Come join us on our next Mustang Dinner Cruise. We had a great time on our last cruise
to Mullins, SC so don't miss this one. We will depart from the Kohl's Department Store Parking lot, just past the Surfside Beach 544 exit on July 17th at 4:15, headed for the big city of Awendaw, SC halfway between Georgetown and Charleston.
The food here is really, really great and the atmosphere is neat too. The restaurant is located
in an old general store built back in the 20's and is still decorated for that time period.
We will try to depart back to the beach around 7 or 7:30 and be home by 9pm.
The Seewee Family Restaurant
Drop in at one of the best roadside diners in South Carolina’s Lowcountry.
Tucked along U.S. 17 about 20 miles northeast of Charleston, the plain building with its clapboard siding and tin roof blends in with the farmhouses and small businesses along a rural section of this busy highway. You might drive right by it if you didn’t know better.
We did on our first pass and had to make a U-turn to go back.
(Tip: Look for all the cars parked in front and on the side.)
But don’t judge the cook by its cover. There’s some great food being served behind those double screened doors, so come on in. In its former life in the 1920s, the building was a general store, and owner Mary Rancourt chose to retain that friendly, folksy feel when she opened the restaurant in 1993. Wood floors creak as you walk to your plastic-clothed table, and big cans of vegetables are stacked up on the original shelving along the walls. Speaking of folksy, the bathrooms are outhouse style, on the outside and to the left of the front door.
(Do you want authentic or not?)
Mary’s son Kurt Penninger runs the place, and his pride in the restaurant’s unique atmosphere is obvious. “We’re just plain, not a chain restaurant,” he says. “But the locals love that. You’ve heard of a mom-and-pop shop. Well, this is a mom-and-son operation.”
You can taste that pride of people and place in just about everything on the menu. Their rich she-crab soup ($4.95 per bowl), filled generously with shredded crabmeat, is simply some of the best we’ve ever had. A basket of hot, crispy, oniony hush puppies comes to the table before anything else. These little egg-size delights are addictive.
Practice moderation, or this could be dinner.
But the biggest hit is their Seewee-style seafood, especially the grouper ($16.95), cooked with Old Bay seasoning, garlic, lemon, and “our special herbs and spices,” Kurt adds cryptically. Entrées come with good old country-style sides, including macaroni and cheese, fried green tomatoes, and fried okra. Desserts, such as pecan pie, pound cake, and caramel cake, benefit from the family touch too. If you’re making the drive from Myrtle Beach to Charleston or need to get away from the city for an evening, you’ll love the food at this little gem of a restaurant.
Seewee Restaurant: 4808 U.S. 17 North, Awendaw, SC 29429; (843) 928-3609. No reservations; major credit cards (except American Express) accepted. Lunch entrées: $4.25-$10. Dinner entrées: $9-$23. Bluegrass music by the local group Common Ground rings out every other Saturday Night.