Best Bars in Hilton Head Island, SC
The bars on Hilton Head Island run from tiki huts on the sand to a speakeasy-style cocktail room in a shopping plaza.
Beach bars on Hilton Head
These beach bars sit on or beside the sand.
An island icon since 1977, right on the sand at Coligny Beach, with frozen drinks and live music.
A tiki bar on the sand at Hilton Head Resort, with tropical cocktails and a boardwalk approach.
A thatched-roof tiki bar at the Sea Crest, dating to 1993, with the dunes and ocean behind it.
A colorful beach-bar room with live music and a drinks list of mocktails, frozen drinks, beer and wine.
A South Pacific-themed bar and cafe in Coligny Plaza, with local musicians on the deck.
Pubs and neighborhood bars
A golf-themed pub with an English, Irish and Scottish menu and walls covered in golf memorabilia.
Family-owned since 1982, with a Boston pub feel: dark wood, a long bar and walls that fold back in good weather.
The island’s Chicago sports bar for more than 25 years, with a long bar and a small patio.
A live music venue and bar with a dollar-oyster happy hour, open later than most of the island.
A small locals’ bar with karaoke nights in Northridge Plaza, open until 2 a.m.; closed Monday.
Cocktail bars and live music
A small speakeasy-style cocktail bar with whiskey, small plates and prohibition-era cocktails.
A restaurant with a stage: live music nearly every night, and dueling pianos on Saturdays.
A jazz club and restaurant in the Village at Wexford, where dinner and live music are the same evening.
Craft beer bars
A small, dog-friendly taproom on Arrow Road pouring only South Carolina beer and cider; open Thursday to Sunday.
Happy hour on Hilton Head
Several bars and restaurants run daily happy hours, usually from around 4 to 6 p.m.
About this list
Some are the beachfront kind you barely need shoes for, some are sports bars and Irish pubs, and a few are jazz and blues rooms where the music is the reason to go.
This guide sorts the island’s best bars by what you are after: a drink on the beach, a neighborhood pub, live music, or a happy hour. Most bars serve food too, and the restaurant directory has more. Near the Sea Pines Circle, the cluster of bars at 7 Greenwood Drive that locals call the Bar-muda Triangle is the late-night stretch, with The Boardroom open until 2 a.m. on its outdoor stage. The beach bars are the best places for drinking outdoors in daylight. For wine tasting, The Carolina Tasting Room in Coligny Plaza pours flights of wines from the Carolinas.
More ways to choose where to eat
Hilton Head brewery guide: the island’s craft breweries, beer garden and only distillery, with what each pours, food, dogs and live music.
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.
Rooftop bar Hilton Head guide: sunset rooftops at Shelter Cove, Skull Creek, Harbour Town, Sea Pines and Coligny, with what each serves.
Hilton Head restaurants on the water: Skull Creek docks, Broad Creek decks, marina patios, oceanfront tiki bars and Harbour Town views, with phone numbers.
Every bar and pub on the island in one list, with ratings, phone numbers and how to reserve.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best bars on Hilton Head Island?
For the beach, Tiki Hut, Coco’s on the Beach and Pool Bar Jim’s. For music, The Jazz Corner, Kind of Blue and Ruby Lee’s. For beer, The Bank, Local Legend and Locals Only Taproom, which pours only South Carolina beer.
Where can I find a happy hour on Hilton Head?
Flatbread Grill & Bar, The Smokehouse and Tio’s Latin American Kitchen run happy hour from 4 to 6 every day, and Local Pie has a daily happy hour too.
Which bars have live music?
Tiki Hut, Kind of Blue, The Jazz Corner, Ruby Lee’s, Brother Shucker’s, Big Bamboo Cafe and Lincoln and South Brewing all have live music.
Which bars stay open late?
Hinchey’s, Reilley’s, Brother Shucker’s and Pour & Proper are among the island’s later bars.
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