bowen's island restaurant

funky withgreatfood.greatfried seafood and lovely view. bring your bug spray! inside gets hot in the summer.

if you've never been to the restaurant, it's a low country legend, named one of the top 10 southern seafood dives by southern living and marked by coastal living as one of america'sgreatseafood dives. several movies have been filmed here including the date scene in dear john. the first time we visited years ago, it was just a dark, scary little shack on the water. it was chock full of mismatched tables and chairs and there was sharpie scribblings all over the walls from floor to ceiling.

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 butgreatlowcountry 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's island 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 thegreatsouthern 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!

bland foodgreatview. been a few times and i must say in my opinion the food is horrible. way to much batter and very greasy. really no flavor at all. the view is beautiful and i think that's why people come, it surely can't be the food. i will give them an a for portion size but where is the flavor??? and having no real cocktail sauce is a huge disappointment.

once legendary, now vapid.. i have lived in charleston for over 12 years and have been going to bowen's island 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 thegreatcharm of this place doesn't put flavor in the food...this place is a shell of its former self. no pun intended.

very disappointing. wonderful, helpful, and very nice people work at bowen's. that's the only good thing i could find about bowen's island 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 that bowen's could 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 agreatplace 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.

go during oyster season!. the oysters weregreatand the new addition is more accomodating. the thing is you need to go during oyster season otherwise it's pointless. we went in june and it just isn't the same. plus you get bit a lot more and its hot!

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 at bowen's last week while on vacation. we had read the southern living reviews and such, and had high hopes for agreatno 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.

good food and bar. my friend and i went on a twilight kayak tour with coa and asked the guide if the restaurant next door was a good choice for dinner. he said they hadgreatfood and drinks and we didn't even have to worry about the paddling gear; so off we went. we were a little confused to begin with; not understanding if we were to seat ourselves then not knowing we needed to go to the register to place our order.
once we figured it out we placed our order, found a seat and enjoyed a drink while watching the sun sink over the marsh. their method of service is unorthodox at best as they pile several orders on one tray and run around yelling people's names until the food is claimed. we thought it was entertaining and it did not bother us a bit.
this is not a fine dine restaurant! if that is what you are looking for go elsewhere...there are plenty of places where you can go spend a fourtune...this is not that place.
our food arrived quickly even though there were packed and it was great! i had the seafood sampler with fried shrimp, fish and a crab cake, fries and hushpuppies. the shrimp were great, crab cake was ok not the best and the fish was good though i didn't eat much of it...i was too full! my friend got the boiled shrimp and man were they good! our plates were cleared and we didn't mind slinking back to the bar to order more drinks. we thought it was a really fun not as touristy spot and will be back the next time we are in town.

reallygreatseafood in a low-key, relaxing atmosphere.

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 agreatsunset.

i was worried bowen's would 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 agreattaste of the low country, go to bowen island.

incredible views and seafood. this place is not fancy...however they know how to cook seafood...it doesn't get any better than this. simple good food withgreatprices. bring your camera, plenty of photo ops.

love it!!. how could you not like this place? it's the epitome of down to earth. if you want table cloths and pretentiousness, then definitely don't go here..if you want laid back,greatseafood with a sense of true charleston..then go here. freshest seafood..great service and being able to leave your mark with a sharpie is definitely a plus. i'm lucky i have friends and family that live here...i will be back every time i visit

best shrimp!. we went to bowen's island 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 hadgreatstories 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.