Restaurants & Dining
Food Dude Explores the Myrtle Beach Boardwalk’s Restaurants
Not only has the Boardwalk revitalized the downtown Myrtle Beach district, it's also added some new flavor to the downtown dining scene.
The post-Pavilion apocalypse left us limited to carnival food without the carnival atmosphere. Perfectly good snack food, but man cannot live by corn dog and funnel cake alone.
The Food Dude took a recent stroll down the 1.2-mile stretch of wooden walkway and the surrounding area (along with a few food and rest stops) and couldn't believe his eyes or taste buds.
There are lots of new or relatively new places to eat, drink and be merry – LandShark Landing by the SkyWheel, the Pier View Restaurant on Second Avenue Pier, Sharkey's on Ocean Boulevard and the Ocean View Cafe at Plyler Park – and plenty of the old walk-up, short-order eateries.
But most noticeable are the numerous renovation projects to downtown restaurants that are almost as old as the town itself. The Boardwalk is surrounded with new-look places where you can get the same great food you know and love.
Peaches Corner
900 North Ocean Blvd, Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
the hub of the downtown food scene since 1937, is celebrating its 75th anniversary with an extreme makeover. A remodeled interior, exterior, catwalk and upstairs area make it barely recognizable without the trademark peach, which is now a larger, revolving version.
Patrons can still get the same old great food and drinks – foot-long dogs and juicy burgers hot off the grill, chicken wings and cheesy fries fresh from the deep-fat fryer and hand-scooped ice cream and milkshakes to chill out on a hot day. Oh, and cold draft beer.
But also getting an upgrade is the menu, featuring special 75th anniversary burgers and dogs “which are bigger versions of our current classics,” said Peaches co-owner/operator Briggs. “These items have very unique toppings,” such as chili, cheese, onions, relish, jalapenos, kraut, slaw, bacon and spicy mustard (Now those are right up the Food Dude’s alley).
Mammy's Kitchen
Also undergoing a major facelift in the offseason was Mammy’s Kitchen (the original one on the corner of Kings Highway and Joe White Ave., not the newcomer on Ocean Boulevard). Sneaking up on its 60th birthday, the place now looks brand new with a fresh roof and awning – pretty much everything but the historic sign.
“We wanted to make the place look nicer and do some things to make sure Mammy’s will be here for another 60 years,” said owner Mike Lambert. “People who have been coming for years can’t believe it when they see it, until they come inside and get the same great food.”
As the name implies, Mammy’s is a different kind of dude food than Peach’s. It’s like going to eat Sunday dinner at your granny’s house and she has five kinds of meats, 12 kinds of vegetables, seven types of desserts and all kinds of comfort food to keep you fat and happy. The breakfast buffet is to die for.
Marvin's
And one more downtown institution is gearing up for a new summer under new ownership. Marvin’s on Plyler Park, which is beginning its 38th year of operation, will do so for the first time without longtime owner and namesake Marvin McHone, who sold the restaurant last fall.
New ownership plans some physical changes for the oceanfront eatery next year and the menu has been tweaked a bit. However, the Marvin’s traditions of offering tacos and burgers, cold beer and big buckets of Long Island Iced Teas, will continue.
So fear not, my fellow food dudes and dudettes. The Boardwalk hasn’t been overrun by the wine-sipping, salad-serving establishments that usually come with progress, only newer and better versions of the same great dude food.
