Gullah Grub Restaurant — Restaurant in Beaufort

Chef Bill has got it going on! The staff at Gullah Grub was simply amazing: attentive and welcoming. The menu is on the small side, but that is because everything is prepared fresh with in-season ingredients--a core aspect of Gullah Geechee life on the island. Our spread included shrimp gumbo, fish and shrimp, mac and cheese, and lima beans. Although we have no confirmed roots on the island, the food was like a love note from our dearly departed grandmothers. The flavors are simple but powerful, letting the food be the dominant voice. My shrimp was the sweetest and most tender I've had in years. The gumbo is not like your Louisiana gumbo. This one has a tomato stew base. The added shrimp was a nice ornament, but not needed. The chicken and veggies in the gumbo were the stars of that dish. Adding a few spoonfuls of red rice sent it over the top. The red rice, though! Smokey and tender. It is a great vehicle for gravy and sauces. Mine was gone too soon. Each dish is served with your choice of rice, a seasonal vegetable, and a hearty scoop of potato salad. The potato salad was tender and starchy, mildly seasoned. It was almost a palate cleanser. I found I took a taste after a bite of something spicy. Our veg was lima beans. We were served a generous bowl. Honestly that with the rice would have been a more than satisfying meal. The beans were so tender but still had bite. They were smokey with a thick gravy. The flavor is hard to describe, probably because I haven't had fresh lima beans before. It was a wonderful experience. Then there was the mac-n-cheese. You're served a hearty, peppery slice of baked macaroni. The noodles are were perfect, with a thick and cheesey top. We took a couple of slices of sweet potato pie home with us, but it is served warm and smelling of cinnamon and sugar. The sugar, though is natural. This is not a very sweet sweet potato pie. It is definitely one of the thickest slices of sweet potato pie I've ever had. Chunks of potatoes can be seen, in addition to the spices. The pie is fresh, simple, creamy, and so eatable. There isn't a lot of crust , but it is sturdy, like you could carry the slice in your hand and eat this on the go. It would make a nice snack because it isn't cloyingly sweet like a lot of desserts. We added a dollop of vanilla ice cream to ours when we were back at the hotel. That modification sent the pie over the top!

Gullah Grub was a joyful dining experience from the brightly painted walls adorned with memorabilia from Chef Bill's life to the singing that drifted our way from the kitchen. It felt like home. We are so grateful. The staff gave us advice on sites to visit in the area while incorporating some personal family history into their tips. This has been a truly memorable experience. 10000000:10...

I really wanted to like this place and I tried hard to overlook the shortcomings, but it was just an awful experience. I can deal with poor service, but the food was nothing like what I expected given the reputation of the restaurant. Our fried shark reaked of ammonia and we couldn't even eat it because it was clearly spoiled. The other fried items were tolerable, but the breading tasted like it was fried in oil that was long past its useful lifespan. Most of the other dishes tasted like they were reheated in a microwave. The shrimp gumbo tasted more like reheated vegetable stew with only a few tiny shrimp and no okra. When we ordered collard greens, the server told us that they might not have any, but she wasn't able or willing to check and see. We ended up with green beans, but they lacked seasoning and tasted tolerable but bland. The red rice might have been OK when it was originally cooked, but it was dry and tasted like it had either been reheated or sat out for many hours uncovered before it was served. The maccaroni and squash casseroles were both OK, but they were bland and clearly reheated in a microwave. If I were eating leftovers at home, that might be alright, but it was not what I expected at a restaurant.

The service was very strange. The young ladies that served us were so quiet we could barely understand what they were saying. The kitchen staff kept wandering around in the dining area like they were bored and waiting to get off of work. Despite the cool stories and photos on the wall of the owner, the place felt like a funeral home more than a restaurant. When we paid our bills, the young man that was checking us out didn't seem familiar with the system and we had to pay cash tips even though he ran our credit cards and there seemed to be a place to leave a tip.

The reviews on Gullah Grub seem like they are either wonderful or awful with very little in-between. Maybe if you can catch it on a time that the owner is there and cooking it would be good, but man, it was just awful when we were there and it'd take a lot to get me to go through that again. To me, it looked a lot like a restaurant that was cruising on its media fame that had handed operations over to a bunch of kids that did not care one bit about good food or...

Gullah Grub Restaurant on St. Helena Island is a true gem of authentic Lowcountry cooking, housed in a historic wood-frame building that feels like it’s been part of the community for generations. Located at 877 Sea Island Parkway, the space is vibrant and welcoming, with walls painted a rich island green and filled with antique touches, sweetgrass baskets, and local artisan items for sale that give it a distinct cultural charm.

The dining room features cloth-covered tables and comfortable chairs, creating a cozy and thoughtful atmosphere. Drinks are served in Ball jars, which add a nice rustic touch. Parking out back is what you’d call “Island-style”—you find a sensible spot, make sure you’re not in anyone’s way, and that’s that.

Service is attentive and friendly, striking a perfect balance of hospitality and local charm.

The meal starts strong with a complimentary piece of cornbread—moist, flavorful, and the perfect bread choice to ease into the flavors to come. For a starter, the shrimp gumbo delivered bold, traditional flavor, and yes, the shrimp come with the tails on (so plan to remove them). For the main course, the barbecue chicken lunch was tender, well-seasoned, and rich with flavor. While a side of potato salad came with it—homemade and clearly fresh—it wasn’t a personal favorite, but that’s just a matter of preference.

The tea was real Southern brewed tea—cold, and exactly what you want with this kind of food. The peach cobbler finished the meal on a perfect note, warm and homey like something out of a family reunion, I do prefer my topping a little crunchier.

Altogether, Gullah Grub is more than just a place to eat—it’s an experience of Lowcountry history, flavor, and culture that...