The Best Restaurant in Pawleys Island? Chive Blossom Cafe Makes its Case

There is also the very real possibility that none of the aforementioned restaurants is the best in Pawleys Island. 

If your Myrtle Beach golf group enjoys a good meal, take the time to find Chive Blossom Café, which is tucked away on the North Causeway in Pawleys. An understated setting and variety of seating options provide Chive Blossom character that perfectly complement an eclectic menu. 

There is an outdoor courtyard and bar that enjoys cover provided by live oak trees, a picturesque setting to enjoy a lunch or dinner in the fall or spring. The main dining room is quaint and not particularly large, but it does allow seating for large groups and manages to avoid feeling crowded. 

As enjoyable as the setting is, it’s the food you are interested in.

Appetizers/Salads
The appetizer menu – highlighted by the crab nachos – looks outstanding, but do yourself a favor and order the she crab soup, a regional dish that is a popular menu item along South Carolina coast. To put it simply, the she crab soup, a cream based dish with crab sprinkled in, is the Grand Stand’s best. 

People rave about the crab slaw, which includes candied pecans, dried cranberries and citrus vinaigrette, among a variety of ingredients, and the watermelon salad, a delectable dish that features cucumbers, mint, red onion, buttermilk blue cheese, candied pecans and red pepper jelly vinaigrette. 

But if you only order one appetizer or salad, get the Mango Gazpacho. The dish, which includes mangoes, avocado, shrimp, crab and lobster, is big enough for two and will almost certainly ensure your return to Chive Blossom. 

Entrees 
There are no wrong answers, only differing opinions about what is best. The fresh fish options include flounder, snapper and my personal recommendation grouper. A large, perfectly cooked grouper filet is served over warm dill potato salad, lobster, corn and asparagus. It’s even better than it sounds. 

If seafood isn’t your thing, the blackened pork porterhouse sounds good and looked even better, but the 8-ounce filet gets the nod. Served over mashed Yukon gold potatoes, grilled asparagus and topped by a truffled mushroom cream sauce, there isn’t a bite on the plate you won’t enjoy. 

Drink/Dessert
Chive Blossom offers nearly 200 different wines, 30 beers, and a creative list of craft cocktails. Speaking from personal experience, the Joann’s martini and the cucumber rosemary gimlet are cocktails worth a try. 

The dessert menu was appealing as well but there was little room left in the tank by the time it got to the table. I sampled the cheesecake and it was outstanding, as expected. 

Bottom Line: Due to its location, you are unlikely to stumble upon Chive Blossom, but take the time to find it. There is a persuasive argument to be made that Chive Blossom is Pawleys Island’s best restaurant. Expect entrees to cost upward of $30 per plate but the portions are hearty. If your group wants a quality meal, Chive Blossom is more than worth the cost.