Best Restaurants in Bluffton, SC
In Old Town, FARM and The Bluffton Room are the dinner picks and Nectar Farm Kitchen serves all day; Frankie Bones Bluffton is in Buckwalter.
Old Town Bluffton and May River Road
Most of Bluffton’s sit-down restaurants are in or near Old Town, where Calhoun Street runs down to the May River, with a cluster of bars and restaurants at the Promenade off May River Road.
Seasonal Southern cooking, wine and craft cocktails in a snug, busy dining room on May River Road. Dinner and brunch; it takes reservations.
One of Old Town’s dressier dinners: steaks, seafood and cocktails, with an open-air bar and a patio on the Promenade. Reservations taken.
Breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner on a big shaded patio at the top of Old Town, and dogs are welcome outside. There is also a Nectar on Hilton Head.
Coastal seafood and grilled dishes on Calhoun Street, with tables on the front porch, a bar and live music.
Italian cooking and pizza from Robert and Breana DeLeo, on Bluffton Road just north of Old Town. Opened in 2024.
Southern comfort food, craft beer and classic cocktails in a tavern on the Promenade; brunch, lunch and dinner, live music, and dogs allowed outside.
The Bluffton branch of the Hilton Head seafood bar: oysters, shrimp and fish baskets, with outdoor tables and live music.
Wood-fired pizza, salads and a full bar, with red patio tables out front. A second Bluffton Local Pie is at New Riverside.
Burger sliders, fries and a bar in a bright turquoise building on the Promenade, opened in 2024; dogs are welcome on the porch.
Breakfast, brunch, lunch and afternoon tea with house-baked goods in a restored 1868 cottage on Calhoun Street. Daytime only.
Tacos and margaritas in a colorful building at 15 Captains Cove, off Calhoun Street, with a wraparound patio and live music Friday and Saturday nights in season.
An easygoing seafood and American grill on May River Road, mostly for dinner, with lunch on some weekdays. Reservations taken.
Gullah and Lowcountry cooking in a big black farmhouse with a wraparound porch and a lawn on May River Road, with live music. Closed Mondays.
A brunch café that roasts its own coffee, with a pastry case and a long counter; open from breakfast into the afternoon. Its Hilton Head café is now Luci’s Cafe.
A long-running, family-run breakfast and lunch counter on May River Road: Southern breakfasts, sandwiches and daily specials. Closed Sundays.
The Bluffton Oyster Company’s restaurant: a longtime family-run bar and dining room for local oysters and down-home seafood plates.
The working oyster house at the end of Wharf Street, shucking May River oysters since 1899 and selling oysters, clams, shrimp and fish to take home. A market, not a restaurant: its restaurant is the Bluffton Seafood House.
Burgers, sandwiches and salads with a long wall of craft beer taps, in a two-story building on Johnston Way.
Donuts and coffee from a little shop with a garden patio of picnic tables. Mornings only, and not every day, so check before you go.
A farm market and Southern kitchen in a country-store building west of Old Town: fried chicken and vegetables, with produce for sale.
Cold-pressed juices, smoothies and plant-friendly meals, with a small health emporium, in Bluffton Village. Weekdays and Saturday until mid-afternoon.
The ice cream shop in Wilson Village: scoops in pretzel cones, shakes and sundaes, on a shaded porch inside Palmetto Bluff.
Oysters, tuna crudo, sushi nachos and duck bao, with a serious cocktail list, on the Promenade in Old Town. Lunch and dinner Tuesday to Saturday.
A family-owned Italian dinner room near Old Town: eggplant parmigiana with house mozzarella, spaghetti alle vongole, scaloppine al marsala. Tuesday to Saturday.
Buckwalter, Bluffton Parkway and New Riverside
Buckwalter is the newer middle of Bluffton, along Buckwalter Parkway and Bluffton Parkway north of Old Town, and New Riverside is further west. The restaurants here are mostly in shopping centers with parking at the door.
The Bluffton sibling of Frankie Bones on Hilton Head: prime rib, steaks and pasta, a bar and a covered patio. Brunch, lunch and dinner; reservations taken.
Ribs, brisket and wings from the Hilton Head barbecue joint’s Bluffton branch, with a bar and a patio where dogs are allowed.
The owners’ second Tio’s: Latin American plates, tacos and margaritas in a mural-painted dining room, with a patio.
An Italian chophouse on Bluffton Parkway for a special night out: pasta, steaks and seafood. Reservations taken.
Poke bowls, bao buns and small plates at Parkside Commons in New Riverside, with tables outside under red umbrellas.
A seafood market off Bluffton Parkway: fresh fish, local shrimp and oysters on ice, and sauces and sides to cook at home. Closed Sundays and Mondays.
The mainland shop of the island bagel bakery: bagels in many flavors, breakfast sandwiches and deli lunches, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily.
A local market with a scratch bakery and a breakfast and lunch cafe: regional produce, meat and seafood, wine and Lowcountry makers' goods.
US 278 and Belfair
US 278, called Fording Island Road through Bluffton, is the road to and from the Hilton Head bridges. Its shopping centers, Belfair Towne Village among them, hold the restaurants closest to the island.
The third Truffles, in Belfair Towne Village: sandwiches, salads, steaks and grilled fish with cocktails. Brunch, lunch and dinner; reservations taken.
A golf-themed pub for British and American pub food, from fish and chips to prime rib, with a weekend champagne brunch.
Seafood boils by the pound (crab legs, shrimp, crawfish) served in bags with your choice of sauce, plus fried baskets and a bar.
Counter-service Mexican: tacos, burritos, tortas and bowls, at the Bluffton branch of the Hilton Head favorite.
The Italian chain’s Bluffton restaurant on US 278: pastas, soup, salad and breadsticks.
The Salty Dog Cafe’s Bluffton restaurant and pizza kitchen: seafood baskets, burgers and pizza, with patio seating. The original is at South Beach in Sea Pines.
Pittsburgh-style pizza, pasta and sandwiches with sports on the TVs, on Bluffton Road just off US 278.
New York-style and Sicilian pies at two Bluffton restaurants: Belfair Towne Village on Towne Drive and Buckwalter Place.
Layered doughnuts, flaky like a croissant, plus savory breakfast doughnuts, vegan and gluten-friendly ones and a coffee bar, at Okatie Village just north of Bluffton.
Lobster rolls, whole belly fried clams and New England chowder in Moss Creek Village. Lunch and dinner, Tuesday to Saturday.
Thai curries and noodles plus Lao papaya salad, khao soi and laab, cooked to the heat you ask for. Lunch and dinner.
Italian classics since 2004 and the house's giant meatball; an early plate Tuesday to Thursday and lunch Wednesday to Friday.
Smoked brisket, ribs and pulled pork, with the cheese biscuits it is known for and family meals to go. Open daily from 11 a.m.
Breweries and distilleries
Two Bluffton makers pour where they make: a whiskey distillery on Bluffton Road and a brewery with a kitchen in Buckwalter Place.
Bluffton’s whiskey distillery, in a big brick building on Bluffton Road, with tastings, a bar and kitchen, and a shop. Its bottles include Bluffton American whiskey and Palmer’s Stretch rye.
A brewery with a full kitchen and a big patio in Buckwalter Place: flights of its own beer, burgers and tacos.
A small brewer-owned taproom off Bluffton Parkway: rotating lagers, IPAs and sours, food trucks outside and dog nights.
About this list
The best restaurants in Bluffton, SC, grouped by part of town, so you can pick by where you will be as well as by what you want to eat.
Old Town, on the May River, has most of the independent restaurants: Lowcountry and Gullah cooking, oysters, porches under the oaks and the bars of the Promenade. Buckwalter and US 278 have the shopping-center restaurants and the easy parking, and US 278 is the closest to Hilton Head across the bridges. Every card shows the restaurant’s Google rating and a Call button; where a restaurant has its own page, its name links to it.
Looking for a kind of food or a meal instead? The Bluffton restaurants guide sorts places to eat by brunch, coffee, seafood, barbecue, sushi, bars and breweries. For the island side of the bridges, see the best restaurants in Hilton Head.
More ways to choose where to eat
Bluffton restaurants by meal, food and area: Old Town, brunch, coffee, seafood, BBQ, sushi, bars and breweries, with photos and ratings on every card.
Old Town Bluffton restaurants by street: Calhoun Street, the Promenade, May River Road and the waterfront, with photos, ratings and phone numbers.
Palmetto Bluff restaurants by who can eat there: public Buffalo's and RT's Market, Montage's River House and Octagon, and the club's Canoe Club and Cole's.
Bluffton, SC, across the bridges from Hilton Head: Old Town on the May River, where to eat, what to do, hotels, the grocery run and Palmetto Bluff.
The best Hilton Head restaurants: a top 10 by guest rating, then every restaurant by dinner, lunch and breakfast, with phone and reservation links.
Frequently Asked Questions
Updated
What are the best restaurants in Bluffton, SC?
For a special dinner, The Bluffton Room, Radici Italian Chophouse and FARM Bluffton are the dressier choices. For Lowcountry cooking with a sense of place, try Ma Daisy’s Porch, the Bluffton Seafood House or Cahill’s Market & Chicken Kitchen. Every card above shows the current Google rating, so you can compare as you go.
Where are most of the restaurants in Bluffton?
In and around Old Town, the historic district on the May River, where Calhoun Street, the Promenade and May River Road hold most of the independent restaurants. The other clusters are Buckwalter, north of Old Town, and the shopping centers along US 278.
Which Bluffton restaurants are closest to Hilton Head Island?
The ones on US 278 (Fording Island Road) and in Belfair Towne Village, the first shopping centers after the bridges. Old Town is further in, off US 278 by Bluffton Road; allow extra time in summer traffic.
Do Bluffton restaurants take reservations?
Many of the sit-down restaurants do, including The Bluffton Room, FARM, Radici, Joelle, The Pearl, Truffles Cafe and Frankie Bones. Counter-service places, breakfast spots and the seafood markets do not; every card has a Call button if you want to check.
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