Fried Chicken on Hilton Head Island
The best fried chicken on Hilton Head comes from Southern and soul food kitchens, with a few lunch counters and brunch menus that do it well too.
Fried chicken dinners
Southern and soul food kitchens where fried chicken is the dish to order.
Mama’s fried chicken is the dish reviewers name first, alongside calabash-style shrimp and oysters, tomato pie and collard greens.
Aunt Judy’s fried chicken from a menu of family recipes, with seafood rice and Southern sides. Dinner Tuesday to Saturday; reserve online.
Fried chicken, oxtails and crab balls in a Gullah-inspired dinner room with live music Monday to Saturday. Open 5 to 11, closed Sunday.
Oxtails and fried chicken are the two dishes people mention most, with fried pork chops, seafood mac and cheese and a daily special.
Fried chicken for lunch and takeaway
Two places that sell fried chicken in the middle of the day.
A resort general store whose fried chicken and cinnamon rolls have won best-of awards; weekday lunch runs 11 to 2. No pass needed.
Fried chicken sits on the menu beside brisket, pulled pork and ribs, a short walk from Coligny Beach. Open Wednesday to Sunday.
Chicken and waffles, tenders and sandwiches
Fried chicken in other forms: brunch plates, tenders and a buttermilk sandwich.
Chicken and waffles and sweet potato biscuits on a farm-to-table menu served from breakfast through dinner.
Sunday brunch from 10 to 4 with chicken and waffles that one reviewer called the best fried chicken they had ever had.
Order at the counter for chicken and waffles, a breakfast burrito or a burger in Coligny Plaza.
A buttermilk fried chicken sandwich with sharp cheddar on a pretzel bun, on a menu better known for burgers.
Homemade chicken tenders that several visitors call the best on the island, beside thin-crust pizza and garlic knots.
About this list
Fried chicken on Hilton Head Island is a Southern kitchen dish first. The four dinner places below are family-recipe soul food and Southern comfort cooking, where the chicken is the order reviewers name first, and two spots sell it at lunch or to take away. Brunch menus add chicken and waffles.
Most of these are casual and several are walk-in, so hours matter more than reservations: Good Soul and Ruby Lee’s are dinner only and closed on Sunday, while the General Store sells fried chicken on weekdays. For other Southern plates, see BBQ and the full restaurant directory.
More ways to choose where to eat
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.
Kid friendly restaurants Hilton Head Island: playgrounds, lawn games, kids menus, game rooms and early-bird dinners for a family vacation.
Lunch Hilton Head guide: waterfront seafood, quick counters, beach bars and golf-club lunches, with hours notes and phone numbers for each spot.
The best restaurants in Hilton Head Island: a top 10 by guest rating, then every restaurant by dinner, lunch and breakfast, with phone and reservation links.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the best fried chicken on Hilton Head?
Annie O’s Kitchen, Good Soul Southern Kitchen, Ruby Lee’s and Mama Joy’s Kitchen are the Southern and soul food kitchens where reviewers name the fried chicken first.
Where can I get fried chicken for lunch on Hilton Head?
Palmetto Dunes General Store sells fried chicken on weekdays, with lunch from 11 to 2, and Slowcountry BBQ & Grill in Coligny Plaza has it on the menu Wednesday to Sunday.
Where can I get chicken and waffles?
Nectar Farm Kitchen, Gringo’s Diner in Coligny Plaza and Terrapin’s Sunday brunch all serve chicken and waffles.
Do the fried chicken restaurants take reservations?
Good Soul and Ruby Lee’s take reservations online, Annie O’s asks you to call, and Mama Joy’s is walk-in. Each card shows its phone number.
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