Skull Creek Boathouse

Skull Creek Boathouse sits on the bank of Skull Creek at 397 Squire Pope Road and calls itself the island’s landmark waterfront restaurant. It is a big, casual place: a glass-walled dining room, a large covered outdoor seating area under the trees with tables that look over the creek and the docks on either side, and an outdoor bar. It is part of the SERG Group.

Skull Creek Boathouse Menu

The kitchen does seafood, sushi, hand-cut steaks and coastal cooking, and the menu is long enough for a mixed table. Reviewers name the crab cakes, oysters and shrimp most often, along with the sushi and poke bowls, fried pickles and okra, calamari, and shrimp and grits. One reviewer with celiac disease singled out the number of gluten-free choices. There is a kids menu and an outdoor play area. The menu button above opens the full menu.

The Buoy Bar, the Dive Bar and Live Music

The Dive Bar inside is a sushi bar that also serves raw oysters, sashimi and ceviche. The outdoor Buoy Bar, at marker 13, is where people gather for sunset drinks over the creek. Live music runs on a schedule the restaurant posts on its website.

Waits, Seating and Parking

Skull Creek Boathouse does not take reservations. Reviewers describe a waitlist: on a Friday night one party was seated inside quickly, another was quoted 75 minutes and seated in 25, and outdoor tables often open sooner. Call (843) 681-3663 to ask about the current wait. If you want a reservation, Skull Creek Dockside, a separate restaurant nearby, takes them. Valet parking is complimentary during the busy months.

Getting There

Skull Creek Boathouse is at 397 Squire Pope Road, Hilton Head Island. For more places to eat on the water, see the Hilton Head restaurants page or the dining guide.