16 Best Seafood Restaurants near Kiawah Island

“The The Ocean Room is 5 stars! The food was delicious, I had one of the best filets I've ever had. Food presentation is like artwork. The restaurant interior is beautiful and you can enjoy ocean views while you eat. The staff was the best of the best, everyone we encountered was amazing. Truly a wonderful experience! Don't forget to make reservations and be mindful of the dress attire. We will definitely be back.“

“Awesome Dining Room!! Wonderful food Great Atmosphere!“

“Excellent food, service and decor.“

“had a wonderful lunch there. the sortayed shrimp and salad were so delicious. everything looked and smelled fresh. the people were so kind and friendly. when your on John's island a must to go to .“

“My daughter lives on Folly so every time we visit, we eat at Randall’s…best burger and fries on the island. His hours are the best too…open LATE so it’s the perfect place to stop otw home after a night out. And the Mac and cheese is outta this world!“

“It’s delicious!! Portions are HUGE… service is outstanding!! Best crab legs!! She-Crab soup is fabulous! Can’t go wrong eating here! Great family place!! 5 Stars!!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️“

“Off the beaten path with amazing views and crab cakes!“

“Kids food was reasonably priced and portions were solid. The seafood platter was not great and looked thrown together quickly, but tacos were fantastic. The view and atmosphere were also wonderful. I would probably go back just for that part of the experience.“

“Great food. Great atmosphere. Awesome waitress. 5 stars from me“

“We stopped in since we drove past so many times before. Wow it was just wow it as just wonderful! The key lime pie was home made and melted in your mouth. The shrimp and grits were buttery and creamy and the seasoning was delicious. My visit was fantastic and I will come again to try the crabcakes next“

“Had the best dinner there last night - service was outstanding!“

“I have coined a phrase “I’m Loyal to Royal”. As a foodie, when it comes to quality food, fresh seafood , great ambiance and amazing staff they have no equal! In the past two years my mission was to try every item on the menu. Finally accomplished that feat and Royal Tern is still a 5 star rating. They also have non-menu specials that knock it out of the ballpark“

“View of course is great! The food has always been good and the servers also! My favorite time is when the weather is suitable for rooftop dining with a moderate crowd and live music!“

“Edit: I appreciate the restaurant’s reply to my message and I believe they deserve a four star rating now.

Original: While the food is excellent, I think the service along with the undisclosed credit card surcharge bring this review to three stars.

To start with the good stuff, the food is an easy, five out of five. I highly recommend the coconut sticky rice bowl with tuna as well as the fried oyster po’boy.

The coconut sticky rice bowl is topped with avocado and spicy, mayo, and on the side you get an absolutely delicious, seaweed salad, a refreshing slaw, and a generous amount of your protein (tuna in my case).

The oyster po’boy is also delicious. Giant, juicy fried oysters are generously stuffed in the sandwich on top of a remoulade and slaw on the bottom. The oysters are super crispy and have a really tasty, briny flavor. The roll is also really soft and toasted well with butter.

Also make sure to check out their specials as they can vary from time to time. Sometimes on Tuesdays, they will do 50% off any oyster dishes, which can include the sandwich.

Now, for the things that I believe, if they change, could easily shoot them up to five stars.

First, the service is very inconsistent. My friends and I placed orders right after each other, and our dishes overlapped as the same dishes, however, their order came out over 20 minutes before my order was ready. While we had identical orders, it definitely was not great to have to wait 20 minutes. Obviously we ate the food as it came out so that it didn’t get cold.

The next issue is that you will not realize they are charging you a credit card surcharge. This surcharge is not disclosed anywhere on their website, menu, or even the POS they use. The only time you know you were charged to surcharge for using a credit card is on your receipt. This should definitely be disclosed both on their website as well as on all of their printed menus.

Lastly, it would be nice if their outdoor seating had some space heaters and bug repellants available. The indoor seating at the restaurant is quite small, and so they have a separate area outside with benches.

In the end, definitely come here if you want some incredible seafood, but just know that they are going to be some issues in getting the food.“

“Stopped by here for my daughters birthday. Excellent food and service. Swordfish was phenomenal.“

“I took my family on a daycation today. We stopped in and ate. The food was very delicious. The only problem was one of their workers would not stop staring at us to the point of it being creepy. Not ever going back there again. A family should be able to enjoy their meal without the gaulking.“