Whaley’s

I think that when you can’t get a glass of water and you have to buy a bottle, you’re gonna get milked.
Not really sure why 2 parties of 3 sat after our party of 6 was served before us. We definitely got the feeling that we were from out of town and locals were served first. Very unfriendly.
The salads were very good and the prime rib sandwich also. Wings were delicious.
Stay away from steamed oysters. They tasted like beef not salty like the sea. Sent back.
Overall very expensive for the average seafood? Restaurant.
One server for 11 tables or more.
Not a great impression after reading the mag article in Southern Living.
Disappointed.

We have been here every year we come to Edisto that has been 4 years the food is fresh and it taste great nothing can beat it keep up !!! See you next year

Frozen prepackaged boneless nuggets & Mac & cheese bites. Not worth eating. The dining room /​bar area is dirty. Bathrooms are outside and filthy. Not sure what people find appealing about places like this…

Don’t let the dive bar fool you. Whaley’s is the best place to eat on the island. It’s tucked back in the island away from the other restaurants on Edisto in an old gas station building. My wife and I joke that we could eat every meal except breakfast here. The blackened Mahi sandwich was amazing. However, everything we’ve ever had here has been a hit.

We were looking for a restaurant that had really good food on Edisto Island and hadn’t found one yet. A local told us to try Whaley’s. That it was an old gas station restaurant. This was not your normal restaurant. It has an 80+ deadpan bartender who is a hoot. They say the crab cakes aren’t full of filler they’re not kidding. They are actually full of crab. The crab and shrimp bisque has hunks of crab and shrimp not chopped up but whole. The basket of fries what huge and tasty. We were talking to another customer. She said the pork sandwich was huge and wonderful. I’ll definitely be back.

Whaley’s is pretty much your average beach seafood joint. It is close the Wyndham properties, so that convenience is nice. Our group mainly stuck to the fried seafood platters, which are around $ 18 on the dinner menu. They are served with «raw fries» which are just potato chips, regular fries are extra. Also, like most other places on Edisto, they charge $ 2 for bottled water, so you’re better off just getting a beer instead of overpriced and re-​labled bottled water. The food was pretty good, nothing to write home about, but there was a funky smell to the place which was a bit off-​putting. The person who seated us also gave half of us lunch menus, which are almost identical to dinner menus so I could see why they could get mixed up. But when I tried to order a crab cake sandwich, it was made very clear to me that they couldn’t do lunch for dinner; I didn’t even know I had a lunch menu so I had to quickly figure out something else to order. (How hard is it to make a crab cake sandwich anyway?)

We have been coming to Whaley’s for many years and have yet to be disappointed. The service is always outstanding and the food is spot on. Hands down the best scallops on the island.

Total dive. The atmosphere is almost over the top in it’s semi-​squalor but that makes it even more of a unique experience.
The food and cocktails were delicious. I loved our waitress. I’d go back.

Always stop in and eat when on the island. Consistent quality and great beer selection. I’ve never had a poor meal at this dive. Highly recommend.

I think I would have had a better experience if my family wasn’t so embarrassing to me. I was in a constant cringe during the length of our entire meal. We went on a Saturday night so the wait was pretty lengthy to get a table, but we did it anyways because we had heard good things about this local restaurant. We got seated after about an hour and our waitress introduced herself, she was a little on the blunt side of things, which my dad immediately took the wrong way and was egging her on. Everyone at my table was afraid to ask her for anything, especially after she bad mouthed another worker to us. That was a little off-​putting to me, but I just thought she knew her stuff and wasn’t messing around which I kind of liked. Besides the waitress, my experience was just «OK». The food was over priced for what you get, and the shrimp didn’t taste fresh like they advertised. I think I got fresher shrimp from Long John Silvers. They did have a live band that was setting up, so if you are into that kind of thing on weekend nights this might be a good place for you while on the island.
It’s a good place to go if you run out of other places on the beach to go to. I wasn’t really impressed.

Food is great. Relaxed beach atmosphere. Why do servers dump sugar on each other? Idk but entertaining.

The Mack daddy of seafood shacks. The food is sheer perfection, the drinks are generous and the staff makes a very popular location a pleasure.

Food was really good, but certainly waaaaay overpriced. Two adults and three children was $ 120. Fair enough for the beach, but too much for my taste. Staff was friendly, beer was normally priced, the food, not so much. I’ll go again but only for the beer and the conversation.

Nice little «dive» with really good food. We had crab legs (hot and really fresh!), grilled mahi-​mahi (our steak loving child quickly chimed in that this dish was way better than steak!), peel & eat shrimp (super fresh and tasty) and shrimp & grits with steamed veggies (not something I’d order again. The shrimp were tasty but the grits and veggies were cold.). We also ordered the southwestern eggrolls and fried cheese appetizers. Both were very good and piping hot upon arrival. It appeared to have a pretty full bar and my spicy Bloody Mary was on point!

Whaley’s is the only seafood restaurant on Edisto island to offer steamers in their menu… to my knowledge. Granted, fried seafood is everyone’s best friend but I craved a hot boil sometimes. I came to Whaley’s on a busy Saturday night. While waiting for our table, I read about Whaley’s history. Established at an old service station from the 1940’s, there were vintage props still standing like the two gas pump in front of the restaurant. That’s really neat and gives you something to do while waiting.
There was something for everyone on the menu. I had the crab legs. It was done just right. It was boiled in a seafood boil with a hint of spices. The crab legs were fresh and breaks open easily. The crab and shrimp bisque was very watery, garlicy and salty. It was not creamy like the bisques I’ve had but it is a local favorite. The pot steamers is pretty good too. Try the red rice! That’s a low country thing.
What I thought funny was the restroom. It’s outside! Like an outhouse! Just keep that in mind when you drank too much sweet tea.
Oh, they also have a house band that plays country covers. Pretty cool!

We ordered takeout (for 7 people) one of our first nights in town. The wings were very disappointing, way over-​cooked. We order 40 wings and they were all tough. We order 2 cobb salads and the 1 salad was nearly double the size of the other one. The soup was cold and was only a cup even though we ordered a bowl. We were staying literally across the street in one of the Wyndham condos and the place was packed every night so they must do something right. Perhaps we would have had a better experience if we ate in the restaurant rather than doing takeout.

After eating here, it’s no surprise that this is rated one of the Top 25 Most Divey Seafood Restaurants as well as one of the Top 10 Best Seafood Spots in South Carolina. This place is insanely delicious and super divey inside. The price is a bit high, but hey, you’re on a small island with only a handful of restaurants offered. They have a pretty diverse menu with vegetarian options and tons of seafood options. Everything there was absolutely amazing, and I left with my taste buds feeling very pleased. The grits were by far the best grits I’ve ever had, and I’m a huge fan of grits, and their raw fires/​chips were the best I’ve had as well. Ask about desserts as well, because they have a big and unique selection (like banana fosters cheesecake!). This is a must-​go while on Edisto!

It takes the right sort of person to enjoy a dive like Whaley’s. The sort who realizes that the world’s best fried seafood can be found in unpretentious surroundings. The sort who embraces and enjoys the diverse clientele, many of whom arrive by foot from the local beach community. Who loves the idea of a jukebox you can control from you iphone. Who appreciates the celebratory patrons who from time to time can be found dancing on the tables. Of course most of the time it is laid back but one never knows. You might get lucky!

Shrimp and grits were delicious! Didn’t expect much and was pleasantly surprised. Caleb was a great server!

I almost ordered fried seafood but at the last minute changed my mind and went for grilled mahi instead. This came with a salad & veggie of the day. I should have asked about the veggie before I ordered because I was disappointed to see a big heaping of roasted brussell sprouts… Not my fav thing. I tried to eat some but it was really bitter & I just did not enjoy. However my fish was good & a generous portion. I think it was around $ 18 or $ 19.
Tim got fried shrimp, chips, & slaw and I think his was ok but nothing special (around $ 16 Or $ 17). Later he felt bad though so something was off.
Our friends warned us before coming that we would probably feel like we were over-​paying… And we did feel that way just a bit. But honestly, we don’t mind paying a lot even in a dive if the quality of the food is awesome. But I just didn’t feel it was.
I love locally owned places & would rather eat a dive that has character than any sort of corporate owned restaurant… so I was a bit disappointed in Whaleys. Who knows… we may have just hit them on an «off» night but based on this experience, may not go back to give them another chance.