San Miguel's Mexican — Restaurant in Hilton Head Island

Updated 6/7/2023 - 4 Stars - I was impressed with the speed of the reply from the Owner and her sincerity to our experience. I was surprised that she was the one that helped us when we flagged her down, a very hands on owner for sure. I have not talked to her yet but on a future visit will look to find her and thank her for the reply. As a result, I have bumped up the rating

Original 6/5/2023 - 3 Stars - We have been going to San Miguel’s s for over 23 years now. It has been a stop each week when we visited Hilton Head, 2 to 3 times a year. Last June we moved to Hilton Head permanently and we have continued to frequent San Miguel’s. I admit to myself, the main food is not the greatest, but the location, atmosphere, vibe, drinks, chips salsa, and typically the wait staff make up for whatever lacks from the kitchen.

Last night, we put our name on the list at 7:45pm for 6 people. We were told 45 minutes for an outside table. We knew it would be a wait, we were fine with that. We took in the vibes outside with live music, entertainment all around. At 8:45 we got a little concerned, but waited another 15 minutes, then walked to the hostess stand, we could see there were a number of tables outside that were open in various states of cleaning. We could tell the hostess(es) realized they dropped the ball on our spot in line. They said they could seat us right away – but inside. Our 4 teenagers at that point just wanted to eat, so we reluctantly took that option. We were sat at the smallest possible table for 6 next to the bathrooms. 5 minutes went by and a runner brought a single basket of Chips and salsa. We love the salsa, one of the reasons we like to go. After another 5 minutes, nobody came to the table. Eventually a lady that worked there that had experience walked near our table and we flagged her down, mentioned we had been sitting there for 10 minutes with no one coming to take drink orders yet. She apologized and took our drink order and said she would get someone over there along with some more chips and salsa. About 3 or 4 minutes later, a younger waitress came over and from a slight distance behind us, simply blurted out… “uh, are you ready to order?”. No introduction, no smile, no simple “sorry, you had to wait”, “we have been slammed” it would have been so easy to make things right… instead, it was a frank… waddayouwant!? We mentioned that we had placed the drink orders with the first person we talked to, and asked for another basket of chips/salsa, but would like to order a side of Queso. It was apparent the young waitress did not want to be there or just had a bad night working there in general. She did come back a couple times after taking our food order. But each time it was like we needed to hurry and leave. San Miguel's you also dropped the ball on the vibe. Since it was on the later side… there was several workers going crazy cleaning the dining tables, floor, chairs all around us. It was so loud. Dragging every chair from the tables and back, sweeping and mopping right around us. It went on for 15 minutes. We are generally a minimum 20% tip family, tonight, it was not going to happen, from the hostess missing our spot in line, no apology for that, then landing in a small table next to the bathroom inside, the wait for any service, terrible attitude and loud cleanup all around us… it should have been near 0% tip, but we did plunk down 10% on top of the tab, we paid in cash. Tonight, on the flip side, the food was a standout over all the other things we take for granted at San Miguel’s. I certainly hope the owner will reach out to acknowledge with a reply to...

As regular local guests who typically enjoy dining at San Miguel, we were disappointed with our recent experience on July 3rd. We arrived around 6:30 PM and were quoted a 45-minute to 1-hour wait for a table for four outside. After 45 minutes, we checked the waitlist and saw there were still 24 parties ahead of us—clearly pointing to a much longer wait than originally stated. In total, we waited about 1 hour and 40 minutes before being seated inside.

We completely understand that holiday weekends can be especially busy, but the initial time estimate was significantly off and caused unnecessary confusion and frustration. What made the situation more disappointing is that there was no acknowledgment of the inconvenience—no discount, no complimentary item, not even a gesture from management. For longtime regulars, that was disheartening.

That said, we want to give special recognition to Heidi, the hostess, who was kind, professional, and clearly doing her best under pressure. She kept us updated and eventually helped us get seated indoors. Her attitude made a difference, and we appreciate her effort.

We’re sharing this feedback in hopes that future wait estimates—especially for outdoor seating—are communicated more accurately, and that the restaurant considers how to better support guests during unusually long waits.

We still enjoy San Miguel and hope to return, but this experience fell short of what we’ve...

San Miguel’s came recommended to us by a friend. I can see how they can be viewed highly, but it didn’t pan out that way for us.

First, for COVID they are sitting most people outside. Which would be fine but the patio was packed. No social distancing. So it’s a bit of a false security. We would not have stayed had we walked up. Since we ordered for take away, we were sent to the inside bar for pick up. When I walked in the barkeep had his mask on his chin and proceeded to interact with me and my food prior to masking appropriately. This is unacceptable really.

Second, while the food was tasty, it was not Tex Mex or what you wound see in most local Mexican restaurants I have been to (including ones in Mexico). There is a very bright, cilantro flavor to the food. It felt more Caribbean crossed with Asian fusion. So this was a bit of a let down given the name on the door.

Third, the price was steep. Mexican food in general uses cheap ingredients, so $15-20 a plate feels hefty when the food really wasn’t that great. No doubt pricing was influenced by the proximity of the Disney resort and other restaurants on Hilton Head.

So I would suggest giving San Miguel’s a pass unless you are looking for an Asian Fusion interpretation of Caribbean food served by plague talkers.

I do recommend if you do go, grab a handful of their key lime candies as you walk out the door. I hate to say it, but that was the best...