the salty dog cafe

the food is really good but it is pricey and thewaitis very long for dinner. the atmosphere is amazing, though, and you will like what you ordered.

hilton head island appeals to people for different reasons, but most who decide to visit here do so because the love the water and natural scenery. i, too, like waterfronts and beaches and on a recent hilton head trip, i tried to incorporate water into all of my activities. that is what led us to salty dog café, on the island’s west side.

salty dog café is a restaurant with a view and it has a large abundance of outdoor seating with water views. when i visited, we considered sitting inside at first because it was starting to rain, but thewaitfor a table was too long and besides, the rainfall was really just a light drizzle. the good thing about deciding to dine outdoors is that it’s self- serve seating, and that meant nowaitat all. we just walked over to a table underneath one of the tents, protected from the rain, and claimed our spot. the outdoor section often features live entertainment, too, which is an added bonus for dining in the fresh air.

salty dog café serves a good deal of seafood options, plus american style foods. we decided to start with an order of hushpuppies. they were sweet and yummy and the honey butter made them that much better. i was torn over what to order for my lunch, but then the waiter came back to our table and suggested the special of the day, which was a chicken sandwich with bacon and ham, plus a side of fries. i decided that was good enough for me and i ended up liking my food, even though i admit that the breaded/deep- fried chicken used for the sandwich would have been better had it been a grilled chicken patty instead.

drinks are popular at salty dog café and they have plenty of tropical drinks and a good selection of beer. i ordered a pair of craft beers while i enjoyed my lunch and, judging by the looks of satisfaction on my family member’s faces, everyone seemed to like the experience. i should point out that you have to pay about 6 bucks just to enter the sea pines area, where this restaurant is located, so keep that in mind if you decide to visit. and enjoy the waterfront views and food here at salty dog café on hilton head island.

it is what you should expect from activity and food attraction. good not great, simple food. service is better than food. was given awaitof one hour but turned out to be 20 minutes.

pretty good. went for lunch. was told 30 minute wait, but did not take that long. food was average. nothing special. goodwaitstaff.

average. i decided to try this place due to many advertisements around the area. when it got to the area, it seemed like the place to be. there were a ton of cars with very limited parking. the area around was a gorgeous drive. there was an outside bar that served drinks and appetizers. went inside and requested a table for two. was told there would be a two hourwaitfor dining. this was fine since i had nothing else planned and there are several shops around the area to visit. after visiting the shops, went back to the outside bar and ordered drinks. for two beers, it was 7.00 dollars, which is the price of a pitcher where i am from. took about and hour in a half and got a table for dinner. our waitress was fantastic. started out with calamari, which was good. i ordered a pasta with shrimp, crab, and lobster. i found this to be below par with the 25.00 price tag attached. i was not impressed with this meal at all. my girlfriend order the crab cake meal which was also 25.00. she was impressed and thought it was delicious. both meals were generous portions, and neither of us were able to finish.

the wifi for the restaurant had a strong signal, but when trying to connected with an iphone, i was unable to get service.

always a good time at the salty dog. had lunch there this time. i had a nice fresh caught seafood wrap, my wife had the grouper, kids had the typical fare. we sat on the patio overlooking the docks on a beautiful saturday afternoon. as usual, the salty dog was busy, so we had towaitabout 30 minutes, but we walked around the marina to browse the quaint shops until our pager went off. once we were seated the server was prompt, attentive, knowledgeable, and fun. i then enjoyed seeing a group of curmudgeonly seniors try to seat themselves and get thrown out by (a gracious) hostess. interesting mixed drinks and draft beers were available. lunch selection was great. wish they had the live music at lunch, since the show at dinner is always a hit with the kids (and me). prices were typical for a tourist spot, but what do you expect? you're paying for the experience. i challenge anyone to say they haven't had a great time at the dog! this is a tradition for our family whenever we come to hilton head.

would return in a heartbeat. i have nothing but good things to say about this restaurant. we came and put our names early, which i recommend unless you want awaitupwards of 2 hours. although there are plenty of things to do around the marina while youwaitso its not that bad. our waiter was extremely friendly, helpful, and entertaining. after we ordered our food, the power went out just in the restaurant. thankfully i ordered the she crab soup, which was delicious, which was quickly brought to my table after many guests started leaving. we decided towaitit out, for the weather was nice and we were relaxed, and 20 minutes later the power was back on. no problem. so my fisherman's pasta arrived and wow was it delicious! i have no complaints about anything, even with the power going out.

it's the place to be after the sun goes down, until the clubs beckon. well you have probably seen the t-shirts with the logo of the legendary retriever wearing the yellow sou'wester hat. you may even have one folded up in your chest-of-drawers. from his very first appearance on a few t-shirts that promoted his home, jake has grown into a national fashion phenom. the salty dog café is located in the south beach marina @ sea pines along with jake's pizza, the wreck of the salty dog restaurant, land's end tavern and the lost parrot - java and smoothie bar. the south beach marina has become a gathering spot for both locals and island visitors, where you can enjoy waterfront dining inside or a drink and lighter fare on the deck or the outdoor bar. the night echoes with the tropical sounds of live entertainment most every night of the high-season. we park our bikes andwaitto be seated but ultimately give up and dine on ice cream, piña coladas and fat tire beer. we normally order their low country crab dip and she crab soup, one of the islands best. it's a must to visit & enjoy a cold beer and the atmosphere… a trip to hh just isn't complete without a visit to the restaurants & shops of south beach.

cost: $$ and it's the place to be after the sun goes down, until the clubs beckon

food: fine dining it ain't, but the appetizers are good and i usually stick to the fish sandwiches or their seafood pot pie

service: the young servers are so stressed at days end… it looks like finals-week back at usc

decor: it's like having dinner @ the pirates of the caribbean - magic kingdom. nautical theme: how original

pricey for what it is. we decided to hit the salty dog cafe for lunch today. there was a 20 minutewaitto eat inside so we decided to brave the heat and sit outside. that was probably a mistake, but nothing the cafe could control! the food was pretty good. the kids had grilled cheese sandwiches which looked good with their thick, texas toast like bread. i had the "catch of the day" fish sandwich - swordfish, blackened on a kaiser roll with lemon, lettuce, onion and tomato. the fish was moist and perfectly seasoned and didn't need anything other than the simple accompaniments of the sandwich.

after lunch, i got a piece of key lime pie to go. by the time i got back to our condo, it had melted partially but the biggest problem was how tart and sour it was. it was almost unbearable. i was definitely disappointed by it.

overall, i thought the food was good, but everything was a couple dollars more than it should have been. i realize that's just a by-product of the cafe's location and history as such a big tourist draw. if that doesn't bother you, then i'd recommend eating there.