Start with seafood at Hudson’s on the Skull Creek docks or the Sea Shack, or pick a meal (the best lunch on Hilton Head Island is often on the water), a style of food or an area, or see the full restaurant list.
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Hilton Head Island dining by meal: breakfast, lunch and dinner
Breakfast Hilton Head guide: diners, cafés and Sunday brunch, with menu prices, opening hours and our pick for each kind of morning.
Sunday brunch Hilton Head Island: restaurants serving brunch, with hours, what to order and which ones take reservations. Weekend brunch too.
Lunch Hilton Head guide: waterfront seafood, quick counters, beach bars and golf-club lunches, with hours notes and phone numbers for each spot.
Where to eat dinner on Hilton Head Island: waterfront seafood, special-occasion rooms, steakhouses, live jazz and easy family dinners, with phone numbers.
Upscale casual dining on Hilton Head Island: celebration dinners, bistros and harbor views, with what each restaurant is known for and how to book.
Coffee shops Hilton Head Island guide: local roasters, bakery cafés, gelato and coffee bars and a drive-thru at the bridge, with phone numbers.
Best dessert Hilton Head guide: pastries, ice cream, gelato, chocolate and fudge shops, donuts and restaurant desserts, with phone numbers.
Hilton Head Island bakery guide: French croissants and tarts, a Mexican bakery, a gluten-free bakery, donuts and cookies, with hours and where each is.
Hilton Head Island ice cream shops: homemade scoops, gelato, milkshakes and popsicles near Coligny, Sea Pines and Wexford, with phone numbers.
Smoothies on Hilton Head Island: juice bars, acai bowl counters and cafés that blend smoothies, from Pope Avenue to Palmetto Bay Road, with phones.
Hilton Head Island dining by cuisine and style
Hilton Head Island seafood restaurants by setting: creekside docks, casual baskets, special-occasion dinners and Sea Pines, with phone numbers.
Seafood buffet on Hilton Head Island? None is open now. Here is where to get all-you-can-eat crab legs, crab legs by the order and boils to share.
Hilton Head restaurants on the water: Skull Creek docks, Broad Creek decks, marina patios, oceanfront tiki bars and Harbour Town views, with phone numbers.
Outdoor restaurants on Hilton Head: beach bars on the sand, marina decks, beer gardens, golf-course patios and rooftops, with what each serves.
Hilton Head resort restaurants open to everyone: Sea Pines, the Omni, Palmetto Dunes, the Westin and Sonesta, with gate rules, reservations and hours.
Italian restaurants Hilton Head Island: chef-owned dinners, family red-sauce rooms and pizza and pasta counters, with phone numbers and booking notes.
Pizza Hilton Head guide: wood-fired, thin-crust, New York, Chicago and hearth pizza places, plus which ones deliver, with phone numbers.
Mexican restaurants on Hilton Head Island, SC: taco shops, burrito counters, cantinas and margaritas on the water at San Miguel’s, with phone numbers.
Sushi Hilton Head guide: sushi bars, hibachi grills, Chinese, Thai, Korean BBQ and poke restaurants, with what each serves and phone numbers.
Hibachi on Hilton Head Island: OKKO’s grill tables, sushi-and-hibachi spots, private hibachi chefs who cook at your rental, and a hibachi dinner cruise.
Thai food on Hilton Head Island, SC: all four Thai restaurants, from curries and tom yum to vegan dishes and seafood specials, with hours and phones.
Greek restaurants on Hilton Head Island, SC: gyros and souvlaki at It’s Greek To Me near Coligny, kebabs and shawarma at Casablanca, hours and phones.
Every French restaurant in Hilton Head, SC: three bistros for dinner, from Chez Georges to Bistro 17 on the harbour, plus French bakeries and cafés.
Steakhouse Hilton Head guide: prime chophouses, an old-school Main Street steakhouse and seafood-and-steak dinner rooms, with phone numbers.
BBQ on Hilton Head Island: ribs, brisket and pulled pork at Bullies, One Hot Mama’s, The Smokehouse and Slowcountry, plus Korean BBQ, with phone numbers.
Fried chicken on Hilton Head Island: Southern and soul food dinners, lunch takeaway and chicken and waffles, with hours and phone numbers.
Low country food on Hilton Head: shrimp and grits, Lowcountry boil, she-crab soup, red rice, oysters and Gullah cooking, and where to eat each one.
Soul food on Hilton Head: Ruby Lee's, Mama Joy's Kitchen and Good Soul Southern Kitchen, plus Southern comfort kitchens, with what to order at each.
Hilton Head food trucks: the Marshland Road truck square, the jerk and taco trucks on William Hilton Parkway, brewery trucks and festival favorites.
Fast food on Hilton Head Island: Cook Out, Wendy’s, Burger King, McDonald’s, Subway, Jersey Mike’s and Dunkin’, and the chains that are not here.
Hilton Head bars guide: tiki beach bars, pubs, cocktail lounges, live music rooms and happy hours, with what each is known for and phone numbers.
Sports bars Hilton Head South Carolina: where to watch the game, from Ohio State and Chicago bars to a resort screen wall, with phone numbers.
Hilton Head brewery guide: the island’s craft breweries, beer garden and only distillery, with what each pours, food, dogs and live music.
Kid friendly restaurants Hilton Head Island: playgrounds, lawn games, kids menus, game rooms and early-bird dinners for a family vacation.
Dog friendly restaurants Hilton Head Island: patios, decks and breweries that welcome pets, with what each serves. Call ahead, since policies change.
Gluten free restaurants Hilton Head Island: gluten-free pizza, bakeries, vegan and vegetarian kitchens, with what each one serves.
Places to eat in Hilton Head by area
Sea Pines, Harbour Town, Shelter Cove and Coligny Plaza each have enough restaurants to plan a night around.
23 Sea Pines restaurants across Harbour Town, South Beach, Sea Pines Center and the Beach Club, from waterfront seafood to cafés, with phone numbers.
Restaurants in Harbour Town, Hilton Head Island, SC: 10 spots by the marina and lighthouse, from waterfront seafood to cafés, with reservations.
Shelter Cove restaurants on Hilton Head: waterfront seafood at the harbour, steaks, tacos and pizza at the Towne Centre, plus bakeries and ice cream.
Coligny Plaza restaurants on Hilton Head: seafood, daiquiris, Italian, breakfast, subs and ice cream a short walk from Coligny Beach, with phone numbers.
Palmetto Dunes restaurants on Hilton Head: a beach bar, clubhouse grills, a lagoon-view dinner room and a general store, with hours and phone numbers.
Bluffton restaurants by meal, food and area: Old Town, brunch, coffee, seafood, BBQ, sushi, bars and breweries, with photos and ratings on every card.
Private chefs, catering and special occasions
Hilton Head private chefs and caterers who cook in your vacation rental: in-home dinners, cooking classes, catered events and how to book each one.
Catering on Hilton Head Island: wedding caterers, in-home hibachi chefs and island restaurants that cater a rental-house dinner, with phone numbers.
Hilton Head Island seafood markets for local shrimp, fresh fish and oysters, plus steamed shrimp and a Lowcountry boil to go, with phone numbers.
New restaurants in Hilton Head: recent openings, moves and closings on the island, from Barnacle Brews and Capri Pizza to DryDock’s last day.
Restaurant Week HHI guide: Chamber Restaurant Week on Hilton Head Island, when it happens, how the prix fixe menus work and how to book.
Thanksgiving dinner on Hilton Head Island, Nov. 26, 2026: resort buffets, prix-fixe menus, take-out meals and pies, with prices, hours and order deadlines.
Restaurants on Hilton Head Island open for Christmas Eve and Day: Links' prix fixe dinner, Bowdie's and HH Prime. What each serves and how to book.
Valentine’s Day dinner on Hilton Head Island: romantic restaurants to book for Sunday, Feb. 14, 2027, past years’ special menus and dinner cruises.
Easter brunch Hilton Head Island: restaurants that have served Easter buffets and brunch menus, from Alexander’s to the beach. Book ahead.
Where do the locals eat in Hilton Head? Neighborhood favorites, from Harold's Diner and the Sea Shack to One Hot Mama's, and what each is known for.
No Hilton Head restaurant has been on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. These island restaurants have been on Food Network shows, and the dishes they served.
Food delivery and takeout on Hilton Head Island: restaurants that deliver, takeout-only spots, late-night kitchens and how to order to a rental.
About Hilton Head dining
Hilton Head Island has restaurants in every part of the island, from seafood houses on Skull Creek to casual counters in Coligny Plaza and sit-down dinners inside Sea Pines. This is the starting point for deciding where to eat: pick a meal, a style of food or an area above, or go straight to the full list of Hilton Head restaurants.
Where a restaurant has its own page here, it shows the address, hours, phone number, menu link and whether the restaurant takes reservations, so you can choose without opening five other tabs.
A few quick answers. For outdoor dining, most of the waterfront restaurants seat you on a deck or patio over the water, and A Lowcountry Backyard is a brick patio serving Southern cuisine and Lowcountry food. For the best burgers, start with Uncle Billy’s Burger Joint or Wayback Burgers at Shelter Cove. For cheap eats, the where locals eat list leans toward counters and diners. For food delivery and takeout, see the takeout and delivery guide. Late-night food is thinner: kitchens close early here, Hilton Head Diner serves until 10 p.m., and the bars are the best bet after that. For wine tasting, The Carolina Tasting Room in Coligny Plaza pours only Carolina wines, muscadine wine among them.
Watch: The Best Restaurants on Hilton Head: How to Choose
To pick a Hilton Head restaurant, start with the area: Sea Pines and Harbour Town, Shelter Cove and Coligny Plaza each have enough restaurants for a night out. The best-known tables are on the water; Hudson’s (since 1967) and Skull Creek Boathouse are walk-in, so go early. Locals send visitors to the Sea Shack, Harold’s Diner and One Hot Mama’s; for a special night, Red Fish or Sage Room, booked ahead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Updated
Where should I start if I do not know what I want to eat?
Open the full list of Hilton Head restaurants, which is sorted by dinner, lunch and breakfast and shows each restaurant’s area, phone number and how to reserve. The groups on this page narrow it by meal, cuisine or part of the island.
Are there restaurants inside Sea Pines?
Yes. Sea Pines and Harbour Town have their own restaurants, and because Sea Pines is a gated community, reaching them means passing the Sea Pines gate.
Do Hilton Head restaurants take reservations?
Many do. Where a restaurant takes reservations, its listing links to its booking page or reservation service; a few are walk-in only and some ask you to call.
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