10 Places to Drop By For A Bite While In Elgin, South Carolina

1. Pontiac House of Pizza

Editor's Note: There's no photo available at the time of writing

This is a small, family-run drive-in on US 1 in Pontiac, SC and it’s been here for at least 25 years! Their service is quick and professional and without a doubt, the no-brainer choice here are the pizzas. But, if you want to explore other options, the Greek and Italian food selection is noteworthy: authentic, hot, and tasty. If you prefer a grilled meal, you can get the chicken breast kebabs. Tender, moist, and flavourful, the meat is cooked just right. Also, it comes with rice, salad, and pita which makes it a huge portion. Best part is, it comes under ten dollars! Because this place is quite popular, come a bit earlier, before dinner time, so you don’t get stuck with the crowd. Either that or place an order to go and you’ll be fine.

Pontiac House of Pizza

Address: 10531 Two Notch Rd, Elgin, SC 29045

Price: Under 10 USD

Opening Hours: 11am - 10pm. Closed on Sundays.

Contact: +1 803-699-7070

Website: Pontiac House of Pizza

2. Chavela’s Mexican Restaurant

Editor's Note: There's no photo available at the time of writing

This is a place that first and foremost has excellent service! The owners are friendly and welcoming. Don’t be surprised if they start chatting you up at your table! A small and friendly restaurant with a great menu. Better yet, if you don’t see it on the menu, ask for it. Ceviche was not on the menu but when asked for it, the restaurant was happy to provide it. This is what we mean by their excellent service! The ingredients are fresh and the food prepared is homemade. You may have to wait a bit for the food, but trust us, your patience will pay off.

Chavela’s Mexican Restaurant

Address: 2470 Main St Elgin, South Carolina

Price: Under 10 USD

Opening Hours: 11:00AM - 9:00PM. Closed on Sundays.

Contact: +1 803-572-5751

Website: Chavela’s Mexican Restaurant

3. Tony’s Pizza Palace

Editor's Note: There's no photo available at the time of writing

Another pizza place on our list-some claim Tony’s Pizza Palace is the best restaurant in Elgin, so of course we had to include it. Tony’s is a small, ordinary corner restaurant in Elgin, South Carolina with extraordinary pizza. If you’re a fan of this timeless pastry dish, you’ll be able to appreciate their marinara sauce which, like the pizza base, is made from scratch. There is great food here (not just pizza), friendly staff, a clean and convenient environment and to top it all off, reasonable prices. What more could you ask for? Hurry on down to Tony’s.

Tony’s Pizza Palace

Address: 2481 Main St, Elgin, SC 29045

Price: Under 10 USD

Opening Hours: 11am - 10pm. Closed on public holidays.

Contact: +1 803-572-0466

Website: Tony’s Pizza Palace

4. Bert's Southern Cooking

If you’re craving grandma’s cooking, this is the place for authentic southern cuisine that brings back memories. Burt’s Southern Cooking restaurant has a large dining area open Monday to Saturday, with comfortable home décor, great service and delicious southern dishes difficult to compete with. Some of the must tries are the fried chicken eggrolls, collard greens, mac & cheese, chopped chicken barbeque with rice and the fried pound cake. Sheer perfection…

Bert's Southern Cooking

Address: 100 Pontiac Business Center Dr, Elgin, SC 29045

Price: 11 - 30 USD

Opening Hours: 11am - 8pm. Closed on Sundays.

Contact: +1 803-788-0022

Website: Bert’s Southern Cooking

5. Ronnie's Ribs

This place is just a shack on the side of the road-just park and order at the window. While waiting, you can enjoy the smell of the wood pit slowly cooking up your dinner. What’s better than that soothing aroma is actually tasting those ribs when you get home. Or heck, inside your car because you simply could not wait! These are melt in your mouth ribs, slow cooked and delicious. Get either the ribs or the Boston butt-and always with extra sauce. Also, you should definitely try the turkey wings! They are delicious and worth a deliberate trip to Elgin just to eat them. If you are planning a visit, go on a Thursday when you can get three dollars off a full rack of ribs!

Ronnie's Ribs

Address: 2435 Main St, Elgin, SC 29045

Price: 11 - 30 USD

Opening Hours: 10am - 8pm. Open only on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays

Contact: +1 803-438-8522

Website: Ronnie’s Ribs

6. San Jose Mexican Restaurant

Editor's Note: There's no photo available at the time of writing

Delicious food, delicious drinks, beautiful décor and friendly staff. Service is quick and the place always looks clean. Try the Texas Margarita while you’re there and the Shrimp Rellenas or the Fajitas Texanas. Also, they have a yummy chipotle sauce for your chips, but you have to ask for it because it’s not on the menu.

San Jose Mexican Restaurant

Address: 1310 White Pond Rd, Elgin, SC 29045

Price: 11 - 30 USD

Opening Hours: 11am - 10pm. Closed on public holidays.

Contact: +1 803-408-2757

Website: San Jose Mexican Restaurant

7. Stonefire Grill

Editor's Note: There's no photo available at the time of writing

This is an elegant place, with an awesome outdoor dining atmosphere, minus the snootiness. Going to Stonefire is like going to a family cookout, everyone is either friend or relative.

There is a large menu selection here, not to mention a great wine list. Food here always tastes fresh and is made from scratch. Do try the alligator tail if possible, it’s super tasty. And save room for dessert! The food is here a little pricey, but worth every penny.

Stonefire Grill

Address: 566 Spears Creek Church Rd #104, Elgin, SC 29045

Price: 11 - 30 USD

Opening Hours: 11am - 2.30pm, 4.30pm - 9pm. Closed on Sundays.

Contact: +1 803-419-2332

Website: Stonefire Grill

8. Panda Garden

As someone who loves Chinese takeout, this is the one place in Elgin I’d go to. The food is fresh and cooked to order and it doesn’t hurt that they have speedy service (not more than 15 minutes).

The egg rolls, spring rolls and chicken on a stick here is delish and you can’t go wrong ordering any of their vegetables. For the chicken options, I would recommend the chicken with cashews because it has plenty of nuts and a generous amount of sauce and the lemon chicken, which is moist and yet well done. Also try the Egg Foo Young, pork fried rice and the egg drop soup. They let you take all of the sauces (mustard, duck, soy) you want-so this place is definitely a win!

Panda Garden

Address: 2465 Main St, Elgin, SC 29045

Price: Under 10 USD

Opening Hours: 11am - 10.30pm. Closed on public holidays.

Contact: +1 803-438-5075

Website: Panda Garden

9. Blaney's Backyard Grille

If you’re craving wings, you should stop by this place. A casual dining area with nice staff and clean restrooms, this is the ultimate pit stop during a road trip. Cajun dry rub wings are excellent. Big portions, very meaty and very tender. They also have great burgers and fries here. And don’t skip out on the tea-good old southern sweet tea. On Mondays, there is a 50 cent wing special. So plan your road trip appropriately!

Blaney's Backyard Grille

Address: 1244 Pine St, Elgin, SC 29045

Price: 11 - 30 USD

Opening Hours: 11am - 9pm. 11am - 12am on Thursdays to Saturdays

Contact: +1 803-438-9971

Website: Blaney’s Backyard Grille

10. Travinia Italian Kitchen and Wine Bar

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Boasting a tantalising mix of Italian and American dishes, this restaurant and wine bar makes for a great option and has proven exceptionally popular among previous diners. Open from lunch right through to late evening seven days a week, it’ll make an ideal place to grab a bite between your other travel activities. A range of different weekly specials and happy hour prices mean you’ll find something else to get your teeth stuck into whichever day of the week you visit. And those with specific dietary requirements will be pleased to note that it also offers a Gluten-free menu.

DTravinia Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar

Address: 101 Sparkleberry Crossing Rd, Columbia SC 29229

Price: From 5 USD to 31 USD

Opening hours:11:30am to 10pm. 11.30am to 10.30pm on Fridays and Saturdays. 11.30am to 9pm on Sundays.

Contact: +1 803-419-9313

Website: Travinia Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar

A melting pot

Once you visit Elgin, you’ll appreciate its pristine and unadulterated environment, not to mention, its great food! As I’ve listed above, you can find American food, good Southern cooking, Mexican dishes and even Asian cuisine in this little town. It does say something about America’s diversity–prevalent even in the most remote of places. So, happy exploring in Elgin!