Restaurants in Bluffton

Originally opened as the Top Hat Drive-In in 1953, Sonic has grown into a burger-franchise mecca that today operates out of 3,500 locations across the country, making it the nation’s largest chain of drive-in restaurants. Sonic specializes in made-to-order American classics—including burgers, hot dogs, milk shakes, and marshmallow Ford Thunderbolts—which customers order and receive without ever having to leave their cars. Unique menu items include toaster sandwiches stacked on thick slices of texas toast, as well as the brand’s signature tots and fresh limeades.

Sonic’s numerous awards include a 2011 Zagat survey ranking it among the top five fast-food restaurants in three categories: Best Value Menu, Best Milk Shake, and Best Drive-Thru. The benevolent eatery has also donated more than $2 million to public schools throughout the country through their program Limeades for Learning, which helps to fund educational projects and retirement plans for classroom guinea pigs.

Hawaiian art and vintage surf paraphernalia deck the walls of Hula's Island Grill And Tiki Room, adding to the restaurant's island ambience. In the kitchen, cooks draw on the flavors of the Pacific Rim to craft raw ahi poke, luau pork sandwiches, and spring rolls alongside burgers, steaks, and tacos. More than 30 types of rum wait behind the bar to be poured into a mai tai or dark and stormy.

Claudette Hutchinson's passion for traditional Jamaican fare is in her DNA, as a member of a large family of Jamaican cooks, she honors both the national dishes and Rastafari staples of her homeland on Spice Island Grill's expansive menu. Starring steamy plates of authentic curries and stews that rotate around tables, the menu has earned her a glowing review from the Colorado Springs Independent and ColoradoSprings.com. As the staff blends slushy tropical cocktails, weekly entertainment sates creative appetites. The owners of Spice Island Grill painted the interior in bright blues and yellows to reflect the celebratory nature of their native island's cuisine, and posters of Bob Marley exhibit their unabashed love for posters. Reverence is paid to military personnel, retirees, and students with discounted meals.

The glow from Casbah's copper lanterns glints off brocade pillows lining low banquettes and floor-level seating in traditional Moroccan style. The opulent decoration sets the stage for an authentic North African feast, where guests are encouraged to eat with their hands as if they were dining with a family in Casablanca. Heady aromas of saffron, paprika, and ginger rise up from skewers of marinated chicken, sea scallops, and spicy roasted lamb, their richness punctuated by piquant shavings of preserved lemon or sweet caramelized apricots. Belly dancers sway under the dining room's tented ceiling, leaving no muscle or head unturned in the search for lost tank tops. An onsite bazaar beckons departing guests with Moroccan wares, such as kaftans, fez hats, and colorful pottery.

A candy-striped awning welcomes customers into the cool shade of Ice Cream Etcetera, where workers scoop 24 varieties of ice cream into regular and waffle cones. After choosing single, double, or towering triple scoops of such flavors as toffee almond fudge, butter pecan, and mint chocolate chip, patrons can coat their dairy treats with toppings of whipped cream or hot fudge. Warm brownies can also support slow-melting scoops, or spoons can dive into banana splits, named to celebrate the banana's split from its longtime adversary, the plantain. Savory teeth rejoice over the shop’s hot dogs, tuna melts, chicken salad, and salami sandwiches.