TOURIST TRAP. We were seated quickly, now I know why. Great location and atmosphere. The food is a little different from what I expected from all the hype. My 1st time here, but I was not impressed. Don't order the Early Bird Specials. Portions are small for the price. Ordered the shrimp and grits, they were very bland and disappointing. I have heard a lot about this place and how good it is, but it seems like things have changed. I don't recommend this place unless you want to enjoy the view. The margarita and crab soup was good. Service was also good. read more

I was not impressed. The view is the only good thing about this place. The food was terrible. The service was good. The price was a bit high for the quality. read more

My family enjoyed the food. The wait was 1.5 hours when we got there so we knew the food would be good. We loved the hush puppies, blackened Mahi, salmon, & stuffed fish. read more

Terrible experience! The waitress literally came to ask us like 4 times within 5 minutes if we were ready to order, even after we told her it was our first time at the restaurant. Mediocre mixed drinks made with syrupy mix instead of real fruit. Greasy fried foods. The hush puppies are very sweet-- not expecting that. Didn't suit out taste at all. We knew there would be a long wait-- nearly an hour on a weekend night. The best part of the whole experience was sitting out by the marsh listening to live music while we waited for our table. read more

Overpriced and poorly prepared. The house salad was about the same as a waffle house salad, all lettuce. The shrimp and grits were under-cooked and the seem to have taken the creative step of dumping a a can of tomatoes on top to hide the flaws. The sauteed shrimp was overcooked and salty. This was entirely too much money for no to poor quality. read more

The snapper, grouper, scallops and steak were outstanding. Service, deviled crab, and seafood casserole were mediocre. Lots of breading, not much crab and seafood. Meals came out at different times, guess as it was prepared, although I observed the food for other tables came out together when fried. Not a big deal for me but bothered some members at my table. read more

The good reviews and buzzing parking lot caught my attention, the quality food and service brought me in twice during one week. The eponymous Sara J's platter is the hugest steal on the menu. Okay- it is fried, but a slab of fish, pile of shrimp, oysters, and scallops along w/ fries hushpuppies, slaw is what you get for under $20.00. And the portion is GI-NORM-OUS: enough for two .Calamari, and kids meal were other things we tried -pretty good too. Mango pie delish. While on vaykay, eat, drink and be merry . Diet another day. read more

Everything tasted the same. All frozen not fresh. Waitstaff very friendly. Not worth the wait. McDonald's fish filet sandwich better than anything I ate. Messed my order up 3 times. Mahimahi was like eating cardboard. Overpriced for the portion & over cooked. Cousin vomitted 2 hrs later and I was sick the rest of the night. Would never go back. Hate to give a bad review for a local place but it was terrible. read more

If you are looking for good local seafood don't look for it at Sara J. I asked for the fish with crab, the waitress said it was frozen pre-made tilapia. How local is that! I decided to order shrimp and scallops. Small and rubbery. My son-in-law felt safe in ordering peel and eat shrimp. The shrimp was about cocktail size, served pre-peeled, boiled, unseasoned, in a soup bowl. Very disappointing. The place has dated decor , over priced, mediocre food and a long wait. Definitely targeting the Mac Fish crowd. read more

Niceness of restaurant and staff is the only reason I'm able to give this restaurant 2 stars. The waitress and host were very nice and attentive. The food on the other hand was not so good. I thought the shrimp tasted like it was dipped into some kind of cleaning product. They were definitely not fresh. Kind of sad to not have fresh shrimp while on the coast. The steak was ok, but nothing to write home about. The hushpuppies were really good. I think if this restaurant could get some fresh seafood, it would be a huge hit. I really want to like this place, but the food has to get better for that to happen for me. read more

I have eaten at SaraJs many times it's got delicious sea food and sits on the inlet so the views are great lots of sea birds and people crabbing , shrimping and fishing to watch along the water. I always take guests there and we like to sit out on the screened in porch. But be prepared to wait for a table it is always crowded In the summer and closes for the winter months. Wish it offered an early bird menu but maybe they will next season . Prices are in the 20s for seafood.It is a local favorite! You should try it. read more

Great view. Food ? Great calamari , as good as I've ever had. Salad, terrible, sautéed shrimp and scollops, so so , rather have a smaller portion but spend a bit more time on the cooktop. Service was fantastic though, a really great waitress. I'll go back but definently try something different. read more

This place sucks. Do not go here. Food is awful. Service is great though. Plates came out with missing items. That was a good thing because none of it was good. I'm convinced that the shrimp were farm raised in an Asia and the scallops were made from shark meat. Do not go here. read more

Went on a Wednesday Evening. Not crowded. Food was ok. Loved the Hushpuppies given to start. I ordered the Mahi-mahi daily special blackened. I felt it was over cooked. Waitress was great and very responsive. I would go again and try something different. Others in our party were not impressed with the flounder. Shrimp Scampi got a good review. read more

Sara J's was recommended by friends and tried it last night to celebrate a birthday. The dining room was hot so we opted for the porch and with an outside temperature of 70, they had heaters running. The Oyster Rockefeller were the worst I've ever had; oysters on the half shell with Cheez Wiz poured over, horrible. The Seafood Combination platter was crowed onto a salad size oval plate with baked potato and slaw in separate containers. It could have been a nice looking platter arranged on a larger platter with everything on one plate; however, as perfectly cooked as it was, it was cooked in old rancid oil. The smell of the oil got me before the seafood did. The fish, shrimp and oyster were lightly breaded and cooked to perfection. Maybe it was just an off night for the oil. My husband asked for extra butter and the waitress literally tossed it on our table as she rushed off to speak to people she obviously knew, who had just been seated. We are locals and probably will stick to other tried and true restaurants in the future. Maybe we just hit an off night or maybe they depend on tourists for their success. It will not be a repeat experience for us. read more

Great food, I have been going there for many years and have never had a bad meal. Service is good, prices are fair.

By far the best seafood in the Myrtle Beach area. We had the low country boil and shrimp and New York strip and both were absolutely wonderful. How they could POSSIBLY have only 2.5 stars is mind boggling! read more

We love going to Sara J's. Whenever we come to the beach we always make a trip here usually we go twice per trip. Hush puppies are good (not quite as good as they used to be). I always get the combination player and get all shrimp. The best shrimp anywhere. Service is always good. Not cheap but well worth the price for the quality of the food. I don't get the scallops anymore because I refuse to pay the additional price for them. read more

Our first night at Sara J's last night was great. We were seated immediately outside on a table with a fantastic view of the marsh in the ocean beyond it. Our server Lexi was very helpful with her suggestions and prompt service. My wife had catfish and I had the teriyaki scallops and shrimp. Both meals were excellent, and the portions were huge. Both meals are under $20. We Will definitely be back. read more

Someone referred us because we wanted a local feel. We got it. Great friendly service. We brought our grandson. They had a kids menu. I had the low country boil and my wife had broiled shrimp. Both were great. I had a small issue. The boil no longer had clams, but they did give me a few more shrimp. Good humble staff. I recommend them. read more

Food , service , atmosphere and staff were all wonderful. We got there at 7 with no wait for a table. Had the red snapper and it was very good. No complaints. read more

Wow! Service was above excellent. Food was super. Got the blackened catfish. Best I've had in a very long time. Don't think twice about it, just go there. read more

Tourist trap. Frozen seafood. Speed round to turn the tables as fast as possible. Amazing view.

Called ahead for a table of eleven. They don't take reservations, but we were told that it's not busy and seating for eleven will not be a problem. When we arrived we were offered immediate seating indoors, or a porch table would be available in about 15 minutes. We opted to wait for the porch table. 25 minutes later (not 15) we were informed that a party of four moved from their indoor table to our porch table. So sorry. They would have a better table available after a party of nine finished eating, but they had just started their meal. My guess is that the wait would be another hour. These people are idiots and clearly don't know how to run a restaurant. They turned away a part of eleven to accommodate a party of four who stole our table. STUPID, and a really bad way to treat patrons. We left, went to the Inlet Crab House, and had a wonderful meal. Sara J dead to me. read more

Disappointment on taste, quality of prep & quantity of food. Plan on not finding much less than $20/entree. 4/5 at our table had the same feeling, the one who did like theirs ordered steak which tasted very good. Avoid Oyster Rockefeller which was mostly spinach, bacon, cream sauce with literally microscopic oysters. $21 Stuffed shrimp "specialty" was 4 shrimp and side of rice. I think they push the hush puppies to fill diners up. Server was friendly and decor nice but we felt taken advantage of; however, the place had a packed waiting room, go figure, tourists at the beach... I hate chains but red lobster would be better. [Edit: moved my orig review from incorrect restaurant profile] read more

One of the (female) owners of this restaurant was extremely rude last time I went to pick up a take out order. My order was wrong and she was very condescending and didn't want to fix it. I was so disappointed with this encounter as my family and I love eating seafood there when we are in town. Disappointing!!!!!!! read more

We enjoyed supper this afternoon and our waitress Virginia was one of the best. Thank you for your outstanding personality and being so understanding. We will be back read more

Food was underwhelming and not hot. Got the stuffed fish which was a piece of very thin fish on top of stuffing with minimal crab. Not stuffed fish. Hubby got Sarah's special. One big pile of overly fried, cool fish. Seafood chowder was pretty good and hush puppies. Staff was good. Wouldn't go back. read more

I wish I could leave a more positive review. I'm a local and I've never been here when I haven't seen students of mine hostessing or waiting tables. Unfortunately, it's just not that good. It's very over priced, very long wait, and food is unexceptional. Maybe the portions are acceptable for some dishes (like a plate of imported shrimp?), but it feels like filler. I ordered the seafood casserole, which was 90% breading, and it just wasn't worth the $20 it cost. I didn't finish it, got it to go, left it on the table accidentally, and didn't even remember until later when I was hungry again because I didn't eat much at dinner. Again, as a local, I wouldn't eat here. read more

Not great but also not bad. Frozen seafood not fresh. Good portion size and great service.

Stopped in here tonight during an annual vacation. The food was extraordinary and the server was on point. We will come back here this week for sure! read more

Fantastic place to eat. Had appetizers of calamari and raw oysters on the half shell and both were great. For our meal we had Blackened Grouper, Seafood Casserole, Shrimp and Grits along with Shrimp Alfredo which were all excellent. read more

Used to be our favorite place to eat but never again. Ordered the senior meal and it was pitiful. Very small and I mean very small order of clams. The hush puppies were cold and hard. The food was so cold I did not want to eat it. It was horrible. But what can you expect when it is so cold in the restaurant your teeth chatter. To much money to pay for bad food. We will not return. read more

Stopped in tonight - fresh food, great prices, great atmosphere! Beautiful inland water view! Management was delightful and took time from a busy Friday night to stop and entertain the sisterhood from Troy NC! Get the chance - definitely stop in!! read more

It was our first time here this past month, drinks were great and strong! We both have the shrimp stuffed with crab meat and stuffing. But it was mostly stovetop stuffing with little crab me. But the view was great the service was great. But I did have a reaction after dinner that was not pleasant read more

Meh. The service was good. The food was OK. A bit of a disappointment after having several great dinners at other area restaurants. Not worth the money IMHO. read more

My wife and I have eaten here many many times, and the food and service only seems to get better. We eat there when we stay at Myrtle Beach, and on occasion we travel from Fayetteville NC, just to have a nice Saturday or Sunday dinner. read more

We were seated quickly, as many people waited for outside tables. The dining room is very loud when full, which may explain why people were waiting. The hushpuppies they give you are on the sweet side, but still addictive as they were cooked perfectly. The appetizers we ordered were not very great, the shrimp cocktail came out with shrimp in a glass with cocktail sauce in a plastic container. At least put a piece of lettuce in the glass to make it look appetizing and the shrimp were medium size and below. The oysters Rockefeller were bits of oyster in bland sauce with a little spinach. Our entrees were good,but pricey for the portions given. Sara J's is not what it used to be,but still good. read more

Worst dining experience ever! Might have been good in the past, but way below par now! Ordered "fresh" boiled shrimp with baked potato. When our plates were delivered, waiter said no baked potatoes were available. Shrimp was delivered plain, and worst of all, if that was "fresh" boiled shrimp, a plate of baked fish sticks would have been better. They were more like frozen shrimp rather than fresh! Then to bring a plate and notify the customer there are no baked potatoes. Wow! Then when customer asks for some melted butter, and the waiter says there is a 2.00 charge for melted butter which is no where on the menu. How about just melting the butter that I was to get with the no-show potato. Nope, I was charged the additional 2.00 for what appeared to be Wesson Oil in a cup rather than butter. Oh, and the promise of a water refill by the waiter never developed. Worse service, worse food, worse quality of dining and more than we ever experienced. Yes, we paid the bill in full, but will NEVER go to Sara J's again. Sad excuse for Fine Dining!!! read more

First time here but was recommend by place we are staying. We went for a late dinner and were sat right away outside overlooking the marsh. The view was nice and the service good. We had the Sara J's special which was good and nice portion. The.chicken paramasean was good but overpriced at $18.99 for one chicken breast. I would probably come back again but wouldn't be my first choice m read more