Grand Strand Restaurants Review
Spectacular views, excellent food and good fishing at new 2nd Avenue Pier Restaurant
It took a couple of years but the Collins family has transformed the old restaurant at the beach end of the 2nd Avenue Pier in Myrtle Beach into a modern with lots of appeal to not just taste, but all the senses.
The view is the first thing that strikes the customer as he or she either walks up the long ramp from the parking lot, or takes the direct route to the second floor by elevator. Floor to ceiling windows in the main dining room put the ocean seemingly right in the lap of the diner. The third floor, where the bar is located, has even more spectacular views. The smell of the sea outside gives way to enticing aromas of original recipes on the inside, but the sea air also makes its way into the open air bar on the top floor.
Front and center in the view out front is the 2nd Avenue Pier, the one that had to be rebuilt after Hurricane Hugo tore it apart twenty years ago. Looking to the north, one can see most of the way up the new boardwalk and to the south, the traditional beachfront hotels that stretch almost to the horizon.
The day begins at the Pier House when the sun begins to rise over the ocean and the cooks are already in the kitchen turning out breakfast. From May through August breakfast is served beginning at 8 a.m., then lunch from 11:30 until 4 p.m., and then dinner from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. although the Open Air Bar stays open until midnight.
Fishermen are usually out on the pier before the sun rises. There is a tackle shop there with all the kinds of bait needed to catch what’s in the ocean. The restaurant advertises its food at “tackle shop prices,” although it does not tell visitors they have to catch their own meal.
The breakfast menu has all the usual pastries, eggs, omelets, pancakes, biscuits with gravy, bacon and sausage as well as oatmeal or granola for the really serious health minders. Then there is what the menu describes as “The Good Stuff:” Socastee Shrimp & Grits, Tabor City Toast (pan-fried in orange flavor and spread with peanut butter and bananas), and Boardwalk Biscuits and Gravy topped with your choice of eggs.
If you get the idea that the items on the menu all have local community names, you’re right on. There are Chicora Crab Stickers, Brunswick Bacon Wrapped Shrimp, Calabash Crabcakes and Cherry Grove Chicken Rolls among many other luncheon bites. The large salads are called the Hook, Line and Sinker and all the dressings are not only created in house, they’re also available for sale.
Executive chef Andy Yates says one of the best sellers is the Grouper pan fried in crayfish cream. That’s a dinner entrée of course, but he says they also serve a Grouper Rueben sandwich that includes all the usual Rueben ingredients. There’s a scrumptions Seafood Pasta combination and the Strip Steak comes seared in pepper cream. If burgers are your choice, they’re made from 100 percent Angus beef.
Upstairs, in the bar, there’s everything from hot dogs to wings to sliders to crabcakes and onion rings. And, if you go on Wednesday nights during the season, a real skyrocket style fireworks display is launched from the other end of the pier.
PIER HOUSE RESTAURANT / PIER VIEW BAR
110 North Ocean Boulevard
Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
(843) 445-7437 | Menu | View Map
Restaurant Type: Bar/Pub, Casual, Family, Seafood
Meals Served: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Food Type: American, Seafood
Features: Alcohol Served, Child Friendly, Full Menu, Group Discounts, Group Seating, Handicap Accessible, No Smoking Area, Outdoor Dining, Take Out
Avg Cost: Under $10. Location: Central
