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 therestaurantplaying. worth it for that alone! if i were a self-made millionaire i would retire to the area and hang out at therestaurantall 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 islandrestaurantis 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!

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's will 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 arestaurantwhere 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 bad bowen's hushpuppies 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'srestauranton 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.

bowen's islandrestaurantis quite the dive type of place, but that's okay because their focus is on good food and fun.

seafood at its finest.... personally, i prefer hole in the wall venues and the atmosphere that bowen's islandrestaurantprovides 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 love bowen's island restaurant.

gross. just gross. everything tastes like fried...batter. ick. why must they ruin fresh, local seafood?


-----06 sep, 2010-----

bad night or bad food?. maybe going to thisrestaurantwhile they're redoing the place was a bad idea. out of five of us dining, not one of us was happy with our food. my seafood platter was extremely bland with flavorless (yet extremely greasy) shrimp and fish and an overcooked, dry crab cake. the shrimp & grits plate was something a child could have put together. that too had no flavor. thank goodness ketchup saved the day.

if this is good food... get me to mcdonalds. as a third party, i observed the most disgusting display ofrestaurantabuse. a very nice couple from jupiter florida were dining next to us. we had occasion to exchange pleasant conversation and in the brief time we got to know them, we found them to be very intelligent/affluent. certainly, as a tourist, they have the resources to spend money here in south carolina. unfortunately, they had a problem with their food and they also wanted a refill on a beer. the husband went to the bar and the bartender seemed to wait on everyone except him. words were exchanged between the two and the behavior of the bartender was a lot less than professional/acceptable including language that i did not want my three-year-old to hear. what's worse, the owner made no attempt to calm the situation; in fact we went out of his way to inflame the situation. yes, i am talking about you (bartender with the beard). bad service, bad manners, bad experience.

i won't be going back; and as far as the food... if that's the best the area has to offer, i'll take mcdonald's filet of fish.

do not go here!

used to be a hole in the wall, now it's a tourist trap. before it burned down, bowen's was great. the new bowen's has 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 therestaurantfor opening a window (all the other windows were open, there were no signs saying not to...). now it's just a tourist trap.

good food and bar. my friend and i went on a twilight kayak tour with coa and asked the guide if therestaurantnext door was a good choice for dinner. he said they had great food 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.

food okay, atmosphere great!. therestaurantsits on a beautiful area of folly beach, tucked away in the marsh. they have outdoor seating that faces the waterway, so you can enjoy the sun set and boats traveling the river.

we had the lowcountry boil (frog stew i think they call it?) and the small fish plates. the low country boil was great! the fish plates were just okay. the fried shrimp was good, but the fish (cod i think) and crabcake were just okay.

the other thing to note is that the steamed oysters are only available a very short period of time, and were not on the menu when we went :( get there early as you order your food then wait for a table to open up.

i recommend it because it was such a different place and atmosphere. plus beer and drinks were good and reasonably priced.

will not go again! the girl who took the orders was very rude.. 4/19/2011

we are from greenville sc and went tonight for dinner. we got there about 8:15. hours are from 5:00 to 10:00. you stand in line, order then they bring your food to you.
we ordered a tray of steamed oysters which you have to go downstairs and wait on your tray. we take them back upstairs to eat and wait on our other food to come, about 20 minutes. while waiting we asked the girl who took our orders for some drawn butter, they didn't have it. we asked for tarter sauce and she was very rude and said they were out. i asked if they had some in the back she said no and they were to close in 10 minutes. that was 8:50. all the signs to therestaurantstated the hours as 5:00 to 10:00 tuesday through saturday.
the food was pretty good except the fried shrimp had an old oil taste.
pretty disappointed:(

very disappointing. on a tuesday night terribly understaffed. one person taking orders/tending bar/serving food, another tending bar & serving food. the line to order was only back to the door. it took 40 minutes to get a 1/4 pound of fried shrimp, then the condiment bar was completely out of tartar and cocktail. shrimp plate was missing the puppies. told staff about both but neither got fixed; entirerestaurantwas out out condiments for the remainder of my visit. the management seemed more intent on wiping down empty tables than helping out the obviously overwhelmed kitchen and counter staff. walked out.

it is not local flavor or trendy to simply abuse your customers. there is no guy who will bring you your oysters on a shovel; you might even have to go fetch them from the steam pot - not burlap covered grill - yourself. classic mvf ruined restaurant.

this shack of arestaurantopened in the 1940s and is very popular with locals. it has also been featured on man vs. food so we were pretty excited to try it out. i ordered the seafood platter with fish, shrimp, and crab cake.

had seen thisrestauranton hgtv..had high expections but the portions were small, food tasted good though. mimi at the register was sweet. total low key, shelter on pier. no a/c just gentle breezes. bring a sharpee to leave your mark if you decide to visit.

hard to find location worth the drive. we had heard of bowen's islandrestaurantfrom 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.