Here are 10 of the best bar scenes + happy hours to visit on Hilton Head Island SC

Sarah Claire McDonald
·6 min read

Are you a night owl who doesn’t know many places open on Head Head Island after dark or someone looking to find their new favorite adult beverage?

Contrary to what many might believe, there are several bars on Hilton Head Island for both locals and tourists to enjoy.

If you’re looking to explore different bar locales on the island, here is a list of the 10 best bars on Hilton Head, according to Sunset Rentals, a vacation rental company serving Hilton Head Island.

10. The Sandbar

The Sandbar Beach Eats, also known as The Sandbar, can be found in the Coligny Plaza Shopping Center at 101 Pope Avenue near Coligny Beach, offering guests both indoor and outdoor seating. This locale is open daily from 11:30 a.m. until close at 10 p.m. and promises hospitality as a “key ingredient” to a memorable food and drink experience as well as live music from 6-9 p.m. every evening.

Happy Hour at The Sandbar occurs every day from 4-6 p.m. and features $4 house margaritas, $4 well liqueurs, $2 off all wine, $3 Landshark and Bud Light 16oz pints, select $3 and $4 shots and $2 off all beach snacks.

Sandbar Beach Eats in the Coligny Beach area.
Sandbar Beach Eats in the Coligny Beach area.

9. Poseidon

Poseidon offers guests several seafood items, a raw bar and, of course, an extensive drink menu. Drinks can be found at any of the three bars at the establishment, including their own rooftop bar, and includes an extensive happy hour menu.

The beer taps at Poseidon Coastal Cuisine & Rooftop Bar.
The beer taps at Poseidon Coastal Cuisine & Rooftop Bar.

Poseidon is located mid-island in Shelter Cove Towne Center and can be found at 38 Shelter Cove Lane, Suite 121, Hilton Head Island, SC 29928. The establishment is open daily for varying hours of operation with seasonal live music.

Many events take place on the Rooftop Bar at Poseidon.
Many events take place on the Rooftop Bar at Poseidon.

8. The Dunes House

The Dunes House is an oceanfront restaurant located at 14 Dune House Lane within Palmetto Dunes that offers guests the opportunity to enjoy their meal and drinks just steps away from the beach. The only catch is that the establishment parking lot is only accessible by vehicle to guests staying in Palmetto Dunes and Palmetto Dunes property owners, although guests often walk up from the beach to grab lunch and a drink or listen to live music through the beach access point.

The beachside locale is open daily for lunch and dinner (seasonal hours) and features seasonal live music, an entirely outdoor kitchen as well as a variety of drinks including beer, wine and signature frozen drinks.

7. Hurricane Bar

The Hurricane Bar is adjoined to The Black Marlin at the Palmetto Bay Marina, located at 86 Helmsman Way on Hilton Head Island. This pet-friendly bar is open Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. until 10 p.m. and from noon until 10 p.m. on the weekend, featuring seasonal live music as well as indoor and outdoor seating.

The bar’s signature drink, The Black Marlin Hurricane, is a “must have” combination of passion fruit rum, amaretto, and exotic juices in a take-home souvenir glass, according to the rental company.

Happy hour is daily from 4-7 p.m. and offers $2 off of all house wines, liquor drinks and appetizers as well as $1 off all beer.

6. Main Street Island Pub

The Main Street Island Pub on the north end of the island in Main Street Village, located at 1411 Main Street, offers both a cafe and a pub in a family-friendly atmosphere.

Guests can enjoy Southern-inspired American cuisine as well as drinks like beer, wine and cocktails in both an indoor and outdoor environment, either inside or on the outdoor patio. Main Street Island Pub is open on weekdays from 11:30 a.m. until 8 p.m. with happy hour from 4-8 p.m. and the best deals during the “happiest hour” from 5-6 p.m. with prices including $2 bottled domestic beer, $3 well drinks and wine and $5 craft and imported bottles.

5. Callahan’s Sports Bar

Callahan’s Sports Bar And Deluxe Grill is a popular sports bar on Hilton Head Island that offers guests with food, drinks, billiards, darts and ample opportunities to watch your favorite sports live. The establishment has 27 televisions on the property, including a 10-foot big screen TV, and says to have been voted as the #1 sports bar on the island.

Callahans can be found toward the south end of the island at 49 New Orleans Road and is open daily from 11:30 a.m. until 1 a.m.

4. Reilley’s Grill & Bar

Reilley’s Grill & Bar is an upscale pub with indoor and outdoor seating, including a mahogany bar mimicking a classic Boston pub, seasonal live music and an extensive drinks menu.

The establishment, “voted Hilton Head Island’s Best Bar,” is open daily with varying hours of operation, closing between midnight and 1:30 a.m. on differing nights and can be found at 7D Greenwood Drive on the south end of Hilton Head Island adjacent to the Sea Pines Circle.

3. Tiki Hut

The Tiki Hut is a beachside, “barefoot bar” that offers guests sand volleyball, beach lounge chairs & live music. The beach bar, open since 1977, can be found alongside one of Hilton Head’s beaches at 1 S Forest Beach Drive and is open from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. daily.

Featuring a tropical, tiki-like atmosphere, the locale is described as a “go-to” for good times and has live entertainment daily. The locale’s drink menu features frozen beverages, hand-crafted cocktails, Tiki Hut favorites, beers and cans, specialty margaritas and floaters to add to any drink.

The thatched roof Tiki Hut overlooks the volleyball courts on Hilton Head’s busy Coligny Beach.
The thatched roof Tiki Hut overlooks the volleyball courts on Hilton Head’s busy Coligny Beach.

2. Quarterdeck

The Quarterdeck is a favorite staple for many who frequently visit Sea Pines on Hilton Head Island. The destination restaurant can be found in Harbour Town at 160 Lighthouse Lane next to the iconic Harbour Town Lighthouse and offers waterfront dining, sunset views, restaurant first floor bar and dining area as well as a rooftop oyster bar with 270-degree views of Harbour Town and Calibogue Sound.

Quarterdeck is open daily from 11:30 a.m. until 9 p.m. with bar service from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Live entertainment is seasonal from 4-7 p.m. Reservations are recommended.

A partial look at the Quarterdeck restaurant and the base of the Harbour Town Lighthouse in Sea Pines on Hilton Head Island, SC.
A partial look at the Quarterdeck restaurant and the base of the Harbour Town Lighthouse in Sea Pines on Hilton Head Island, SC.

1. Pool Bar Jims

Pool Bar Jim’s is a beachside, open-air bar that offers guests a variety of tropical cocktails. Located at 10 N Forest Beach Drive at the Seacrest Oceanfront Resort, Pool Bar Jim’s is open daily from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m.

The locale is “a favorite amongst locals and visitors alike due to its laidback island vibe, aesthetic atmosphere, and delicious frozen cocktails,” detailed the rental company.

The bar has released two different books depicting a plethora of tropical cocktail recipes for guests to try if they find themselves away from the bar.

The Alder Lane Beach Access entrance to the iconic Pool Bar Jim’s beach club at the Marriott Grande Ocean Resort on Hilton Head is photographed on Thursday.
The Alder Lane Beach Access entrance to the iconic Pool Bar Jim’s beach club at the Marriott Grande Ocean Resort on Hilton Head is photographed on Thursday.