‘People love oysters’: First-of-its-kind oyster bar headed to Myrtle Beach
Dinner and a show takes on a different meaning at a new oyster bar set to open in Myrtle Beach this winter. Clearwater Oyster Bar and Grille will be the first restaurant in the area where oysters are shucked right in front of customers, owner Sam Lauren said.
The opening date hasn’t been set yet, it could be as soon as December or as late as February depending on construction progress and weather, Lauren said.
Offering oysters from different locations and allowing customers to pick the exact fish and seafood they’ll eat is what sets this seafood spot apart from the seemingly countless others in Myrtle Beach, he said.
“Louisiana, North Carolina, we’re going to have a big selection to pick from,” Lauren said.
Why oysters? For Lauren, the answer was simple.
“We’ve been in the South for a long time and we know people ask for oysters,” he said. “People love oysters.”
Customers will get “more of a personalized experience” because they’ll be involved in the selection of the animals before they’re cooked and served, which also means customers are getting the freshest food possible, operations manager John Maloney said.
“Not many people get to meet the cow before they eat it,” he said. “We handle our seafood better than anybody else, clean and fresh.”
Located near the intersection of North Kings Highway and Chestnut Road, the restaurant is backed up against the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, giving customers a view of the water if they sit on the expansive deck or beneath the gazebo in the back of the restaurant. Live entertainment will take place on the deck, and the plan is to add a floating dock outside, Lauren said.
“You sit here, eat your lobster and watch the water,” he said.
The restaurant’s capacity will be several hundred people, Lauren predicts, but he’s unsure of the exact number. One side of the restaurant will be casual, while the other side offers rooms for private parties. Maloney said the restaurant plans to work with nearby hotels to bring in events like receptions and birthday parties.
“There hasn’t been anything new in the area, at least not to this scale, in a really long time,” Maloney said.
Maloney and Lauren are both involved in managing the next-door Soho restaurant, which offers steak, seafood, breakfast and Italian food. Soho opened its Kings Highway location in July, and Maloney said despite opening during the coronavirus pandemic, business has been steady, and they hope Clearwater will follow suit.
This story was originally published November 12, 2020 at 9:30 AM.
