PHOTO: The Smokehouse Burger is made from fresh ground beef and topped with jack and cheddar cheeses, lettuce, tomato, onions and pickles. Add bacon and enjoy it with some house-made Tavern Chips.

Newcomer to the Grand Strand sports bar scene, the Hickory Tavern franchise is based in the Carolinas, but the restaurant seems to be popping up almost anywhere along the East Coast.

With indoor and outdoor seating, an ambitious menu and plenty of flat screens locked on sporting events, Hickory Tavern leans more towards the style of a family-friendly Beef O’Brady’s. There is a bar, but the hangout factor is stifled by a limited number of stools that force you to sit with your back to the room.

PHOTO: Plenty of flat screens make Hickory Tavern the perfect spot for game day.

The Hickory Tavern menu raises the bar (no pun intended) on pub food with plump and juicy charred wings, house-made potato chips, build-your-own salads, shrimp and grits, a grilled New England lobster roll, the choice of broccoli with that beefy burger and sides like crispy Brussels sprouts and tater tots.

You can even ante up and splurge on filet mignon or a Delmonico ribeye. Then there’s the Food Truck menu, inspired by some of the best dishes found on streets all over the country, like New York City’s famed Chicken and Rice, the Shredhead a la Telluride and Pittsburgh’s Steel City Stack.

PHOTO: Head in to check out the monthly specials like June’s all-you-can-eat crab legs.

Monday through Friday, Hickory Tavern offers their Lightening Lunch menu until 2 p.m., quickly serving up favorites such as a jumbo Hebrew National Southern dog, grilled pimento cheese on sourdough, house-made chicken salad on a bed of mixed greens and shrimp skewers with Thai chili sauce.

And what’s a bar without beer? Besides a fully stocked supply of liquor and wine, Hickory Tavern carries about 38 drafts and 50 bottles and cans of brewskis at any given time. Craft beers change seasonally.

Hickory Taverns are known for constant promotions and our North Myrtle Beach location follows suit. In June, all-you-can-eat crab legs were on for $39.99 on Tuesday evenings.

The Hickory Tavern

1580 U.S. 17 N.
North Myrtle Beach, SC 29582
(843) 249-6670
www.thehickorytavern.com

Hours: Open daily from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.