Whether you’re seeking an ice cream cone after a long day of soaking in the sun or looking forward to dressing for a fine dining experience, you’ll have plenty to choose from in Myrtle Beach, which boasts more than 2,000 restaurants. Yes, seafood abounds within this coastal town’s food and dining scene, but there are also juicy steaks, Southern desserts, and pub food—and cocktail and spirits enthusiasts will delight in the new distilleries here.
Like any good beach town, Myrtle Beach also has too many ice cream shops to count, perfect for grabbing a cone to tide you over until dinner. Families have plentiful options when choosing restaurants, including many dinner-and-a-show extravaganzas. Many restaurants in Myrtle Beach are wheelchair accessible and a growing number of establishments also have autism-friendly certifications, so keep your Autism Travel Club app handy for discounts.
Myrtle Beach’s dinner theater
The Polynesian Fire Productions show
Courtesy of Visit Myrtle Beach
For a post-beach activity that’s a little different, save at least one night for a dinner theater experience of your choosing. For Hawaiian flair, opt for a luau with Polynesian Fire Productions. Live music fills the air as you savor a buffet dinner of Polynesian favorites such as Huli-Huli Chicken and Kalua Pulled Pork. Then sit back and enjoy dancers from Samoa, Tahiti, New Zealand, and Hawai‘i as they dazzle with dancing, fire tricks, and award-winning knife throwing. For something a little more low-key, Yamato offers delicious Japanese fare cooked by your private teppanyaki chef—you won’t believe the tricks they can do as they make your food.
Families with young pirate fans won’t want to miss the Pirates Voyage Dinner & Show. You’ll feast on a four-course meal while Blackbeard himself battles aboard full-sized pirate ships in a 15-foot-deep lagoon. If you prefer medieval pageantry, book an evening at Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament—look forward to falconry, horses, and sword fights. At Riga Tony’s Murder Mystery Dinner Show, an interactive show with Italian food, you’ll get to jump in on the crime-solving fun. Expect a lot of laughs.
Steakhouses, oceanfront dining, and more great Myrtle Beach restaurants
Twelve 33 Distillery
Courtesy of Visit Myrtle Beach
After a day at the beach, lingering over a meal at a fine dining establishment in Myrtle Beach is a true delight. Sea Captain’s House, as the name suggests, is in an oceanfront home. Tuck into its award-winning seafood over a glass of wine while listening to the sounds of the Atlantic. For a taste of Down Under, head to Greg Norman Australian Grille, which serves Aussie-style steaks and seafood, plus an award-winning wine list and more than 200 of the finest bourbons and tequilas.
Perrone’s Restaurant & Bar recommends starting your meal with champagne and caviar service. An award-winning wine list and festive craft cocktails complement an ever-changing chophouse-style menu that includes Japanese Wagyu and USDA prime steaks dry-aged in-house. For white-glove service and the biggest lobsters in town, book a reservation at New York Prime, which boasts an extensive wine list, enormous seafood platters, and USDA prime-only beef.
Try any of Myrtle Beach’s breweries and distilleries for a more casual respite. Grand Strand Brewing Company offers rotating beers on tap and pub food—try the smashburger or pretzel with beer cheese. Tidal Creek Brewhouse is as well known for its food as its beer. Stop by for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or weekend brunch. Head to Twelve 33 Distillery in nearby Little River to sip handcrafted spirits made with ingredients sourced from local farms.
Enjoy ice cream and sweets in Myrtle Beach
Towering ice cream cones, cookies topped with buttercream, and a milkshake bar that churns out desserts you’ll have to see to believe await in Myrtle Beach. Kirk’s 1890 Ice Cream Parlor has a throwback atmosphere, sundaes, waffle cones, and more—with all the toppings.
The Peach Cobbler Factory promises delicious Southern desserts—think cobbler in multiple flavor options with the flakiest crust and topped with ice cream; homemade cookies with buttercream drizzled with chocolate, caramel, or peanut butter and sprinkled with even more toppings; and banana pudding with ice cream and vanilla wafers. You also can’t miss a stop at The Crazy Mason milkshake bar, which lives up to its name by topping its milkshakes served in jars with slices of pie, cookies, donuts, popsicles, and more.
