Palmetto’s Smokehouse and Oyster Bar

Food is really good. Great spins on the favors, etc. Went with a large group (15) and the food came out very slowly… Took 90 minutes total for everyone to get their order from start to finish. So, if you have a large group, I would recommend that they can get you served in a timely manner … Grilled oysters are on time … And the low country boil is some of the best I’ve had.
So, I’m giving them the benefit of the doubt on the serving time. Someone could have called in sick or something and they were short handed.
Food is definitely worth a try if you are in the area.

My wife and I were in Clemson for Memorial Day weekend, and had a burger, fried green tomatoes and an oyster shooter. The food was excellent, and the staff was engaging and fun. We had a wonderful time.

I’ve been to PSHOB about 4 – 5 times now and I think I’ve made up my mind about the place. Certain main dishes are very tasty. Soft shell crabs, fried shrimp, oysters are all pretty good. Side dishes on the other hand are nothing special, okra lacks flavor, Mac and cheese is not impressive. The one trend I have noticed is below average service. Several times, orders have been screwed up, drinks are incorrect, staff seems grumpy, etc. I really want to like this place as there are some good things to order and there are not any other seafood options in town. Perhaps I’ve given them too many chances though…

Went here yesterday, during Spring Break. Restaurant was ½ full, 2 servers handling the patrons well. Our food was great, the atmosphere very «college town.» Our server Mandy was AMAZING!!! After taking our order for a dozen raw oysters, she disappeared for a bit, making us concerned that the other reviews about sluggish service might be true… HOWEVER, when she returned to our table with the (amazingly large) oysters, she apologized for the wait, saying she had to shuck the oysters herself! That made us feel much better! Service the rest of the meal was spot on. My shrimp and grits were great, firm grits (other places sometimes serve watery ones), good size shrimp. The shrimp PoBoy was also very good, as were the grilled chicken tenders (moist and flavorful). Mandy went well beyond the call of duty for us throughout our time there. To the owners — whatever you’re paying her, it’s not enough! She’s a GEM of a server! We’ll definitely be back for the food, and we’ll definitely be asking for Mandy again!

I’m a bit torn about this restaurant. Wandered in as a group of four just after 7:30 on a Saturday night and it was empty. Someone immediately asked us how many and said she’d be back in a minute to seat us. A couple of minutes passed before an entirely different person approached us to ask if we’d been helped. We said someone had asked us about our party but that she never came back. I guess at least this second woman seated us right away? :-/
Service was very timely until we actually had all of our food, then we had to call our server over for things like water refills and our checks.
As for the food, it was good but nothing overly amazing. The Fried Mac & Cheese balls are comically large and really difficult to eat… not really sure what they were going for, there. I mean, they were tasty, but nothing amazing, and the ranch dressing/​dipping sauce was far too watery.
For entrees my friend had the crawfish boil and loved it (though to be fair, he may not be the best judge because he’d never had crawfish before, though he described the crawfish at PSHOB as tasting like lobster, and we’ve had a lot of that over the years, being from New England).
I had the PSHOB BLT with fried okra on the side. The sandwich was delicious (though in my opinion Tupelo Honey in downtown Greenville [SC, of course] has a very similar and much better version of the PSHOB BLT)…unfortunately, the fried okra was just so-​so. It was lukewarm at best and I don’t think that helped the slightly overcooked feel and bland taste it had.
All in all, we were in and out in just over an hour, and the experience wasn’t outright bad, it just wasn’t anything notable. I’m not sure I’d return if I found myself in Clemson again.

My husband and I have visited twice for brunch, and both times were very good. We actually had the same waitress each time and (I am embarrassed that I don’t know her name) she took great care of us. We never waited too long for any portion of our meal, and our water glasses stayed full. If you find yourself there for brunch, be sure to order some beignets, because they are just scrumptious. Then do yourself a favor and ask for another order. They come out hot with jam on the side. Trust me, you want that jam on there too. You know what, order some to go, too. And order a bacon bloody mary. Sure, you can get bottomless mimosas. That sounds like a good idea once a year, maybe. But the bacon bloody mary is what my dear little heart desires. The mix is possibly the best I’ve ever had, surely made in house (though I cannot confirm this).
I must admit that there were some inconsistencies between our first visit, which was exceptional, and our second visit, which was just good. I ordered the chicken and waffles the first time, on a Saturday. It was great. The egg was cooked perfectly, the chicken was crispy despite dripping in sausage gravy, and there was ample sausage gravy without being too much. (Oh yeah, this was definitely a heart attack on a plate. But worth every calorie, my friends.) My husband got the Big N Nasty Chicken Biscuit w/​Grits, and it was well composed also. The second visit, on a Sunday, didn’t quite live up to our first experience. My chicken and waffles only had a drizzle of sausage gravy, which was an element that I felt brought it all together the previous experience. My husband ordered the Salted Caramel Apple Waffles and while he thought it was very tasty, he said he would have liked to have seen an actual drizzle of salted caramel over the plate. Don’t get me wrong, the food was still really good, and the service was excellent. It just wasn’t quite the same as our first visit. But listen, you’re going to get great food here. I’m embarrassed that I haven’t tried the food they’re known for — oysters and BBQ. But not to worry, I’ll be back.

Boyfriend got the pulled pork plate, everything was good. I got the soft shell crab but I didn’t know it was going to be fried, which ruined it for me. We both got the grits and they were really good. Service was ok, we got our food fast but it’s the Christmas holidays for students so no one really in town. I would probably give it another try, everything we had was good I just felt mine being fried it had almost no meat at all. I think I’ll try the shrimp and grits next time and ask for light spices.

I’m a little shaky about this place. First of all it took them 5 minutes to recognize us at the door waiting to be seated. When the hostess finally sat us and took our drink order our drinks came in red Solo cups (what in the world)! Next, they would not honor a direct coupon from them for a promotional appetizer that offered fried green tomatoes (then don’t offer it if your establishment isn’t going to honor it). Our server was overworked and had two big parties (7+) in addition to our table and was running around like Henny Penny. It took her seven mini orders to get our full order in. We ordered a dozen oysters and she brought us 6! There were NO napkins on the table (we had to go and search and find napkins for our table). Did I mention our beverages came in Solo Cups? The food was tasty (had Drago style steamed oysters, buffalo fried shrimp and oysters, and collard greens) but will NEVER eat here again due to poor service and lack of frills!

Horrible service. Waited 40 minutes for a dozen oysters and finally paid for our beer and left. Waitress said can’t you see we are busy when asked why the wait. Rude.

I stopped in here after touring Clemson University with my daughter and had a great experience. Super friendly service. Ice cold draft beers and most importantly great oysters. Thank you for treating an out of town guest so well.

Great brisket sandwich, great Brunswick stew, great beer. I’ll be back. Owner was our waiter who was a great guy and gave us the best service. Very good draft beer menu. Small rustic spot right in the center of the college area.

One of the best restaurants in Clemson. Great raw oysters shucked right in front of you. Grilled oysters are the best and can’t get them hardly anywhere else. Try the pimento cheese dip. Awesome. Great BBQ too. I’d highly recommend it.

Excellent friendly service! I don’t have much to compare with for «southern BBQ» living New England, but I enjoyed the BBQ pulled chicken, greens & grits. Pretty decent beer selection too.

I have had a great time at this restaurant/​bar each time I’ve visited. Today, I ordered the deviled crabs after sheepishly asking the waitress what those are (for those of you who also don’t know, they are crab cakes that stay in the original crab shell). They were incredibly good! The sweet potato fries and collard greens as a side were phenomenal.
The beer was ice cold and I strongly recommend the Palmetto Amber Ale to anyone who hasn’t tried it before. The only downfall to my experience was that the music selection was a little bit too heavy on the disco era, but beyond that I had a wonderful visit to PSHOB! Will be back again.

Ok place located right across the street from Clemson university. Went in looking for ribs but was told they had just ran out for the evening (at 4:30 pm). Ordered the jambalaya instead and was not pleased at all. Very bland taste with no Cajun flavor at all, this really shocked me because restaurants in the south tent to over season their food. On the plus side of things there were able to put together a to go order for us to take back to the airport. We ordered the bbq ¼ chicken which turned out to be ½ chickens instead.

Excellent rib eye, oysters and ribs. Owner was very friendly and brought us down some fried oysters to sample. Cool atmosphere. Recommend.

Absolutely love! Free boiled peanuts after 4 pm and the best grits I have ever put in my mouth. The barbecue is also excellent. Any of your favorites from around South Carolina are here and delicious.
To the other reviewer:
— don’t hate on Clemson
— they have t-​shirts for sale
— go earlier if you want peanuts

Service was very ok… food was over cooked and fried everything… if you are looking for a light seafood meal this is not the place. Atmosphere very much like a cafeteria and small. Very close quarters. Much more casual than advertised.

Palmetto’s opening was a relief from the lack of dining options in Clemson during my 4 years as a student. I probably have eaten here close to a dozen times now and always make a point to go to when visiting.
Parking here is basically non existent. Unless you are a student or very familiar with Clemson… good luck. Try Looking for spots behind Judge Keller’s, as long as it’s after 7pm or along College street.
These ratings simply do not give it justice, Palmetto’s has fantastic southern food, if you know what to order. Disclaimer: I have not eaten the oysters.
The southern BLT is one of my favorite sandwiches and Palmetto’s does it right. The aioli sauce they smother on it is to die for.
Shrimp & grits are good. I prefer chunkier sauces than the creamy texture of these but, hey it’s the only place in Clemson you can order shrimp and grits.
The Brunswick Stew is the wife of the owner’s homemade recipe and is always delicious. I have only had Brunswick stew a few other times but Palmetto’s has been by far my favorite. Tip: get the Brunswick stew as your side, you get a decent portion and the main dish isn’t big enough for what you pay.
The barbecue is delicious, not quite the best I’ve had but comes in heaping portions!
Big Nasty Biscuit dish is exactly what it sounds like and is a great Sunday brunch treat.
In the end, Palmetto’s may not be a five star restaurant but it is a perfect addition to the dull Clemson culinary scene and certainly has been embraced by the Clemson community.
Go Tigers!

I wanted to like this place so badly when I went to lunch with my family who were in town for a weekend. Unfortunately, I was severely disappointed. Not only were the fire grilled oysters outrageously overpriced for the quantity I received (6 for $ 7.99 I believe), but they were coated in a nice layer of gritty substance. When I say coated, I mean coated. I’m not sure if this was sand or what, but to say they were less than enjoyable would be an understatement. Needless to say, I won’t be returning when there are so many other great dining options in Clemson. It’s a shame because I really do enjoy some good old oysters, but not ones covered in sand and excessively overpriced.