Best Restaurants in Bluffton, SC
Every Bluffton restaurant we cover, grouped by part of town, with a photo, Google rating and phone number on each card.
Old Town Bluffton and May River Road
Most of Bluffton’s sit-down restaurants are in or near Old Town, the historic district where Calhoun Street runs down to the May River. The Promenade, a block of newer buildings off May River Road, holds a cluster of bars and restaurants a short walk from Calhoun Street. May River Road carries on west past Ma Daisy’s and Squat ’N’ Gobble to Cahill’s Market.
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 patio tables all around it.
An easygoing seafood and American grill on May River Road, mostly for dinner, with lunch on some weekdays. Reservations taken.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
A brewery with a full kitchen and a big patio in Buckwalter Place: flights of its own beer, burgers and tacos.
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 restaurants in Hilton Head Island, sorted by dinner, lunch and breakfast, with the area, phone number and reservation link for every listing.
Frequently Asked Questions
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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