Jack of Cups Saloon — Restaurant in Folly Beach

The peanut ginger soup may be the best thing I've ever tasted. Today I was informed that the menu may be changing seasonally, and while every dish I've had has been great and I trust their judgement, I beg that the peanut ginger stick around. I generally think hummus is a tasteless paste that health nuts eat so they don't have to eat dry bread, but the hummus here is so delicious I don't consider it a sacrifice of taste to eat healthily. The pita things are also moist and come out warm, which is a nice touch. I always have to ask for more pita (it's free, so no worries), but it's not like I haven't just eaten the hummus straight with a spoon before; it's that good. I'm the opposite of a vegan, but I could honestly live quite happily as a vegan on the food here. I usually get the beef dish, but I've ventured around the menu and have never been disappointed. To top things off, they have a craft beer selection that rivals any bar. There's about 25 beers and a whole bunch of wine and other stuff I don't bother with. For food that's this high quality, the prices are on the lower side. If they got a fancy space opened up downtown, they could double their prices. Thankfully, their apps are under $10 and I think the most expensive entree is $12 (I think). Sit down, get a bowl of peanut ginger for each person (sharing will cause problems) and hummus to share with the table. Any entree will do you fine, but I prefer the beef & basil curry. Also prepare for everyone to be silent and just stare at their food while they eat. It's an experience. To sum it up, it's a quaint, small, no-frills place where the focus is making amazing food. You can taste the expertise and love that goes...

Looking at this place from the street or even from a table inside, you think you know what to expect. The vibe is very much saloon dive bar. But let me tell you, throw away those expectations when it comes to the menu because you are in for a treat. The food menu is full of Asian and Indian flavors which comes completely out of left field for a saloon but man does it WORK! While here, I had the black beans nachos with sausage (delicious though definitely heavy on the black beans), the summer zen crunch salad with chicken (unforgettable, this salad may have changed my life and I wish I asked if I could buy a barrel of the umami ranch), the Asian bbq pasta salad (pretty good to me as someone who doesn’t usually like pasta salad), the tteokbokki pasta with chicken (another surprising item that blew me away, absolutely loved this dish), and the butter chicken (actually could’ve been a little spicier but still really good). My husband also had the street corn hotdog and hasn’t stopped talking about it since, said it was the best hotdog he has ever had. I went twice during my Folly Beach trip and I am so bummed I couldn’t try everything else on the menu, especially the other salad and the pretzel bites. I’d be down for the meatballs, burger, and brown butter cake too! Alas I couldn’t eat here for every meal. Genuinely cannot wait to go back to the area for the zen crunch...

Looking back, I forgot to add pictures of the food or a detailed review about it. 5 years ago, I did not experience that genuine southern hospitality here except for the bartender. Hopefully, by now they got rid of that waitress (blonde hair and heavyset) and waiter (kind of like a real life Shaggy with a fuller beard and curly hair). To summarize, they were racist, ignored us, and only took the Caucasian customers behind us. They left us hanging until the bartender took us in.

The restaurant has Asian influenced vegan/vegetarian fusion dishes. That’s the only way I can describe it. End results were phenomenal. At the time, they had peanut ginger soup, strawberry spring roll, red curry mac and cheese, and panang curry. Actually, I believe they still have the panang curry, which might look slightly different. I recommend getting that curry. Food was all flavorful, well proportioned, and the presentation was beautiful. None of them were spicy, just savory and scrumptious. They should keep the mac and cheese and peanut ginger soup as permanent items. Service from that bartender was excellent. Prices were decent. Food wise, you can’t go wrong with any of them. I hope they kept up with the consistency these days. Overall a 3 because I have to factor in the...