Happy Hour Hot Three

"Within the South itself, no other form of cultural expression, not even music, is as distinctively characteristic of the region as the spreading of a feast of native food and drink before a gathering of kin and friends."
- John Edgerton, from "Southern Food”

After much research, and a number of hours imbibing, I am excited to unveil my happy hour top three hit list. My first instinct was to try to for a top 10 list, but the time and effort involved could have been detrimental to my health (and I don’t get reimbursed for expenses).

#3. MiTierra
Dr. Mellinchamp Drive, Bluffton
After surviving a minor hiccup earlier this year and a temporary loss of their liquor license, MiTierra is back. I’ve mentioned them before and I stand by my claim that MiTierra is a perfect spot for an after work happy hour. The frozen margaritas are a treat. As a connoisseur (or so I thought) of the frozen concoction, I was also surprisingly pleased by their margarita on the rocks, I may be a convert.

What I like best is that you can grab a table with the goal of only enjoying a few drinks and there is never any pressure to order a meal. The waitresses keep the chips (always warm and right out of the kitchen) and the homemade salsa (a cilantro lover’s dream) coming all night.

No worries about the disrupting the diners with bouts of laughter or loud conversation. The bar sits in a separate room, perfect for the office crowd to get together and complain about their day and their boss, which I of course, never do.


# 2. Myrtles Bar & Grill
Bruin Road, Bluffton
Myrtles is a perfect Thursday night stop because … oh yes, its ladies night and the feeling’s right, oh what a night, ooohhh what a night. (Any one else picturing John Lovitz in the Wedding Singer right now, or is that movie moment mine alone?)

Some of the girls from work and I dropped by to test out the $3 martini menu. As we perused the menu for appetizers, the bartender informed us that he was the Chef and everything on the menu was, of course, delicious. He went on to tell us that he worked the bar on Thursdays because they needed a good looking guy for ladies night – humor and talent, what a combination!

Anyway, much to my delight, the martini menu included a margarita (see number 3 for my love of margaritas) and it was perfect. The glasses seemed to get bigger with each round, but that could have just been us. I had three and had to leave before I felt the need to spend the night sleeping on the sidewalk at Myrtle’s.

Appetizers were great too, we sampled the spinach dip – warm, cheesy, and definitely in the comfort food family, the friend oysters and fried calamari. All were spectacular. (I guess the Chef really isn’t needed in the kitchen on Thursdays.)

As a bonus, J. Howard Duff plays the blues from 7:30 until 10:30 PM.

Drum roll, please ...

1. Pepper’s Porch
May River Road / Route 46, Bluffton
Rounding out the top three, at number one is Pepper’s Porch. We’ve been heading to Pepper’s most Fridays this summer. The new Back Bar opened a couple of months ago and the outdoor venue is a hit! I could sum it all up in two words – dollar beers.

Yes, you read correctly, happy hour on Friday nights ‘til 7:00 p.m. features $1 beers, and $3 pitchers. Carolina Blonde, on tap, is amazingly refreshing and not beer bitter.

The interior of the Back Bar feature a couple televisions, dart board, disco ball and a pole, which I’ll admit is a bit suspect. I have never seen the pole utilized, probably because I am home in bed before its starts to see an action. For all know it could be a support beam, but it adds an interesting element nonetheless.

The outside tables sit upon a bed of oyster shells and fill up quickly on Friday. The full menu is served outside but if its finger foods you desire, try the fried pickles and peel and eat shrimp.

At 7:00 p.m. “Snow Bird Mike” hits the stage with his guitar and plays classic rock hits from the Eagles to Bread, perfect for singing along.

Pepper’s Porch screams Lowcountry and that is what makes it a hit in my book. So, maybe I’ll see you there? You can buy me a beer. Cheers!


Courtney Naughton is a Jersey Shore native who relocated to Bluffton. She is really quite responsible and has not tested the beer or margaritas at every establishment in Bluffton. Give her another year.