May River Grill

Tiny place in Bluffton. Getting reservations was no problem, and you definitely need them because the place is packed. The service is outstanding — everyone, from the hostess to the wait staff to the busboys, works together to make sure you have what you need. It takes a little getting used to, as one person asks if you want a drink, a second recites the specials, a third takes your order, a fourth delivers your food. The list of specials is just crazy — one soup, two salads, two appetizers, three fish, three meat, one pasta — all in addition to the regular menu. It’s a bit over the top. I ordered the wrong thing at this type of restaurant, but I read about the dish online and thought it sounded great: eggplant parmesan topped with boursin cheese, shrimp and scallops, over pasta. It just wasn’t good. Covered with mozzarella, the shrimp and scallops were watery, the eggplant was way overbreaded, the pasta overcooked to mush. My baked oyster appetizer was tasty, wish the main course was half as good. Worth a try, but I think a safer bet is to stick to the seafood.

I have been here in the past for My Mother’s Birthday and my parent’s anniversary.
While we have had good experiences in the past, more recent visits have been less satisfactory.
The Venue is tiny and you feel as though you are packed it. They really need to either expand to the space next door or take out some tables but it’s too packed as it is.
Another thing I noticed is while my entrée has always been good, the quality of the sides has slipped.
After this last visit, my mom said she would like to go elsewhere for her Birthday and truthfully there are plenty of better places with more room and consistent quality food.

Fantastic food, fantastic service. They are a little off the beaten track for tourists so only the locals are familiar. Amazing chopped salad, steaks, mussels, walleye, even chicken. You can’t go wrong here.

We had reservations on the busy PGA tour weekend. We were seated very quickly. The server took our drink orders and came back with everything quickly. They had a good selection of specials to complement their already impressive regular menu items. The food was very tasty. Everyone in our party enjoyed their meals. Definitely worth heading off the island.

Constantly excellent! Great fish specials and attentive & professional staff.
The only negative is that is is so popular that even with reservations, you might have to wait… it is well worth it!
Love May River Grill!

This is a GREAT big shout out to General Manager Adam, chef and staff. My mom has been sick and this past Saturday was right between my parents’ birthdays, so I wanted to do something nice in their home. Having been to May River Grill and loved it (and I also know it’s a favorite of theirs,) I thought I’d call and see if they’d be willing to deliver a nicely plated 3 course meal. They did that with aplomb!
Adam spent time with me to plan a menu… She crab soup, Osso buco for him, snapper for her, and chocolate raspberry mousse cake for birthday. It arrived beautifully plated … On China! And made their 80-​something birthdays special.
My only regret? That I couldn’t be there to share with them… And eat that lovely food!
Thank you so much Adam, you guys outdid yourselves, and I’ll make sure to stop by MRG next time we’re down!

This place is absolutely superb! It’s a little hidden gem with a fresh and creative cuisine to choose from. The menu is always changing with new creations. Living in Savannah, this is one of my very favorite restaurants in this entire coastal Georgia and Hilton Head/​Bluffton area. Dessert is an absolutely must also! The staff is wonderful and you always leave with overly pleased tastebuds:)

Excellent place in Bluffton. Small place, but excellent food. We had chicken rollatini, eggplant parmesan, duck and grouper special all were fantastic and everyone enjoyed their meal. Service was great and everyone was attentive. Would recommend this place to try when your in town

Everything was wonderful and will go back. service was wonderful and friendly. The chef/​owner a delight. Had walleye, veal porterhouse, fried green tomato, and mushrooms in puff pastry, each was presented beautifully and the flavors delicious.

This place is a must, they have everything on the menu and it’s all amazing. Service is awesome and the amount of items on the menu is crazy!!!

Wow! Very diverse menu, although we opted for the evenings specials. You won’t be disappointed, service is perfect for the quality of food. Never had to wait for anything, yet not rushed out, perfect timing.
Will return many more times.

Visiting family in savannah we stopped at bluffton for a day trip. We started with the fried tomatoes. those were delicious. I got the eggplant for the entrée. Idk if I just wasn’t used to the way it was made or if it just wasn’t that great. the cheese was not mozzarella. which is what iam used too. i knew that when I ordered it but though it wouldn’t make a difference. the eggplant seemed to be heavily breaded and greasy. there wasn’t too much eggplant either under all the breading. The pasta under everything was very good though! Like I said maybe I just ordered the wrong thing. The service was good. The waitress was friendly.

Well hot damn! This is a hidden gem. An extensive menu and superb service. From their take on she scrab soup to home made ranch dressing„ they take every opportunity to shine! I had a veal porterhouse! Phenomenal. Unique and dynamic desserts. This place is worth the wait. You should make a reservation. I saw some hungry people sadly turned away without one. Also, there is bar seating which is unusual but nice for such a great place!

May river grill was a perfect spot to celebrate our 10 year anniversary! It’s a small place, but serves amazing food!
We have visited hilton head together for 15 years and this was our best meal yet! Exceptional service as well!
We had the wedge salad, fried green tomato salad, flounder with Thai chili sauce, Parmesan crusted walleye, chocolate and raspberry layer cake, and chocolate pecan pie! Everything was unbelievably delicious!
Thank you for a perfect evening!

Had dinner there on June 6 and it was great! Called late for a reservation for 6 and was thrilled when they could accomodate. Started with the escargo app and it was really good. Had the grouper special for dinner and again, wise choice! Nice piece of fish cooked perfectly. Everyone loved their dinner, we had a fantastic server, and ambiance was perfect. I think the only negative was the she crab soup. It was loaded with crab but too much chopped pepper and really just tasted like chicken base and pepper. But– that didn’t over shadow our fantastic dinner one bit! Great place, we’ll be back for sure!

Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover:
What a great find — the Grill’s façade is very unassuming, but you’ll be amazed at what’s inside! A small and cheerfully decorated restaurant, wonderful service (our Moroccan waitress was well versed on the menu and extremely helpful), an extensive menu, wonderful presentation and the best tasting meals we’ve had in a long time. The scallops I had were perfectly prepared, Jim had «the best tasting curry — ever,» Linda had the tortellini with seafood — it would be hard to say which dish we liked the best.
One of the previous reviewers gave May River Grill a 10 out of 10 … I have to agree with that 100%.
Don’t drive by and decide not to stop !

Very nice restaurant with very nice employees. We did not realize we should have made a reservation (duh-​spring break week), and so we were going to have to wait an hour. The hostess was on the ball enough to mention that there was a party of the same size that was already 10 minutes late, and if they did not show up, she would give us their table. She took my number, and 10 minutes later, called me and they had a table for us.
It was pretty busy that night so it took a minute for our waitress to get to us, but she was very nice and personable.
They have a great menu, but they also have a very LONG list of specials so wait to hear about those. There dishes are kind of unique and not your typical seafood restaurant kind of choices. They are– not super crazy exotic-​just unique-​but those that want a straight fried seafood platter – might not be as happy. On the other hand, I think they would fix things for you however you liked them.
Our food was great – We got sauteed calamari – wonderful sauce to dip their bread – yummy! I had shrimp, scallop eggplant parmesean (had enough leftovers for two additional meals – portions are huge). My husband had the shrimp curry which was very good also. My husband got a ‘small’ salad which was enough for him and I to share. They boxed up our leftovers for us which was nice.
Also, we had our three children with us, and they enjoyed their food as well. The chef’s ‘special’ pasta is red and white sauce mixed together, but you can just get red sauce or just white sauce is what you want – my daughter gobbled that up. I asked for sides of veggies for the kids and they liked those too.

Had the scallops and fresh oysters — they were local oysters and were huge and delicious as well as the right temperature for a fresh one. Loved the way they pack this restaurant with locals, and it’s a homey feel inside. The waiter has worked there a long time and all the staff combined for a friendly experience. Delicious food is the bottom line, loved it.

We visit this restaurant several times a year while vacationing. I’ve never seen it anything but packed so they must be doing something right. Their menu is full of fresh seafood and turf options, but don’t make your selection right away… the server has no less than a dozen off the menu specials which always entice me. Service is gracious, albeit a little slow. Parking can be an issue as well. However, we plan on keeping our tradition at May River Grill for many years to come.

In town visiting friends and they wanted to treat us to a great place. 8:00pm reservations at May River Grill.
I’m a tough critic of good food. I’m 320lbs and I’ve traveled the world eating the best foods. I give this place a 10 out of 10.
It’s a quaint place that has you smitten from the beginning. I love how you watch the kitchen while your food is being prepared. The service, drinks, presentation, food, and energy was incredible.
We had the escargot, fried green tomatoes, blah blah. I think we had everything.
Anyway, I’m leaving having had an awesome meal with awesome friends. This was a perfect place.
Hope you enjoy.