Best of the Grand Strand 2024 - Casual Dining

(Left to right) Chimichanga Llama Cantina; River City Cafe; Pizza Hyena

Chuck’s Steak House
9695 North Kings Highway, Myrtle Beach, 
(843) 449-7611
Chuckssteakhousemb.com
Known for its enormously popular Happy Hour ( 4 – 7 nightly), with small plate and martini specials, Chuck’s Steak House, located along the famed Restaurant Row, is equally known for its prime angus sirloin, New York strip steaks, prime rib (8oz., 16oz., and 24 oz. portions), seafood (including lobster) and seniors’ menu (60 years and older). The rustic hunting lodge ambiance, featuring waterway views on enclosed decks, adds to the dining experience. With a full bar and a children’s menu, Chuck’s has remained a beloved, family-friendly favorite since 1979.

The Boundary House
1045 River Road, Calabash, N.C., 
(910) 579-8888
Boundaryhouserestaurant.com
In the waterfront town of Calabash, N.C, just minutes from Myrtle Beach, you’ll find The Boundary House named for a nearby 1750s meeting place - its history is fascinating, which you can peruse in the “About” section of the website. The modern Boundary House restaurant boasts a spacious and inviting dining room, a show kitchen, and a large double-sided bar. For lunch, choose from more than a dozen $10 - $11 options including chicken dishes, taco salad, prime rib sandwich, and more. For dinner you’ll find fresh seafood, combo plates, chicken, beef and pasta dishes, also priced right. Casual, affordable and delicious. 

Wild Wing Café
4706 Hwy 17 S, 
North Myrtle Beach,
(843) 361-9464
Wildwingcafe.com/location/north-myrtle-beach-sc
Located at Barefoot Landing in North Myrtle Beach, Wild Wing Cafe knows how to prepare delicious wings. Alongside its casual sports bar theme, it offers occasional live music, two bars, two spacious interior dining rooms, and a large outdoor waterfront deck. The menu is diverse, featuring not only wings but also burgers, salads, a bacon-wrapped spinach-stuffed chicken dish, boneless wings, BBQ, Philly cheesesteak, and even a touch of Mexican flair with nachos, quesadillas, and guacamole. The bar selection includes a wide range of craft and domestic beers on tap, and plenty of big screens for sporting events.

Chimichanga Llama Cantina
14 South Ocean Blvd., Surfside Beach, 
(843) 945-9306, Chimichangallama.com
As much fun to say as it is to eat, if you’re hungry, no prob-llama! Chimichanga Llama stands out as an extra-casual, Mexican-themed, open-air cantina. The menu boasts diverse offerings such as octopus ceviche, traditional Mexican favorites including house-made chips & salsas, guacamole, as well as the El Smasho cheeseburger—a Mexican-spiced smash burger—and, of course, chimichangas, tacos, seafood, and so much more. Soups, salads, southwestern brisket chili, quesadillas, and of course, chimichangas are all muy delicioso. Try sister eateries the Gracious Pig and Pizza Hyena, too, all adjacent to each other and all offering something unique to the beach.

(Left) Gracious Pig Smoke House; (right) Marker 42 Lowcountry Cantina

River City Café
404 21st Ave. North, Myrtle Beach, (843) 448-1900
9550 Shore Drive (inside the Sands Ocean Resort), 
Myrtle Beach, (843) 497-5299
208 73rd Ave. North, Myrtle Beach, (843) 448-8877
4742 Highway 17 South, North Myrtle Beach, (843) 272-7077
4393 Highway 17, Murrells Inlet, (843) 651-1004
11 North Seaside Drive, Surfside Beach, (843) 232-9797
5835 Dick Pond Road, Myrtle Beach, (843) 215-8808
Rivercitycafe.com
With seven area locations along the Grand Strand, River City Café consistently earns “best burger” awards from numerous sources. This family-friendly burger joint embraces a fun atmosphere where you can toss peanut shells on the floor and search the wall for your signature left years earlier. Their menu offers a variety of traditional and creative specialty burgers including every flavor combination known to man, from pimento cheese, Swiss and mushroom, chili, bacon jam, and so much more. Want your burger unadorned? No problem. Also choose from starters, chicken dishes, and various fish sandwiches featuring mahi-mahi, grouper, and shrimp. In a word…fun!

Pizza Hyena
13 South Ocean Blvd., Surfside Beach, (843) 945-9025
Pizzahyena.com
Clever and funky flavors at the Pizza Hyena, located adjacent to the Surfside Beach Pier, come in the form of 22 specialty gourmet pizzas like the hilariously named Funny as Shiitake, the adventurous Goudawill Hunting (with Gouda cheese and wild boar sausage), the health-conscious Kale Yeah, and the cheesy delight Ricotta Be Kidding Me, plus salads and sandwiches. Don’t miss the Hyena Balls—Kobe beef, lamb, and veal meatballs served with crispy flatbread and a zesty marinara sauce. And fear not, vegetarians and gluten-free pals, they’ve got options for you too! Full bar, live entertainment (in season), and indoor/outdoor seating for lunch and dinner have made this a popular spot since opening in 2019.

Marker 42Lowcountry
929 Front St., Georgetown,
(843) 461-9224
Marker42Cantina.com
Tex-Mex meets Lowcountry at Marker 42 Lowcountry Cantina, along Front Street in historic Georgetown. With their own take on traditional southern dishes, the chef has created something altogether new and unique. For example, their South of the Border fried green tomatoes are drizzled with agave syrup, cotija cheese, jalapeno jelly and prickly pear jelly. Choose from smoked wings, fried shrimp with mango jalapeno sauce for dipping, Mexican street corn, salads, tacos, and signature entrees including Mexi-Country shrimp & grits, a surf & turf burger and much more. Specialty drinks and top-shelf tequila round out the choices at this unique Georgetown eatery.

Gracious Pig Smokehouse
12 Ocean Blvd. South, Surfside Beach
(843) 945-2017, Graciouspig.com
Now serving breakfast, goodness gracious! The aroma of authentic pit-smoked BBQ fills the Surfside Beach waterfront district, thanks to the Gracious Pig Smokehouse, starting its third year on Ocean Boulevard. Mouthwatering beef brisket, perfectly charred, impossibly tender with flavorful crispy bark, pulled pork, smoked turkey, and other savory delights, come in platters, on sandwiches, and are accompanied by house-made sides including corn puddin’, collard greens, mac and cheese, rice and gravy, baked beans, and more. The old-timey ambiance, moonshine cocktails, and indoor/outdoor seating complete the experience.