Where are the best hush puppies in the Myrtle Beach, SC area? These are the top rated
The hush puppy is often served as a side dish to a big plate of fried seafood.
Those little golden brown, crispy spheres are a Southern favorite, especially in the Carolinas, usually served with honey butter on the side.
They can be found on the menu at many Myrtle Beach area restaurants – some which serve a complimentary basket of hush puppies in place of the typical bread.
What are hush puppies?
A hush puppy is made from cornmeal batter and dropped into hot oil and fried until golden brown. They are usually small, and often in the shape of balls. The traditional hush puppy is served warm and is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
The Carolinas can proudly claim to be the birthplace of the hush puppy, according to Charleston-based food writer Robert F. Moss.
How did they get their name?
It’s not really known how these tasty treats got their name, but there are several explanations.
One popular story is that Confederate soldiers preparing dinner heard the footsteps of Union soldiers approaching and gave their barking dogs bits of fried cornmeal, commanding them to “hush puppies!” so they wouldn’t be discovered.
Another story is that red horse fish were commonly cooked at fish fries in South Carolina. The “globs” of cornmeal were fried in the same grease as the fish and became known as Red Horse Bread, according to an article in Southern Living. It wasn’t until the 1920s that the term hush puppy was first recorded in Georgia.
And apparently, the most common story of all, according to the Southern Living article, was that fishermen would begin cooking their catch and the dogs would start howling in anticipation. To keep the animals quiet, cooks would fry balls of dough and feed it to the “puppies” in hopes they would hush up.
What are top rated spots for hush puppies?
Are you hungry yet? Here’s where you can find the top 10-rated hush puppies in Myrtle Beach according to Yelp.
- Big Mike’s Soul Food. This restaurant at 504 16th Ave. N. in Myrtle Beach serves up “big plates of southern comfort food as well as southern hospitality,” according to its website. “The hush puppies arrive first with individual containers of honey butter. The hush puppies were amazing,” according to a review. It received a rating of 4.2 out of 983 reviews.
- 1229 Shine. A seafood restaurant located in Market Common at 1229 Shine Ave. in Myrtle Beach. “The hush puppies were delicious with the addition of green onion...,” a review said. It received a 4.3 rating out of 245 reviews.
- Bubba’s Fish Camp and Smokehouse. Located at 1565 21st Ave N. in Myrtle Beach, the restaurant uses its smoker named Sally to smoke in-house its pork, brisket, chicken, sausage and ribs. “I loved the hush puppies accompanied by honey butter,” one reviewer said. It received a 3.8 rating out of 114 reviews.
- Tasty Crabhouse. The restaurant at 740 Oak Forest Lane in Myrtle Beach serves seafood and is known for its seafood boil. But when it comes to its hush puppies, one reviewer said, “...the hush puppies were light and fried to perfection.” It received a 4.2 rating out of 126 reviews.
- Pier 14 Restaurant & Lounge. Customers can dine over the ocean at this restaurant that is located on the pier at 1306 N. Ocean Blvd. in Myrtle Beach. “We ordered blue moons hush puppies, which were corn fritters with honey butter. YUM!!” It received a 3.9 rating out of 952 reviews.
- Bubba’s Fish Shack. Located at 16 S. Ocean Blvd. in Surfside Beach, this restaurant serves coastal cuisine. “The order had 3 huge filets, along with fries and hush puppies. It was all I could do to finish the fish and half my fries and half of the hush puppies,” a review said. It received a 4.0 rating out of 729 reviews.
- Sam’s Southern Eatery. Located in 51 locations in nine Southern states, including at 2635 Highway 701 in Conway, serves Southern cuisine. “Great crab cakes, large portions, and decent prices!” a review said. It received a 4.4 rating out of 41 reviews.
- Cackalacky Fish. A fresh seafood market and grill located at 400 S. Kings Highway in Myrtle Beach. “Hush Puppies were top notch,” said one of the reviews. It has a rating of 4.6 out of 108 reviews.
- Dead Dog Saloon. Sitting along the MarshWalk at 4079 U.S. 17 Business in Murrells Inlet, the restaurant offers seafood, burgers, tacos and complimentary basket of hush puppies. “The hush puppies are to die for - they come with a brown sugar butter to dip them in!” It received a 4.0 rating out of 1,200 reviews.
- Simply Southern Smokehouse. The fix-your-own plate buffet at 1913 Mr. Joe White Ave. in Myrtle Beach offers homemade sides and entrees just “like grandma used to make,” according to its website. “I tried almost everything on the buffet and there wasn’t a single thing I didn’t like,” a reviewer said. It received a 4.5 rating out of 1,200 reviews.
