Hook & Barrel in Myrtle Beach Named No. 1 Casual Dining Restaurant in the U.S. by Tripadvisor

On North Kings Highway in the northern part of Myrtle Beach, a pot of oyster stew comes together at the table while the steam galley in the open kitchen hisses and clatters behind the dining room. That scene, repeated night after night at Hook & Barrel, has now earned the restaurant one of the biggest honors in American dining by popular vote. In Tripadvisor’s 2026 Travelers’ Choice Awards Best of the Best, Hook & Barrel was named the No. 1 casual dining restaurant in the United States and No. 7 in the world.

For the Grand Strand, a coast long associated with easygoing, crowd-pleasing seafood suppers, the recognition lands with real weight. It follows a No. 3 national ranking in 2025 and a James Beard nomination for founder and chef Heidi Vukov earlier this year, and it tells travelers something locals have known for a while, that some of the most careful seafood cooking on the coast is happening just a short drive south of North Myrtle Beach.

Below, we look at what the award actually measures, what makes the restaurant tick, what to order and how to plan a visit. Then, because a beach week has more than one dinner in it, we round up the North Myrtle Beach seafood tables that are worth your other evenings.

What the Tripadvisor Award Means

Tripadvisor’s Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best awards are built on traveler reviews rather than a panel of critics. According to the Post and Courier, the rankings draw on 12 months of highly rated reviews, and winners come from the top 1 percent of listings on the site. That makes the list a measure of consistency as much as brilliance, since a restaurant has to please a great many diners over a long stretch to rise to the top.

In the 2026 casual dining category, Hook & Barrel took the top spot in the United States. The Post and Courier reported that the No. 2 and No. 3 spots went to Sicily Osteria in New York City and CVI.CHE 105 in Miami, which puts a Myrtle Beach seafood restaurant ahead of well-known names in two of the country’s biggest dining cities. Globally, Hook & Barrel ranked No. 7. The restaurant was No. 3 nationally in the 2025 awards, so this year’s result is a climb rather than a surprise debut.

Hook & Barrel’s No. 7 ranking in the world list, and its No. 3 finish nationally in 2025, round out the picture. For a restaurant that opened in 2017, that is a remarkable run of recognition in less than a decade.

The Restaurant on North Kings Highway

Hook & Barrel sits at 8014 North Kings Highway in Myrtle Beach, in the northern stretch of the city along the part of Kings Highway that locals call Restaurant Row. The phone number is 843-839-5888. The restaurant describes its approach as sustainable, chef-driven coastal seafood, and the room is organized around that idea, with an open kitchen and a central steam galley where much of the cooking happens in full view.

Watching a steam galley at work is part of the appeal. Clouds rise off the galley, cooks move between stations, and the whole room seems to share in the rhythm of the kitchen. It feels less like a formal dinner and more like sitting at the edge of a busy dock kitchen, which suits a restaurant whose award is in the casual category. You can dress for the beach, sit down hungry and still be surprised by the care that goes into each plate.

For visitors staying in North Myrtle Beach, Hook & Barrel is an easy trip, a short drive south down Kings Highway from the city line. It makes a natural dinner stop on a day you spend shopping at Barefoot Landing or exploring the northern end of Myrtle Beach.

Chef Heidi Vukov and Heidi’s Corner

Heidi Vukov is the founder and chef behind Hook & Barrel. In 2026 she was named a James Beard Foundation semifinalist for Best Chef: Southeast, and the Post and Courier reported that she is the first chef from Myrtle Beach to earn that recognition. Taken together with the Tripadvisor ranking, it has been a banner year for Vukov and for the Myrtle Beach dining scene as a whole.

Hook & Barrel is part of a small cluster of Vukov businesses often called Heidi’s Corner. Croissants Bistro & Bakery shares the same address at 8014 North Kings Highway and has served breakfast, brunch and lunch since 1995, while Coffee & Cream Cabana sits next door at 8012 North Kings Highway. That makes the corner a handy stop at any time of day. You can start the morning with pastries and coffee at the bakery and come back in the evening for seafood in the dining room.

What to Order at Hook & Barrel

Menus change with the seasons and the catch, so treat these suggestions as a starting point and ask your server what the kitchen is most excited about that night. The dishes the restaurant is best known for all trace back to that open steam galley and to its focus on coastal seafood.

Oyster Stew Made at the Table

If one dish captures the Hook & Barrel experience, it is the oyster stew made at the table. There is a bit of theater to it, and a cool autumn evening is the perfect time to order it, when a warm bowl of briny, creamy stew feels like the right answer to a long day in the salt air.

Steamed Seafood

Steamed seafood comes straight from the central galley, and it is the kind of meal that invites a table of friends to share, pass plates and talk over the noise of the kitchen. Ask what came in fresh that day and let the steam do its work.

Surf-and-Turf Combos

For groups where not everyone wants seafood, the restaurant’s surf-and-turf combinations offer an easy middle ground, pairing a cut of meat with something from the water so that everyone at the table finds a plate they love.

Planning Your Visit

Hook & Barrel is a dinner restaurant. Tripadvisor lists hours of 4 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 4 to 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with the restaurant closed on Sunday. We saw those hours in only one source, and they can change with the season, so call 843-839-5888 to confirm before you go. If you want breakfast or lunch at the same corner, Croissants Bistro & Bakery is the place to head.

Recognition like this tends to bring a wave of new diners, so it is wise to call ahead and ask about reservations or wait times, especially on Friday and Saturday nights. Earlier seatings are often calmer, and fall weeknights are a good time to visit if you want a relaxed pace. If you are building a full dining plan for your trip, our roundup of the best restaurants in North Myrtle Beach and our pillar guide to things to do in Myrtle Beach are good companions.

Making a Day of It on the North End

Because Heidi’s Corner covers breakfast, lunch and dinner at one address, it is easy to build a whole day around it. Start with coffee and pastries at Croissants Bistro & Bakery or Coffee & Cream Cabana, spend the late morning and early afternoon on the beach, then clean up and drive back down Kings Highway for an early dinner at Hook & Barrel. On a fall evening, when the light goes gold over the rooftops by suppertime and the traffic has thinned from the summer crush, the drive home to North Myrtle Beach afterward feels like part of the pleasure.

If you are celebrating something, a birthday, an anniversary or simply the fact that everyone finally made it to the beach together, a table at the country’s top-rated casual dining restaurant is a fine way to mark it. Let the restaurant know about the occasion when you call, and give yourself time to linger over the oyster stew rather than rushing to the next plan.

Seafood Tables in North Myrtle Beach for the Rest of the Week

A week at the beach deserves more than one great seafood dinner, and North Myrtle Beach has a deep bench of its own. These are some of the tables worth adding to your list, from old family places to spots on the water. Hours and seasonal schedules vary, so call ahead before you go.

In Ocean Drive, Hoskins Restaurant at 405 Main Street has been family-owned since 1948 and is the kind of place where generations of beach families have eaten. Up in Cherry Grove, Driftwood Restaurant at Cherry Grove Pier, 3502 North Ocean Boulevard, puts you right by the pier, and The Shack at 1128 Sea Mountain Highway serves Calabash-style seafood, the lightly battered, fried tradition named for the fishing village just over the North Carolina line.

For a meal on the water, Filet’s Waterfront at Harbourgate Marina, 2120 Sea Mountain Highway, sits along the marina, and Snooky’s Oceanfront at 2208 North Ocean Boulevard puts the ocean in view. Near Windy Hill, Flying Fish Public Market & Grill at 4744 Highway 17 South is part of Barefoot Landing, and SeaBlue Restaurant & Wine Bar at 501 Highway 17 North is a dinner option Tuesday through Saturday for a more polished evening out.

For more ideas, see our guides to waterfront restaurants in North Myrtle Beach and fall seafood restaurants and markets, which pair well with a week spent between the beach at Crescent Beach and the tables along Highway 17.

Frequently Asked Questions

Stay Close to the Grand Strand’s Best Tables

The best food weeks on the coast start with a comfortable home base. Spend your days on the sand, make one night a celebration at the country’s top-rated casual dining restaurant, and spread the rest of your dinners across North Myrtle Beach’s own seafood institutions. Oceanfront homes give larger groups a place to gather over leftovers and sunset drinks, while oceanfront condo rentals suit couples and small families who plan to eat out every night.

Sources: WBTW (September 2026), The Post and Courier (September 2026) and Tripadvisor listing information (September 2026). Hours, menus and rankings are subject to change, so confirm details directly with each restaurant before you go.