Spending a full week visiting a city allows a person to explore its dining establishments. During my trip to Beaufort, South Carolina, I had the chance to eat at several excellent restaurants.
Hearth Wood-Fired Pizza:
From Hearth Wood-Fired Pizza from https://hearthpizzabft.com/
I am a firm believer that New York City is home to the best pizza in the U.S. from top to bottom. Hearth Wood-Fired Pizza would fit in with New York’s best. Located on Bay Street in historic Beaufort, Hearth has the feel of an upscale tavern, without the sports TVs.
The pizza here is wonderful, with a crispy thin crust. I had the Meat Pizza, which was covered in sausage, pepperoni and ground beef. It was cooked perfectly, and the sauce was just right, not overly acidic. While not romantic, Hearth is a great place for families and groups to come and enjoy a great meal at a reasonable cost.
Herban Market and Cafe
photo from https://www.herbanmarketandcafe.com/
If you are looking for a place to pick up a healthy breakfast or lunch, I recommend Herban Market and Cafe. They offer sandwiches, wraps and baked goods, but I came in for a breakfast smoothie one morning. My choice was the Zenergy, with kale, fresh fruit, yogurt and protein powder. Sitting in their courtyard, enjoying a cool breakfast drink was a great way to start the day.
McKinnon’s Seafood, Wings and Gullah Tingz.
I was looking for a Low Country place for lunch, and I was directed to McKinnon’s, across the Woods Memorial Bridge from historic Beaufort. Sitting in an extremely nondescript strip mall, This is hidden gem of a restaurant. I sat down and ordered Capt. Crip’s Gullah Boil. Sausage, potatoes, eggs, corn, and crab legs boiled together with their “special sauce.” It was a great meal, and the small was more than enough for one person’s lunch.
Capt. Crips Gullah Boil
Dukes BBQ of Beaufort
Dukes BBQ is one of over twenty restaurants that are individually owned by members of the same family. They all use the same original recipe, and have agreed to open businesses at least 30 miles apart from each other. The restaurants serve an all you can eat buffet of down home southern cooking. The meats include pulled pork and fried chicken, along with gizzards and livers. Side offer Mac ‘n cheese, baked beans, greens, okra, and a whole lot more. They also sell a wonderful ribs plate (not part of the buffet). I had ribs, sides and cornbread. All were delicious and prices are very affordable. The only issue is that Dukes is open only on Thursday and Friday.
Bluffton Family Seafood House
A twenty minute drive south of Beaufort is the town of Bluffton. Here you will find the Bluffton Family Seafood House, run by the Toomer family. They been harvesting oysters on the May River for over one hundred years, owning the Bluffton Oyster Company. Their raw oyster were excellent. Their main courses come with southern flavor and sides. I had the broiled scallops and their hush puppies. It was all wonderful.
Photo from https://blufftonoyster.com/our-restaurant/
