On an island known as America’s favorite, where you have your pick of more than 200 restaurants, it makes things simpler and even more relaxing when you discover how many of the very best are Sea Pines restaurants, right here.
This place was made for pleasure, and dining in all its forms was not forgotten. The world-changing inspiration that became Sea Pines made enjoying food and fellowship a fundamental part of the dream from the very beginning. That’s one reason why Sea Pines restaurants are some of the very best you could wish for, in every style and category.
The Inside Story of Sea Pines Restaurants
Truffles Café is right in the middle of The Shops at Sea Pines Center – which puts it right in the middle of the Miracle Mile between Harbour Town and South Beach. It has been the standby for residents and VIP visitors in the know for decades. The Truffles menu in Sea Pines is a well-aimed blend of familiar, comfortable dishes and innovative combinations you might not have expected.
One of our favorite stories of how Sea Pines restaurants have made their way to the inside of even family traditions is this one. A dear friend’s grandmother, from Lithuania, was the empress of her own kitchen, exercising complete control, and thereby delighting generations of her family every time they gathered at her home alongside the Harbour Town Golf Links. Even she made sure to get a few loaves of the bread they serve at Truffles when she gathered the family together. Truffles was not only her favorite place to eat out, but she also didn’t even try to out-bake their bread when she was hosting at home.
When It’s Just for Fun
Families with children are glad to know where the pizza can be found. Fortunately, the Sea Pines restaurants have a ready answer – and many say it’s the best on the island. Giuseppi’s Pizza has been No. 1 on Hilton Head Island for more than 30 years, and one slice will tell the story of why.
Chow Daddy’s tacos, spicy shrimp, burgers, pulled pork, and nachos bring quality to the casual when the day calls for fun food. The Chow Daddy’s menu comes from an accomplished restauranteur who’s well versed in pleasing the leisure palate.
Fun continues, if you’re up for dessert, with an Italian gelato at C’est Bon, just at the other end of The Shops at Sea Pines Center. In fact, some start their day at C’est Bon, because the specialty coffees, lattes, and cappuccinos there are the finest around. For lunch, the word is that C’est Bon’s chicken salad sandwich, served on a fresh French croissant, is the best anywhere, too.
You Can Tell the Quality
Celebrating the fresh ingredients and festive attitude of the Carolinas, and especially the sea islands, The Lowcountry Produce Market and Café in The Shops at Sea Pines Center is a magnet for mid-day meals. Serving breakfast and brunch all day, and offering specialties to take home – including soups, sauces, chutneys, relishes, pickles, and preserves – Lowcountry Produce goes beyond the Sea Pines restaurants in helping you shine when you host at home.
Another place where you can take the delicious home is nearby, too. Hazel Dean’s gourmet grocery, meats, and wine presents all manner of goodies, including locally sourced craft beers and wines so special that they keep them in an old bank vault.
Which Way to the Beach?
South Beach offers a change of vibe, as well as a change of scene, among Sea Pines restaurants. Far afield in America, and even abroad, a Salty Dog tee-shirt is a worldwide recognition signal for, “Been there, done that.” Because even though their menu items are tasty and perfectly selected, even though the view of the South Beach Marina is the stuff of memories, and even though the fun is contagious at the Salty Dog Café, what makes it so famous and makes the tee-shirt so familiar is because of the fun people have when they go there. Yes, it’s the experience people have there that sets the Salty Dog apart from all the other Sea Pines restaurants.
The Sea Pines Beach Club is not only one of the essential Sea Pines restaurants, but also a first-class seaside setting for everything that goes with a civilized approach to a day at the beach.
After Parking the Yacht
If you didn’t bring your yacht this time to Hilton Head Island, then the Sea Pines restaurants you can find in the vicinity of the Harbour Town Yacht Basin make visiting there a good idea anyway. CQ’s Restaurant, on Lighthouse Road, is cozy and homelike, but the cuisine is unlike anything at home – unless you’re fortunate to have a skilled chef in the kitchen.
The Harbour Town Bakery & Café is your spot for breakfast, early or late, leisurely or on-the-go. Salads, soups, and deli sandwiches make it popular for lunch. And their pastries, baked fresh daily, make anytime a good time to drop in for a special coffee and a treat.
As the Sun Sets
When the sun rests low over Calibogue Sound, and the sky opens arms of orange, purple, and red to mark its setting, there’s no place better for watching than the Harbour Town Lighthouse – and no place better for relaxing and dining than The Quarterdeck, right at the Lighthouse doorstep. The Quarterdeck devotes a whole section of their menu to the fresh catch of the day. Favorites such as local shrimp, oysters, and expertly made crab cakes beckon the seafood lover, yet beef eaters and hamburger lovers – adults or children – will be glad they came, too. Cocktails at The Quarterdeck are an islander and insider tradition, and the musical accompaniment there completes an atmosphere that is hard to leave.
The magic of Sea Pines restaurants comes, in part, from how they become a part of you. Memories of the scenes and settings, and the people you’re with, linger on. And something more stays with you, a feeling that the place you found became a little bit yours.
