The Best Local Lunch Spots on the Grand Strand (No Chains Allowed)
Skip the tourist traps and the chain restaurants. These are the locally owned lunch spots that Grand Strand residents actually eat at — from a $10 soul food plate to a Polish deli that's been feeding locals for decades.
Category: guide | Published: 2026-08-09
The Best Local Lunch Spots on the Grand Strand (No Chains Allowed)
You can eat at Applebee's anywhere. You can't eat at these places anywhere but here.
The Grand Strand has a chain restaurant problem. Drive down Kings Highway and you'll pass the same lineup you'd find in Ohio, Arizona, or anywhere else in America. But tucked behind those familiar signs are some genuinely great locally owned lunch spots that the people who actually live here have been going to for years — sometimes decades. These are the places where the parking lot fills up with local tags, where the staff knows the regulars by name, and where the food is made by people who actually care.
Here's where to eat lunch on the Grand Strand if you want to eat like a local.
River City Cafe — The Burger You'll Talk About for Years
If you ask a Myrtle Beach local where to get a burger, River City Cafe is almost always the first answer. They've been doing this since 1993 and they haven't changed the formula because they don't need to. The burgers are hand-pressed, the buns are fresh, and the toppings are stacked. The onion rings are worth ordering on their own.
There are multiple locations across the Strand — Myrtle Beach, Surfside, North Myrtle Beach — so you're never far from one. Go at lunch on a weekday to avoid the dinner rush. Expect to spend around $12–$15 per person.
Order: The Carolina Burger or the Mushroom Swiss. Add the onion rings.
Address: Multiple locations — 21 S. Kings Hwy (Myrtle Beach), 1000 Highway 17 N (Surfside Beach), and others.
Big Mike's Soul Food — Best $10–$15 Meal on the Strand
Big Mike's Soul Food gets recommended constantly on the Myrtle Beach subreddit, and for good reason. It's the kind of place where you get a full plate of real Southern food — fried chicken, mac and cheese, collard greens, cornbread — for what you'd spend on a fast food combo meal.
The portions are generous, the food is made fresh, and the prices are genuinely reasonable. This is not a tourist spot. It's a neighborhood institution. If you want to eat where the locals eat and spend less than $15, this is your place.
Order: The fried chicken plate with mac and cheese and collard greens. Get the cornbread.
Address: 1401 N. Kings Hwy, Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
Victoria's Country Cookin' — The Hidden Gem That Locals Protect
Victoria's Country Cookin' is one of those places that locals genuinely don't want to get too popular. It's tucked on a non-touristy street in the heart of Myrtle Beach, and unless you know it's there, you'll drive right past it.
The menu changes daily — written on a whiteboard — and features genuine homemade Southern cooking. Fresh catfish, turkey and dressing, baked spaghetti, hibachi chicken with white sauce. The sides are the kind you don't see anywhere else: pineapple salad, corn nuggets, fried squash. Desserts include butterscotch cake and banana split pie.
Breakfast and lunch only. Cash-friendly. Don't dress up — the regulars will wonder what you're up to.
Order: Whatever's on the board that day. The hibachi chicken with white sauce is a local favorite.
Address: 1102 3rd Ave S, Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
Pulaski Deli — Old World Sandwiches, No Frills, All Flavor
Pulaski Deli is one of the most unique lunch spots on the entire Grand Strand. It's a Polish deli — kielbasa, pierogi, golabki, hunter's stew — and it's been drawing a loyal following for years. The sandwiches are loaded, the portions are serious, and the prices are fair.
It's rated 4.7 stars on TripAdvisor and consistently shows up on "best of" lists for Myrtle Beach — not because of marketing, but because the food is genuinely good. If you've never had a kielbasa sandwich on a fresh roll with mustard and sauerkraut, this is the place to try one.
Order: The kielbasa sandwich or the pierogi plate. The hunter's stew (bigos) if they have it.
Address: 2701 N. Kings Hwy, Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
Simply Southern Smokehouse — Real BBQ, Buffet Style
Simply Southern Smokehouse is one block off busy Route 17, and it looks like an old farmhouse surrounded by trees. That's not an accident — the vibe is deliberately old-school, and the food matches it. This is a BBQ buffet done right: fried chicken, smoked pulled pork, fall-off-the-bone ribs, fresh vegetables, and a broad range of sides.
The golden barbecue sauce — a blend of Worcestershire, brown sugar, mustard, and apple cider vinegar — is unique to this place and worth trying. Beverages and dessert are included in the price, which is rare for a Myrtle Beach buffet. Don't leave without the peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream.
Order: Load up the plate. Get the golden BBQ sauce. Finish with peach cobbler.
Address: 1913 Mr. Joe White Ave, Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
Swig & Swine — Serious BBQ for Serious Eaters
Swig & Swine is the kind of BBQ spot that takes its craft seriously. The brisket is smoked low and slow, the ribs have the right amount of pull, and the sides — mac and cheese, baked beans, collard greens — are made in-house. It's a step up in price from the other spots on this list, but it's worth it for a proper BBQ lunch.
If you have a Costco membership, grab a $100 gift card there for $80 before you go — a tip that gets passed around the local community regularly. Lunch here runs $15–$25 per person depending on what you order.
Order: The brisket plate or the rib combo. The mac and cheese is not optional.
Address: 3209 Grissom Pkwy, Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
The Bottom Line
The Grand Strand has more good local food than most people realize — you just have to know where to look. These six spots represent the kind of lunch that locals actually eat: real food, fair prices, and no corporate formula behind the kitchen.
Skip the chain. Eat local. Your wallet and your taste buds will both thank you.
Know a local lunch spot we missed? Send it to us — we're always looking for the next hidden gem.
More Local Guides You'll Want to Bookmark
If you're eating local for lunch, you'll want to do the same for breakfast. Check out our Myrtle Beach Breakfast Pricing Guide — buffets, diners, and hidden gems from under $8 to $16.
For after-lunch drinks, our Hidden Happy Hours guide covers 22 locals-only spots with deals like $1.50 beers and half-off sushi.
And if you're still figuring out where to go, read Skip the Traps — a straight-talk guide to avoiding the tourist restaurant traps on the Strand.
Browse the full Food & Nightlife directory for more locally owned spots across the Grand Strand.