Restaurant Review:
River City Cafe

By Shane Sharp,
Contributing Writer

MURRELLS INLET, SC -- Be gone all-you-can-eat pit stops. Good riddance snooty upscale restaurants. Hello, peanut shells on the floor, cold long neck beers in the cooler, and hot, juicy burgers cooking up on the griddle.

Greetings and salutations River City Cafe. "River City", as locals refer it, is the kind of straight up, license plates hanging on the wall, patrons in jeans and shorts kind of joint that harkens when pretense and usher em' in and out seafood buffets have got you down.

Fortunately for golfers, and for all of us, there are three River City Cafes in the Grand Strand - one in the Inlet, the original venue in Myrtle Beach, and the newest location in North Myrtle Beach just a sand wedge away from the surf. And that is as close to being a chain restaurant as this burger joint will come.

All locations feature rustic little buildings with outdoor seating, and not only allow, but insist that you throw the shells from your complementary peanuts all over the floor. Chances are, whichever River City you are dinning at, you are there for the burgers.

The lineup of juicy sirloin burgs ranges from traditional lettuce and tomato editions to chile and blacked burgers. If you are not in the mood for a prescribed set of ingredients, River City Cafe is one of the few places that let's you build you own burger with such tasty toppings as bacon, grilled onions, mushrooms and hot peppers.

If red meat is not your thing (although no one keeps it red anymore), River City has more than it's fair share of chicken sandwiches as well as a grouper sandwich that can go toe to toe with almost any seafood joint. Sides dishes are as basic as the venues and center on skin-on French fries and coleslaw.

A new addition to the River City repertoire is the Pita Sandwich stuffed with Tuna or chicken salad - quite neuvo for this throwback, roadside beer and burger joint.

One of the true rites of passage among locals in the South Strand is to stop in for a lunchtime burger at the Murrells Inlet location during the winter months, and sit by the cozy fireplace while sipping on a cold long neck.

Oh, and as far as all-you-can-eat, don't worry about it. If you build your own burger, toss in a side of fries and a few baskets of peanuts and you are still hungry, you've got issues!

River City Cafe
Hwy 17 Murrells Inlet - 843-651-1004
404 21st Avenue North - 843-448-1990
208 73rd Avenue North - 843-449-8877

Prices: $5-$10
Atmosphere: ****
Food: ****
Service: ***
Value: ****

Rating System
* - Put your dog under the table
** - Drink a lot, and it will be great
*** - Solid birdie effort
**** - Qualifies for the Tour
***** - Could easily win a major