Beaufort, South Carolina, is a charming seaside town known for antebellum architecture and beautiful landscapes. Beaufort also has over 150 local restaurants offering an endless variety of dishes. Whether you’re looking for a juicy steak, fresh seafood, or an authentic Lowcountry menu, you’ll find it all in the Beaufort area. The team here at Vaden of Beaufort created this guide to the best restaurants around Beaufort to help you choose your next dining destination.
Magnolia Bakery Cafe
Enjoy a waterfront meal at the charming Magnolia Bakery Cafe on Congress Street. The family-owned restaurant offers breakfast, lunch, and baked goods made with fresh local ingredients.
If you stop in for breakfast, try a soft, fresh croissant, a giant cinnamon roll, or a slice of pumpkin raisin or banana walnut teacake from the bakery. The menu includes egg combination plates, French toast, and homemade crepes. The crab cake crepes are a favorite dish for locals. Start your day with an espresso, latte, or cappuccino with your breakfast.
For lunch, the cafe offers a variety of soups, salads, and sandwiches served on fresh-baked bread. Enjoy a refreshing glass of beer, wine, or sangria as you savor your meal on the shady outside patio. If you have a sweet tooth, you’ll want to sample a slice of pie, cookies, or lemon squares for dessert. Various whole pies, such as blueberry, pecan, and Magnolia’s legendary apple pie, are also available.
Blackstone’s Cafe
Blackstone’s Cafe at 205 Scott St. has served breakfast and lunch in Beaufort for over 30 years. Known for its delicious Southern food and small-town diner ambiance, it’s a popular meeting place for locals and a tourist favorite. The cafe’s walls display college pennants, flags, banners, and movie posters from the checkerboard floor to the red industrial ceiling. Perhaps the restaurant’s most unique characteristic is that you can stop in at 8 a.m. any morning and recite the Pledge of Allegiance with the staff and other customers.
Blackstone’s Brew Bar features a variety of coffee, tea, and espresso drinks to pair with their fresh bakery goods. The eggs benedict special on Sundays offers crab and salmon variations. Another excellent breakfast choice is the homemade corned beef hash with two eggs and grits or home fries.
Blackstone’s lunch menu includes soup, salads, wraps, and deli or grilled sandwiches. The restaurant’s signature burger is a grass-fed half-pound patty served with fries or three bean salad. A popular dish is the shrimp and grits, which come in traditional or Cajun style. The menu has many gluten-free items cooked on a separate grill if you have dietary restrictions. Seating is available on the main floor, upstairs overlooking the restaurant, or at several outside tables on the dog-friendly patio.
Dockside
Dockside is a casual seafood restaurant with outdoor waterfront seating overlooking the Woods Memorial Bridge and downtown Beaufort. The restaurant serves fresh-caught seafood, steaks, pasta, and more in a fun atmosphere decorated with a nautical motif. Dockside is known for its friendly staff and large portion sizes.
Appetizers include crab cakes served with a light cream and red pepper sauce, Cajun fried calamari, and shrimp stuffed with cream cheese and jalapenos. For special occasions, share a pot of steamed oysters before your meal or one of Dockside’s excellent soups, such as New England clam chowder or she-crab soup.
Seafood meal choices include catfish, crab cakes, swordfish, lobster tail, and Alaskan crab legs. The Captain’s Platter offers a variety of seafood and comes with fresh shrimp, scallops, oysters, and flounder. If you prefer, you can get a ribeye or New York strip steak or choose a combination of surf and turf. Make sure to try the cornbread and hush puppies.
Whether you’re looking for a casual dining setting or celebrating a significant event, such as an anniversary, Dockside is the perfect destination for authentic Lowcountry dining.
Madison’s
The family-owned Madison’s in Port Royal is a casual restaurant with an upscale vibe. Madison’s offers fresh seafood and succulent steaks prepared with locally sourced ingredients. The menu features gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian items. The friendly staff and cozy ambiance make this a pleasant destination for dinner with the family or a romantic date night.
If you want to sample raw oysters for the first time, Madison’s is a great destination since it offers an oyster shooter, a single oyster on the half shell served with cocktail sauce. The raw bar also includes shrimp cocktail, shrimp salad, tuna tartare, and seafood towers with a little bit of everything. Locals recommend Madison’s she-crab soup, made with blue crab roe and sherry. Dinner suggestions include shrimp and grits, fried green tomatoes, or the grilled mahi-mahi.
After your meal, enjoy one of the mouth-watering desserts made in-house. Dessert choices include banana pie, a vanilla bean pudding made with fresh bananas and shaved chocolate, and creme brulee.
Panini’s On The Waterfront
Order delicious Italian entrees or a brick-oven pizza at Panini’s on the Waterfront. The classy restaurant is housed in a remodeled historic bank building built in 1919 and has many interesting architectural elements. Enjoy lunch or dinner and cocktails Tuesdays through Saturdays at Panini’s.
The extensive Italian menu includes salads, pasta, panini, hoagies, and brick-oven pizzas. You may want to try the delicious Mediterranean shrimp and grits plate. Parents appreciate the extensive children’s menu offering choices such as grilled cheese sandwiches, spaghetti with tomato sauce or butter, and chicken tenders.
If you’re looking for nightlife, you can enjoy plenty of entertainment at Panini’s, including jazz performances, trivia nights, and karaoke. Sit inside the beautiful interior or enjoy dinner and cocktails outside on the River Deck overlooking Beaufort’s Waterfront Park. The deck is dog-friendly, and pet owners can order dog meals from Lucky Dog Cuisine.
That’s our list of the best local restaurants in Beaufort, South Carolina. Did we mention your favorite dining destinations? Here at Vaden of Beaufort, we appreciate your feedback. Send us a message and let us know the restaurants your family visits most so we can add them to a future list of recommendations for the community.
Image by Jonathan Wiemers is licensed with Unsplash License
