Restaurants in Shelter Cove, Hilton Head
ELA’s on the Water and Bistro 17 face the Shelter Cove marina; across the street, Poseidon and Chophouse 119 are in the Towne Centre.
Waterfront restaurants at Shelter Cove Harbour
The harbour side is Harbourside Lane and the boardwalk around the marina basin. Every sit-down restaurant here looks over the boats, which is the reason to eat on this side.
A second-floor dining room above the marina: crab cakes, grouper and steaks, a serious wine list and one of the island’s better Sunday brunches.
A French bistro on the marina since 2007: seared scallops, duck confit and crème brûlée, with live piano on Friday and Saturday nights.
Seafood and grill dishes with some island spice, served on a big covered deck at the edge of the marina.
A festive Mexican restaurant with an outdoor bar, a deck over the marina and live music.
Pizza, burgers and cocktails on a covered patio by the marina, with breakfast and brunch too. An easy one with kids.
The original shop of a French bakery run by a Paris-trained pastry chef: croissants, tarts, mousse cakes and coffee a few steps from the marina.
Hand-dipped ice cream, soft serve and Italian ice on Harbourside Lane, for a cone on the boardwalk.
Hilton Head Social Bakery also has a newer shop on the south end, at 1018 William Hilton Parkway.
Restaurants in the Towne Centre
Across Shelter Cove Lane, the open-air Towne Centre has the district’s most-reviewed restaurant, a steakhouse and a sports bar, set around the lagoon and the park.
Coastal seafood, steaks and a raw bar in a two-storey building with a deck upstairs. Books on OpenTable.
Poseidon’s upstairs bar and the district’s late-night room: live bands, dueling pianos, dance nights and a sunset happy hour.
A New York-style steakhouse with velvet booths, prime steaks, lobster tails and a raw bar. Dinner only, and one of the island’s pricier tables.
A bright, relaxed bistro for lunch with friends, dinner and Sunday brunch; the chicken salad, salmon and coconut cake are the regulars’ picks.
Tacos, empanadas and Cuban sandwiches from a Honduran-born chef, with vegan options and a daily happy hour from 4 to 6.
A sports bar built for game day, with rows of TVs, arcade games, burgers, wings and shrimp tacos. First come, first served.
Pittsburgh-style pizza, pasta and sandwiches with sports on the TVs; the family-friendly pick of the Towne Centre.
Giuseppi’s has a second restaurant in Sea Pines Center.
Coffee, bakeries and sweets in the Towne Centre
A European café for breakfast and lunch, with a long pastry case, whole cakes and a dog-friendly patio.
About this list
Shelter Cove dining on Hilton Head is split between the harbour and the Towne Centre, a few hundred yards apart at HHI’s mid-point on Broad Creek. The harbour side is the one on the water: Ela’s, Bistro 17, Scott’s Fish Market, San Miguel’s and Top Dawg Tavern all have decks, terraces or windows over the boats. The Shelter Cove Harbour shops and restaurants directory lists every storefront on the boardwalk. Rockfish Seafood & Steaks is on the harbour side too, at 38 Shelter Cove Lane. The Towne Centre has Poseidon, the most-reviewed restaurant in the district, with The Rooftop Bar above it, along with a steakhouse, a sports bar, Latin and Italian kitchens and most of the coffee and dessert stops.
Places to eat in Shelter Cove run from breakfast to late at night, and the food ranges from French pastry to Pittsburgh-style pizza. The French Bakery, Hilton Head Social Bakery and Starbucks are the morning stops, Top Dawg serves breakfast and brunch, and The Rooftop Bar is where the evening ends, with live music and dueling pianos.
In summer, Shelter Cove’s HarbourFest puts fireworks over the water every Tuesday night from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend, and the harbour restaurants fill up before the show, so book ahead where you can. For more restaurants near Shelter Cove, inside the resort next door, see our Palmetto Dunes restaurants guide.
More ways to choose where to eat
Shelter Cove, Hilton Head: the marina and its charter boats, Towne Centre shops, HarbourFest fireworks, the waterfront park and where to stay.
Hilton Head restaurants on the water: Skull Creek docks, Broad Creek decks, marina patios, oceanfront tiki bars and Harbour Town views, 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.
The best Hilton Head restaurants: a top 10 by guest rating, then every restaurant by dinner, lunch and breakfast, with phone and reservation links.
Frequently Asked Questions
Updated
What restaurants are at Shelter Cove?
At the harbour: ELA’s on the Water, Bistro 17, Scott’s Fish Market, San Miguel’s, Top Dawg Tavern, Hilton Head Social Bakery and Frosty’s Ice Cream. At the Towne Centre: Poseidon and The Rooftop Bar, Chophouse 119, Jane Bistro & Bar, Tio’s Latin American Kitchen, Hilton Head Tavern, Giuseppi’s, Wayback Burgers, The French Bakery, Starbucks, Kilwins and Crumbl.
Which Shelter Cove restaurants are on the water?
The harbour ones: ELA’s on the Water and Bistro 17 look straight over the marina, and Scott’s Fish Market, San Miguel’s and Top Dawg Tavern all have decks or patios beside it. The Towne Centre restaurants face the lagoon and the park, not the creek.
Which Shelter Cove restaurants take reservations?
Poseidon, ELA’s on the Water, Jane Bistro & Bar and Chophouse 119 book on OpenTable, Giuseppi’s and The Rooftop Bar on Resy, and Bistro 17 and Tio’s through their own booking pages. Hilton Head Tavern, San Miguel’s and Top Dawg Tavern are walk-in.
Where can I get breakfast at Shelter Cove?
The French Bakery serves breakfast and lunch, Hilton Head Social Bakery has croissants and coffee by the marina, Top Dawg Tavern does breakfast and brunch, and Starbucks has a drive-thru.
Where should I eat before the Shelter Cove fireworks?
The fireworks go up over the harbour on Tuesday nights from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend, so the harbour restaurants are the ones with a view: ELA’s, Bistro 17, Scott’s, San Miguel’s and Top Dawg. They fill up early on those nights, so book where you can or arrive early.
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