Restaurants & Dining
Food Dude Grub Crawl: Restaurants along the Murrells Inlet Marsh Walk
For the final installment of the Food Dude's Grub Crawl around the Grand Strand, we saved our favorite stop for last.
The Murrells Inlet Marsh Walk, the short boardwalk along the waterfront where you can see your supper being unloaded at the fishing docks, is the perfect place for fresh seafood and fun.
With the Marsh Walk connecting to nine different restaurants and dozens more in the surrounding area, picking the right spot can be tricky. The Food Dude gives you five hot spots that will make your tummy happy:
Dead Dog Saloon
This Murrells Inlet institution burned to the ground earlier this year, but the resurrected Dead Dog is bigger and better than ever.
The more spacious restaurant and bar is once again the most happening hot spot on the Marsh Walk, with a huge patio deck that offers live music and excellent food and frozen drinks.
Seafood is still the main dish at the Dead Dog, but the new, expanded menu features several new options. The Surf and Turf combo – a 10-ounce ribeye with a shrimp and scallop skewer – is still the way to go.
Creek Ratz
4065 US-17 BUS, Murrells Inlet, SC 29576
Taking its name from the popular monicker for Murrells Inlet locals, Creek Ratz caters to a nice mix of tourists and locals who enjoy the laid-back atmosphere and the excellent seafood.
The menu keeps it simple – burgers, pizza and sandwiches, but there are options for the adventurous to be found on the raw bar and the regular menu, such as the Creek Rat Reuben that’s covered with spicy shrimp.
The outdoor deck is the perfect place to pass the time and watch the goats graze on nearby Goat Island. Relax in a bean-bag chair or hammock and watch the tide roll in at the perfect place to chill on the Inlet.
Bubba's Love Shak
Located behind Captain Dave’s Dockside Restaurant (not a bad place for a nice meal either), Bubba’s Love Shak is the place to go to mix and mingle with local creek rats.
In fact, this place was named after a famous local whose “Bubbaisms” are plastered around the bar for inspiration. Case in point, “If you ain’t happy, stay a while longer” certainly applies to the Love Shak.
Try Big Papa Puff’s Crab Cakes or the Rasta Pasta to get a true taste of local flavor, and enjoy a few frozen drinks outside under the live oaks with friends both old and new.
Wahoo's Raw Bar and Marina
Sit on the open-air back porch and look out over the Inlet, where your meal was likely swimming just a few hours earlier.
Seafood doesn’t get any fresher or better than at Wahoo’s, which takes the basics of quality seafood and gets creative with its dishes. Try the Green Tea Sea Bass or the Soy Peanut Crusted Mahi Mahi.
The atmosphere completes the experience, with an outdoor tiki bar serving frozen concoctions while visitors relax in the shade to the sounds of live music or of the cascading waterfall in the background.
Spud's Waterfront Dining
While most of the Marsh Walk restaurants back up to the inlet, Spud’s towers over the horizon and offers excellent views of the salt marshes and sail boats surrounding the local waters.
This two-story restaurant offers indoor and outdoor dining, with the latter being the best seats in the house. Feel the gentle ocean breeze and watch fishing boats returning to the adjoining marina to unload their daily catches.
That same seafood is available to order at Spud’s, which features great daily specials and excellent menu standards such as the fish tacos and shrimp and grits. The oysters on the half shell are fantastic.
