The Best Mother’s Day Gift

Ask any mom what they want for Mother’s Day and it’s probably that they’d enjoy some time alone. I absolutely love my kid, but being a Stay at Home Mom is the hardest job in the world with no time off. My very loving husband gifted me a solo trip to Myrtle Beach for four days before Mother’s Day, and I jumped at the opportunity to relax and unwind.

While I spent most of my time reading at the beach, I couldn’t pass the chance to find some good food while there, too. I was able to revisit some favorite places of ours, and try out a new place, too. Read below for my review of Myrtle Beach eats!

Chianti South

This is a particular favorite of ours to visit whenever we’re in Myrtle Beach. It became our date night spot, then the place we always go to with family, and at this point, it’s just a “Can’t Miss!” Chianti South offers authentic Italian cuisine the old school way. Located in a little old house next to a very old and large southern live oak tree, this family owned and run restaurant serves up classic dishes and charm.

I started my meal with a glass of Riesling and the Burrata and olives appetizer. While I’m usually not a fan of olives, these compliment the Burrata perfectly. The olive oil and the dash of crushed red peppers are excellent!

Bread and Burrata with Olives

As many times as I’ve come here, I think I’ve only ordered a different dish once - because as soon as I tried this one, I was hooked. The tagliatelle bolognese is my absolute favorite, and the very reason I keep coming back here. The portion is huge (and definitely has enough to share with two, maybe even three people). While there’s plenty of sauce, it’s more meat than tomatoes so it doesn’t feel like too much sauce. The noodles are freshly made and you can definitely taste it. I always end up with enough leftovers for a week, which is why I decided to stop here at the beginning of my trip. (I had two more days worth of food to enjoy for lunches in the condo!)

I’d be remiss not to mention my other favorite dish here: the limoncello cake. This dessert is light, airy, fresh, and seriously ADDICTING. I actually ordered two to go this time around so I could enjoy it on the balcony at the condo more than once. (Word to the wise: if you’re pregnant or sensitive to getting heartburn, I suggest skipping this one. I had a seriously bad case of heartburn at eight months pregnant that I’ll never forget.)

Chianti South never disappoints, and this visit was further proof of that. I’m glad I was able to kick off my week on a very high note!

Boardwalk Billy’s

This is another restaurant that used to be a staple for us in Myrtle Beach. In previous years, the service and quality of food has gone down, so we stopped going as frequently. However, they still have one of the best happy hours around so I decided to give it another try during my time here.

Starting with a Blue Moon beer to drink on the outdoor patio was definitely a good start. I quickly placed my order for a few sushi rolls and they arrived almost immediately. The shrimp tempura roll I ordered was okay, and the spicy shrimp roll was good, however they’re definitely nothing impressive. The salmon and tuna sashimi were not great, but for about a buck a piece, I can’t complain too much.

Shrimp Tempura and Spicy Shrimp Roll

The honorary mention goes to the Crab con Queso dip. While not on the happy hour menu, you can’t pass it up. The queso is always flavorful, and the dip has tons of big lump crab pieces in it. The salty tricolor chips hold up to the heavy dip, and I got an extra order to go to enjoy at the beach!

While the service was great, the food didn’t necessarily stand out much. If it weren’t for the crab dip, I’m positive I wouldn’t be back just based on the food alone. It’s a great happy hour deal for sure, but the food isn’t living up to my previous experiences anymore.

House Margarita and the Chips and Salsa

Margarita’s

Sticking to more of what I know, I made a last minute decision to go to Margarita’s for dinner after an evening of shopping. This is another familiar favorite, and I have a staple dish here, too, that can’t be skipped.

The Molcajete is a giant volcanic rock goblet that comes filled with shrimp, chicken, peppers, and onions all covered with cheese. While it seems big and you can obviously share it, I usually eat nearly the entire thing myself because it’s that good. It is very well seasoned and everything is cooked perfectly, and it comes with a side of rice and beans (which are good but definitely not my favorite). And in case you weren’t sure, it goes very well with an ice cold margarita!

Molcajete

PS - the chips come with two types of salsa: mild and spicy. Mix them together for your own preferred lvel of heat!

Souffle’s

I got up bright and early to head to Souffle’s for breakfast, and their delicious Japanese pancakes. I’ve had trouble getting them in the past because they usually run out of batter shortly after they open, but I wasn’t going to let that happen this time. I arrived just after they opened, with a belly full of anticipation.

Beignets

This is where things started going downhill quickly. I was seated shortly after arriving, and asked about getting a bloody mary to drink. The server let me know they couldn’t serve them until 10:00am, but could offer me a mimosa instead. (I didn’t understand this, but decided to pass on the mimosa.) When the server asked for my order, I excitedly ordered the Japanese pancakes. I was then informed that they also couldn’t make those until 10:00am when the chef who makes them would be in. (For reference, the restaurant opens at 6:00am, I arrived at 7:00am, and they were informing me it would be another three hours until they could offer them. This directly contradicted everything I know about this restaurant, considering I’ve been here several times in the past and definitely before 10:00am every time.) I had to make a quick decision on whether to stay and order something else or leave and go somewhere else. I opted to try their beignets, which the server promised were just as good. I also ordered a side of home fries to go with my meal. When she asked if I’d like to add peppers and onions in them, I agreed.

This ended up being my worst meal while I was here this week. The beignets were overcooked and crunchy, and even though the sauces that came with them were good, the dish was disappointing. The home fries were even worse, though. Essentially a plate of semi-cooked and mostly undercooked potatoes arrived with some red onions and peppers added on the side of the plate. I wasn’t truly upset about the entire meal until my bill was brought out and they had charged me a dollar EACH for the additional peppers and onions. I explained my disappointment to the server, and she very audibly huffed at me as she went to remove the charges from the bill.

Potatoes with peppers and onions

I wish I could go back in time to have chosen somewhere else to eat. After telling Alex my horrible experience, we agreed we were done going here.

Mermaid Water Martini

Snooky’s

On my last night in Myrtle Beach, I decided to try out the restaurant just a few doors down from my condo. A ten minute walk and a brief greeting, and I was seated next to the beach at Snoky’s.

I ordered the Mermaid Water Martini after the server read me the specials of the day, and decided to try one of them out. The special was blackened mahi on a bed of rice with roasted asparagus and it came out in nearly five minutes. The fish was flaky and flavorful, the rice was perfectly cooked, and the mango salsa complimented the dish very well. The asparagus on top was very good, too. I finished the dish and contemplated ordering another one (as I was still hungry and it was honestly that good), but I opted to pay the bill and enjoy dessert back in the room.

Fresh Catch

Overall my time in Myrtle Beach was great! I had very good experiences with service and some delicious food. This trip may have to become an annual thing!