Comfort food mecca Kathleen’s Grill (822 Bay St., 843/524-2500, daily 11 a.m.–10 p.m., breakfast Sat.–Sun. 7–11 a.m., $7–20) is a longtime favorite of locals and tourists alike. Like most places on Bay Street, indoor dining as well as outdoor dining overlooking the water is available. Start with fried green tomatoes or peel-and-eat shrimp, then move on to one of the house specialties, a grouper or oyster sandwich piled high. Pricier seafood and steak entrées are also available, including a great soft-shell crab plate. Kathleen’s is also a nightlife hub, with live music almost every night of the week starting up around 8 p.m. or so, later on Friday and Saturday nights.

The hottest table in Beaufort these days is at the
Saltus River Grill (802 Bay St., 843/379-3474, Sun.–Thurs. 5–9 p.m., Fri.–Sat. 5–10 p.m., $10–39). Executive Chef Jim Spratling has made this fairly new restaurant, housed in a historic tabby building on the waterfront, famous throughout the state for its unbelievable raw bar menu featuring oysters from Nova Scotia to the Chesapeake Bay to Oregon and British Columbia. Sushi lovers can also get a fix here as well, whether it’s a basic California roll or great sashimi. Other specialties include she-crab bisque, lump crab cakes, flounder fillet, and of course the ubiquitous shrimp and grits. The Saltus River Grill is definitely more upscale in feel and in price than most Lowcountry places, with a very see-and-be-seen type of attitude and a hopping bar. Reservations recommended.

Sharing an owner with the Saltus River Grill is Plum’s (904 1/2 Bay St., 843/525-1946, lunch daily 11 a.m.–4 p.m., dinner daily 5–10 p.m., $15–25). The short and focused menu keys in on daringly prepared entrées highlighting local ingredients, such as the shrimp penne al’amatriciana and fresh black mussel pasta. Because of the outstanding microbrew selection, Plum’s is a big nightlife hangout as well; be aware that after 10 p.m., when food service ends but the bar remains open until 2 p.m., it’s no longer smoke-free, though there’s a friendly porch where you can get some fresh air and feed the resident cat.

An up-and-comer downtown is Breakwater Restaurant and Bar (205 West St., 843/379-0052, www.breakwater-restaurant.com, dinner Thurs.–Sat. 6–9:30 p.m., bar until 2 a.m., $10–20). The concise menu makes up in good taste what it lacks in comprehensiveness, with an emphasis on seafood, of course. An especially enticing marine-oriented tapas plate is the diver scallops in a vanilla cognac sauce.