Poseidon Coastal Cuisine, Hilton Head

Poseidon Hilton Head Menu

The raw bar is the heart of it: local and Virginia oysters on the half shell, steamed middleneck clams from McClellanville, shell-on local white shrimp and snow crab legs. The Grand Shellfish Tower feeds four to six. The sushi list runs from a California roll to a lobster Nauti Roll, and the rice bowls (salmon, tempura shrimp, big eye tuna) are what many regulars order at lunch.

At dinner, the fresh catch (salmon, grouper, big eye tuna, mahi and a daily fish) comes six ways, from Gulf Coast blackened over perloo to a plain chargrilled Naked Beach plate. The Lowcountry dishes are all here too: she crab soup, shrimp and grits on Congaree Mill grits, Frogmore stew and a perloo, alongside a lobster roll, cioppino and a charcoal-grilled filet mignon and ribeye for anyone not eating fish. Lunch adds po’ boys, fish tacos and half-sandwich combinations. There are separate gluten-free lunch and dinner menus and a kids menu. The menu button above opens every menu with current prices.

The Rooftop Bar Upstairs

The second floor is The Rooftop Bar, run by the same team with the same phone number. It is mostly an indoor, air-conditioned lounge with a big circular bar, garage-style windows and a wraparound balcony for the sunset. Its own site lists it as open Wednesday to Saturday from 4 p.m. (“Weekends start on Wednesdays”), with dueling pianos, DJ dance parties, coastal country line dancing and touring bands on the calendar. You can order from Poseidon’s menu upstairs, so it works for dinner as well as a drink, and it hosts rehearsal dinners, reunions and corporate parties.

Brunch, Happy Hour and Early Dining

Sunday opens at 10 a.m. with a brunch menu: lobster, smoked salmon and deviled crab Benedicts, a seafood crepe, Belgian waffles with fried chicken, and the raw bar and sushi alongside. Happy hour runs from 4 to 6, with $1 Virginia oysters, local peel-and-eat shrimp, bar snacks and money off drafts and wine. An early dining menu is served from 3 to 5 every day, and the restaurant opens at 11 a.m. the rest of the week.

Reservations, Dogs and Takeout

Poseidon takes reservations through OpenTable or at (843) 341-3838, and it is worth booking for dinner and weekends. Outside tables go fast at lunch. Dogs are welcome on the patio (one of the island’s dog-friendly restaurants), and there is a Pups on the Patio menu (grilled chicken and rice, beef sliders with sweet potato, scrambled eggs, a peanut butter pup cup) served in a souvenir frisbee to take home. Takeout can be ordered online, but takeout orders have to be finished before 5 p.m.

Getting There

Poseidon is in Shelter Cove Towne Centre, off William Hilton Parkway in the middle of the island, with free parking in the centre’s lots. The Community Park is right behind it, so a concert night and dinner pair easily. Poseidon belongs to the SERG Group, which also runs Giuseppi’s in the Towne Centre. For everywhere else to eat in the district, from the harbour’s waterfront decks to the Towne Centre’s steakhouse and sports bar, see Shelter Cove restaurants or the Shelter Cove guide.