Two New Diners Offer Wildly Different Appeal
By Becky Billingsley
Two new family-style diners opened recently in the heart of Myrtle Beach, and while both serve tasty food their ambiances are drastically different.
Lulu's Café
Lulu's Cafe is in a newly constructed futuristic-looking building on the non-beach side of Ocean Boulevard at 19th Avenue North. Outside it looks like the Jetsons might live there, but inside is a colorful, kitschy, retro beachified world with a unique menu.
The restaurant has hot pink tablecloths, a neon green and black tile floor, walls and trim painted Caribbean blue and hot pink and yellow, an inset glowing ceiling with stripes of lime green and pink, and diners are seated on blue booths and black/chrome chairs. There's a cozy counter with round swivel-top stools under old-school suspended frosted glass lampshades. Outside there is more seating on an open-air front patio overlooking boulevard action.
Lulu's serves three meals a day, and on the breakfast side there are egg plates, including eggs with beef tenderloin; biscuits and gravy; bagel with salmon and cream cheese; beef filet and an egg on a bagel; three-egg scrambles with lots of mix-ins like the Green Eggs and Ham with pesto, tomatoes and fresh mozzarella; the Philly Cheese Steak Scramble with filet, cheese, peppers and onions; or the Down Home Scramble with country ham and collard greens.
Several versions of Eggs Benedict are offered, like the Horry County Benedict with fried bologna, fried egg and hollandaise sauce on toast; or the Charleston Benedict topped with a crab cake. If you'd like a breakfast sandwich it can come on white, wheat or rye toast, like the BLT with thick slices of hickory smoked bacon.
There are plain waffles or Chicken and Waffles with highly seasoned fried chicken breast meat tenders. Pancake choices include Chocoholic and Chunky Monkey (pecans and bananas). Lulu's French Toast is thick-sliced brioche coated with cobbler batter and topped with fruit and whipped cream; and the Banana Nut French Toast where instead of brioche they use banana nut bread. Old-fashioned oatmeal served with apples, raisins and brown sugar is available along with Oatmeal Brule with a caramelized brown sugar crust.
On the lunch and dinner menu, appetizers include Apple Slices with Nutella, Fried Pickles, Palmetto Cheese Dip, Firecracker Shrimp and Lowcountry Egg Rolls filled with country ham and collards. A handful of salads range from the House to Lulu's Salad with spinach, pecans, apples, goat cheese and grilled chicken.
Sandwiches range from several peanut butter and jelly choices to grilled cheese with apple and brie, shrimp BLT, crab cake, and several burgers like The Golden Villa with Swiss cheese, grilled onions and 1,000 Island dressing on rye. A trio of French fry baskets includes fish and chips, chicken fingers and fried shrimp.
Four entrees come with potato and side salad: grilled or blackened fish, crab cakes, rosemary chicken or tenderloin medallions topped with crab meat. Seven children's selections include both breakfast and lunch choices.
Lulu's Cafe has a full bar. It's at 1903 N. Ocean Blvd. in Myrtle Beach and is open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Beginning Memorial Day Lulu's Cafe shifts into high gear to be open 24/7. The number is (843) 712-1890.
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Nibils at 33rd
Nibils at 33rd was located on the pier in Surfside Beach for more than 20 years, but it recently moved to Kings Highway at 33rd Avenue North, into a former Pizza Hut restaurant.
The decor has a neutral color scheme with lots of blue and beige, and between the narrow Pizza Hut windows are hand-painted murals depicting beach scenes. Seating is in one big room, so it gets quite noisy when there is a full house. Nibils has a large customer base of retired diners.
For now breakfast and lunch are served, although as the season progresses hours may be extended into dinner service.
A thorough list of breakfast standards are served including egg plates, three-egg omelets, French toast, pancakes, breakfast sandwiches, biscuits (including biscuits and gravy), fresh fruit, cold cereal, oatmeal and side dishes such as tomato slices and grits. A breakfast specialty of the house is the $11 Seafood Omelet.
Regional coastal cuisine is found in the lunch menu with choices like crab-stuffed mushrooms, shrimp salad, oyster salad, she-crab soup, seafood chowder, broiled scallops, fried seafood platters, broiled flounder and crab cake sandwich.
Typical American fare is also offered, from chili and Buffalo shrimp to burgers, Oriental salad, fried fish sandwich, chicken sandwich and hot open roast beef sandwich topped with fries and smothered in gravy. A unique sandwich is the Vegitalian with sliced tomato, fresh basil, Buffalo mozzarella and balsamic vinaigrette on ciabatta.
Nibils serves beer and wine, and it is a good place to sample a dessert such as Key Lime Pie or Death by Chocolate.
Nibils at 33rd is at 3301 N. Kings Highway in Myrtle Beach. Breakfast is served daily from 6:30 to 11:30 a.m., and lunch hours are daily from 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. The number is (843) 448-6789.
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