Graham's Landing - Murrells Inlet, SC

During our stay in Murrells Inlet, just outside of Myrtle Beach during our trip to South Carolina earlier this year, we were looking for a place to have a light lunch - preferably a casual place that had seafood and some craft beers.  My wife was looking up places on her phone and she said, "I think we have a winner!"  She read some reviews on Yelp and it appeared to be exactly what we were looking for.  I pointed the car in the direction of Graham's Landing and headed that way for lunch.

Graham Plummer grew up in Georgetown, SC located between Charleston and Myrtle Beach. (Georgetown is actually a quaint little town once you get past all the industry that lines the main road through town.  We stopped there on our way to the Charleston airport to grab an espresso for the road from a downtown coffee shop.)   Plummer worked at restaurants up and down Georgetown's Front Street for a number of years doing a little bit of everything from washing dishes and mopping floors to waiting tables and cooking in the kitchen.  

In 2012, Plummer was ready to open his own restaurant.  He found a restaurant for lease on the far end of the stretch of restaurants that sit alongside Business US 17 and took over the building.  With the help of his father Greg, who owned a trash management company in Georgetown, Plummer was able to renovate the space allowing him to open Graham's Landing later that year.

In 2018, Plummer had a chance to take over a restaurant space in Georgetown.  His father sold the trash management company and pumped money into the renovation of the restaurant allowing the younger Plummer to open a second Graham's Landing in his hometown in August of that year.  

There are a number of restaurants that we passed along the way to Graham's Landing.  We actually passed it as it sat back from the road with some trees and vegetation around the rustic looking building along Business US 17.  (see map)  From the outside, the restaurant looked like an old general store - and that could have very well been what it once was.  

Inside Graham's Landing, the rustic atmosphere continues from the front of the building.  Plywood paneling was up high on one wall while the wall with the windows had pine wood planks.  It was tough to miss the Tito's Vodka bottle chandelier that was prominent in the center of the front part of the restaurant.  There was a very laid back vibe inside the restaurant.  

The bar area was toward the back with some wooden booths opposite the bar.  The bar, itself, was not that big - an "L"-shaped bar with a corrugated tin front that sat just 8 people.  But it was a full bar as they had liquor, craft beer and wine available.   

The was a nice patio just beyond the bar area.  The back part of the building where the bar and the patio were located looked like it may have been added on to the original building at some point.  Along the north side of the restaurant were a line of tables along the outside wall of the building.  It would have been nice to sit on the covered patio, but the tide was decidedly out and it was smelling a little musky back there.   

We took a table toward the front of the restaurant and was greeted by John, a 60-something (my guess) guy who had a great attitude and was fun to talk with.  We never really talked to him in depth as he was waiting on other tables, but it was my guess that he was a retiree working to make a little more money on the side.  Younger servers could have learned a few things from him, most notably how you interact with your customers.  John got us started with a Tito's and cranberry (with a lime) for my wife and I got a can of the Air Brush hazy IPA from the Grand Strand Brewing Company just up the road in Myrtle Beach.  

The seafood-centric menu at Graham's Landing had a little bit of everything with pasta dishes, smoked ribs, ribeye steaks, sandwiches and burgers in addition to seafood items.  Appetizers included oysters-on-the-half shell, crab cakes, Cajun-fried grouper bites, and calamari along with items such as fried green tomatoes, fried pickles, potato skins and chicken tenders.  A number of soups and salads were available and sandwiches such as a smoked beef French dip, a grilled chicken Caesar wrap, and a grilled, blackened or fried chicken sandwich were also on the menu.  Prime rib is available at Graham's Landing Thursday through Saturday, and linguine with an alfredo sauce or a marinara sauce was on the menu.   

But seafood is the most prevalent item on the menu at Graham's Landing.  Seafood baskets and platters with flounder, oysters, shrimp and other fish varieties were available, as were shrimp and grits, a seared tuna entree, a char-grilled salmon filet, and linguini with local clams were on the menu.  There was a lot of stuff to choose from.  If you wanted seafood, there was a wide selection.  But if you didn't want seafood, there was enough on the menu to go in that direction.

My wife wanted to try Graham's Landing's Manhattan clam chowder.  I was telling her of the Manhattan clam chowder I got when I was out at The Crab Cooker in Newport Beach, CA earlier this year and she wanted to try some.  The Manhattan clam chowder at Graham's Landing had a hearty flavor with a bit of a spiciness on the back end.  It was very good.  

She went with the grilled grouper sandwich for her lunch, only without the top bun.  It came with a side of fries and cole slaw.  She declared the grouper as being delicious.  

I really didn't know if I was all that hungry for lunch, but I knew I needed something or in a couple hours I'd REALLY be hungry.  The had a classic Cuban sandwich on the menu and it said that it was pressed on real Cuban bread, but I've never had luck getting that same bread outside of Miami - even in authentic Cuban restaurants - so I passed on that.  But what I did end up ordering were the blackened tuna tacos.  I asked John to have the chef put more of the blackening seasoning on the tuna and to hold the cheddar cheese that came on the tacos.  

The tuna filets were more like chicken tenders and lightly grilled so they were rare-plus.  They sat in flour tortillas on a bed of shredded cabbage and pico de gallo.  An outstanding mango/habanero sauce came on the side that had a cool citrus taste with a bit of bite on the back end.  I had a choice of fries, tots or cole slaw.  You know me by now - I went with the tots.  And they had Cholulu for me to use on the tots.  

The tuna tacos were very good.  They were light and not filling, and with the blackening spices, the pico de gallo and a bit of the mango/habanero sauce, there were a lot of taste sensations going on all at once.  The tots were a great side to go along with the tuna tacos.  

It turned out that Graham's Landing was exactly what we were looking for in terms of a light lunch.  My wife enjoyed her grilled grouper as well as the cup of the Manhattan clam chowder she ordered to start out.  And I can't say enough about the blackened tuna tacos that I got for my lunch.  John, our server, was a great guy and I feel bad that we didn't have the chance to chat him up while we were there.  Graham's Landing was laid-back and the food was well above par.  It's not as fancy as some of the other places just up the road from there, but it was perfect for us that day.

Comments

[Chris Benson]

I like all chowders but have a special place for Manhattan and other non creamy styles. Low country food is awesome, glad you made it to Murrell’s Inlet and thanks for sharing your adventures.