Hilton Head Best Breakfast: Coffee on the Beach

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Hilton Head Island sits in South Carolina’s Lowcountry region.  It is a fantastic place to vacation.  The beaches are beautiful.  You can find shady areas with palm trees, live oaks and pines. There are plenty of activities.  

There is only one question to answer.  Where are the best breakfast places on the island?

CAROLINA COFFEE AND CRUMBS

Carolina Coffee & Crumbs
Carolina Coffee & Crumbs – homemade pastries & delicious coffee

Carolina Coffee & Crumbs is more than a coffee shop.  This fantastic cafe offers coffees, teas, smoothies, breakfast and lunch items.  

Breakfast selections include homemade pastries, bagels and omelettes.  Lunch offerings include sandwiches, paninis, soups and salads.

There is both indoor and outdoor seating.  The staff is very friendly.  Despite a steady flow of customers, the service kept pace with the orders.  Lots of smiling faces can be seen as folks sip their coffee.  Yes, morning is good!

I was impressed with the homemade pastries.  There was quite a variety.  We should know, as we sampled a few of them.  Everything we tried was delicious!  

Pastry offerings were different each morning.  This was such a pleasant surprise.  If you see something you like, be sure to grab it that day.  Tomorrow’s options may be different.

The coffee drinks did not disappoint.  Their menu taunts you with several mouthwatering lattes.  My favorite is the Berry Crumble Latte.  The blackberry and almond notes blend nicely with the coffee for a smooth finish.  

We loved sitting outside, sipping our lattes and savoring the sweet pastries.  A light breeze blowing through the palmettos and the warm sun on the horizon just set the tone for a great day.

Blueberry muffin from Carolina Coffee & Crumbs
Blueberry muffin from Carolina Coffee & Crumbs

If you enjoy homemade pastries and tasty lattes, this place is a must!  I would post more pastry pictures if I had them.  Everything was so delicious, we scarfed it down before we remembered to take photos…

Location:  101 Pope Avenue, Hilton Head Island, SC 29928.

Hours:  Open daily, 7:00 am to 4:00 pm.

STACKS RESTAURANT

Blueberry pancakes from Stacks Pancakes & More
Blueberry lemon curd pancakes

Stack’s Pancakes & More is a brunch restaurant with many belly stretching options.  When you walk into a restaurant and see lots of locals, it is usually a good sign.  That is the case here.  

Stacks is a gathering place for residents and tourists alike.  It has a casual dineratmosphere.  The staff is friendly and helpful.  Service is fast.

The menu is large.  We had a hard time deciding what to order, as everything sounded good.  Of course, the pancake offerings are outstanding.  They have signature French toast dishes and bread pudding that will have you salivating.

The menu has many other breakfast alternatives including waffles, omelettes, crepes, grits, Lowcountry specialties and supreme bowls and burritos.

Lunch items include sandwiches, wraps, burgers, chicken and fried fish.  There are a couple salad options.

They have standard diner coffee.  It will not rival your fancy lattes from a coffee shop, but it will provide your morning jolt of caffeine.  Or, you can start your day with a mimosa or Bloody Mary.

Pecan banana pancakes from Stacks
Pecan banana pancakes

With a name like Stacks, we had to order pancakes.  Julie finally decided to order the pecan banana pancakes and I settled on the blueberry lemon curd pancakes.

The pancakes came out hot off the griddle, bursting with flavor.  These cakes are the size of a plate!  Did I mention the food here is belly stretching?  

The house-made lemon curd is delicious and compliments the blueberries perfectly.  There were blueberries inside the pancakes along with a nice scoop of blueberry goodness nestled on top of the fluffy cakes.  

Julie savored every bite of her pancakes.  They certainly did not skimp on the bananas or pecans.  We each had a velvety dollop of whipped cream for good measure.  When done, we slowly waddled out to the car with content smiles on our faces.

 Location:  2 Regency Parkway, Hilton Head Island, SC 29928.

Hours:  Open daily, 7:30 am to 1:00 pm.

THE PORCH RESTAURANT

Breakfast at The Porch Southern Kitchen & Bar
Breakfast at The Porch Southern Kitchen & Bar

The Porch Southern Kitchen & Bar is a casual restaurant and bar with wholesome comfort food.  They serve lunch and dinner, but we are focusing on breakfast.

The Porch offers both indoor and outdoor seating.  Their food is good, but the real attraction here is the outdoor seating.  

You can enjoy your morning coffee and breakfast while looking out onto the beach.  If you do not want to sit at a table, they also have a fire pit and poolside seating.  The setting is very relaxed with a wonderful view of the beach.

The menu contains traditional favorites such as eggs, pancakes and French toast.  You can build your own omelette.  They offer a few signature items such as shrimp and grits, burger bagel, crab and avocado toast and a pork belly pizza.  Being a restaurant and bar, you can enjoy an adult beverage with your meal.

I had the traditional scrambled eggs, bacon, potatoes and biscuit.  Julie ordered the snickerdoodle French toast.  Everything came out hot and tasty.  

Snickerdoodle French toast at The Porch Southern Kitchen & Bar
Snickerdoodle French toast

I do not want to shortchange the chef.  The food was very good.  However, the star here is the setting.  It is so peaceful.  

Imagine starting your day with warm sun and a gentle breeze rustling the palmettos as you savor your cup of coffee near a fire pit.  Did I mention you are on the beach?  Yes, this is a great way to start your day…

Location:  1 South Forest Beach Drive, Hilton Head Island, SC 29928 (Located at Beach House Resort).

Hours:  Open daily, 7:00 am to 4:00 pm (Breakfast served 7:00 am to 10:30 am).

*** Please note that you currently must be a guest of Beach House Resort to eat at The Porch Southern Kitchen & Bar.  This was recently implemented due to staffing shortages during COVID. ***

HILTON HEAD BEACH GETAWAY

Hilton Head Island, South Carolina is a fantastic beach getaway in the Lowcountry.  Now that you know where the best breakfast places are, you can start each day right to make the most of your time.  Don’t forget to pack sunscreen to protect your skin and your camera to capture memories.  Hilton Head will provide you with many great memories!

About the author

We are Scott and Julie at Miles with McConkey. After nearly 30 years, we took a leap of faith out of the corporate world to enjoy a life of travel and adventure. We hope to inspire you to find ways to travel more and enjoy life now.