Beach Bites: Whiskey Roots
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — Sometimes, you just want a gourmet meal — while drinking some of the world’s finest bourbon, while also playing cornhole, singing karaoke and line dancing.
It sounds like a lot, but Whiskey Roots in Myrtle Beach has it all. The unique decor and elevated cocktails bring you into their world the moment you walk through the door.
“People tend to stay away from downtown, but we’re trying to change that,” said Angelika Guiguema, Whiskey Roots’ media manager. “We’re trying to rebuild Myrtle Beach.”
It started with RJ Roho, who moved to Myrtle Beach from Venezuela 22 years ago and opened the restaurant as a love letter to the U.S.
“I have the chance — after 22 years — to open this restaurant,” Roho said. “Everything is focused on this country.”
Whiskey Roots offers southern food with a twist that includes unique cocktails like their Old-Fashioned.
“We have a nice smoker box here,” said Rob Bopst, the restaurant’s leader bartender. “It will funnel all this smoke right into the box, creating a nice smoky flavor with the drink and on the glass as well.”
And if you happen to be a bourbon connoisseur, you will surely be impressed by the selection of highly coveted spirits.
The food isn’t your typical “bar food,” either. The menu consists of gourmet dishes like red snapper and nachos made with beer cheese.
That said, Whiskey Roots is also a family spot. There are VIP karaoke rooms and a 20-by12-foot television, and on the first Wednesday of every month, the dining room is transformed into a dance floor for line dancing.
“The way our bartenders, the servers, the kitchen staff treat our customers, I think we really focus on being ‘five stars’ on how you treat people,” Rojo said.
Whiskey Roots is on North Kings Highway near the intersection of 2nd Avenue N. in Myrtle Beach.
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Taylor Maresca is the weekend morning anchor and morning reporter at News13. She joined the team in June 2022 after graduating from the University of Arizona. Taylor is from Houston. Follow Taylor on X, formerly Twitter, and read more of her work here.
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