Every year there are numerous new places to dine in the Bluffton, Lowcountry and Hilton Head Island area. We have described most of them here. For more information, please refer to their listings on this website. Please note that, although we believe this material and that elsewhere on this website to be accurate, we rely on the owners of restaurants for much of the information herein.












CALIBOGUE CAFE & TRADING COMPANY - Hilton Head

Calibogue Cafe and Trading Company genuinely is like no other place on Hilton Head. The closest thing to it that we have visited is the highly acclaimed Dean & DeLuca in the Georgetown area of Washington, DC. But Calibogue Cafe's dining areas are more extensive and attractive, in our view, than the Georgetown Dean & DuLuca's.

Calibogue Cafe has some things in common with the previous occupant at the same location (Dunston's Gourmet), but many important things have improved. Note that its owners and management and just about all of the staff have changed, too.

Probably the most important changes are the new Executive Chef and the improvements he has brought to the Cafe's menu and food. It is worth noting that he has great credentials, including his former association with Philadelphia's famous Le Bec Fin restaurant and Bobby Flay's Steakhouse in Atlantic City.

Calibogue Cafe is an attractive restaurant with numerous tables both inside and outdoors. Usually appealing foods are upgraded and/or modified to make them especially tempting.

Calibogue Cafe also offers a reasonably priced selection of wines. If you do not like what you see on the wine list, stroll over to the retail wine gallery and select whatever pleases you from the 120 "hand-selected" wines!

Calibogue Cafe is a gourmet deli as well as a restaurant. Patrons will find cheeses, fresh meats and seafood, fresh produce, cold beers, a variety of bottled water, lots of deli fare, a full dinner menu, numerous desserts and more.

Calibogue Cafe's deli section specializes in gourmet food to go, from Caesar salad to seafood and steaks to rotisserie chicken to sandwiches.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served seven days a week. A children's menu is available.

For more information about Calibogue Cafe & Trading Company, visit their website at caliboguecafe.com, or call 363-9700.



CAMILLIA GRILL - Hilton Head

Fine dining in a stylish atmosphere always is a treat, so it is a real pleasure to describe Hilton Head's new Camellia Grill.

Camellia Grill is elegant without being stiffly formal. The decor in both the dining room and the bar area are unusually attractive, with lots of muted colors that are consistent with the fine dining experience Camillia Grill offers.

The food at Camellia Grill, in our admittedly limited experience, has been outstanding. Chef Anuschka Schurr and her staff have incorporated traditional Southern favorites with many elements of urban haute cuisine to create a varied and very interesting menu. The folks at Camellia Grill call it Contemporary Southern Cuisine.

Patrons may order, for example, Amaretto Pan Seared Carolina Trout, Crispy Quail drizzled with raspberry coulis and Cherry and Pecan Pirlau Stuffed Pork Loin. Prime beef, lamb and fowl, in addition to local seafood selections, provide the diner with a variety of options, each created with "providing the ultimate fine dining experience in mind."

A full bar and extensive wine list are available. Dinner is served from 5:30-10:00.

Camellia Grill is located in Park Plaza, near Harris Teeter grocery store, behind the Mellow Mushroom. For more information and reservations, please call (843) 842-3727.



BRAVO PIZZA! - Hilton Head

Welcome to Hilton Head, Bravo Pizza!

It's not every day that a family operating a successful, well-thought- of restaurant chooses to move it to Hilton Head Island. But, that is exactly what the Calanni family chose to do.

If the future is like the past, we should be able to count on Bravo! Pizza for excellent pizza and other Italian fare. Here is what the Akron, Ohio Beacon Journal wrote about the Ohio Bravo: "The name Bravo is no exaggeration. Our twelve-year-old pizza afficiando said it was the best Italian pizza he ever had tasted." The reviewer went on to say that "it was among the top ten pizzas" he ever had tasted, too.

Bravo's pizza is especially good for a number of reasons, according to owner/manager John Calanni. It all starts with top of the line, health-oriented ingredients and practice. For example, they use extra virgin olive oil and top of the line cheeses like mozzarella, provolone and romano. Their pizzas are made with leaner cuts of meat than customary, and they take great care to drain away any grease after cooking. "Use healthier and better ingredients" is their motto.

It doesn't hurt, of course, that Bravo's pizzas are based on time-tested recipes that the Calanni family has used to make pizza at home for many years.

Bravo specializes in traditional pan pizzas. However, they are quick to point out that they also serve great thin crust pizzas. In fact, they will prepare your pizza just about any way you like. Just ask!

Although Bravo! Pizza serves great pizza, there also are other choices on the menu. For example, patrons may order from a selection of calzones, pasta dinners, oven baked subs and wings.

Bravo! Pizza is located in nicely redecorated premises behind Blockbuster Video, near the intersection of Highway 278 and New Orleans Road. Lunch and dinner are served. Patrons may dine in or take out.

For more information, please call 342- 7757.



JALAPENOS MEXICAN GRILL - Bluffton

When a new restaurant opens, one good way to decide if you want to give it a try is to learn something of its owners' and management's success in the past. Jalapenos Mexican Grill, scheduled to open in the Bridge Center as we go to press, is owned and operated by the same folks who successfully operate three similar restaurants in Savannah. Since they clearly know how to make patrons happy in Savannah, there is every reason to expect that they will here, too!

Jalapenos, they tell us, will be family-oriented, upbeat, and the happy kind of place where people go to enjoy good food and drink, and to have fun! It will boast attractively eclectic Mexican decor that was well on its way to completion when we visited. In addition to its spacious dining area, there will be a separate lounge with a long, attractive bar, and a large, big screen TV.

The authentically Mexican menu at Jalapenos will be extensive, tempting and very reasonably priced. For example, Texas Fajitas (chicken, beef and shrimp, grilled onions, bell peppers and tomatoes, served with guacamole salad, beans and tortillas) are available for only $9.45. Guadalajara Cheese Steak (Grilled beef strips and sauteed onions are topped with nacho cheese and rolled in a flour tortilla, and served with lettuce, sour cream, guacamole and rice or beans) costs $4.45 for one; or $7.45 for two. Most of their authentic Mexican fare is available for less than $10.

If you want to celebrate a birthday, Jalapenos will make a big fuss if you ask. The staff comes out with a large sombrero for the birthday celebrant to wear (for the evening only!) and sings a loud "Happy Birthday." The celebrant even receives a free dessert or a shot of tequila.

Jalapenos offers continuous service from 11 am through dinner seven days a week. There is an expansive patio for outdoor dining. A children's menu is available.

Jalapenos Mexican Grill is located in the Bridge Center, just past the mainland end of the bridge to Hilton Head, on the eastbound side of Highway 278. For more information, please call 757-5831.



BULLFEATHERS CHAR HOUSE - Hilton Head

Reasonable prices and great food always are an appealing combination, and that is what the folks at Bullfeathers Char House offer us.

Bullfeathers emphasizes grilled items, hence the name Char House. Some entrees that sound especially appealing include Crab Cakes (jumbo lump crab cakes, broiled and drizzled with key lime sauce); Filet Mignon (beef tenderloin, lightly seasoned and grilled to perfection); N.Y. Strip (aged beef, seasoned and grilled, served with shallot demi-glace and choice of potato & veggies); Rib Eye (bourbon marinated for 36 hours, grilled and topped with blue cheese crumbles); and Grouper (seasoned, grilled, and topped with baby shrimp and lobster sauce). Prices are affordable.

Patrons can take advantage of a daily early bird special, available from 4:30-6:00 pm, for $14.95. It includes soup or salad, a choice of 5 entrees, and dessert or a glass of wine. There also is a great happy hour in the bar Monday-Friday, from 4:00-7:00.

Bullfeathers Char House will be located at 5 Lagoon Road, across from the landward side of Coligny Plaza. Lunch and dinner are served seven days a week. Reservations, take-out and a children's menu are available.

For more information, please call 341- 5883.



SPARTINAS SOUTHERN KITCHEN - Hilton Head

Where on Hilton Head can you find genuine Southern comfort food? Spartinas Southern Kitchen would be an excellent choice!

The colorfully decorated new restaurant in Heritage Plaza should be a Southern comfort food enthusiast's paradise. Chef Richard Vaughan has gone back to his North Carolina roots, and pulled out all the stops to bring Hilton Head his version of true Southern fare.

Spartinas Southern Kitchen's dining format is both simple and somewhat unusual. Patrons choose from about a dozen main courses, called Everyday Plates, and proceed to the allyou- can-eat Fixin's Bar. There they will find about a dozen veggies, some salads and other accompaniments. They also have their choice of fresh corn bread or a biscuit.

Spartinas Southern Kitchen is open Monday-Saturday from 11 am-9 pm, and from 11 am-3 pm Sundays. It is located in Heritage Plaza, which is on the left side of Pope Avenue just before Coligny Plaza as you travel from Sea Pines Circle toward Coligny Circle. Look for their sign behind the courtyard in the center of the Plaza. There is ample parking behind the building near Flavors and the Sage Room.

For more information, call 686-5011.



JADE GARDEN - Bluffton

If you enjoy Japanese and Chinese Cuisine and love buffets, as we do, you should seriously consider visiting Bluffton's nearby Jade Garden!

Jade Garden has a very extensive traditional menu from which patrons may order and be served at their tables. It offers well over 100 choices, including appetizers, soups, lo meins, chow meins, chop suey, chicken, beef, pork, seafood, and much more.

But what sets Jade Garden apart is their remarkable allyou- can-eat buffet. It includes about 150 rotating items. And the food is good! We especially liked their Sushi Bar, where a chef prepares numerous kinds of sushi from which patrons may choose, including tuna roll, rainbow roll, California roll, black dragon, red dragon, tuna sushi, salmon sushi, and more. There also is a hibachi station where a chef grills all manner of good things to eat. Or choose from the already prepared items on the buffet, such as spare ribs, coconut chicken, onion shrimp, zucchini shrimp, various soups, fried shrimp, scallops, and salmon, other kinds of fish, crab legs, butter scallops, General Tso's, sesame chicken, salads, desserts, and much, much more. The buffet even includes some American staples such as apple pie, hot dogs, wings and pizza.

The Jade Garden is open seven days a week, with lunch and dinner served continuously from opening to closing. Patrons may order from the same menu all day. The buffet changes from its lunch presentation to dinner at 3:00, when additional seafood items are added. Prices are very reasonable. The all-you-can-eat lunch buffet is available for $6.95; the dinner buffet costs $9.95. Sunday's buffet is $9.95 all day.

The Jade Garden is located just off Highway 278 in Bluffton, near Lowe's, just a couple of minutes from the Hilton Head bridge. Look for the twin Chinese lions outside of the door! Please refer to the map in their advertisement for more details, since Jade Garden is not visible from the highway.

For more information, call 815-6588.



SPICE - Hilton Head

When you think about it, Spice is a great name for a restaurant. Hilton Head's Spice restaurant offers much that is unique to the Island, from many of the interesting items on its menu, to its attractive decor, to its very extensive selection of good things to drink.

The Restaurant area of Spice offers an extensive, very interesting menu of Northern Indian and other Southeastern Asian cuisines. The menu, we are told, has been influenced by 1000's of years of Asian culture.

Kitchen matters are orchestrated by executive chef Roby Chandhoke, who received "extensive training and apprenticed in some of India's finest restaurants." He subsequently has cooked in London, New York City and other locations in the USA for the last 20 years. Chef Roby and two sous chefs from his recent New York City affiliation were recruited to start Spice Restaurant.

The Lounge at Spice is unusually attractive, and a great place to have a drink. The Lounge Menu offers snack sized dishes served with salad garnish and a variety of sauces, dips and breads to accompany each selection.

Spice is located at the left rear of the Village at Wexford. Dinner is served from 5:00 pm every day. The Lounge is open continuously from 5:00 pm until very late.

For more information about Spice, please call 785-4850.



CHRISTINE'S GO GO CAFE & CATERING - Hilton Head

Not many restaurants are selected as "Small Business of the Year" by the Hilton Head/Bluffton Chamber of Commerce, so it is especially noteworthy when one of them opens a new location. Christine Bohn, owner of Christine's Cafe and Catering, recently opened Christine's Go Go Gourmet & Cafe next to the Piggly Wiggly grocery store at Coligny Plaza. Her new location will consolidate her catering and restaurant businesses in one location (Christine's Cafe will close).

The Go Go Cafe offers numerous services that one might not guess from the intimate size of its premises. In addition to being a cafe serving super food, there also is a large glass case full of tempting items ready for take-out. Everything on the menu is available for take-out, too. Patrons may order single items or "Chef-crafted meals on the go-go!"

Christine started as a caterer, and catering remains a large part of her business. The Go Go Cafe offers full service catering for those that desire it. Or, if you are planning a cocktail party, ask about their "Go Go Parties"

The Go Go Gourmet & Cafe has remarkably cheerful, intimate indoor premises, plus numerous tables outdoors. Its hours are Monday through Friday from 10:00 am until 7:00 pm, and Saturdays from 10:00 am until 3:00 pm. They also feature "Go Go Dinners," with two dinner specials daily, available for pickup starting at 4:00. Just log on to www.gogo-gourmet.com for the current month's offerings.

For more information about the Go Go Gourmet & Cafe, please call 785-GoGo (4646).



STU'S SURFSIDE - Hilton Head

Stu's Surfside, which has been pleasing the public at its Lagoon Road/Coligny Plaza location for years, will open a north-Island location in October.

Stu's serves big, delicious made-to-order sandwiches made with fresh, premium ingredients. Fresh-baked bread (daily), fresh roma tomatoes, hand-cut pickles (daily), mayo's made in-house, Certified Angus Beef, Black Forest Ham and honey roasted pepper turkey are some of the reasons people love Stu's. There are over 20 "signature sandwiches" on the menu!

Patrons also may enjoy wraps, fresh salads, and more. Take-out, and a children's menu will be available.

The new Stu's will be located at Port Royal Plaza, facing Mathews Drive. It will be next to Kobe Japanese Steakhouse. In addition to in-restaurant dining, Stu's Port Royal Plaza location will offer a drive through for easy pick-up of customers' orders.

For more information, please call 686-SURF (7873).



PARROT COVE GRILL - Hilton Head

One of the nice things about being in the dining guide business is that you get to see people you know and like be successful at their first entrepreneurial endeavor, and then move on to a new second project that promises to be bigger and even better. Therefore, it is a pleasure to report that the Parrot Cove Cafe's chef/proprietor has opened the Parrot Cove Grill & Bar nearby, also at Shelter Cove Harbour.

The new Parrot Cove has much more space indoors, a larger kitchen, plus extensive patio seating. The new location should give chef Liggett an excellent opportunity to showcase his considerable culinary talents. It is worth noting that culinary school graduate Liggett was associated with some of Hilton Head's best restaurants for 20 years before opening the Parrot Cove Cafe.

The Parrot Cove Grill offers "casual water-oriented" dining, the "freshest ingredients," and a "friendly, fun atmosphere." The menu offers an excellent selection of seafood, beef, chicken, pork, sandwiches, appetizers, "baskets" that come with fries and coleslaw, and more.

The Grill is located within sight of both Shannon Tanner's stage and Shelter Cove's playground. If you dine outside, you can keep a long distance eye on the kids as they enjoy the playground!

The Parrot Cove Grill & Bar is open from 11:00 am until 10:00 pm seven days a week. For more information about Parrot Cove Grill & Bar, please call 341-3500.



MAY 5TH GRILL & CANTINA - Hilton Head

Great home cooking is a genuine tradition in Mexico. Brothers Fabian and Cuper Vargas grew up with great Mexican fare, learned about the American restaurant business by working at several Island establishments, made sure they knew their family recipes really well, and recently opened their own restaurant near Sea Pines Circle. It truly is, we are told, a little bit of San Luis Potosi right here on Hilton Head.

Patrons at May 5th enjoy an authentic Mexican dining experience. The Vargas brothers have created an ambiance, service style, and menu selection that are very appealing...starting with their complimentary signature tortillas and twin salsas, which are freshly made every day. The crispy fried tortillas are served whole; you break them into chips!

Everything at May 5th is made fresh to order by a true expert on the foods and flavors of San Luis Potosi, Cuper and Fabian's mother! Using only the freshest ingredients, Martha Castro prepares each affordably priced soup, salad and entree with authentic Mexican flair and "a mother's loving care."

Cinco de Mayo (the fifth of May), for which the restaurant is named, is a major holiday in some parts of Mexico. It commemorates the defeat of a better-equipped, larger French army by a relatively untrained local militia. More recently, especially among Mexican nationals in the United States, the holiday is a celebration of Mexican culture, and of food, music, beverages and customs unique to Mexico.

The Vargas family invites their friends and customers to come and celebrate May 5th and many of the good things about Mexico, or just to celebrate in general. Or, even if you are not in the mood to celebrate (what a pity!), visit May 5th to enjoy some genuine Mexican cuisine!

May 5th Grill & Cantina is located in the Sapelo Building, at 21 Office Park Road. Lunch is served from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm, and dinner from 5:00 to 10:00 pm Monday- Saturday. For more information, please call 686-5MAY (5629).



RUAN THAI CUISINE II - Bluffton

It seems like it was just yesterday that Ruan Thai Cuisine opened for business on Hilton Head. Actually, it was more than six months ago. It is a pleasure to report that it has been very well received by both residents and vistiors...so well, in fact, that Ruan Thai Cuisine II opened in Bluffton in August!

Kitchen activities at Hilton Head's Ruan Thai Cuisine are carefully orchestrated by Benruan Suphata (Ruan), a native of Thailand. We are confident that the same high standards will apply to the new Bluffton restaurant because her sister, J "Da" Yakhasem, will be in charge of their Bluffton location's kitchen!

People love Thai food, and for good reason. In its traditional form, it offers a range of preparations and flavors that are quite different from other cuisines. It can be prepared with strong flavors and lots of spice, or can be quite mild but still very flavorful.

Ruan's and Da's cuisine is largely based upon the cuisine of central Thailand. Their sauces are, in a sense, the entree. Once each sauce is created, one can accompany it with various kinds of seafood, chicken, beef, pork, tofu or other ingredients, and create a wonderful result. "It is all a matter of how the ingredients are put together," the staff enthusiastically proclaims.

Both Ruan Thai Cuisine restaurants prepares a broad range of authentic Thai cuisine, ranging from numerous curries to seafood to duck. It is worth noting that portions at Ruan Thai Cuisine are very generous!

If you would like to tailor an item to your personal taste, or would like to request a Thai favorite not on the menu, both Ruan and Da are happy to respond if ingredients are available.

Ruan's Thai Cuisine's kitchens use the "freshest ingredients available." All spices are freshly ground, limes are squeezed in house, and "everything is prepared from scratch." No MSG or food coloring is ever used.

The new Ruan Thai Cuisine II is located in at Belfair Towne Village, off Highway 278, opposite Simmonsville Road. It occupies the thoroughly redecorated, very attractive premises formerly occupied by Pearlz Restaurant. A children's menu, takeout, and dinner reservations are available.

For more information, please call 757-9479 (Bluffton), or 785-8575 (Hilton Head).



CLAUDE & ULI'S SIGNATURE BISTRO AND LOUNGE - Bluffton

Welcome back, Claude and Uli! After a six month sabbatical from the local restaurant scene, Claude and Uli soon will open a new bistro and lounge at Moss Creek Village, in Bluffton.

European-trained Chef Claude and Uli have been pleasing American diners since making the United States their home many years ago. Claude has been in the Hilton Head/Bluffton area for a dozen years, and Uli about twice as long.

Chef Claude, a native of Normandie, France, has cooked in some of the world's best kitchens, including Maxim's in Paris, the Connaught (Chef Saucier) in London, and Ernie's in San Francisco. Culinary school graduate Uli orchestrates matters in the dining room, welcomes guests, and makes them feel very much at home.

Claude and Uli's new restaurant will serve affordably priced American and Continental cuisine. As in the past, Chef Claude will use "only the freshest and highest quality ingredients" to create the great food similar to that for which they have received numerous accolades in the past. They offer in-house preparation of just about everything that is served, including all breads, pastries, appetizers, entrees and desserts. The wine list at Claude & Uli's features wines from the United States and around the world.

The lunch menu at Claude & Uli's will feature soups, salads, fresh seafood, entrees, sandwiches, burgers, and more. The dinner menu will include appetizers, salads, lots of fresh local seafood, beef, veal, lamb, poultry and, to finish off your meal, the homemade desserts that have been so greatly enjoyed in the past.

Claude & Uli's will have an attractive, spacious lounge for patrons wishing an especially casual setting. It will feature a special appetizer menu, or patrons may order from the lunch or dinner menu, as appropriate.

Claude and Uli invite you to join them in their new mainland restaurant. They are looking forward to greeting old friends, and to making many new ones in Bluffton!

Claude & Uli's is located in Moss Creek Village, just over the bridge to Hilton Head, on the extensively redecorated premises formerly occupied by Groupers Grill. Lunch and dinner will be served. Be sure to ask about their multi-course early dining special!

For more information, please refer to the Alphabetical Listing of Restaurants or call 837- 3336.


AQUA - Hilton Head

We always have found it rather remarkable that an Island with approximately twelve miles of beach has so few restaurants where a substantial number of diners can see the ocean. Aqua Grille & Lounge, which opened in April, is only the fourth.

In our opinion, however, it is the overall food and dining experience that make Aqua special. We have known both the owner/general manager and the executive chef from prior affiliations, and are very pleased to report that they have more than lived up to their reputations. Once again, it is a pleasure to see people you know and like start a successful new enterprise!

Actually, we expected the food to be really good (it is) and to enjoy looking at the ocean (we did), but the overall interior design and decorating were a very pleasant surprise. We found the combinations of colors, complemented by huge tanks of interesting fish and lighted waterfalls, to be exceptionally attractive. So much so, in fact, that we really will not care if we sit at an ocean-view table next time we visit.

But the food is what really counts. Aqua serves what they refer to as East Coast/West Coast cuisine. Numerous items reflect an Asian or California influence, while others are inspired by the traditional cuisine of Hilton Head Island and the nearby lowcountry.

Seafood will be prepared many ways, including just about any way a patron may request it (within reason!). Regular preparations range from simply grilled to considerably more involved. Fish and shellfish will be obtained from both the east and west coasts from an unusually large variety of sources. There even will be Hawian Big Eye Tuna flown in for tuna afficiandos (we love tuna)!

There also is a good variety of steaks, ribs, pork, duck, chicken, etc., for those not in the mood for seafood. There also is a large raw bar.

Aqua offers a remarkably extensive selection of wines, over 680 in all! Over 40 are available by the glass. Their wine selection is stored and displayed in a very attractive wine room, which also is a very appealing place to enjoy one's dinner. And wines (at least the ones we are familiar with) are quite reasonably priced.

There is an open kitchen that may be enjoyed by those who like to watch food being prepared. The substantial majority of tables, however, are located pretty much out of sight of kitchen activities.

Dinner is served seven nights a week, from 5:00 until 10:00 pm. A light menu is available in the attractive lounge from 10:00 pm until midnight. A special early dining menu featuring a three course meal for the price of an entree is offered from 5:00 until 5:45.

Aqua is located in the Sea Crest building on the ocean side of South Forest Beach Drive, opposite Coligny Plaza, about 100 yards from Sea Pines Circle. Free valet parking is available for those desiring it.

For more information, please refer to the Alphabetical Listing of Restaurants, or call 341-3331.