Hit this place twice while on Fripp Island Great local bar with fantastic bartenders and a very nice menu $1 bills everywhere and we added several Will definitely be back! read more

Upon entering you will be seated by a hostess. Fish sandwich (blackened grouper) was the best-5 star. Everyone else ate the food. It was good. Beautiful views. Nice that they support Honor Flights read more

I'm a bit surprised to see the lower overall score, and wonder if either it's because of inconsistency, or people expecting something else? It's a great bar/tavern, and food is not bad at all. I loved the ambience, the friendly bartender Michael, and the to-go food we got was quite good. I mean it's not world class but for what it is, a great little place. I had a couple of drinks and good chat at the bar as I waited; got some soups, fish and chips, shrimp and chips and hushpuppies. All went down well and fast. I'd hang out and have a lunch there any time! read more

Great food, outstanding service, and a relaxing beach atmosphere! The stuffed flounder was absolutely amazing, fresh, flavorful, and cooked perfectly. We'll definitely be back the next time we're in the area! read more

Amber the bartender is honestly...the best! Enjoy her special crafted margs! The hush puppies are Devine. Bring a dollar bill to leave your mark on the visit! read more

Johnson Creek Tavern - Seafood Near Me - Harbor Island, South Carolina

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This place was great! The service was nice! The food was only good! The view was amazing and spectacular! Coming back again in 10 years! Place was made out of money read more

Johnson Creek Tavern - View - Seafood Near Me - Harbor Island, South Carolina

Solid SC seafood. Our go-to for good, casual seafood when visiting Fripp. We look forward to the fried oysters/shrimp every time!

Amber took amazing care of us. We are visiting for my son's graduation from parris island USMC . We came with 10 kids and 9 adults . She served our entire three tables with what seemed like ease for her. Everything came out amazing and the kitchen handled the entire order in a timely fashion. If we lived closer we would be back more often. She even celebrated mine and my nephews birthday and just was so kind. She is an asset to this restaurant for sure. read more

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Always a great meal! Ordered fried flounder sandwich delicious. Thank you to our wonderful waitress Audrey and welcoming hostess. Shout out to great fry cooks! Cheers to a longtime restaurant in the low country ... be nice to them when it turns to crazy summer! read more

We pass by to and from church on Fripp finally decided to stop in for lunch. First - the view is amazing- sitting outside is my favorite. The inside is cool --it has a lot of military memorabilia- cool bar. *Food: I ordered-grilled Mahi with a salad - Mahi was good- tasty seasoned- cooked just right. *service; the man taking care of our table was great- friendly and attentive One of the better sea food restaurants in area read more

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My wife and I have been there a couple of times when we visit Fripp Island. It had always been good in the past but this time not so good. We each had the fish and chips and since our group was there for dinner, we figured we would get the website showed for the dinner menu. It showed 3 pieces of fish, ours only had 2 pieces. It was advertised as beer battered, it was breaded. It was barely warm. The fries were room temperature and tasted stale and most every fry was short like from the bottom of whatever made them room temperature. The cole slaw tasted like fast food slaw. One of the people in our group had shrimp and grits. I have never seen shrimp and grits look like that. The shrimp and gravy ratio to the grits was way overboard. The grits were lumpy and stuck together. The person who ordered them could hardly eat them. The only good part of our experience was our server. She was great! read more

Stopped by for lunch when they were just opening. I had the catch of the day, blackened grouper and fries. Loved it. Service was good and friendly. We're not from the area, so just guessing it might be a party place in the evenings. Casual atmosphere. read more

Johnson Creek Tavern - Blackened Grouper Sandwich - Seafood Near Me - Harbor Island, South Carolina

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Walked in and saw a huge trump sign over the bar. Lost my appetite!! Good luck catering to trump trash!! Heard the quality and service has gone downhill!! So many other great places to eat in the area!! read more

I am writing to describe my experience I had at this restaurant this evening. I am visiting my parents with my daughter who live on Lady's Island from St Louis, MO. While we normally have lunch at Johnson's Creek Tavern this time we had dinner. Our waitress Jennifer F (according to the bill) was extremely rude and snippy to our table. She greeted our table right away and took our drink orders. When she brought our drinks to us my drink was not correct (I ordered a Dirty Shirley no ice). My drink came with extra ice. She told me she didn't hear it, but I know I said it and she acknowledged it (I do not like my drinks watered down with ice as nod to my Eastern European heritage). She had the bartender strain my drink and brought it back. She then took our food order and that was the last we saw of her. We wanted to order another round of drinks but couldn't as she was non-existent. She never came back to check in on us. When she came to drop off the check we made a comment that she never came back to our table. With a very snippy attitude she said, "well I do have other tables." That I get that but to never return to our table once was frustrating. She continued to talk back to us with an attitude. When we were leaving my mother made a comment about our service to another employee. Jennifer told her that was enough to have a good night. I went to the bar to speak with the bartender asking to speak with the manager. It was then when I was informed Jennifer was the front of house manager. Your bartender informed me that I should reach out on Facebook messenger and share my concern. This has unfortunately left a sour taste in our mouth in regard to this restaurant. My parents would go to Johnson's Creek Tavern at least once a month when able (my mother was receiving medical treatment). There are pictures my mother takes when they go there on Veteran's Day as my father is a USMC Vietnam Veteran. I personally, when I come back for our yearly trip to the area don't want to go back. I don't know about my parents. read more

Great spot for a casual dinner! Four of us walked in for a table at dinner and had no problem with being seated right away which was great! We sat in the dining room with a view of the water. Our server was very friendly and stopped by to get our drink order shortly after being seated. We ordered wine, beer, and an Arnold Palmer and all were great. We did not order appetizers and instead went ahead with ordering our meals. The potato skins, buffalo wings, shrimp burger, caesar salad, and gumbo were all delicious! We would definitely come back if we had more time on our trip in the area. read more

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$$$ The worse meal we have ever purchased. We got the broiled grouper. Don't ever order anything so complicated. The fish was half raw. The potato was at least three days old. The worse Cole slaw EVER. Really, this was the best worse meal I have ever had...and No Cornbread. To have worse service would take a lot of work. read more

Our meal was not worth almost $100- 2 blood mary's, 2 dinners that included a piece of fish and two sides. The green beans tasted like canned, fish was pretty tasteless. Businesses that cater to travelers shouldn't put up political posters. Some of us do not think Trump is any sort of hero. read more

This place is definitely a hot spot! Packed during season and holidays so be sure to go early for dinner or there will be a wait. Their burger is AMAZING. The crab stuffed shrimp is to die for and my husband always gets the fried flounder sandwich. Staff is friendly and hustling during the rush. read more

As 50 year visitors to Hilton Head, we take care to be informed concerning the culinary scene. I recommend reviews, and in general recommend Southern Living Imagine my surprise in reading "13 Best Places To Eat In Hilton Head" Southern Living Eat your way across this South Carolina coastal town. By Justine Harrington Updated on October 3, 2023 Always great to read professional reviews???? 13 Places in Hilton Head #13 - Johnston Creek Tavern -- when did this open in Hilton Head? Johnston Creek Tavern is not in Hilton Head... Never was... Yes, Justine Harrington does acknowledge that Johnston Creek Tavern is on Harbor Island ... She is oblivious to the article's title. Apparently Christine cannot find 13 Hilton Head restaurants to review.... For Shame.... Truth to tell only 2 of her restaurants would make our list. Years ago on a drive I lunched at Johnston Creek Tavern (without wife) - Very, very forgettable.... I am being generous by awarding a 3. My dear beautiful wife would think I had lost my mind if I were to take her to Johnston Creek Tavern. Do yourself a favor and read the Yelp Reviews; read other reviews. Christine, why on earth did you include Johnston Creek Tavern? No doubt, Johnston Creek Tavern has a clientele who like this restaurant - they do have several very good reviews. Finally, read the reviews and photos.... I can only hope the editorial board of Southern Living becomes more rigorous. read more

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Foods is excellent! Service is good, down to earth and relatable. Ambiance?! Its a dive! The best kind of dive. Dollar bills on the walls, fun bar atmosphere, the outside seating is fantastic no matter where ya sit! Ya cant go wrong! read more

Great staff, Island food and drink & atmosphere! Beach vibe with sports and great play list!

The service was abysmal. A truly awful experience. We went with a pregnant friend and two children who needed to eat - and had to wait an hour and 45 minutes before we got our food. Not only did we never get any explanation, the servers were all rude and absent for most of the meal. The food itself was decent, so the kitchen staff were at least competent. But we will definitely not be returning due to the awful service read more

Been here several times. Local place with good service and menu selections. Stopped by for a light lunch and got the oysters. While I appreciate just menu offerings, will not be getting the oysters again. $24 a dozen. Not bad tasting, but the texture was VERY mushy and the person shucking, didn't cut the oyster from the shell. I simply destroyed whatever texture there was to a fine mush trying to extract the oyster. Beer was cold-so I'll come back read more

Johnson Creek Tavern - Eating with the locals..... - Seafood Near Me - Harbor Island, South Carolina

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Food was amazing. We almost overlooked this place but decided to give it a try. Got steamed shrimp,fried flounder, shrimp tacos etc. all were fresh, perfectly cooked and delicious. It's on the water/marsh-- atmosphere is low key casual and divey (in a good way). We are only here for 3 more days but we may be back!! read more

I don't know how anyone could leave anything but a 5 star review... Maybe an off night? More probably a customer with unrealistic expectations in cost or something. It has the character a bar and grill should have. I had great service at the bar from Michael and a quintacencial meal... Flounder sandwich and 1/4 lb shrimp. I fear ordering this again someplace else and not getting it as well done. It feels like Wellfleet on Cape during the off season, except it's warm. I can't wait to come back. read more

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Such a great dinner spot! Local vibes, great food, and service was great even though they were busy. We loved the fish + chips and blackened mahi. The bar has a wide selection of drinks and our fried pickle appetizer was excellent. read more

Great food! Good prices! Friendly service. Our food was hot and ready for pickup, right on time.

We received menus that where damaged and dirty. The menu selection was not good. Then I seen a picture on the wall of Trump during his assassination attempt. I got up and left. read more

Nice little "hole in the wall" place with excellent food! Fried shrimp and oysters where excellent, and my wife liked the clam strips. The complimentary cornbread was amazing! I'm not normally a cornbread fan, but this was sweet and dense - tasted like cake! Do yourself a favor and try it. Cost and service was average, but we'll go back for the food. read more

Was recommended by owner of rental property. Obviously a tourist spot. Unfortunately they don't take reservations. Had to wait 40 minutes for overcooked fish - Mahi and Red Snapper -the fish of the day. I can cook better fish than what I was served! Heard customer near us complain to server that his meal had was over cooked. She told him she would inform the Manager but he wasn't going to replace it or refund him. Customer was disgusted. After we heard that, we ate what we could and left. Best service was at the bar prior to being seated. Very friendly bartender who wanted to make sure you were served. Food server was slack. Our tip reflected that. The ambiance is full of Pro-Trump items. Would not recommend. read more

Classic local place with a great atmosphere. Great conversation at the bar with locals and folks on vacation. For those who like to find a local place and have an unexpected great dinner, order the ribeye. It was cooked perfectly and really good. Tony the chef is the man!! read more

We have loved JCT for many years; the food was so great, we ignored the never truly clean floors & walls. It was the ONLY place we went for Fish & chips, always the best! But, we went a couple weeks ago and they don't have their delicious fries anymore! Eh. And after we had ordered (if it had been before, we would've just left), I saw the huge picture of Donald Trump, surrounded by his 3 secret service agents, with the little trickle of blood running down his cheek. I don't find that appetizing nor do I find it appropriate for a business to alienate 50% of their customers! We, very sadly, will not go back. read more

This is a great dive bar with $1 bills stapled everywhere which really adds to the atmosphere. It's a great place to go for drinks and they do have an outdoor area as well. In my opinion, the food was just okay. I did really like the shrimp poppers though read more

Food was great and prices were very reasonable for lunch. We had fried shrimp basket and red snapper. Yummy local place to dine.

It was a packed house, but was able to order to go from the bar. Nice spot if you are out by Harbor Island!

I have been to Johnson Creek Tavern now twice and enjoy going for the view alone! I have had the tacos, wings, two different kinds of shrimp, the hush puppies, and fries. Both times our service was solid. Perhaps my favorite bite were the hush puppy appetizer and the coconut shrimp. The hush puppies are served with a soft butter and the coconut shrimp are served with a delicious sauce for dipping. Both visits were at lunchtime so I need to come back for dinner! As a sidenote, if someone in your family has a shrimp allergy, like mine... note that the shrimp is fried in the same fryer that the hush puppies, wings, and more are fried in. There is nothing wrong with his practice, but I wanted to share the information. In the end, my favorite part of the restaurant is the view. I will continue to try more on the menu and branch out. read more

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My son and I wandered in 20 minutes before closing and planned on getting something quick for takeout, but the hostess was so welcoming, she said come on in. Everyone we talked to seemed genuinely happy we were there, and the fish and chips were delicious. We'll definitely be back! read more

We first visited here a year or two ago and it was delicious. Our two most recent visits have led us to decide to never go here again. First, it's disgustingly dirty here. That is our primary reason for deciding not to ever go back. I'd hate to see the kitchen because the indoor seating area is just filthy. The food is so bad. Our son's burger bun and burger were burned to black and the fries are lackluster and tasted of old grease. The hush puppies appetizer was tasteless and not served with honey butter as the menu said, but with tiny packets of regular, prepackaged butter. The fish and chips included cold fish that wasn't the slightest bit crispy, just soggy. Our server was nice and eating outside keeps you from reeking of seafood, as the entire interior of the restaurant does. We won't ever be back. So disappointing. read more

Sitting here for over 30 minutes, can't get a water because 2 of our party have been delayed. Don't come here if you are meeting friends, they will seat you but not wait on you. read more

Very unwelcoming place. They have an agenda and you best be on their side. We walked out and went down the road to Beedos. Much nicer welcome. read more