rita's seaside grille

ritas used to be the best restaurant on folly beach; you could not get one bad thing off the menu. the service used to be superb, now you will wait at least an hour for your meal rather it is busy or not! since halls chophouse bought ritas it has been down hill since the remodel. all the burgers used to be $10; now, they are a couple bucks more. you used to get a large side portion of fries; now you can count them on your fingers and they no longer have the unique flavorful seasoning that all of us locals are used to. ritas used to have a delicious sweet steak sauce that was also used on there bistro burger; that is now gone! the shrimp quesadilla appetizer (best appetizer at ritas) is no longer on the menu. the shrimp and grits is more expensive and the portion is almost half of what it used to be. are grits really that expensive? (the shrimp and grits is also missing the flavorful red seasoning and the amount of cheese it used to have) the only reason i am giving ritas one star today, is for the most part, they at least kept the shrimp and grits recipe the same, minus what i stated, which is one of the best. for those who frequent ritas you will notice there is now a list of high end steaks on the menu, probably since halls chophouse is the new owner. if i am going out to eat agreatsteak i will never get one at ritas, nor will i ever go back to halls chophouse now that they have destroyed one of the best local restaurants on folly beach. ritas is not a place for steak! go to grill 225! ritas itself is not the reason the restaurant was not doing well prior to being bought, it was the drinking ban on the beach that hurt the local businesses.greatjob folly government! rule number one mr. hall, if you don't cater to the locals, we sure as heck will not send business your way! your new restaurant might do well since tourist season is around the corner but once its over you rely on locals for your business. stick to what you know; best of luck to you!

:-). every time i go to folly beach i have to go to rita's. the burgers are the best in charleston and so are the fried oysters. the service is usuallygreat(with a one time exception). overall,greatlittle place to grab a bite.

update aug 2016--made it back to rita's recently. still a lovely place to relax and have a cocktail and a meal. i tried the fried shrimp started this time and liked it. i also tried the fish and shrimp tacos but i was disappointed in them. they tasted odd to me. i've ordered them in the past and don't remember disliking them so maybe something has changed. i would not get them again. my friend ordered the same thing however and she thought they were good. i could only eat a few bites and was scared to eat more. something was up with them. we also ordered bloody mary's and they tastedgreatbut i do not care for old bay on the rim so i will likely ask for that to be left off next time. the drinks weregreat(through a straw).

update oct 2015-- i been back to rita's a few times and i still love it!  they have agreatdrink menu and the food is always great. you can eat indoors or on a nice outdoor patio.  the last time i was there a band was playing.  it's a fun place.  don't miss this spot!

original--rita's is one of my favorite places on folly.  i love the casual atmosphere and the food is great. it's been over a year since i've been there but just getting around to a review.  i've tried many items but the one that stands out the most to me is the amazing pulled pork nachos! it is served in an ice cream soda glass and is oozing with queso! this is a messy mess but it is delicious. anothergreatchoice was the shrimp po boy but looking at the current menu, i don't see this selection anymore. that's too bad because it was wonderful.  i've also ordered the barnyard burger and it's fabulous too.  i love an egg on my burger.  i haven't tried the bloody mary bar but hope to some day.  i've eaten here many times and i've never been disappointed.  this is agreatplace to eat!

ok, so a couple weeks ago, i was invited to try rita’s out on folly. never one to turn my nose up at free food, i gladly made the jaunt out to folly beach (although i did feel a bit like a traitor for not eating at lost dog cafe ). rita’s is owned by the halls family of halls chophouse , but could not be more different. it’s a very casual, laid-back, beachy kind of atmosphere with food that is both inventive and traditional at the same time. read: affordable we started with an order of the tuna nachos (crispy corn tortillas, queso, jack, jalapenos, black beans, peppers, onions, watermelon pico, choice of blackened tuna, grilled chicken, pulled pork, $11). they were good, but i thought the tuna was a little overcooked and chewy. i came back the next week with my mom and we got them with chicken instead and they were awesome. the one reallygreatthing about this dish is that they top it with a housemade watermelon pico de gallo, which adds a layer of freshness to a traditionally uninventive dish. those aren’t tomatoes; that’s watermelon! i highly recommend this dish. we also got an order of their house smoked wings (house smoked jumbo wings, served with celery, ranch & blue cheese, tossed with choice of sweet & spicy, dry rub, bbq, buffalo, 6 for $9 or 12 for $15), tossed in the sweet & spicy sauce. i really liked the sauce and the touch of smokiness that was in every bite. the second time i went, harry got them in the dry rub, and i didn’t like them as much, so i definitely recommend the sweet & spicy sauce. tina thought they were a little too smoky, so if you aren’t a fan of things tasting smoky, then i wouldn’t recommend these. i do like that you don’t have to choose between ranch and blue cheese… although i definitely only ever choose ranch. but i like not having to choose. i also t

big party and they had no problem. we had about 15 people and they said the even though they did not take reservations we could call about 30 min prior and they would work on a table for us. got there about 630p and all was set up as well as two servers taking care of us. food came out lookinggreatand our two servers were polite and professional as well as doing us a favor and accommodating separate checks which wasgreatbecause many places would not since there were so many of us. food came out timed well and everything was really good(smoked wings weregreatand loved the hummus platter!), i heard no major complaints from anyone at the table and all seemed to have a good time. only complaint was they had the front door open when it was cold out and we were getting chilly. it would have been warm inside if it would have been closed and i am sure they would have closed it if we asked. i would definitely return on our next trip to folly beach for another visit to try something else off their smoker! :)

50/50 at best. while vacationing in folly, the parents (4) went one night and we liked it so much, the whole family (9) went the next night. on the first night, the drinks were great, everyone loved their entrees and we had agreattime. the shrimp and grits were the best i've had in a while, and everyone else liked the fish and shrimp tacos and the crispy grouper sandwich. the second night was a different story. we got there around 9pm and for a friday night, it didn't seem very crowded. all of us noticed that none of the cocktails contained any alcohol! the food was just so-so. the old fashioned burger was blah and i don't know what they seasoned the fries with but i didn't like them at all. everyone kind of shrugged off the whole meal. the menu is kind of limited. i would say this place is hit or miss.

soup came out cold... cute resteraunt, kinda expensive food for what you get, nothing impressive... waitress was in a horrible mood,greatmusic though, only redeeming quality !

mostly good food. however, i used to go regularly for the black bean-falafel burger, hummus, and banging homemade pickles. now, the falafel is garbage. a fried hockey puck served on cold pita, with a tzatziki that tasted of nothing. the fries were really good and my friends enjoyed their food. i know it's not a vegetarian-friendly restaurant but i think they should just take it off the menu.greatservice, atmosphere, and restaurant. bad falafel

meh. nice service.greatlocation. relaxed atmosphere. food was so-so. the lobster and artichoke dip appetizer was pretty good. the fried seafood was certainly not the best, the sides were mediocre, and it was a bit overpriced. other menu items at surrounding tables looked more appealing. i'm not in a hurry to go back. this seems like a good place to go for a drink and app or lunch.

great place!. we had dinner 2x in one week! the food wasgreatandthe staff was very friendly. we had burgers, shrimp and grits, flounder and the tuna nachos and all were delicious. we also are fans of the pineapple jalepeno margharita!

this is my favorite spot at folly's. love this place. 3rd time eating here after trying it this past summer. the blackened tuna nacho's and the pork sundae appetizers are awesome.greatoutdoor dining area and also a good place to sit at bar and watch sporting event. the seafood baskets are also very good. wife and i like to split a spinach salad and then get one of thegreatappetizers. the spinach salad is one of the best we've eaten.

fantastic!. my family and i ate at rita's twice during our recent folly beach vacation.greatservice, fantastic food, fabulous atmosphere. my children requested to go back a third time! the shrimp n grits was on special and it was hands down the best i have ever had. my kids had the captain crunch french toast that was out of this world and my husband had the flounder po' boy, twice! rita's is our new folly favorite and will definitely be on the schedule a few times for next years vacation.

a keeper!.greatlocation, music was just loud enough for background without being overpowering. nice beach feel without being too kitchy. service was quick. burger looked delicious. my po boy was tasty, although could have used just 1-2 more clams on it. will go back next time i'm town and check out the burger.


-----13 sep, 2012-----

laidback beach atmosphere, open air.greatservice. tasty burger. yummy pickles. live music. what more could you want at folly?

beach break. we have stopped in several times and met with consistent good food and service each and everytime. we always sit in the covered patio and enjoy the shade, breeze and drinks. this is agreatplace to stop in!

rita's knows how to make people feel welcome!. this is agreatplace to stop for a beer and a fun meal. the food is good and the service is excellent.