bowen's island restaurant

great seafood. not much to say about this joint other than it is a nice local place to go and eat fried seafood or lowcountry boil if you wish. i go most of the year without ever eating fried seafood and when our family visits the area to bowen island seafood we go to get shrimp and oysters! very rudimentary with stud walls and writing all over the boards in sharpie! the simplicity of this joint is what makes it the best. beware though................it is addicting. if you go in the summer or warmer months i have found those biting gnats to be unbearable outside so we always sit inside. no frills here other than good eats! there will be the detractors of course that want to be waited on hand and foot but not here..........you order; go get your own drink; get your own condiments; refill your own drink; then leave! like i said.............no frills but great lowcountry food. pricey............yeah just a tad; but every so often you can catch a dolphin or two in the water by the restaurant playing. worth it for that alone! if i were a self-made millionaire i would retire to the area and hang out at the restaurant all day eating oysters and shrimp till i die!


-----14 apr, 2011-----

local yocal. being a southerner you just like those places that are not necessarily glamour joints but just like what you grew up on! well,bowen'sisland restaurant is that! no frills..........just low country calabash style thrills! we were very lucky while dining to see a few dolphins in the inlet playing. the food reminds me of the great southern fried seafood i grew up on! the atmosphere is what makes this place. seems a little chaotic but it works! if you go away not liking this island favorite you just need not come back because your either a socialite snob or you have no idea what low country is about.......enough said!

once legendary, now vapid.. i have lived in charleston for over 12 years and have been going tobowen'sisland to slurp oysters every winter since i have lived here. from a local perspective, sad to see this place go downhill so badly over the past few years. you would think the hushpuppies would be amazing to accompany such purportedly good seafood, but they were either solid bricks of fry batter or dripping with grease. i would not recommend anything here except the beer (only local, all draught, very good). my steamed oysters (which this place is known for) were undercooked. don't even touch the fried seafood. you'd be better off eating a mcfish fast food sandwich. if you are looking for good views and a beer, go. if you are looking for fresh seafood, go elsewhere. bowen's, despite its excellent charm, has lost its passion for good seafood. james beard award should be taken away. its quite misleading. staff needs a strong kick in the butt for an attitude adjustment (they were rude and dismissive and service is nearly non-existent) and the kitchen needs to relearn how to prepare good southern fried food. such a tragedy to see such a local place of legend wheeze and putter to the finish line like a dying mule. at this point, its simply treading on its name and former glory. many better seafood options in town. too bad the great charm of this place doesn't put flavor in the food...this place is a shell of its former self. no pun intended.

a nightmare in the form of a restaurant.. the blueprint for the minimalist genre of restaurants, chances are good that from the dining room to the restroom,bowen'swill be like no other dining establishment you've ever visited.

if the food had been superior i could have ignored all the other negatives such as the noise, the long wait in line, the exorbitant amount of time it took to receive our food, the deficiency of service and the lack of available tables.

this must be where people go to give their alcoholism a memorable night out. most of the crowd was boisterous and obnoxious. i can't recall when i have been in a restaurant where the ambient noise level increased as the total number of occupants decreased.

i got stuck sitting next to a trash container and when the busboy emptied the trash from the tables, the noise he created went through my head like an oyster knife.

the hushpuppies were large, spherical sponges. their singular purpose was to soak up every drop of cooking oil they were fried in. they were disgustingly inedible. when a fried item absorbs this much grease it is a clear indication that the oil is old and needs to be changed. had i known how badbowen'shushpuppies were, i would not have ordered a separate side of them. i really should have asked for a refund. fed to an unsuspecting pup, expect a knock on the door from the aspca.

the fish offered that evening was whiting. at first, the portion size of the two fillets appeared huge. as i got further into the entrée however, there wasn't much fish at all once all the barrage of batter, skin a few bones were accounted for. what little actual fish remained tasted fresh, however.

i was told by my wife that the shrimp were good but those offered by sullivan's restaurant on the island are better.

the fries were prepared adequately but they were unremarkably standard.

what passes for cole slaw was merely chopped lettuce with some vinegar and sugar added. i might have detected an onion bit in there somewhere but i'm still not certain.

if you are still determined to eat at bowen's, consider bringing earplugs and an abundant amount of patience.

big time disappointment. went tobowen'son a recommendation. everything, i mean everything is fried and greasy. to add insult to injury, the manager was in the parking lot cussing out his employees in front of my kids. combine these two traits along with the plywood decor and the place is a real loser. save your money.

delicious. the last review on here said everything tasted like fried food. wrong. i did enjoy fried fish and shrimp myself, which was fantastic, but different people in my party got the boiled shrimp, which was also fantastic. this place has an beautiful view while you eat, it's local, and they serve all the local craft beers(westbrook, holy city and coast).bowen'sis very reasonable priced too. i spent 20 dollars with a tip, for the fish and shrimp dinner and a holy city pint. i would highly recommendbowen'sif you are in the area. i would go again.

seafood at its finest.... personally, i prefer hole in the wall venues and the atmosphere thatbowen'sisland restaurant provides to its customers is spectacular. from the gravel road to the etchings, signatures of previous vistors loacted all over the facility, and its marsh-side location, it truly provides a "beachy" vibe. although it is often crowded with tourists, the staff and owners have always treated my family and i with genial service for the last five years we have been here. the food is always extremely fresh and tasty. my only suggestion is to bring bug spray...the mosquitos are always thick. all in all, i lovebowen'sisland restaurant.

used to be a hole in the wall, now it's a tourist trap. before it burned down,bowen'swas great. the newbowen'shas amazing views, huge crowds and the rudest staff i have ever encountered. the food is good, not great. the "host" literally screamed at us from across the restaurant for opening a window (all the other windows were open, there were no signs saying not to...). now it's just a tourist trap.

very disappointing. wonderful, helpful, and very nice people work at bowen's. that's the only good thing i could find aboutbowen'sisland restaurant. unfortunately they could care less what they serve their customers. the food is definitely not worth the arduous trip down the dirt road to get to it.

the steamed oysters were only half cooked and served in large clumps (bring gloves, a chisel and hammer if you order them). i brought them back. the steamer guy opened one and apologized. instead i got the fried oysters and fried shrimp. neither were fried long enough and both soggy/oily. obviously rushed despite the place being only half full.

again, it's obvious thatbowen'scould care less about what they put on your plate. the food is not cheap, large portions but not large enough to justify the $15+ price tag per item.

the place itself is dirty. everything from the silverware and tables to the floors. we had to wipe down every piece of silverware they provided. we had to ask the hostess to wipe our table down.

from my understanding it was a great place at one point. that was probably years ago when they served the seafood right off the boats and maybe the owners were actually there. spend your hard earned money somewhere else. very disappointing.

the way it was.... this place is the way the fish camps used to operate. order and pay for tour meal at the bar - there was a very bored dude taking orders. they bring put the order to your table - all served on paper plates. be aware it is an open air place. - no ac. the seconds are piled high and most all is deep fried. the shrimp and grits were the only non fried dish at our table. all good eats and reasonably priced.


-----10 aug, 2010-----

under construction.... well we tried to dine atbowen'slast week while on vacation. we had read the southern living reviews and such, and had high hopes for a great no frills seafood meal. but when we arrived, it was obvious that the place is being upgraded with a new kitchen and dining area to serve the demand of new customers. but that is why we did not get to dine this evening - the kitchen was closed! why? - because the new kitchen exhaust vent had failed - no ventilation means no cooking. oh well that 's the price for progress - we'll try again next time we're in the area.

if you don't know anyone locally who will throw an oyster roast for you, then the best choice for you is to go tobowen'sisland restaurant.

still awesome afterr all these years. the new upstairs seating area with bar and porch is fantastic. we ordered a tray of steamed oysters and a fried shrimp basket - both were fresh and delicious. the views from the deck are wonderful and including a great sunset.

i was worriedbowen'swould lose some of the charm with the new arrangement, but i like it even better than the old. they managed to keep all the things i liked and add to it.

for a great taste of the low country, go to bowen island.

i rememberbowen'sisland from the 70's. very rustic. no two chairs the same. nothing painted or glossy. there were a lot of spriral notebooks full of quaint poems, drawings and raves from customers. then the fire... awful! all that wonderful ambience gone forever. bi hopped along anyway. opened in the bait shop on the dock and tried to keep going. now, you gotta see it! two story building! 270 degree view of the marsh! huge porch off the folly creek! still quaint, only those who remember bi back in the day will have that fond time to recall but now it's ready for the younger generations! big bar, a single flat screen tv, a computer, open pour bar... it's nice! the food? oh yeah! for what the menu offers, it's the best! fried seafood is measured by their standards! awesome! and, the only place to get local fresh oysters all the time when they are in season! i'm very fortunate, i live close by and can go often. no visit to charleston is complete without a visit to bi now. the wreck is nowhere near as good. shem creek comes close but not as authentic and will never be down to earth asbowen'sisland! good job mr barber!

best shrimp!. we went tobowen'sisland on our last night at folly beach. the place is rustic but we were warned. the guy taking orders at the register was friendly and had great stories if you had time to listen. the food was fantastic. i had the best fried shrimp ever! the coating was light and crispy and the shrimp cooked to perfection. the fish was fresh as could be. my wife had shrimp and grits with smokey sausage. it was very good. we highly recommend this place.

hard to find location worth the drive. we had heard ofbowen'sisland restaurant from the 1000 places to see before you die book. steamed cluster oysters served by the shovel-full, fried white fish, shrimp & hush puppies in the middle of the salt flats. what a wonderful meal.