Piering Into Dining Options
By Becky Billingsley
From North Myrtle Beach south to Garden City, seven piers offer amenities such as fishing, scenic strolling and menus filled with local seafood specialties.
14th Avenue Pier - Pier 14 Restaurant & Lounge - 1306 N. Ocean Blvd., Myrtle Beach, 843-448-4814
Pier 14 is located at the extreme north end of the Myrtle Beach Boardwalk, and it has three menus for lunch, dinner and its outdoor deck. Standout dishes include a Tuna Steak Sandwich, the Fried Flounder Plate and Grilled Tuna Salad. There's also a full bar.
Apache Campground Pier - Croakers at the Pier - 9700 Kings Rd., Myrtle Beach, 843-497-6486
Croakers at the Pier has sandwiches, salads and burgers, but the menu star is fresh local shrimp. They have a full bar, and you can dine inside in the air conditioning or outside on the covered deck where sea breezes wash away humidity. During summer it's open daily from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Cherry Grove Pier - Boardwalk Beach Café - 3500 N. Ocean Blvd., North Myrtle Beach, 843-417-1300, Ext. 7200
With an extremely comfortable and casual decor and an outstanding ocean view from inside and out on the deck, Boardwalk Beach Cafe is a favorite hangout for locals and visitors. There's a full bar with plenty of frosty frozen cocktails and food selections like Fried Shrimp Po' Boy, Cajun Burger, Boardwalk Sliders, Crab Cake Platter, Hushpuppy baskets, Chicken Taco Salad and Steamed Shrimp by the half pounds. Parking tip: It's free if you park in the garage across the street.
Myrtle Beach State Park Pier - 4401 S. Kings Highway, Myrtle Beach, 843-238-5326
This pier doesn't have a full restaurant, but here is a favorite locals' tip: Once inside the park, drive straight ahead until you reach the beach and pier. Turn right, and drive to the last beach access, which is S4. Park, and then walk on the beach back to the pier. Buy an ice cream cone at the pier, and enjoy it while you stroll to the end of the pier. Walk back to your car, along the beach, and marvel at the park's natural beauty and its maritime forest, and you might find a shark's tooth or two. There are loggerhead turtle nests there, plus gorgeous native flowers and sea oats on the dunes. You have to pay a few dollars to get into the park, but it's well worth the experience.
Photo Gallery
The Pier at Garden City - The Pier Café - 110 S. Waccamaw Dr., Garden City Beach, 843-651-9700
The restaurant in this pier is more of a snack bar, but it's a hearty snack bar with breakfasts, burgers, crab cakes sandwiches and - their claim to fame - excellent hot dogs. There is a huge arcade adjacent to the cafe, and if you take your food all the way down the pier to the end, there is a spot with an incredible view where you can sit down to enjoy your food and listen to karaoke in the afternoons and nightly live music, in season.
2nd Avenue Pier - PierHouse Restaurant and PierView Bar - 110 N. Ocean Blvd., Myrtle Beach, 843-445-PIER (7437)
PierHouse Restaurant, with interesting regional food, is on the elevated first floor. Up top is PierView Bar with an amazing open-air view of the new Myrtle Beach Boardwalk. Out of all the pier restaurants in this article, this one has the best food and decor, and it serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. You can check out the entire menu here (http://secondavenuepier.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Pier_house_restaurant_menu.pdf). Spectacular dishes include Socastee (pronounced SOCK-uh-stee) Shrimp and Grits with pepper jack cheese; Tabor City Toast where French toast is stuffed with peanut butter and bananas and grilled with an orange crust; Brunswick Bacon-wrapped Shrimp; the Georgetown Grouper Reuben on marble rye; and Seafood Pasta tossed in roasted garlic broth. Rock 'n' roll plays in the restaurant, and it plays louder in the bar. Parking tip: It's free if you park to the south of the timed pay spots along the first row where you pull into the parking lot. Just turn right when you reach the pier, and then those spots are not metered.
Springmaid Pier - Barnacles on the Pier - 3200 Springmaid Blvd., Myrtle Beach, 843-315-6152
During the season, Barnacles is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and it has a full bar. Diners can check out the beach action while enjoying fresh local fish, barbecue, Philly cheese steaks and shrimp baskets. Many people don't realize it, but the public is also welcome to dine at Springmaid Resort's Marlin's Buffet restaurant with its legendary breakfast smorgasbord of hot cakes, potatoes, biscuits and gravy, fresh fruit and a lot more. Marlin's also has economical dinner buffets with an ever-changing variety of different cuisines.
There are no comments posted. Add yours below.