Leave it to longtime Myrtle Beach-based creative restaurateur Nate Anderson to create a concept unlike anything else—a casual, seaside, semi open-air, sports bar/gourmet pizza eatery with enough eclectic menu items to please the most demanding foodies, as well as those patrons looking for traditional favorites. At Pizza Hyena, meat lovers meet vegetarians and gluten-free and keto customers. All can be simultaneously satisfied by an array of choices, including 22 pizza possibilities (seven vegetarian options), eight appetizers, five salads, four sandwiches, craft beer, wine and a full bar. It’s no wonder Pizza Hyena was named one of the best new restaurants in Grand Strand Magazine’s 2019 Best of the Grand Strand readers’ poll.

Located in the heart of Surfside Beach, Pizza Hyena is something entirely new, which is a real feat in a market seemingly filled with restaurants opening daily.

With a mind for locally sourced produce and proteins whenever possible, and following environmentally sustainable practices, Pizza Hyena is a good neighbor and eco-friendly.

With a cozy repurposed wood interior and whimsical decor, Pizza Hyena really shines with its menu and preparation style. Everything is cooked to order in an Italian oven heated to 700 degrees by a hardwood fire.

For starters, Hyena Balls (meatballs made with Kobe beef, lamb, veal and rustic red sauce) are served with warm, ripped pizza bread. The unmistakable flavor of lamb and the tenderness of Kobe beef combine to make Hyena Balls a delicious starter or a meal unto itself. The Wild Fired Wings come six ways, 10 to an order. The taste of the wood-fired char and exotic spices comes through in each bite.

The pizzas take center stage here and you can tell they had a lot fun in naming them, from the pepperoni-laden “Peppy Longstocking” to the exotic “Snailed It” (made with escargot) to a mushroom-heavy beauty called “Funny as Shitake” and, my favorite, the “GoudaWill Hunting,” which is loaded with smoked gouda, wild boar sausage, mushrooms, caramelized onions and the house rustic red sauce. All the pizzas are 10-inch, handmade circular flatbreads and range between $8 and $14. A “Real Brie Slapper” is a dessert pizza of sorts highlighting tastes of the holidays. It’s reminiscent of the warm brie cheese cooked in pastry served at so many family gatherings.

All of the pizzas can be made with a gluten-free “dirty keto” cauliflower crust for a slight upcharge and a significant reduction in carbs.

Milkshakes, salads, sandwiches, dozens of craft beers and specialty cocktails round out the menu offerings, making this new kid on the block a fun option for patrons out for a stroll on the beach or for those seeking something fresh and exotic (but not too out there). Wild and fun? Yes, but still tame enough for just about everyone.

Pizza Hyena

13 S. Ocean Blvd.,
Surfside Beach, SC 29575
(843) 945-9025
pizzahyena.com
Hours: Opens at 11 a.m. daily