City: Myrtle Beach, SC

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (843) 497-9911

Address: 4617 North Kings Hwy.

Description: Carolina Roadhouse is owned by the same folks who manage the equally successful California Dreaming, Frank ManZetti’s, and Joey D’s, to name a few located across the South. But don’t consider this a “chain restaurant.” Carolina Roadhouse displays unusually beautiful architecture and interior design. Soaring ceilings, arched windows, skillfully positioned mirrors, and an abundance of recessed lighting establish a mood that is intimate without a hint of stuffiness. The sweet, spicy scent of cedar abounds, as does a medley of exquisite smells from the wide-open kitchen. The service is outstanding; so is the food. From tender barbecue chicken to melt-in-your-mouth ribs, steaks, and seafood, the portions and variety are impressive. Salads, sporting an incomparable hot bacon and honey-mustard dressing, are enormous and otherworldly. A plain ol’ croissant takes on a new dimension served hot, dripping with warm honey. Seafood gumbo, brimming with okra, shrimp, and crawfish, is anything but ordinary. And leaving without sampling a bowl of baked potato soup would be an absolute injustice. For dessert try the Key lime pie. It tastes “straight from the grove.”Open daily for lunch and dinner (same menu), Carolina Roadhouse is one of the most happening restaurants in Myrtle Beach, so don’t miss out. Dress is casual, and reservations are accepted. Go quickly.