tybee island social club

my boyfriend and i found tybee islandsocialclub on urbanspoon when we were looking for a place to grab a bite while exploring the island. the decor drew me in right away--casual, cozy and inviting, and the little stage made me want to stick around to see what the night scene was like. the blood orange sangria was the best sangria i've ever had. the service was perfect--everyone we interacted with exhibited what we've come to recognize as the southern hospitality you always hear about (we are from baltimore). finally, the food--the fish tacos and zissou tacos and crab stew rivaled if not surpassed our other dining experiences in savannah.
don't miss tybee islandsocialclub. i wish we had something comparable in baltimore or even in ocean city, md.

good food, substandard service. we were disappointed with our dining experience at tybee islandsocialclub, and i cannot in good faith recommend this restaurant. if you are interested in dining at the tybee islandsocialclub, take the time to read reviews before deciding to dine there.

we arrived at the restaurant just before 8:00 pm on tuesday may 28, 2013. our group consisted of six adults, three hungry children, and two babies. our group had over 67 years of restaurant/ food service experience, and we were looking forward to a great meal.

our drinks were ordered and arrived promptly. at that time, we ordered both appetizers and meals. for our appetizers, we requested hummus and chips and salsa. we began to suspect we would have problems when the appetizers took 25 minutes to arrive. we enjoyed both appetizers, but had to reorder chips and pita to keep the hungry kids calm.

our table did not order anything difficult to prepare, just tacos and hamburgers. however, the delay in getting it to us was unacceptably long. we had one false start when a different table’s food was delivered to our table. our food, at least most of it, finally arrived around 9:15 pm. however, one member of our party did not receive their meal until 9:45 pm. it went straight into a “to go” box, and we paid the bill. we were leaving for the parking lot at 10:00 pm.

as people who have made careers of serving food, we can understand having problems and service failures. things do not always go smoothly. the difference between a “great” restaurant and a mediocre to poor one is how a staff recovers when there are problems.

this staff at the tybee islandsocialclub failed to communicate. our server did not keep us apprised of the delay in service or the reason things were slow. we were not sure if she was hiding from us or spending more time at her other tables. in either case, she was absent. even with one meal being served after everyone else was finished, the management of the restaurant did not stop by to apologize for the service. they did not offer a drink, dessert, or discount for the bad service. in fact, we were charged the full amount plus an already included 15% gratuity. this full amount included being charged two dollars for the extra chips and pita bread to keep the kids satisfied as they waited 1:15 for their meals. it also included the price of the meal that ended up in the “to go” box as we were leaving.

in the interest of full disclosure, i did stop to ask the bartender what had happened this evening. he stated that someone had quit today, three large groups were being served at the same time, and the kitchen is slow. however, we counted less than 20 people in the restaurant when we arrived.

in fairness, we enjoyed the hamburgers. the tacos were excellent. we especially enjoyed the pork and the tuna taco. the two salsas with the chips were tasty. however, i could not in good conscience recommend the tybee islandsocialclub due to the pattern on slow service, the staff’s inability to timely acknowledge that there is a problem, and the staff’s inability to compensate or correct the problem in the restaurant at the time of service. if you take the time to read more reviews, you will see a pattern of complaints being addressed online after the fact instead of in the restaurant at the time of the service failure.

i absolutely love this little restaurant! it's right off bulter ave and there is a small parking lot out front. the decor is so cute and the music lightly playing in the back ground gives off a laid back, beachy vibe! the menu is somewhat small but everything i've had here is really good. thesocialburger is good and stacked with bacon. both the sweet patatas and the spanish patatas are delish. i really enjoyed the superman and i haven't had the fish tacos myself but they look really good. the only downfall is that the tacos only come with one so if you're really hungry, tacos could get expensive but it's a plus if you want to try multiple types. and all of the sides are ala carte but the food is pretty unique and worth checking out! i have yet to go when they have a live band but i'm definitely going to go one of these days!

met some real nice people while i was visiting thesocialclub !. i had a wonderful time and will be back!

merry ciristmas and a happy new year ! karin the german lady

mixed review but overall positive. had a fantastic seven day holiday on tybee island. sunday afternoon, i went by myself tosocialclub to have a quick lunch, and was pleased to see a very good live blue grass music band. i ordered the farmer's platter which consisted of humus, cheese, carrots, cucumber and warm pita. delicious! and a refreshing departure from the regular deep fried, wrap and burger fare that is available on the island. the bill came to approximately ten dollars (including club soda.) i had a great time and was excited about bringing my husband back for dinner. the evening ambiance is as inviting and comfortable as the afternoon, with low lighting in a fresh cottage atmosphere. we ordered the blue crab stew, which was beyond excellent, a steak taco salad and blackened fish taco. the service was spotty, our waitress was very sweet, but didn't seem to know what was offered on the drinks and food menus, and was slow to bring us our drinks. i heard about "tybee time" while we were down there, and appreciate that this is a laid-back island lifestyle, but bringing drinks promptly is a necessity anywhere - i don't care what time it is. the very small taco salad had no tacos in it, instead the tacos were piled on my plate beside a very small fish taco, which was nice enough, but two bites and it was gone. when i asked the waitress if the fried tacos shouldn't have been in the salad, she basically shrugged. the bill, including four bottles of beer, was about $37. a bit pricey for a rather small amount of food. i really want this place to succeed and become a fixture in tybee island, which needs a restaurant that serves simple, healthy meals at a reasonable price. people are here on holiday, already spending a fair amount of money on accommodation, and we can't afford the fine dining prices that thesocialclub is verging on, especially if the portions are tapas sized. also, the wait staff needs more fine tuning - know the menu, and make sure the customer gets what they order, improve communication with the kitchen and bar. there are some bugs to be worked out, but this place is a diamond in the rough and is worth the effort. but by all means, keep that crab stew on the menu!

better late than never.... we were up in tybee last year at this time and it just dawned on me that i didn't leave a review as i should have because this place did an amazing job. the food was very creative and all at the table loved it. the staff was friendly(which i might add is not the case for some other establishments on the island) which is partly why i want to make sure that i get a great review out for the tisocialclub. thank you very much for making part of our trip up there quite a foodie success. when we come back we will be visiting you again for sure.

holy cow they're food is awesome. laid backsocialenvironment with a great atmosphere. did i mention the food was amazing? had the fish taco, beef taco and chorizo burger and it was well worth us going out of our way on a road trip.

we had been really looking forward to thesocialclub, and went there for lunch. it wasn't very busy but it took us ten minutes to get a waiter. then we waited 30 minutes for the chorizo burger and fish tacos when there were only three other tables. the chorizo burger was good but needed a side and the fish taco was so skimpy a taco bell taco would put it to shame not worth the wait or the money. the waitress never heckled on us during the 30 minutes either. doing you jose here be prepared for substandard service and risky menu choices

locals that love it!. my husband & i have lived in savannah for several years now, & used to rarely make the trip out to tybee for dinner, as there were no restaurants on the island that we felt particularly drawn back to. sincesocialopened a few years ago though, we happily take the drive down 80 at least once a month, & several times during the warm months! since we are having an unusually warm january weekend right now, we have plans to go eat atsocialwith friends tonight. i actually got on this site to see if there were any coupons, & felt compelled to write a review after reading some others.

between the two of us, we have tried everything on the menu, which changes seasonally. we have never left the restaurant disappointed. sure, we have our favorites (fish tacos, orange pork tacos, chorizo burger...) but everything has been fresh & delicious. the service isn't always super fast, but this isn't a place we go for an "in & out" meal. we likesocialbecause it is a laid back place to sit, relax, & have one (or a few) of their wonderful drinks. even on busy nights, the servers have always been friendly & helpful. we lovesocial& will keep coming back as often as possible!

stayed on tybee in late august. visitedsocialclub on a whim for coffee and desert.
food: coffee and cheesecake. best, most simple cheesecake i have ever had! coffee was served in home style coffee cup (big) with real cream. we had a really pleasant experience. staff was courteous and not over lingering.

a big disappointment. after five great meals on tybee this trip, and after reading all the many reviews for thesocialclub, it was particularly disappointing. the restaurant was not busy, but service was sparse.

the peel and eat shrimp was not fresh and was served limp and tepid. i can't remember last time i left shrimp on the plate to go to the trash. the shrimp and crab nachos were not bad, but nothing special and the juice from the beans made the chips soggy.

our lunch seemed awfully overpriced for such mediocre food.

the tybeesocialclub is hip and their menu is anything but boring, including their drinks with their hand made mixers; this place would be more comfortable in south beach than tybee...

excited about being in tybee next week looking forward to eating atsocialserveral times! great food and atmosphere!

horrible service. was there thursday, horrible service. i don't know if the waitress was new or just didn't care about her job but she was late with everything; drinks, food, our check. her main priority seemed to be hanging out at the bar, talking to other employees and looking at her phone. she talked too fast, it was like she was on speed or just in dire need to do anything but her job. the food was great. but because of the service, next time i'll pass on thesocialclub, or just get my food to go. i hope the management takes time to actually review who they hire and focuses on weeding out lazy servers.

outstanding food. diners, drive-ins, and dives should pay the tybee islandsocialclub a visit. it doesn't exactly qualify as a dive because the location and atmosphere are actually very nice. but the food is original and fantastic. if you like a menu with some safe tasty options but also some savory, off-the-beaten path potentials, check out thesocialclub. and the staff is young and fun. ;)