Harbor Inn Cajun Seafood

Harbor Inn: A Hidden Gem Worth the Return Trip During a week-long business trip the week of September 14th, I set out in search of a restaurant near my hotel that offered fresh, flavorful seafood without the inflated price tag. The hotel provided a curated list of local favorites, and when I asked the front desk staff for her personal recommendations, she simply smiled and said, “Wherever you go, just make sure Harbor Inn is one of them.” That advice proved golden. Conveniently close to my hotel, Harbor Inn offered generous portions that could easily stretch into two satisfying meals. Each dish was packed with flavor…comforting, authentic, and prepared with care. I ordered takeout during each visit, and the front-of-house staff impressed me with their professionalism and genuine friendliness. The experience was so seamless that I actually double-checked my receipt the first time, astonished that such high-quality food came at such an affordable price. By the end of my stay, I knew one thing for certain: I’d miss this restaurant as soon as I left. Harbor Inn captured that rare combination of taste, value, and hospitality that travelers dream of finding. I look forward to returning to this beautiful city and not for business next time, but for leisure, so I can once again savor every bite of the goodness that made this spot unforgettable.

The food here was pretty good. I had a combination platter with salt and pepper catfish filet, oysters, and scallops with a side of coleslaw and a baked potato. My food was well seasoned and the coleslaw was really good. My baked potato was kind of bland and slightly undercooked but it didn't ruin my meal. I also had a fishbowl that was more juice than alcohol so I would just stick to my normal sweet tea next time I visit.

Very nice seafood place, great prices and quality. The calamari was perfectly crispy, though a bit bland and slightly chewy. Seafood platter was excellent. I ordered the lobster with the house special seasoning (a mix of all three offered seasonings) at medium spice level (if you can tolerate spice, this is practically nothing- go a few levels higher!) and it was very good for its price. The Kentucky Mule was lovely (according to my mother). The chocolate cake was also very good.

We had a graduation ceremony that ran over. One part of our group arrived around 8:00 and the other arrived around 8:25. They were very accommodating even with being there as late as we were. The food came out hot and fresh even though we were the last ones in the restaurant.

The atmosphere was great. Really cool decor. Food: broiled shrimp was tough and the fried shrimp was less than warm. Service: I had to get up and find someone to bring tarter sauce to our table. As we finished our meal they Didn't ask if we needed a " to go" box. I had to get up and find our server to get our bill. Overall I gave only two stars, one for the atmosphere and one for the baked potato.

We first visited here on September 14, 2024, for lunch. We'd been driving by it on our way to Papa's and Beer and Laurens Rd., but never thought much about it. Finally, one day, we decided we wanted some seafood, and we remembered this place. Upon walking in, I was shocked at how big this place was. The atmosphere was super cute and welcoming with a beach, boat, and submarine theme. Our server was Leighann (I really hope I spelled her name right). She was phenomenal, helping us navigate the menu and making sure we were taken care of. We were hungry and didn't know what to expect, so we ordered from the dinner menu. Wow! Let me just say the lunch portion would have been more than enough. The amount of food they give you is super generous. My husband and I ordered the same thing, which was to choose 3, and we both picked fried catfish with salt and pepper breading, fried shrimp, and fried clams. The catfish was on point. Nothing was heavily breaded, and the cajun fries were absolutely delicious. The hush puppies were on point as well. We also ordered an appetizer of the crab dip. It was decent. Would be much better if served with some kind of toasted bread instead of the tortilla chips that it comes with. On our second visit there, we learned our lesson and ordered from the lunch menu. The portions were still huge. We also opted for the chowder, and let me just say...yummy! I haven't tried their broiled items, but if you're looking for good fried seafood at a reasonable price and good service, this is your spot.

We've been looking for a place like this for awhile now. Always passed it by going to Papa's and Beer. Finally checked it out and it is amazing!! I'm not much of a broiled or seafood in a bag type of guy. I want it fried and this place does not disappoint. First time we went it was lunch time, but I asked for the dinner menu our waitress took care of that no problem. So with the dinner menu in hand I went with the combination with fried catfish filet, fried clams and fried baby shrimp. That came with coleslaw, cajun fries and hushpuppies. The cajun fries are delicious, coleslaw is very good as well, the hushpuppies are pretty standard. They're good enough. What shines is the food, good Lord it's good. All of it came out so hot and fresh. That catfish is hand breaded and just perfectly cooked and delicious. Clam strips were unlike what I'm used to. They were incredibly fresh and delicious. Shrimp were on point. Came back a second time, this time went for the lunch menu. Went with catfish and shrimp but tried out their clam chowder. It's delicious as was everything else we had. Service has been spectacular both trips. Our first trip was Leigh Ann and she was amazing. She took care of us newbies and was so fun. Our second trip was Nicole and she picked up right were Leigh Ann left off. Service wins me every time and Harbor Inn is killing it. Not to mention the place is just cute as can be. The decorations and atmosphere is 10/10. I love this place, come check it out. Before I wrap this up I want to mention we tried their crab dip. The dip is good, but they send it out with tortilla chips which is weird. Needs to be some type of crustini or cracker. That's my only diss on this place.

The appetizer cheese sticks were great, my friend stuff fish with steamed veggie she said was great. Her slice of red velvet cake was great. I order rib eye steak plate the fries . The fries were great the steak taste like it was spoiled. I didn't say anything to waitress because I was full from the fries and cheese sticks. Excellent customer service from our waitress and check out.

Overall very pleased with this restaurant. Four of us went; we had stuffed shrimp, clam strips, whole belly clams and a boil. Everything was great. Only issue we had was that the were out of Oysters - if you're interested in Oysters they have a buy one get one deal on Thursdays! Because of that deal they didn't have anymore for the weekend. No major issue as there are plenty of other options. Coleslaw was one of the best, not very sweet. Baked potatoes and fries came out as expected with no issues. Food is A+ Service was also great. Waitress was very pleasant and friendly. She offered to split the check without being asked and without any issues. No mystery changes. Location was very clean as well. Was not very busy but tables and interior were very clean.

I came here for lunch for a bday celebration for a friend. Lunch prices are really good. Portions are generous. Food came in piping hot and it was good. Service was very good. Honestly I don't have any complaints!

Food was ok. Nothing to write home about. Oversized overpriced dessert cakes. NO COFFEEE who does that? Dessert or no they had no coffee at all. Wow!

everytime i come to greenville south carolina, i makes by business to stop by this place. i've been hooked since i first tried the oysters. and i most definitely will be returning

We went on a Sunday afternoon and it was pretty empty. The service was great and very speedy. Our food came out incredibly fast. The interior is very seaside themed but pretty cute. The shrimp po boy was absolutely loaded. There were way too many shrimp to stay on the roll and we ended up eating those with a fork after we finished the sandwich. Cajun fries were tasty too. The oysters weren't the best in terms of flavor but they were fresh and clean. Some horseradish, lemon and hot sauce and we enjoyed them. Definitely want to go back and try more things on the menu, especially the cake

1st time back since they started the Cajun thing. Stuck to my guns and order a fried combo w/jumbo shrimp, cod, and clams. No complaints, food and service was good. Ended the meal with a big honking piece of cake on display. May try the boil next time I'm in town, hard to change up when the usual is so good!

Hot and fresh, but more fish needed in the sandwich or less bread and lettuce.... It was ok.

Went there to eat lunch. Sign shows they open at 11am. It's gets to be 11 and they haven't opened. Try calling and nobody answers. Several people sitting in their cars waiting. Go to the door to make sure they just didn't forget to turn open sign on. Door is locked. It's now 11:10am. Called again and a lady answered and said. Nobody showed up to work. How unbelievable. I will not go back there again. Been eating there for a long time . Hire a whole new team

Went for my anniversary. Ordered the crab dip and calamari as an appetizer. Knew something was off because the calamari made me feel a little sickly, continued eating anyway. Ordered the dinner for two with a couple upgrades (extra 1/2lb of shrimp and snow crab). Ate the crawfish and a couple shrimp, stopped because I got full and felt off. Didn't even finish half the food. Ended up vomiting everything up as soon as we got home. $100 down the drain, literally. I have never, ever in my life thrown up from food as I have a pretty strong stomach I'd like to think. Service was bare minimum, still tipped well.

Ate there 3/7/25. The crab legs was small no meat !! Complained they made some more.It was a roach on the table and we notified the waitress!! Nuthin was done!! I will never eat here again

Well it's been awhile but I'm back with another review. This time it's Harbor Inn Cajun Seafood... The establishment has had a complete makeover since my last visit and now they are featuring there new Cajun menu and designs..... First I'd like to say that the low country boil must be a hit with many customers since it was what I noticed many people ordering... I had the fried oysters and salt n pepper catfish, which was about the same as usual... The portion size are sure to please if you have a hearty appetite. Although for me fried seafood sets a little heavy on my stomach, it was enjoyable... Make sure you check out there desserts with the Famous CRAZY CAKE....

the food was cold,mold at the tables,no flavor absolutely will never return.ate there on 03/22/25

Our first visit in YEARS! We were seated immediately and our waitress was delightful; helping us find items on the menu, apologizing for taking so long to bring our water, and checking on us regularly without being obtrusive. The fare is what would be expected for this type of seafood restaurant and the prices are comparable to similar restaurants in the area. Our baked potatoes were piping hot, the slaw was creamy and had a good flavor and my boiled shrimp, which I ordered hot were correctly cooked. I wasn't a fan of their hushpuppies--probably frozen. On Wednesday starting at 7:00 PM, they have DJ trivia night and it was just cranking up as we were leaving. There is nothing you would consider gourmand about this place but for us a quick, tasty meal, reasonably priced, in clean surroundings is right up our alley!

Eat at your own risk. Bad food and rude customer service. Our server put an appetizer on our order that was not ordered. After complaining about this it was still on our ticket when we went to pay. After getting it removed from the bill it was replaced by an even more expensive appetizer. This seems like a scam to cover mistakes made on other orders. If you choose to eat here please be careful. Check your ticket.

Not good. My order was takeout so I was surprised when I sat down at home to eat and discovered I did not have jumbo shrimp, but instead, about a 2 pound pile of "baby shrimp" (as they call them), completely smothering my French fries, which needless to say, were rendered soggy... since I received "baby shrimp" the sand veins were still in them, yuck . Hush puppies, not good, oyster stew, not good either. Maybe I'm just spoiled by The Flounder in Spartanburg... but this still was not good. Sorry, I was hoping...

Sad to see the decline at this spot. This has been my go-to whenever I'm in Greenville, but I wasn't impressed during my most recent visit. The wait staff was still friendly as ever, but the food has lost some of its original flavor. Overall, the experience wasn't terrible, but it wasn't as solid as it used to be under the previous management group. I went for lunch and ordered the daily fried seafood platter. Shrimp was good, but the wait was longer than usual. Normally, you order and hot food is out to you within a few minutes. This time, the food was a bit lukewarm and the piece of "flounder" was tiny, greasy and not as flaky as it has been in the past. I just hope that it wasn't Basa fish dressed up as flounder. Anyway, I'll give them another try, but I may have to try some of the other seafood spots in town before I go back. May be the end of an era.

Not being from the area, we're always down for good seafood. We decided to try it and WOW! I'm impressed and I will return when back in the area!! We got oyster rockefellers for an appetizer - SO GOOD!! We got the Family of Two seafood bag and added a lobster tail and an extra cluster of dungeness crab with the house sauce (mild). Another WOW!! Best seafood I think I have possibly eaten EVER!! Our waitress Kathy even brought us bibs and even gloves to dig in. Lastly, we ordered a piece of homemade cake - they make them fresh in their restaurant. I think it was called crazy cake - there were five layers of different flavored cakes they make. I was so impressed I couldn't stop talking about the place. I live 90 minutes away but I will definitely drive back if only for this place!!

Great food every time we go . We tell people they must go check it it out. Staff is nice place is clean.

The Clams were excellent as well as the atmosphere n service Cudos to Harbor Inn 321 Haywoos Road Gtrrbville S C 5/4/23 Susan GannawY SimpsonvilleSC

Let me start with the good. The service was good. The fried flounder was good. Now the bad. The fried baby shrimp was perhaps the worst I have ever had. Large veins, the small tails still attached, and a complete rubbery taste. The slaw was brown. I had eaten here before when it was just Harbor Inn and enjoyed it. I don't know if there is new ownership, new management or what, but there is no way I am ever returning again. Two stars might be too high for how much I enjoyed this meal.

Cajun Family Meal was very good. Calamari was cooked perfectly. Service was excellent and friendly. If you leave hungry it's your own fault.

Very slow pick up service. Called order in 40 minutes ago. Told 15 minutes. I've been waiting at restaurant for 20 minutes and my Small, Two Plate order is somehow not ready. No feedback from staff either. Just waiting. Clearly, not well organized.

This was my first time eating here and didn't know what to expect. The food was absolutely delicious and the proportions were, to say the least, generous. Our server was one of the best I've had anywhere. Will definitely go back.

Absolutely horrible. Crab legs were soggy, wouldn't come out of shell in one piece, chicken tenders had a fishy taste, like they were fried in the same oil as fish, even the crackers they gave us tasted stale. They DID however accommodate us and took our food off the bill. Wouldn't recommend!

Ate here and it was nasty, literally everything i ordered was nasty. Everything my husband ordered was nasty. None of the food had flavor.. we ordered the Clam Chowder & Rockefeller Oysters... nasty.. we both ordered fried catfish and it had no flavor what so ever.. didn't eat anything .. although the food was nasty the waitress was very nice.

I won't get crab legs from anywhere else!! I love the Cajun seasoning and my kids love the popcorn shrimp!

The service was ok. My tea glass was kept full. The food, however, was not very good. All of the fried food seemed a little soggy. I like my fried seafood to have a little crispiness. The fried cod was just bland. I've had frozen boxed fish sticks that were tastier. The Hush Puppies were only thing that was ok. Even the french fries were tasteless and soggy.

I had lunch at Harbor Inn today. Used to come here for lunch a lot, not anymore. Today, I had the broiled shrimp, salt and pepper perch fillet, grilled vegetables, hush puppies and Cole slaw. The broiled shrimp were flavorless and just warm shrimp. The perch fillet was good. They must have new hush puppies because they were not dry like usual and really fluffy and good. Grilled vegetables were warmed up too long in the microwave, lol, no flavor. Add some seasoning please. The cole slaw sucked, too liquidy for me.

We are from out of town but love this restaurant and have eaten there every few months for YEARS as we pass through Greenville. We had not visited during Covid but made it back Nov. 9, 2021 for lunch. Maybe dinner is better but lunch sucks and we were so bitterly disappointed. Everything was mildly lukewarm....everything. Fried oysters were canned so tasted very strong, but didn't matter because they were cold. Potato would not begin to melt butter. Only remaining "good" item was the slaw. Even the tartar sauce was generic since new owners have taken over. If they wonder why the new dining concept isn't taking off, maybe this is the answer. Save your money and your health, no masks on staff inside restaurant. We are so very sad. Not wasting our money here anymore!

Best seafood ever definitely worth every dollar very very impressed great service too

Um I don't want to start off with the negativity sooooo ummm the place was clean. There we go starting off positive. Well some of my church family suggested this fine establishment according to them:/ it was very good and they gave very good portions..... one of the two was true.... and it wasn't the very good part. Went in on a Sunday afternoon and it wasn't crowded I was like good deal!! We didn't have a long wait it was only about 10mins. We were seated and drink orders were taken, it was about 20 of us so I was thinking that the gratuity would be pretty hefty and good for our waitress. Cool! So looking over the menu I'm scanning for the crab .... found it! 22.00 not bad! Some of my church family ordered the traditional fish, shrimp and chips. Hush puppies and a baked potato also came with my order with a salad. So! Yeah!! My food comes with no hot butter but I'm still ready to dig in! "Um hey miss ma'am ... can I get some butter please... I'm ready" I attempt to break open one crab leg and it's flexible.... crab is supposed to SNAP! Not bend. Ok so I eat some of the crab meat and it tasted really bland and watery ..... either they served me not so fresh crab or they had it frozen and threw it in the water. My baked potato was ok.... nothing fancy just a baked potato, butter and sour cream in a tiny cup that came from a factory or something..Not a fan of hush puppies. So I'm not really happy at this point I start asking everyone at the table if they wanted some crab legs... I don't share my seafood so yeah it was bad... and No one else liked it either. WHAT IS THIS? CAFETERIA FOOD? :( Our waitress seemed pretty dry and seemed like she was distant. We get our bill and no gratuity was taken out...... I'm going to need this place to get another manager because this waitress could have made a pretty penny off of us being that our party was so large. I mean it was good for my wallet but....... manager get your place in order. I usually like to give establishments one more try before I judge but can't go back to this place. I won't

So, let me say that, overall, this place is fine. It's not the best, but the service is good, I like the layout and decor of the restaurant, and I know that this is and Silver Bay are Greenville staples. But the food just does not do it for me. You definitely get what you pay for here as the portions are ridiculous in size. I do really like their fries, but the seafood is just way too salty and greasy in my opinion. The hushpuppies are also good. Overall, this is a place that I can eat maybe once or twice a year. They are a local place and the business is good, but it just isn't a favorite for me.

Ordered the everyday special. Flounder, baby shrimp, hush puppies, crab and backed potato and slaw. The food came out hot and was flavorful.

Wow..... drinks are ok..... even if extra slow coming. Hostess also worked as a bar tender, so order way in advance. You just don't know when she'll be back. But food...... absolutely disgusting. Every thing looked and tastes like it was fried in a month old grease. Even French fries were nasty. It's hard to screw up a French fry. Fish tasted old. Very very old.

Simply Outstanding! The service was excellent and the was pretty good. The red snapper fillet was done just rite. The only drawback was they didn't have the ingredients for a mojito, but that's ok I had an Arnold Palmer with Grey Goose instead. Great job!

This a budget place with budget food and reminds me of the way food was done 20 years ago ... before we knew better. Everything is pretty much overdone and not very good for you, but if you need to fill your belly on a tight budget, then this is an option. But then, so is the McDonalds dollar emnu. I will not be going back.

I don't know what it was about the exterior of this place that attracted me to it but I have been passing by almost every day for three weeks and finally decided to give it a shot. First the positives. The place is large, well lit, very clean with exceptionally clean bathrooms. The staff are friendly, polite and served us promptly (I think we were being served by the managers daughter as I overheard her say something about dad running the place for about 15 years.) The fried flounder was very good, large portion, perfectly cooked. The hush puppies were not cooked in the traditional manner (round balls) but were more elongated in shape (resembling small fried bananas about 2.5 inches long), that having been said the hush puppies are exceptional. Absolutely fantastic. My wife ended up stealing several off my plate of 7 and she normally hates fried food. The steamed vegetables were hot and firm not over cooked or mushy. While we didn't have dessert the selection looked fantastic and the baked items were huge. I may go back just to have some cake. Now for the negatives. The 'Under the Sea' décor (as another reviewer phrased it) appeared to be very outdated. The place is huge and when you have a light seating of a dozen tables in a large room it looks empty. They would be better off closing portions of the restaurant during slow times condensing everyone would make the place seem busier and not so vacant. The menu is a large selection of fried foods which may have worked back in the 80's but people are more health conscious today, I would recommend ditching some of the fried items and replace with fresh selections. The restaurant doesn't have any liquor, beer or wine. A simple beer & wine license would draw a larger crowd and increase sales. All in all if you can get past the out of date décor this restaurant is clean, the food is good, the portions are large. I would consider a second trip if I had no other place to visit but this area has tons of restaurants to choose from, they need to up their game to stay in it. If I could get a beer with my meal it would be more enticing to return.

I noticed the average rating is 2 out of 5 stars. I think that's generous. I've driven by this place every day since it's near my office so I was curious. On a Sunday night I figured I'd give it a try. Got off to a bad start with the salad dressing--so watery I could hardly tell it was Blue Cheese. :-( I think I had flounder -- not memorable, obviously. The shrimp seemed frozen, not fresh. The scallops were a little tough. The "French bread" seemed cut from a day old loaf from the supermarket. My fiancé had a rib eye steak and said it wasn't too bad. Not a resounding endorsement. Lastly, the floor was pretty filthy as if it hadn't been swept in a while. All in all, extremely disappointing and I won't be back. Should have been a clue to us when we noticed only a handful of cars in the parking lot on Mother's Day--the most popular day of the year for eating out.

Save you money!! We've had take out from here several times I've the last 4 or 5 months, seafood is above average, and when getting take out, most of the time they are pretty accurate. But tonight I sucked, and the manager was as rude as ever I've ran into at a restaurant. We ordered white fish and jumbo shrimp. Got home , NO SHRIMP. And no sauces. So we called to complain and the "manager" argued with my wife that she never heard her mention shrimp, even though we both heard her read it back to us on the phone. There's a reason they only have 4 or 5 cars I their parking lot on a nightly basis. Unfortunately for them the lost 2 more customers. ARG

Well. It was reasonably priced. The deal: Lots of fried food on a platter, in a vaguely ship like building. Fried. If you like a huge pile of fried stuff on a plate, this place is for YOU I don't really do fried fish, so I went with the broiled flounder/scallops platter. Fish that is frozen and then broiled has a really soggy texture. Scallops should not smell that fishy. Putting lots of seasoning on both will not improve them. The sweet tea was excellent. My baked potato was tasty. But really, no chives? And no butter? Just a big basket of 'whipped spread' in little tiny tubs? #fail The men's room was a revolting mess. For some reason, there is a fake pirate hanging on a rope above you as you enter. The lights are all harsh and hideous fluorescents. Sort of like an overdecorated middle school gym at prom. What Disney would build as an example of what never to do. Our server was nice, and did a good job - hence the second star. Otherwise.... wow.

The atmosphere was pleasant at 7 pm. The food was okay but not the best seafood we've ever had. We had the crab legs, stuffed shrimp, and broiled shrimp & scallops. The only complaint with the food is the shrimp was over cooked and kinda tough. We'd try them again.

Co- workers and I went to have lunch and sat there 45 minutes with no food and the server didn't even check on us. We had to get the food to go and the only thing they could do was take the drink off the bill! H*** we got to drink the tea it was the food we didn't get to eat. We had to return to work hungry. Very disappointed

Went to the door to order and was told to call and go through the drive thru! Called and get hung up on... I will not support this ratchet ass place anymore

We waited almost an hour for our food after we sat down... the waitress, bless her, was running to keep up... while the food is good - the kitchen is slow. The people who run the place think they are saving money by not having enough servers... time will tell. Waiting an hour for food will most likely close this place down.

This isn't Bonefish Grill but they don't pretend to be. What they are is a fried seafood restaurant with reasonable prices, good portions, and good service. The food is OK but what you would expect - nothing more and nothing less.

A couple of co-workers and I went for lunch at this restaurant today. The service was terrible!! After waiting close to 40 minutes for our lunch, with no further acknowledgement from the waitress, we informed her that we had to leave to get back to work by 12. She then said our orders were ready to be brought out, but we told her were short on time so we needed our orders to go. She then told us she would let the cooks know and would bring out some to go drinks (which she did not do). After about ANOTHER 10 mins, a gentlemen finally brought us our food. He apologized and stated that the waitress had just placed our order and he did not know we had been waiting that long. He took off the charge for our drinks got us our cups to go. I don't think I will return to this place! Every other time that I eaten there, the food was brought out quickly, and service was great! I am disappointed, and feel like I wasted my time and money.

Really enjoy the food that was prepared , very flavorful. The only bad thing it that the server are very rude and disrespectful. We are not getting our refill drink. The place is neat and very enjoyable

Our waitress was DRY AND UNFRIENDLY. First time going, wont be back!! The only good thing was the food and the drinks! These people have absolutely no hospitality, I would recommend anyone going here for a good time.

The wings are awesome! The Buffalo shrimp is even better! We went back and sat at the bar. Things have improved dramatically since our last visit. If you eat one thing here, get the Buffalo shrimp. They are delicious.