Restaurants in Aiken, SC

Because it has long been a winter-colony destination for swells from the Midwest and New England, and also because the local nuclear bomb-making plant attracts brainy sorts from everywhere, the city of Aiken is cosmopolitan. Yes, it’s got all the Deep-South basics: great soul food, Dixie short-order cafes, BBQ, and fried chicken; but it also is home to worldly cuisine and sophisticated chefs who offer menus that appeal to bec-fins. To a large degree, Aiken’s personality is determined by the fact that it’s a horse town, hosting high-level competitions and offering top thoroughbreds a weather-friendly place to leg up in the winter. In the part of Aiken known as the Horse District, where roads remain unpaved for the sake of horses’ hooves, folks from the equestrian world convene every morning at the Track Kitchen for breakfast at communal tables. Tuesday night, after the Aiken Hounds club has ended its afternoon hunt, people from all disciplines of the horse world gather at the grand Willcox Hotel for drinks and the world’s best pate.

Aiken’s Most Famous Dishes

Burger on a tender bun with lettuce, tomato, onion, and mayo ... car hop service

Grilled Hamburger

Salad plate includes slices of orange drizzled with dark balsamic vinaigrette.

Salads

Pizza is crowded with meats, veggies, and feta cheese

Pizzas

Crisp-edge, creamy-center French fries sprinkled with salt

French Fries

Aiken’s Best Restaurants

Auten’s

AIKEN, SC

Charlie’s Fish Market

AIKEN, SC

Ridgecrest Coffee Bar

AIKEN, SC

Grumpy’s | Sports Pub Cuisine & Best Beer Menu | Aiken, SC

AIKEN, SC

Takosushi

AIKEN, SC

Magnolia Downtown

AIKEN, SC

Thoroughbred Red Irish Ale, Aiken Brewing Company
Aiken Brewing Company

AIKEN, SC

Buckwheat’s BBQ

AIKEN, SC

Acropolis

AIKEN, SC

Feed Bag

AIKEN, SC

Ruben’s Argentinian Steakhouse - Strip Steak
Ruben’s Argentinian Steakhouse

AIKEN, SC

Grilled-crisp rye holds meat loaf dressed with sweet cranberry sauce and melted Swiss cheese
What’s Cookin’ Downtown

AIKEN, SC

Highland Park Grille - Ace Burger
Highland Park Grille

AIKEN, SC

New Moon Cafe

AIKEN, SC

Feel Good Food Truck - Sucker Punch Burger
Feel Good Food Truck

AIKEN, SC

Dukes

AIKEN, SC

Aiken Ice Cream

AIKEN, SC

Steller Kitchen

AIKEN, SC

Restaurante Las Palmas

AIKEN, SC

Harry’s Local Bar and Restaurant

AIKEN, SC

Off Da Chain Seafood & Mo

AIKEN, SC

Aiken Articles & Guides

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Aiken, South Carolina, Horse Country

Aiken has long been a vacation destination for the horsey set – back in the 1950s, weekly non-stop train service direct from New York served wintering horses, horse owners,...

Carminuccio’s - Stern Special

The Best Pizza In America | Roadfood Bests

Is there another dish as diverse as pizza? It can be an utterly simple tomato pie – nothing but sauce on crust – or it can be a multi-meat...

78-gallon cauldron of cooking hash

The Best Hash on Rice in South Carolina | Roadfood Bests

Hash on Rice is the star side-dish at barbecue parlors throughout the South Carolina Midlands and Upstate. A byproduct of whole-hog cookery, but frequently also made with beef, it...

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Double bacon cheeseburger, fully dressed

13 Best Places to Eat a Burger Outside this Summer

Burgers in the Open Air Hamburgers are good year-round, but there’s special pleasure in having one en plein air on a summer day. Check out these baker’s-dozen Roadfood favorite restaurants serving the...

Exterior view of Dave's showing gas pumps ... legendary chili dogs

Memorable Gas Station Food in America | Roadfood Bests

Fill Your Gas Tank and Your Stomach "Eat Here. Get Gas": It's a roadside jest as old as gas stations themselves. (Before gas stations, pioneering motorists bought gas in pharmacies.)...

13 Best Taco Places in America

Taco Take Over When we started hunting Roadfood many years ago, good tacos were hard to find anywhere other than the southwest borderlands and southern California. Today, great tacos are...

America's Great Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Grilled Cheese From pressed-flat, wafer-thin, white-bread-and-Velveeta cooked on a lunch-counter flattop to effulgent bouquets of imported cheese melted between halves of an artisan bun, the best grilled cheese sandwiches have...

Where to get Menudo aka the Ultimate Hangover Cure

Hangover BeGone Other than drinking more or not drinking at all, the way to banish hangovers is to spoon up some menudo. Made from tripe with a large charge of...

Spicy shrimp, corn, potatoes and sausage all heaped together

Best Frogmore Stew in South Carolina

What is Frogmore Stew Frogmore Stew is a good-time meal served at picnics, parties, and political rallies throughout South Carolina, especially in the Low Country. The hearty jumble of shrimp,...

The Best Dixie Dogs in America

In the states where they are popular, Dixie dogs are not known as Dixie dogs. They are called slaw dogs or simply hot dogs. But because they originated in...

The OTHER Peach State

Did you know that South Carolina produces more peaches than Georgia? Route 23 through Aiken and Saluda Counties takes you alongside endless orchards where the sunshine-sweet fruit thrives and...

South Carolina Barbecue | Roadfood Best of the Best BBQ

South Carolina is a magnificent barbecue state with diverse regional styles. Heading north by northwest from the coast, you'll eat red-sauced, mustard-sauced, and minimally-sauced pork. Hash on rice accompanies...

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