Golf Holiday's Choices for Top 5 Restaurants in Myrtle Beach

By Brandon Tucker,
Senior Writer, Worldgolf.com

Nothing gets the mouth watering and the belly growling quite like 18 holes of golf in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

The Grand Strand's dining and bar scene is endless, with something for just about everybody, from upscale dining to wings and sports.

But the Grand Strand golfers have spoken.

Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday, the marketing cooperative of the Grand Strand's golf courses has compiled a panel and narrowed the choices into Top 5 lists in four categories: hot wings, bars, steaks and, of course, seafood buffets. Here, according to GolfHoliday.com, then, are the best of the best.

Myrtle Beach's Best Buffalo Wings

1. The Original Fat Jack's Wings & Things (Surfside Beach): Fat Jack's has been around Myrtle Beach since the 1970s. Now just south in Surfside, Fat Jack's offers 15 different sauces. You can try the party tray, which offers up to five different sauces and 50 wings. Lunch goers take note, Fat Jack's doesn't open until 3 p.m. and is closed Sundays.

2. Murphy's Law: Murphy's has three locations (though each especially caters to Pittsburgh "Steeler Nation" on Sundays). Though its wings have a variety of sauces, its specialty is the hot wing.

3. Wing Kings (Myrtle Beach): Off Myrtle Beach's beaten Kings Highway, you'll have to head down Socastee Boulevard for Wing King's fresh, never-frozen wings - along with 20 different flavors.

4. Bully's Pub (North Myrtle Beach): Located at Barefoot Landing, Bully's doesn't have the sauce variety of Wing Kings or Original Fat Jack's, but what it does serve suffices, especially its eccentric (for wings at least) spicy ranch sauce.

5. Hooter's: We all know Hooters, the "delightfully tacky yet unrefined" institution for the ideal mix of babes and wings. Good news for Hooter's fans, with three area locations, you're never too far from the perfect combo.

Myrtle Beach's Best Steakhouses

1. New York Prime (Myrtle Beach): A New York-style steakhouse off 28th Avenue in Myrtle Beach with an upscale ambiance is the Strand's favorite high-end steakhouse. Its menu serves up a whopping 40-ounce porterhouse for two.

2. Angelo's Steak and Pasta (2011 S. Kings Highway in Myrtle Beach): Angelo's is known for its all-you-can-eat Italian buffet, but Angelo's steak is a cut above. Big bellies can try the "Big Daddy" - a 24-ounce cut of Ribeye or New York Strip.

3. Martini's (North Myrtle Beach): A diverse menu in this upscale, elegant atmosphere with a piano bar, the food upholds its look, with top dishes such as the steak au poivre, a filet rolled in cracked peppercorn and sauteed with assorted mushrooms in a Dijon and brandy cream sauce.

4. Greg Norman's Australian Grille (4930 Highway 17S in North Myrtle Beach): The Shark's brand is on everything, but this is his only steakhouse, located right around the corner from his Barefoot Resort course design, where you can enjoy wood-grilled steaks overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway.

5. Thoroughbreds (Myrtle Beach): Open since 1988, Thoroughbreds has made a name for itself by serving nothing but the freshest steaks and seafood, including one of its signatures, the 20-ounce, bone-in ribeye.

Myrtle Beach's Best Seafood Buffets

You'll find almost as many all-you-can-eat seafood buffets along King's Highway as miniature golf courses. Vacationers love indulging on the endless bowls of buttery crab legs and shrimp, but not all are created equal. Here are Golf Holiday's five favorites:

1. Original Benjamin's (9593 N. Kings Hwy. in North Myrtle Beach): The first standout seafood buffet in the Myrtle Beach area remains the Grand Strand's largest, with more than 170 excellent items. Calabash-style seafood, crab legs and shrimp highlight this extensive buffet lineup.

2. Captain George's (Myrtle Beach): Right by the PGA Tour Superstore, Broadway at the Beach and Myrtlewood in the heart of Myrtle Beach on Highway 17 Bypass, you won't pass Captain George's too many times before stopping in eventually. With the area's largest dining room and a buffet to match, waits are seldom.

3. Crabby Mike's (290 Highway 17N in Surfside Beach): Everyone notices Crabby Mike's, thanks to the lighthouse and the "crabmobile" with a giant crab on top. Inside, the atmosphere is good fun, though there's no joking around in the kitchen, which serves up a first-class array of choices on the buffet line.

4. Seafare Seafood Buffet (Surfside Beach): This pirate-themed buffet features live mermaids, but the food will still steal the show, featured in Southern Living twice thanks to its top broiled, baked and steamed seafood.

5. Preston's Seafood & Country Buffet (North Myrtle Beach): An under-the-radar favorite located at the entrance to Barefoot Resort, Preston's features a mountain of crab legs, as well as baby back ribs and prime rib.

Myrtle Beach's Best Sports Bars

In Myrtle Beach, the 19th hole is hardly optional, especially considering its spring and fall seasons coincide with NHL and NBA playoffs in the spring and football season in the fall. Suffice to say after golf, you've got some games to watch. Here are Golf Holiday's five favorite bars for a cold drink and sports:

1. Overtime Sports Cafe (North Myrtle Beach): The biggest really is the best at Overtime in the North Strand, featuring 150 televisions capped with a 12-foot video wall for the main event that day, plus three 10-foot projection screens.

2. Five O'Clock Somewhere (Myrtle Beach): Named after the famous Alan Jackson/Jimmy Buffett tune, this sports fan's paradise in the heart of the Grand Strand serves up 72 TVs, including 60 HD models, surround sound and multiple bar areas. There's also a full menu, both in the kitchen and with its sports network packages.

3. Broadway Louie's (Myrtle Beach): If you're at Broadway at the Beach, the best place to catch the game and a cold one is Broadway Louie's, boasting a mammoth 27-foot projection screen, meaning there's never a bad spot in the house. Its proximity to dozens of clubs and bars at Celebrity Square makes it the perfect "pre-game."

4. Oscar's (North Myrtle Beach): Nearly 100 TVs and a menu with great pub grub makes Oscar's a great Pittsburgh Steelers bar.

5. Dagwood's (Surfside Beach): Dagwood's is the spot for something less TV, sports heavy. It's an inviting atmosphere in the slower South Strand.

Comments