Hudson’s Seafood House On the Docks

This restaurant doesn’t look that fancy and the wait for a table is very long, but it’s worth it because the seafood we got was very delicious. They also have very good hush puppies that they refill for your table if you want more. We chose to eat inside because the wait was shorter than for an outdoor table, but they have large glass windows so you still have a nice view of the docks even if you eat inside. Our server was very friendly and attentive.

Beautiful location… if you’re outside. Service was great but food was overly salted and lacked flavor. Came for fresh seafood but not satisfied. With the number of positive reviews, perhaps it was an off-​night, but not sure I’d take the risk!

5 star for view & band, 4 star for food. My hubby had the crab soup which was creamy but not much of a crab flavor but his salad with fried oysters was superb; my coconut shrimp was heavy on deep fried batter light on shrimp and coconut flavor but my fish & baked potato were excellent. We will be back! Our server was delightful as were the others. All in all a wonderful experience and for sure we will be back. Also we will wait to eat outside as we ate in the restaurant this time. The sunset was amazing.

Great location and view; average food and VERY pricey! Hush puppies were great but «catch of the day» was way over cooked and dry.

***** Updated review as my first review was removed as it «fell outside Content Guidelines».
My family of four went to Hudson’s on June 17^th about 6pm for dinner. We had read a number of the reviews and the location was great.
We were seated in no time at all but there was a ton of people — but most were sitting outside. We wanted to sit inside.
My daughter and I both had different grouper dishes — both were good. My son had stuffed shrimp which he liked. My wife had the Neptune Platter. The Mud Pie was a great ending.
Our server and other helpers were great — attentive but not overbearing.
The food was ok to good. Nothing great but very EXPENSIVE for what we got. Four entrees, a glass of wine, a draft beer and two teas along with the Mud Pie & tip was in the $ 175 range. Ouch!
Later that night, my wife experienced a case of vomiting, nausea and other issues. She spent the entire night in the restroom. Now could it have been the pre-​packaged breakfast (Belvita) that she had earlier in the day? I guess but perhaps it wasn’t. After posting my first review that was removed, the restaurant contacted me that they served over 950 people and had gotten no complaints. They requested that I remove my review.
I’m sure that you’ll have a wonderful time, but we will not return.
I hope that this updated review falls inside the content guidelines.

I’ll admit I was initially worried when I saw the «overflow» parking on Monday & the single men’s toilet at the Host’s desk. The beautiful sunset view, live music and kid’s activities distracted from our wait and there were at least 2 women’s toilets in the 2^nd dining area. The vibe was relaxed — There were several benches to sit and chat at. About 45 minutes later we were texted with our table. Our waitress was happy to tell the building’s history and share what was locally caught, portion sizes, etc. We never felt pressured to order nor forgotten by our server. Our water glasses never ran dry. The wait time for our meals impressed me as this place seemed busy, even on a weeknight. The crowd seemed to thin at 8pm. I enjoyed the steamed shrimp and the key lime pie! My family loved their pasta & crab legs.

I think this place is over rated. It is an average restaurant and it is purported by the marketing material as legendary. Not so, but worth a stop.

Went for a nice night to see the water hoping for decent bar food. Very surprised to get high quality restaurant seafood. I had the she crab soup– excellent and the crab cakes — perfect. We had a large group so ordered many appetizers– all were very good bang bang shrimp, raw oysters, and fried oysters with bacon — really good. Will always come back here when in Hilton Head. Very casual.

Love this place! Great food great atmosphere great prices. Hush puppies are delicious. Friendly staff highly recommended. We come every time we are in town

This place is an institution. Overlooking the ocean, this is a great place to grab a casual dinner. Hush puppies are amazing. I like the Neptune platter that gives you a bit of everything. I’m not normally a big shrimp fan, but the shrimp are so fresh, they have a sweet, buttery taste and melt in your mouth. Fried shrimp are a great way to go with Neptune platter. The batter is very light. A must go to spot when in Hilton Head.

I love a seafood restaurant that sits next to the open water. Outdoor seating is popular and is a spectacular view but expect to wait a long time to be seated. We ended up seating inside and that was fine. Minimalist décor, clean and not to cramped. A perfect backdrop.
The waitstaff was very attentive and answered all of our questions. Interesting local beer options (definitely try this out!) to quench a discerning taste. The food was on point. You will not be disappointed with the Maryland style crab cakes. Packed with fresh local caught crab it was probably the best version of this dish I’ve had to date. It tasted so fresh and light and was not heavy or greasy. Their hush puppies were off the chain. I generally don’t like these as they tend to be too dense but this was light, airy and delicious. Another great eat was the she crab soup. Very even textured and bursting with flavor you must try it. The catch of the day was red snapper and was a hit with our party. Not to fishy tasting and extremely fresh. I will say that the restaurant is quite pricey but the food and the quality speak for themselves. Hudson’s is a must eat for exceptional seafood.

Location, location, Location! Stunning views, great chill vibe on the water.
Great FRIENDLY service, super fresh seafood.
Oysters — amazing
Grilled oysters — good
crab cakes — delightful
scenery– outstanding
Dining on the patio is a must. Best vacation lunch whether you are a local or a tourist!

Just getting to know this place — inside and out. Yes, the food is amazing but what sets it apart is the staff. Some of the most knowledgeable and friendly hospitality staff you will ever have the pleasure of dining with. I’m looking forward to working with them.
Try the stone crab claws. Dipping sauce is amazing.

Had an absolutely amazing dinner experience here with my family! Only had about a 45 minute wait despite it being packed on a Saturday night just before sunset. All the food was amazing! We had shrimp, oysters, and crab cakes, while my son had a grilled cheese. Our waiter, hart, was the cherry on top for our dining experience. He was knowledgeable about the menu as well as being extremely friendly and tentative. We cannot speak highly enough about him!
The prices were fair and on par with other local restaurants serving fresh, quality seafood. The view, ambiance, food, and service makes this restaurant a no brainier when looking for a casual water front dining experience.

What a great atmosphere. This venue gives you a great feel of Southern seafood joint with waterfront dining, live music, and casual environment. Our waitress was patient and accommodating. My family and I had fun dining experience at Hudson’s. The best items were the barbecue shrimp and the swordfish. The staff give you a free draft beer when you check in with Unilocal.The peanut butter pie was fantastic — creamy filling and delightful graham cracker crust. The hush puppies, mashed potatoes and she crab soup were okay but the fresh seafood was excellent. The entrees were around 20 $ a piece and portions were generous.

If you like spending time in Hilton Head, do yourself a favor and visit Hudson’s. Rooted in tradition with an emphasis on customer service and «low country» recipes, this historic seafood restaurant appeals to anyone looking for an iconic taste seasoned over decades of pleasing tourists and locals alike.
Through a volcanic turn of events, the site was built upon a man-​made island of shucked oyster shells casted aside from an 1800s seafood factory bordering the shoreline. The site sports a large dock dining area as well as indoor seating of about the same size and bars in both sections. The place is usually packed and seating can take up to an hour (no reservations) through a handy text enabled system that lets you know immediately when a table is ready. So, grab a delicious marg, frozen daiquiri, or beer at the outdoor bar and try to spot some dolphins while you wait.
As the menu items are a bit pricey but not outrageously so, we found that ordering an appetizer in addition to one full meal was more than enough food for two. I would recommend the fried Jumbo Shrimp app as they were fresh, filling, and served with a sweet mango dipping sauce. Honestly, three of these would have made an unbelievable, although regrettable meal for anyone interested in maintaining sound cardiovascular health. Who needs a heart on vacation, though? Opt for the catch of the day if you want the freshest, most affordable fish plate. On this particular evening, the special was Swordfish; which, in my mind, combines all the most satisfying culinary elements of both steak and chicken into one delicious being that happened to swim.
I can’t speak enough about our friendly, knowledgeable waitress who even took the time to explain the taste of oysters to us although we clearly weren’t brave enough to try. With great food, service, and a beautiful venue, it’s hard to poke holes in anything here. However, lengthy wait times might turn some folks away and the gift shop doesn’t offer anything outside of your cliché South Carolina bumper sticker, stuffed alligator toy, or shell necklace that you could find at pretty much every surf shop ever. But that’s beside the point. I love this place because it doesn’t try to be fancy, showy, or gaudy like some other local restaurants. It stays true to its historic roots and delivers. 5 out of 5 stars.

Took an hour to get seated but worth the wait. Tips… they don’t take reservations, men’s bathroom in the front is packed so go back on the right and there are two. Main bar is packed so go past it out the door and up the ramp to the outside bar for easy drinks.
Service was awesome and even though slammed they kept the food coming. Crab stuffed mushrooms were ok, hush puppies were money for starters.
I had the special… blackened cod on a grit cake with spinach in a tomato garlic sauce moat. You have to get it right on the money to surprise me and they did. I expected a fish camp thing but this was small restaurant detail. I’m a southern guy so put grits in anything and I’m interested. Probably one of the better «put together» dishes I’ve had in a month.
My girlfriend had the special swordfish, I tried it and it was awesome as well. Well thought out sauce with the plate that pulled it together.
Like I said before I expected fried fish fare but was totally surprised by what I got. I did see other dishes being served that looked ordinary so don’t order ordinary. I would order of the special menu and you will be rewarded.

Dined here on a business trip with a co-​worker. This place is rated first on Unilocal among restaurants in this area, so we came here instead of going next door where we had a fantastic dinner the previous night.
I love craft beer and they have decent selection here. Also, you get a free craft beer when check-​in on Unilocal.The meal came with delicious hush puppies — fried to perfection with crispy exterior.
We started out with the shrimp cocktail and spinach and pear salad. When the shrimp cocktail arrived, there were 5 sad looking shrimps on a bed of kale (Yes! 5 medium size shrimps for $ 8!!!). The shrimps were sad looking because they were unfortunately overcooked and were tough. One of the shrimps wasn’t fresh (mushy texture and fishy taste), which is totally unacceptable for an establishment that claims to own a fishing/​shrimping fleet. The salad was… well, let’s just say this is a seafood restaurant…(it was ok. Not bad but not good).
For entrée, I had the steamed combo — with clam, oysters, shrimps, and corn. The seafood (especially the oysters) were fresh, sweet, plump, and juicy. HOWEVER, I had to throw away half of the oysters. Why? because they came out in clusters and were not shucked. I wish the waiter would warn me upon ordering. I have not shucked oysters before and didn’t want to risk stabbing my own hand, I didn’t eat much of those delicious oysters. To make matter worse, the oysters were improperly cleaned. There were mud sticking to the oyster shells, which quickly made its way to my hands and food. Imagine mud on shrimp, clams, and corn… yep!
Co-​worker said the shrimps in his shrimp and grits were overcooked as well, and the grits were under cooked (still gritty).
Overall, I think this place is overpriced with mediocre food. Others might argue «but but but… the view!!!». Sure, the view is great, but you can find many places that serve great food at the same price and offers great view… try next door.

This was our first stop as soon as we got on Hilton Head Island, and I’m glad it was because it set a good tone for our entire trip.
Although redundant, given the name, this gem is set right by the sea. We got a seat on the docks on an absolutely gorgeous day in December. We could have spent the entire time enjoying the view of the sunset over the ocean, but our tummies had other ideas.
Their menus have an abundance of options, making it a little overwhelming, but luckily we had a great server who suggested items in the menu. He was personable and charismatic, all with a laid back tone. He was very enthusiastic about his job and the food.
We ended up ordering mostly from the happy hour menu and the daily menu. I had been craving oysters ever since we planned this trip so naturally we got 4 of each of their three oyster options on the half shell. We also got a half dozen of the parmesan garlic char grilled oysters. All of the oysters were really fresh and flavorful. My oyster craving was satisfied… temporarily.
Aside from the oysters, we got the «real deal BBQ shrimp,» «fish ‘n chips,» and blackened shrimp taco from the happy hour menu. I would recommend any of these as they were all great. We left Hudson’s very satisfied and looking forward to the seafood awaiting us on our vacation on Hilton head.

The name of the restaurant is no lie. Hudson’s is quite literally on the docks, complete with shrimping boats parked directly next to outdoor dining area and very relaxed looking dock cat. To get the full experience, try to get a table outside. The indoor seating area is a little run down and dingy feeling, while the outdoor seating is fantastic: we even saw dolphins during our visit!
The food is fantastic. The shrimp and grits were quite good, and the swordfish, which was a special the night of our visit, was really nicely done. Hands down the best thing we had was the streamed shrimp in the shell. It’s clearly nothing complex, but they do it very well. I easily could have eaten an entire bucket of those things.
My favorite aspect of Hudson’s is that it feels true to what Hilton Head probably once was before the sprawling resort communities moved in. If you want to get great food in a setting that’s distinct from the plastic resort feel that permeates much of the island, this is your place.