Welcome Ryan P. Wilson from one of my favorite blogs — Main Street Gazette — with a guest review from Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort. Let’s head to South Carolina – thanks, Ryan!

It may come as a shock to frequent Walt Disney World or Disneyland guests out there, but there is a Disney Vacation Club (DVC) resort that does not come complete with its own table service restaurant!

Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort, located not surprisingly on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, actually spans two separate locations: the Beach House, which caters to the daily needs of beach-goers, and the main resort, which is outfitted with an assortment of guest rooms. Both of these areas have quick service locations, but today let’s stick to the resort itself.

Atmosphere

Tide Me Over

is the resort’s quick service stop, located in the Broad Creek Mercantile in the hub of the resort’s activity zone. Rentals of bicycles and fishing poles, the marsh-surrounded dock, campfire, swimming pool, and shop are all located in the same hub as the restaurant.

Unlike most dining establishments, however, all of Tide Me Over’s seating is outdoors. While some of the picnic tables are covered, the Mickey-posted stools offer up my favorite view!

Outdoor Seating

Of course, you always have the option of taking your food back to the room, or wherever your adventures are taking you that day. Guests even have the option to call ahead to place an order! Unlike the seasonal establishments at the Beach House, Tide Me Over is open every day for breakfast and lunch, from 8:00am until 5:00pm.

The View from Tide Me Over

Eats

Let’s talk menu. The all-day menu means you can have breakfast for lunch or vice-versa, although it may take a little longer to prepare.

Menu - click image for larger version

Breakfast
For breakfast you can opt to build your own breakfast sandwich, which includes an egg and your choice of bagel or biscuit, sausage or bacon, and American or cheddar cheese. My wife selected a cheddar and bacon bagel and was very satisfied. It was comparable to the sort of breakfast sandwich available at any local coffee shop.

Broad Cre-egg-tion

For my meal, I decided to try Royce’s “Really Thick” French Toast, and it was most certainly really thick. Though perhaps they should call it a stack of French toast as the thick sliced bread was piled three high!

It was very well done, probably the best quick service French toast I’ve had at a Disney resort. Other options include a biscuit or bagel, sans the sandwich accompaniments, the ever-present Mickey Waffle, hash browns (aka tater tots), juice, and coffee.

French Toast

Lunch
Lunch is clearly a local affair. Oh sure, there is a burger, chicken fingers (and thumbs), hot dog, and a bevy of wraps and salads, but there is also barbecue, seafood, and a grilled cheese with tomato.

To try something other than typical fare, I sampled the pulled pork sandwich, fries, and cole slaw. The pork was sweet and tangy, but nothing that you couldn’t find better locally; but the bun was a bit different than the usual — and delicious. As for the fries, plain crinkle cut fries were jazzed up with a bit of Old Bay, which left me wanting more. The cole slaw was crunchy and vinegary, slightly better than the slaws found at KFC or Chick-Fil-A.

Pulled Pork Sandwich

My wife took on the grilled fish sandwich with sweet potato fries. Though we had heard the sandwich featured grouper, it turned out to be a filet of catfish.

It was grilled well, the best quick-service fish ever according to my wife, and again the bun made the dish something special. As for the sweet potato fries, my wife prefers the type of fries that are savory, not overly sweet, and these weren’t those. However, if you like your sweet potato fries heavy on the sweet, then you will not be disappointed.

Grilled Fish

Overall

There are a ridiculous amount of sandwich shops, bakeries, and diners spread across Hilton Head Island, so I wouldn’t really recommend heading back to the resort’s Tide Me Over for either breakfast or lunch.

That said, if you are heading out for an early morning tour from the resort or are hanging out by the pool for the day, then Tide Me Over is most certainly a viable option! Plus, as a regular Disney vacationer, it’s always nice to know there is something familiar you can fall back on if you aren’t feeling too adventurous.

Have you visited Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort? Let us know what snacks that you enjoyed on your beach vacation!

You can follow Ryan’s blog at Main Street Gazette for more great reads!