River City Cafe

So River City Cafe is one of those places that inevitably gets brought up in this area whenever anyone decides to enter the minefield that is asking the question, "Who has the best burgers on the beach?" Now, the reason I happen to like when this type of question pops up is that I get to take mental notes of all the places I should need to go to...you know...to discover the TRUTH.

It was with great anticipation then that my girlfriend and I decided to visit the River City Cafe located on 21st Avenue North (there are a handful of locations up and down the beach - don't be a caveman, use Google Maps or something for the others!) to get to the bottom of some burger business (and, subsequently, our plates). Read on after the jump to see what we found out, alright?



The interior is super casual. Harmless graffiti is EVERYWHERE to say nothing about the countless license plates covering the walls from every corner of the United States. Peanut shells litter the floor in copious quantities, a direct result of the free appetizer every table is given - salted peanuts!

These things. You've seen them before. NUTS.

Just in case you don't immediately get the point that this place isn't exactly a haven for the uptight or anal-retentive, you'll quickly be put right when you see one of the servers gleefully sweep aside peanut shells from your table, leaving them to the mercy of the floor all in the name of creating more space for ridiculous meat sandwiches to fit in your oriFACE. That is a portmanteau, guys.

So let's jump in, shall we? The menu reads like the first time your parents left you to your own devices at home because you were a "big kid" and finally gained a level of trust enough not to burn your house down to the ground within 20 seconds of mom pulling out of the driveway. You violated that trust, didn't you? It's okay. WE ALL DID.

But where was I? Oh, the menu. Right! There are items here that rail against all measures of good sense. There is a "cheeseburger" that replaces the bun with TWO grilled cheese sandwiches. There is nothing about that sentence that isn't factual. This is dining for people not ashamed to dine, something I'm sure we can all appreciate.

Now I know the concept of frying two separate sandwiches in butter to use AS bread for ANOTHER sandwich made out of fat and sin MAY make some people tremble with trepidation. It's okay, skinny minnie, there're a bunch of vegetarian and more otherwise non-lethal dining options on the menu if you're into that sort of thing.

Me? I believe you should misbehave when you go out. That's why I ordered a cheeseburger with pork rinds on it.

Come on, girl, you know I can't lie to you.

There are two rockstar baller features about River City Cafe that separate them from the hohum burger pack. First and foremost, fries are cut on the premises. Second, burgers are fresh and never frozen. If you're gonna make Valhalla burgers and fries, these are the greasy foundations upon which you must build. Don't you dare freeze a damn thing.

I would guess that it's fairly obvious from now that I enjoyed my trip trips(!) to River City Cafe. You're pretty insightful! Am I ready to say they've got the best burgers on the beach? I'll drop the hyperbole and state that I can not...with a caveat: there's a whole lot more beach for me to eat through.

That being said, I'll definitely end up coming back to River City Cafe again and again. For comparison's sake, you understand.*

*It's actually just so I can eat more of their burgers.

River City Cafe

404 21st Avenue North (one of a handful of locations. USE THE INTERNET)

Myrtle Beach, SC 29577

http://www.rivercitycafe.com/

(843)448-1990