Best Seafood in Hilton Head, SC
Hilton Head Island seafood restaurants range from waterfront docks to fried-basket counters and dressy dinner rooms.
Waterfront seafood restaurants on the creeks and marinas
These are the places where the view comes with the meal: decks over marsh, boats at the dock and tables you can watch the tide from.
Casual seafood: baskets, oysters and neighborhood favorites
Order at a counter, share a fried platter or settle in at a bar. These are the relaxed answers to a seafood craving.
Seafood for a special dinner
When the fish is the point of a celebration, these dining rooms take it seriously.
Seafood in Sea Pines and Harbour Town
These sit inside the Sea Pines gate, so plan for the gate pass on your way in.
About this list
Hilton Head Island seafood restaurants fall into a few easy groups: big waterfront places on Skull Creek and Broad Creek, casual counters and bars that serve fried baskets and oysters, and dinner rooms where the fish is the reason to dress up. Most of the island’s working docks are on the north side, so that is where the longest-running seafood restaurants are.
The cards below are sorted by the kind of night you want, with the area, price range and phone number for each. Where a restaurant has its own page here, the name links to it. Looking for seafood to cook at home instead? See the seafood markets on Hilton Head Island.
More ways to choose where to eat
Hilton Head restaurants on the water: Skull Creek docks, Broad Creek decks, marina patios, oceanfront tiki bars and Harbour Town views, 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.
Kid friendly restaurants Hilton Head Island: playgrounds, lawn games, kids menus, game rooms and early-bird dinners for a family vacation.
The best restaurants in Hilton Head Island, sorted by dinner, lunch and breakfast, with the area, phone number and reservation link for every listing.
23 Sea Pines restaurants across Harbour Town, South Beach, Sea Pines Center and the Beach Club, from waterfront seafood to cafés, with phone numbers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Hilton Head seafood restaurants are on the water?
Hudson’s Seafood House on the Docks, Skull Creek Boathouse, Skull Creek Dockside and Benny’s Coastal Kitchen sit on Skull Creek; Old Oyster Factory, Fishcamp on Broad Creek and Up the Creek Pub & Grill are on Broad Creek; Black Marlin Bayside Grill and Carolina Crab Company are at Palmetto Bay Marina.
Which seafood restaurants take reservations?
Old Oyster Factory, Skull Creek Dockside, Fishcamp on Broad Creek, The Crazy Crab at Jarvis Creek, Benny’s Coastal Kitchen, Carolina Crab Company, Red Fish, Lulu Kitchen and ELA’s on the Water take reservations online. Hudson’s Seafood House on the Docks, Skull Creek Boathouse, The Sea Shack and Captain Woody’s are walk-in.
Where can I get a casual seafood meal without dressing up?
The Sea Shack is a counter-service seafood restaurant, Captain Woody’s serves fried oysters and blackened grouper in a plain, cozy room, and Brother Shucker’s has a dollar-oyster happy hour.
Where do I buy seafood to cook myself?
The seafood shops page lists the island’s fish markets and shops, so you can cook what you catch or buy at your rental.
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