Gilligan's Seafood Restaurant-Johns Island — Restaurant in South Carolina

First the good, then the bad. I got there early to avoid the dinner rush, about 645 pm. The hostess was kind and seated me right away. They did have live music and it was pretty good. I wish I got his name so I could share it but I don't. The best part was the food, I ordered the gumbo. It was great and it came out pretty fast. Now the bad. I mentioned that the music was good, but it was way to loud. I asked the hostess if to move me to another table further away from the music speaker, but the only other table available was still near the speaker. The windows and door between the inside and outside dining areas were all open. This means you'll be affected by the music whether you want to or not. And it was a chilly evening. The cold air was coming inside because the windows and doors were open. Cold air causes your food the get cold pretty quick. Management really need to better understand situations. Next, my server was Michael. He was nice and polite and took my order quickly. I said I ordered the gumbo, which is one of the houses favorites. It was supposed to come with coleslaw and a choice of red rice or fries. Michael never asked for my side choice. Nor did I get any side item. I got the bowl of gumbo and that was all. Michael did come back to check on me once, but didn't notice I had no side items. Nor did he offer to refill my tea, which was already very low. Once I realized I would need to take some of the gumbo home I waved Michael down and I asked for a to-go container. He brought it back quickly, but did bring the check. So after boxing everything away I waited about 10 minutes before asked another guy to please bring me the check. He brought it back and I gave him the money, but I had to wait for my change. I paid in cash to avoid the additional 3% fee charged for paying with a card. So I waited almost another 10 minutes for my change to come back. I did leave Michael an $8 tip on a $28 meal, which he didn't earn. But I'm not an a-hole either. But Michael needs to do better. My last thing has nothing to do with the dinner experience but it was actually trying to leave. The road has become very busy and making a left turn is very dangerous, especially after dark. It took 3 cars 15 minutes to make the left turn. As for Gilligan's, I probably won't return. Most chain restaurants have very poor service standards now. That's why I've pretty much stop going to them. To be fair, I've been at that exact restaurant, but it's been years ago. It was fine then. But they officially lost me as a customer last night. I...

Nice new outdoor dining as well as indoor available. This was the first time taking my family there. I went to this location probably about 15 years ago and loved it. I have tried to make it back through the years as we have visited Charleston and hoped to get the family in there so they could have the same good experience that I have had in the past. However we've never made it. Until this last visit. Took the whole family out everyone loved all of their food. My oldest son even asked or mentioned about possibly going back the following day for another meal. I believe he liked it as much as I did the first time I ever had it. Everyone really enjoyed their visit the food portions were very good the flavors were awesome and the service was good. There is another Gilligan's that we went to probably about 8 maybe 9 years ago and it was okay but it was definitely not the experience that we had at this Gilligan's. This Gilligan's had such a good cup of she crab soup and the fish and chips were so good. The fish and chips were different style with a crispy crunchy crust instead of the typical beer batter. That was really nice. The tartar sauce that came with it was really good as well. The shrimp tacos were really good and the pineapple added an interesting twist with the seasoning that was on the shrimp. The flounder sandwich was really really good big huge piece of flounder. The fried green tomatoes were excellent and the calamari was cooked just right and liked the peppers and something else that was in with them. The fries were really good. If you like ranch and our particular about ranch their ranch was really good. The only negative was the burger. One person got the Krabby Patty burger and the crab cake was really really good but the burger patty that it came with was just a little bit better than going to a cafeteria at a public school. But the kids meal burger was according to my child good. So if you're looking at the Krabby Patty burger maybe ask about that and maybe just get crab cakes instead not sure? However we will for sure be back and dying here again. We just won't likely get the Krabby Patty. But like I said the crab cake itself was really good just not the burger patty. Go there. You will love it if you get the same cook that we had. Such a good experience. And I can see why this place is still around after all these years. And I'm so glad they are and I'm glad that my family got to experience them this time. Also. The hush puppies! The hush puppies!...

Oh, where do I even begin with Gilligan's? My recent visit to this so-called seafood restaurant left me utterly disheartened and filled with regret. It was an experience that left a foul taste in my mouth, and not just because of their lackluster cuisine.

Let's start with their infamous "salty fries." These abominations can only be described as a deliberate assault on one's taste buds. These sorry excuses for fries were so overwhelmingly drenched in sodium that they could single-handedly cause a nationwide salt shortage. It was as if they were trying to preserve these fries for the next millennium. Not only did they induce an insatiable thirst that lasted well beyond my visit, but they also left my mouth feeling like it had been invaded by a horde of shriveled sea creatures.

Speaking of sea creatures, Gilligan's failed miserably in their attempt to present anything remotely resembling fresh seafood. The shrimp that arrived at my table were the embodiment of wet, limp disappointment. It was as if they had been fished out of a murky pond behind the restaurant rather than plucked from the briny depths of the ocean. These shrimp were so devoid of any natural flavor that I had to question whether they were actually harvested or simply plucked from a box of seafood-flavored erasers. The sheer audacity of serving such subpar shrimp is an insult to the ocean itself.

But wait, there's more! Gilligan's claims to offer "real buttermilk" as a dipping sauce for their seafood, but it was nothing more than a disgraceful imitation. I've had more authentic buttermilk flavor from licking an old milk carton left out in the sun. The imposter they served might as well have been whipped up from powdered milk and a dash of artificial food coloring. It's an affront to the culinary world to peddle this fake buttermilk as if it were the elixir of the gods.

Gilligan's, your lackluster fare and audacious claims have left me feeling betrayed. The only thing more astonishing than the audacity of your menu is the fact that you have managed to stay afloat in the competitive seafood restaurant scene. Save yourself the disappointment and avoid Gilligan's like a sinking ship in...