Bowen’s Island

Bowen’s is a local’s southern seafood place — not a chain, not polished, not button-​downed. Nitpickers might say that the lines are frequently long, seating can be limited at times, and the staff’s personalities do not have the typical corporate façade. The food is fresh, hot, and reasonably priced, they have a good selection of beer, and the views on the deck are fabulous.

Loved the steamed oysters sitting at the bar. Seafood platter had nice whiting and good boiled shrimp. Hush puppies and Cole slaw were ordinary, however. Would recommend if you like good seafood in a dive.

Eric the manager/​bartender is the reason for the two stars. He’s a A grade #1 asshole. We waited for almost 2 hrs to get our order taken. It was SEWE and we knew it was going to be busy. While we were waiting in the very, very slow freezing cold line, I went to the bar to get a couple of drinks. Running into Eric was painful. He was rude, arrogant, sarcastic, and very disrespectful. Turns out he’s also the manager, too. After ignoring me for 15 minutes, told me that if I didn’t watch myself, I might not get any service at all. By the way he said this to me in front of other patrons who thought it was pretty funny. Turns out Eric has an audience. But if you’ve seen the audience or usuals I’m referring to, you probably know it’s their mentality I question. So much for taking my complaint to someone who would care. During our visit, I heard him berate other staff members, this must be the new Bowen’s Island charm? We ordered steamed local oysters and the fried seafood platter. My kids split the seafood platter, my son having the fried fish and crabcake and my daughter having the fried shrimp. The oysters were good, but could of been cleaned better. They were pretty muddy. The seafood platter seemed okay, except at 2 am when my son was up with severe food posioning. We all ate the oysters, and my husband and I had a couple of fries and fried shrimp with my daughter. Only our son had the fish and crabcake. Ate it so fast, we were wondering if he really tasted it in the first place, I’m sure it was no good coming back up.
So Eric was horrible, food posioning not good either. :((

Bowen’s gets five stars, not because they’re a swanky place to enjoy a culinary masterpiece, but because they’re the best at what they do – oysters.
Forget the strip on Folly, if you want fresh seafood with an amazing sunset view, head to Bowens! Sure, you’re eating on concrete, and you’ll likely wait in line for a half hour on a weekend, but that’s part of the experience. When the sun begins to set over the water, and you’re sipping a cold beer shucking oysters as you watch the dolphins play, you’ll know why you chose this place.
The oysters are fresh, the fried seafood is delicious, the draft beer is local, and the service is friendly.

Screened-​in, crazy good seafood. out on a dirt road. thru a residential community. at the end a giant 2 story shack on the water. with awesome list of cold beers, fresh shrimp and oysters. raw, baked, fried. whatever your heart desires. The sunsets are amazing.

If you like oysters, eating at Bowen’s Island is a must. Before Bowen’s, I had eaten raw, roasted and broiled oysters many times, and I was especially fond of the briny local oysters served raw in Charleston. At Bowen’s you get steamed oysters, served in clusters for you to shuck yourself. I recommend going downstairs for the all-​you-​can eat oysters, where clusters are shoveled (literally — they use a large snow shovel to bring your oysters to you) onto your table. You then pick up your rag and oyster knife and dig in. They are salty, come right out of the shell when shucked, and generally are some of the best oysters I have ever had.

This was one of the best places I have ever eaten! My husband and I took my mom there and we were all blown away by the food, service and great prices!!! The oysters tasted amazing, the batter was so light and fluffy, the shrimp were so sweet! I haven’t had peel and eats so good since I’ve been to key west. It’s fun and the place has writing on the wall! Great place for fun and great food

Amazing spot! True southern charm, with great service and excellent food! Bring a jacket if you go in the winter!

Took my out-​of-​town family here after the suggestion of MANY local friends. I was looking for something off the beaten path in terms of fresh, local seafood– and this did NOT disappoint!
Down a gravel road lives the best local spot I’ve been to. We arrived before they opened and there was already a line– great indicator that you’re where you want to be. This place serves up two options– fried or steamed. Tip: make sure you spend your time in line deciding what you want. Worst thing to do is getting to the register and then debating how you want your seafood.
Our group went with this Big ‘Ol Seafood platters and Fish and Shrimp platter, all fried, naturally. These were loaded with massive pieces of fresh fish (whitting, I believe… I’m not a fish expert), TONS of fresh shrimp, what can only be described as the best crab cake I’ve ever had, with loads of fries and hushpuppies.
The only disappointment was that there weren’t any oysters (and this is due to the flooding, not the fault of Bowen’s– and isn’t skewing my rating at all) and the coleslaw was a little dry. Other than that, this was a magical treasure that I can’t wait to return to when the all-​clear for oysters comes!

I’m hesitant to write a review for Bowen’s Island as I’m not sure how much I’d like to publicize Charleston’s best kept secret. Bowen’s island is the seafood place that locals go to.
Don’t let the long bumpy road to the no-​frills seafood shack fool you, for it is here you will get heaping portions of some of the best seafood Charleston has to offer. Come early as this place fills up quick.
Like I said, the Bowen’s experience is no frills. Find yourself a table, wait in line to order with the cashier, and they will call your name when your table’s food is ready. The menu is simple, but you can bet your britches everything on it is delicious– and served on a paper plate.
I recommend the Frogmore Stew, which comes with more peel n’ eat shrimp than you can count, sausage, potatoes and an entire ear or corn. The hush puppies make a nice side to this item and are good to share.
Other than the food, the view from the deck of Bowen’s Island is worth the 4 stars itself. One of the best views you will have while out for dinner in Charleston, watching the sun go down over the water, enjoying fresh seafood with good people.

Visited Bowen’s Island during a recent trip to Charleston. At the end of a meandering road, BI is near King’s Flat Creek. First impression — a really big ol’ seafood shack. Wanted to try a little bit of everything, so I got the Frogmore stew (potato, sausage, shrimp, and corn). Also shared some fried oysters with my work partner. Had a beer while we were waiting for the food. Picked a spot outside on the patio near the rail. Beautiful sunset, cool creek breeze, having a beer, and salivating with all the cooking smells coming from the kitchen. The food soon arrived, and it was what was needed. All what was needed is some raw clams or oysters (don’t remember seeing them on the menu this time). It still hit the spot, though! Very enjoyable. A little pricey, but reasonable considering the amount of food. Will repeat if I’m back in the Charleston area and definitely recommend!

My fiancé and I were here for a friend’s wedding reception in May, which took place in the Bowen’s Island Restaurant boathouse. Although it was a blistering hot and humid day, because the «boathouse» was open at either end, there was a good breeze, but folks were still quite hot at times. The event space was adequate for the amount of people who attended. There had to be at least 40 – 50 guests there. The Lowcountry boil was served «buffet style» which was perfect for the crowd and it was tasty.
The best thing about this venue is definitely how picturesque it is, being right on the water (river). As far as the eye can see, there are marsh views, which makes for great photo ops.
The worst thing was the bathrooms, which were like little outhouses that really could use updating. There were also people who showed up (not with the party) who walked out onto the dock and started fishing! Weird and random. Overall, it was a good time!

We were told by several locals to go try Bowens Island. We turn on a dirt road and drive down a beautiful road to a shack. A parking lot full of cars, we headed up several wooden ramp up to the restaurant. You wait in a long line to order and head to find a seat. Lots of indoor seating. If you are lucky you can find seating outside. It’s absolutely beautiful. Our food was good but not the best we had. The oysters were great but the peel and eat shrimp and fried shrimp were just okay.

I love the laid back feel of this place. Just got some key lime pie and sat on the porch… Good times.

Bowen’s Island is an experience that should be tried. I find many saying they either love it or hate it — very few in the middle. I’m in the middle. The food is ok, but the setting is great. Go before 630 and seating should be easier. Outside is better than in. Split the big OL platter with someone — it’s enough for 2. Whiting is the only fish, so don’t set your hopes high. Go in with an open mind enjoy the view the people, order a cold beer or cocktail and you’ll leave happy. If your looking for higher end seafood with a view, try the boat house at breach inlet. I’ll be back to try the Frogmore stew — this place has character.

Great, open atmosphere on the water. Despite that, there can be a problem with flies at your table. Great food.
Ordered the «big ol seafood» for $ 21, comes with two big white fish, two crab cakes, fried shrimp, fries, hush puppies, Cole slaw. More than enough to share between two people. Most everything here is fried seafood with only the shrimp having the option for boiled. Only non-​seafood is chicken tenders.
Great little find tucked in a corner of folly beach.

So maybe we missed the fresh oysters?
Went one night to watch the sunset, and the setting was gorgeous. Out on the upper porch, looking at the docks, saw dolphins and watched crab boats travel up and down the river.
Ordered a seafood platter, and what came out was… edible? I guess? The hush puppies were good, as were the boiled shrimp. The fish was covered in thick batter and tasteless. The Fries were soggy. The crab cakes were dry and tasteless. Everything could have used a squeeze or three of lemon, maybe some pepper, something mask the flavor of fry batter.
I guess go for the view, but, really, you can do your arteries a favor and eat somewhere worth it.

One of the only spots in Charleston with waterfront dining, Bowen’s Island is a must for visitors and locals alike to experience, at least once. Their Fried Seafood platters are massive, piled high on paper plates with fish, shrimp and crab cakes. If you order the steamed oysters, you are sent down to the basement of the place, where a guy cooks them right on the spot and scoops a shovel-​full directly onto your plastic platter. Talk about fresh. A cold beer, platter of oysters and view of the water makes for the perfect day in my world. It doesn’t get more Lowcountry than Bowen’s Island folks.

We can’t come to Folly Beach without taking the whole gang to Bowen’s Island. Fresh seafood with a great view. You’re not going to get any frills here, but who needs them? When you get there, you’ll probably have to wait in a long line unless it’s the off season. You order at the counter and have a seat to wait for your meal.
My husband and I always split the Big Ol’ Seafood Platter and it’s so much food you can barely move afterwards. If they’re in season, you can get all you can eat steamed oysters. You just go downstairs and fill up an old lunch tray with freshly steamed oysters as many times as your heart desires, and as long as your hands can shuck.
The bar has really stepped up their game recently, with locally made liquor, syrups and sodas as well as local beer.
Also, just a side note. If you do go in the chillier «off“season, they have giant heaters that keep you quite warm.

Probably the most fun I’ve had at a restaurant in a long time that had to do directly with the food!
As other Unilocal’ers have mentioned, this is definitely a seafood «shack» perched on stilts above a river leading to the Atlantic and the drive there is down coastal dirt roads and wooded areas. I also wondered if the residents of the (some palatial) homes in the «block» before the restaurant ever get annoyed by all the car traffic and tourists constantly kicking up dirt right in your supposedly off-​the-​beaten-​track front road.
While doing research for a girls foodie trip to Charleston, this came up in my friend’s radar as a «famed seafood dive». It was one step above that, but if you are looking for fancy then you’ve come to the wrong place. Counter-​order, grab your own (you name it… drinks other than alcohol, condiments, napkins, straws, lemons, etc. etc), «seat and bus yourself» and paper plates all add to the shack atmosphere. I loved the ambiance, it felt very working-​class fisherman with the old, peeling, wooden building and lack of decoration or frills. One cool part of the décor was all the diner messages written on every possible open wall spot. We added our own message in a memorable spot in the hopes that we’ll return one day and reminisce!
Reading between the lines of the advice of reviewers, we showed up early (½ hr after opening) at 5:30pm on the first Friday in Feb. Due to the early hour, as well as the colder than normal weather, long wait times and table space were not an issue for us. We sat and then ordered immediately.
Food-​wise, our party of 4 ordered hushpuppies, fried oysters, and a ½ tray of the «fresh, local, steamed» oysters. Normally, I would say this would be enough for one hungry or two not-​so-​hungry people, but since we were on a foodie crawl and coming from BBQ at Home Team and a later dinner at Fat Hen, this was the perfect amount for the four of us.
The hushpuppies and fried oysters were both good, but the star were those oysters! From the moment I ordered, was handed a ticket, a bucket and 4 cloth towels and shucking knives, and told to go downstairs to collect my oysters I knew I was in for something special :) Downstairs in the steam room, the salty middle-​aged guy in the fishing gear was firing up the coals and shoveling my steamed clams into my bucket. Totally memorable of place and time! The oyster shucking provided plenty of frustration, accomplishment, and entertainment over the course of the next ½ hour or so and was a really awesome memory for us!
And I’ll never forget that amazing sunset over the river with the palmetto tree in the foreground. As one of my sister’s Instagram friends commented, «Like the cover of a Nicholas Sparks novel». LOL!