Best Local Thing I Ever Ate…

With more than 250 restaurants in the area serving everything from Jamaican-inspired vegan dishes to Southern meat-and-three, Islanders have so many reasons to say “Yum.”

Compiled by Becca Edwards

When asked on Facebook, “What’s the best thing you ever ate at local restaurant?” here are some responses:

“Local soft shell crabs at the Wexford clubhouse.” – Michelle Oleson Wycoff

“Beet salad at Hudson’s Seafood.” – Mindie DeVeer

“The fried shrimp platter at the South Carolina Yacht Club. I can’t even describe what makes it different, but with the zesty lemon and bloody Mary cocktail sauce? Delish!” – Addison Cook

“Bluffton oysters.” – Louanne LaRoche

“The French dip at Crane’s Tavern.” – Brian Kinard

“The Wexford Club’s cheeseburger.” – Mandy White

“The fettuccine con gamberi e pancetta e piselli at Pomodori.” – Kelly Luckasevic

“Lobster nachos at Ela’s.” – Mariah Lee

“Burritos from Fiesta Fresh. I miss them so much!” – Katy Hudak

“The panzón at Fiesta Fresh is the best! With a name that means “big belly” how could it not be?”
– Bethany Battig Ramseur

“The grouper at Santa Fe Cafe.” – Laird Dorsner

“The veggie burrito at Java Burrito Co.” – Alicia Daly

“There are so many, but my favorite is the baked pastry brie at Truffles. I still dream about it. I have tried to make it but never comes close.” – Angela Marshall

“The fresh flounder at Hudson’s Seafood. I live in Sumter but would drive to Hilton Head for that flounder!”
– Grace Dibble Boyle

“The fiesta chicken salad from Fiesta Fresh. I craved it when I was pregnant with my son. Love the cilantro salad dressing!” – Jennifer Bullock Zimmerman

“ELA’s scallops and mushroom risotto while sitting out on their deck looking out at the water.” – Lee Simmons

“Arugula and eggs from Three Sisters Organic Farm.” – Molly Hackett

“The sea bass at Red Fish.” – Amy Dahl Urban

“Too many to list but Clayton Rollison’s tomato pie at Lucky Rooster Kitchen + Bar is beyond amazing.”
– Charlie Clark

“Chef Ramsey’s fried chicken at the Long Cove Club.” – Karen Kenneweg

“The halibut at Ombra Cucina Rustica. It’s melt-in-your-mouth delicious!” – Angela Rae Ellis

“The snow pea martini at Sage Room.” – Holly Lynn Sears

“The Hinoki roll at Hinoki Japanese Restaurant and Sushi Bar.” – Janet Wiggers

“The local flounder meunière at Charlie’s L’etoile Verte.” – Susan Griffin Woods

“Crab cakes at Hudson’s Seafood.” – Sherrie Taylor

“The halibut special at Ombra Cucina Rustica.” – Kety Marquez
“The local flounder meunière at Charlie’s L’etoile Verte made by Charlie!” – Carmen Kayser

“The turkey avocado sandwich and a side of the black eyed pea salad at Sunrise Cafe.” – Ferebee Ruffalo

“The chimichangas at Santa Fe!” – Kristen Haddick
“The penne campagnola at Il Carpaccio.” – Megan McGarty

“The Jamaican jerk bowl salad at Pure Natural Market. Actually, anything they make is pretty amazing!”
– Mira Scott

“Giuseppes’ Italian combo is the one food that I still must have every time that I come home.” – Lizzie Hughes Ray

“So many great options, but I felt compelled to mention just how very much I miss Stripes and their potato pancake with lump crab meat. Actually I miss everything about Stripes!” – Alice Kiser

“The chicken crepes at Charlie’s L’etoile Verte.” – Lainie Cantrell Crose

“The meatloaf at Stripes (which is closed).” – Heather Malia Rath

“Market Street Cafe’s tsatsiki sauce.” – Justin Sonfield

“My wife Sherri’s apple tart.” – Kevin Lawless

“Carmen Kayser’s cooking.” – Christa L. Conley

“Oyster stew at Charlie’s L’Etoile Verte, the sea bass at Sigler’s Rotisserie and Seafood, and the massaged kale salad at DelisheeYo.” – Robyn Josselson Shirley

“Blue crab straight from the sea! Yum! I miss that.” – Welborn Ferrene

“Sweet Mamma’s baby back ribs, turnip greens, corn bread and sweet tea!” – Mary Gwen Boy

“Anything at Ombra Cucina Rustica.” – Leslie Hughes

“Anything at the Sage Room.” – Beth Malcolm Schoon

“Too many to list! We are so blessed with great restaurants!” – Linda Steadman Fraser

“Almost anything at Lucky Rooster Kitchen + Bar.” – Charlotte Lieberman Rayburn

“Anything at Hudson’s Seafood and the barbecue chicken salad at Amigos.” – Kim Gartner

“The smothered poutine potatoes at Calhoun Street Tavern and tacos at Agave Sidebar.” – Virginie Baillinou Blackwell

“The flounder crudo at FARM in Bluffton is always insanely tasty. Steamed-and-chilled, peel-and-eats at Hudson’s Seafood, and when Chef B.J. Dennis did his pop-up at Lucky Rooster Kitchen + Bar, he made a head hash and rice dish that might have been the best thing I have ever had, period.” – Clayton Rollison

“The Jedi sub at Stu’s Surf Side. Simple, but awesome! Also, Fish in Coligny for blue crabs.” – Lee Lucier

“It’s a toss-up between oyster gravy at the Gullah breakfast every February at the Cherry Hill School house and the bolognese at Ombra Cucina Rustica.” – Carrie Hirsch

“The MoBay curry vegetable bowl at Pure Natural Market. Hush puppy cornmeal waffle with goat cheese and pepper jelly at Calhoun Street Tavern.” – Kaitlen Groetzinger

“Shrimp and grits at Lucky Rooster Kitchen + Bar, the bolognese at Pomodori, and the pho or anything on the Asian menu at Relish.” – Chris Wycoff

“There simply isn’t one answer! But I really love the cobb salad with homemade tomato vinaigrette at Charlie’s L’etoile Verte and the grouper melt at Captain Woody’s, but this is just the tip of the iceberg!”
– Margaret Crenshaw

“The fatoosh salad with added avocado at DelisheeYo and the oysters at Hudson’s Seafood.” – Elizabeth Hancock

“The kale salad at Pomodori, peanut butter pie at Truffles, vegan nachos at Pure Natural Market and Buddha bowl at DelisheeYo, to name but a few. We do have amazing food on our little island!” – Jamie Berndt

“DelisheeYo’s fatoosh salad, Amigo’s margarita, and It’s Greek to Me’s Greek salad with chicken and pita bread.” – Katharine Lovett Loeb

“A charcuterie on my friend’s sailboat Leopard, the pappardelle alla bolognese at Pomodori, grilled oysters at Hudson’s Seafood and my rockstar popcorn.” – Brucie Holler

“The chile relleno from Fiesta Fresh, the green curry from Ruan Thai, everything at Hinoki Japanese Restaurant and Sushi Bar, and the ceviche from Santa Fe Cafe.” – Stacey Piccolo Saritelli

“The penne campagnola from Il Carpaccio, the she crab soup from Sunrise Cafe, the fried eggplant stack from Pomodori, a cheeseburger from Frosty Frog, the barbecue chicken salad from Amigos and the lobster macaroni and cheese from Redfish.” – Dana Ely Jaquiss

“The SoCal wrap at DelisheeYo, the caprese at Fat Baby’s Pizza & Subs, the cheesecakes at The Purple Cow, the gnocchi at Pomodori, the eggs Benedict at Sunrise Cafe, crab cakes at Hudson’s Seafood, the grouper melt at Captain Woody’s Bar and Grill. I could go on and on.” – Lisa Bernstein

“The kale and quinoa salad with spicy shrimp at Chow Daddy’s, the MoBay curry bowl at Pure Natural Market, Carmen Kaiser’s coleslaw, Brucie Holler’s Indian spiced eggs, my wife’s hot chocolate. (It’s a Keurig but she’s kind enough to deliver on demand.)” – Amanda Russ

“The Spaghetti all’Amatriciana at Michael Anthony’s.” – Megan Swartz