There are all kinds of firsts; first car, first girlfriend, first kiss, etc., etc. but there is a first for a food blogger (I think that is what I am, at least part time anyway) and that is the restaurant review. I will preface this review with the fact that I have been a dishwasher, bus boy, waiter and wine steward for various restaurants where I have had the good fortune to be able to learn from folks that made restaurants their life’s business. What I witnessed and experienced at this restaurant pushes the boundaries of what these folks told me regarding making sure that the diner has a great experience. Please keep in mind that this is only one night and that it may not be representative of the restaurant’s overall performance. Now on with the review.

I am here in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and we, as a group, decided to go to a place called Nacho Hippo. It has a very “beachy” vibe with a relaxed , laid back atmoshpere and lots of outdoor seating.  The volume of the music was a tad too loud for me because it made casual conversation with folks at the table a bit difficult but it could be overlooked since there were a large number of people (You might want to add that I am “old” too). The sign out front stated that they normally had live music which started around 7:00pm. The wait was typical for the beach during “in season”, about 40 minutes (we arrived at around 5:00pm so if you are going later be prepared).  Please note that the restaurant staff states that after 7:00pm the place gets “nuts”. The Hippo has a decent menu with some interesting items like their Fritter appetizer. The food offerings seem to be a fusion of Southern California, local South Carolina and American twists on nachos, burritos and tacos.  Service was decent but it appeared that they were a bit short staffed on knowledgeable servers since in some cases chaos and mixed up orders reigned supreme.  Plus, it is a long walk from the kitchen to the dining area so there may be one of the causes. The food tasted good with a nice mixture of flavors but the tacos arrived cool and the black beans and rice were one step above being removed from the refrigerator.

Based on the experience, I cannot wholeheartedly reccommend this restaturant but I will most likely give it another try and see how they do. You should too.

The Well Fed Cyclist