-Sat). Insider tip: the public beach access at 17th Ave S has outdoor showers — rinse off and walk straight in.
Greg Norman’s Australian Grille (Barefoot Landing) — The premier steakhouse on the Intracoastal Waterway. Request a window table and watch the sun melt into the waterway while a bone-in ribeye sizzles in front of you. Impressive wine list. This is the special-occasion dinner.
Barefoot Landing — Multiple waterfront options along the ICW: Flying Fish, LuLu’s, Landshark, House of Blues. 10-minute drive from the condo. A full evening of dining, shopping, and entertainment in one trip.
Breakfast & Sweet Treats
Some mornings deserve more than a kitchen scramble. And some afternoons call for something completely ridiculous.
- Golden Griddle Pancake House (Hwy 17, less than half a mile from the condo) — Open at 6 AM. Walk here in under ten minutes for fluffy pancakes, stuffed french toast, and thick-cut bacon. This is the kind of no-frills breakfast joint where the portions are absurd and the coffee never stops. A North Myrtle Beach institution.
- The Crazy Mason Milkshake Bar (Main Street) — Over-the-top milkshakes piled with full-size candy bars, cookies, and toppings that make Instagram jealous. Walk here from the condo. Not a meal — a spectacle.
Quick Bites & Familiar Favorites
Some nights call for sunset views and a wine list. Other nights, you just need food in front of tired, sunburned people before someone has a meltdown. All within a 3-5 minute drive on Hwy 17 from 601 Hillside:
- Chick-fil-A — The reliable standby. Always a line, always worth it. Quick lunch between beach and golf.
- Mellow Mushroom (1101 Hwy 17 N) — Creative pizzas, calzones, good craft beer. Funky atmosphere kids enjoy.
- Buffalo Wild Wings — Wings, beer, big screens. Perfect for catching a game.
- Outback Steakhouse (1721 Hwy 17 N) — Reliable steaks when you need a seafood break.
- Carrabba’s Italian Grill (1015 Hwy 17 N) — Solid Italian for a family sit-down dinner.
Calabash: 15 Minutes to the Seafood Capital of the World
Just across the NC border, the tiny fishing village of Calabash invented its own style of lightly battered, golden-fried seafood. You smell it before you see it — frying batter and salt air mixing as you pull off Highway 179. Dozens of family-owned restaurants — Beck’s, Captain Nance’s, and Calabash Creamery — have been perfecting the craft for decades, and the shrimp platters arrive piled so high they look impossible.
Pair a Calabash seafood lunch with a morning round at Crow Creek or Meadowlands — both located right in Calabash, about 15 minutes from the condo. Golf + fried seafood = a perfect Grand Strand day.
Read the full Calabash guide →
Walk to sushi on Main Street tonight, drive 15 minutes to Calabash fried shrimp tomorrow, and cook breakfast in your own kitchen the morning after. 601 Hillside Dr N puts it all within reach. Check availability →**
Nights Out: Bars & Nightlife
The bass from a rooftop DJ hits you two blocks before you reach Sky Bar. Somewhere ahead, beach music spills out of Fat Harold’s front door. Main Street on a warm Saturday night is its own ecosystem — flip-flops on pavement, neon reflected in puddles, laughter carrying on the salt air. All walkable from 601 Hillside Dr N:
- Sky Bar — Multi-story rooftop bar, nightly DJs, the premier NMB nightlife spot. 21+.
- Fat Harold’s Beach Club — The shag dance capital. Free lessons many evenings. All ages.
- Duck’s — Beach music institution since 1953. Live bands, welcoming to newcomers.
- The Horseshoe — Free outdoor concerts all summer where Main Street meets the ocean.
The best part: Main Street is ~0.4 miles via the 2nd Ave N side exit — walk there, bar-hop all night, walk home. Zero transportation stress.
Beyond Main Street: The Local sits right on the Intracoastal Waterway, a five-minute drive from the condo. Craft taps, live music on the patio, string lights over the water — it’s the best sunset spot in North Myrtle Beach and a completely different vibe from Main Street. When you want conversation-friendly volume and a cold beer with a waterway view, this is your spot.
Read the full nightlife guide →
Family Dining Cheat Sheet
The real test of a family restaurant isn’t the menu — it’s whether the kids are entertained long enough for the adults to finish a conversation. These places pass.
| Restaurant | Why Kids Love It | Drive |
|---|---|---|
| LuLu’s | Ropes course, sand playground, arcade | 10 min |
| Sakura Buffet | Pick everything, hibachi grill, ice cream | 5 min |
| NY Pizza Kitchen | Pizza. Garlic knots. Simple. | Walk |
| Miyabi | Fire, tricks, food flying through air | 15-20 min |
| Molly Darcy’s | Walk from beach, game room, pool tables | 5 min |
| Captain Jack’s | Giant crabs outside, all-you-can-eat | 5-8 min |
Read the full kid-friendly guide →
Your Vacation Dining Adventure Starts Here
601 Hillside Dr N is your home base for eating your way through North Myrtle Beach. Walk to sushi, pizza, and rooftop drinks on Main Street. Drive 10 minutes to the best seafood buffets on the East Coast. Catch a game at Buffalo Wild Wings or grab Chick-fil-A on your way to the golf course. And when you want a night in, the condo’s full kitchen — fridge, stove, microwave, Keurig, blender, and everything you need — is ready for you.
Main Street is just two blocks from the complex via the 2nd Ave N side exit — ~0.4 miles, about 7 minutes on foot. Or take the scenic route: 0.65 miles through Ocean Keyes to the beach, then up to Ocean Drive. Either way, no car needed for dinner. No parking. No designated driver.
Check Availability & Book Your Stay
Questions? Email chad@beachgolflife.com or call (919) 758-4340. I eat at these places regularly — happy to give you the perfect dinner recommendation for your group.
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