Life-size sharks hang over the dining room at this South Carolina seafood buffet. Hammerheads, great whites, and makos float above you while you crack crab legs, which is a bold choice of dinner company.
The decor only gets wilder from there, starting with an 18-foot replica of Queen Elizabeth II. Eleven themed dining rooms fill the building, so the scenery changes depending on where you sit.
More than 170 buffet items line up below, plus all-you-can-eat Alaskan snow crab legs. The crab legs keep coming, so treat dinner like a marathon with melted butter.
For nearly four decades, those sharks have floated above all that food without sneaking a single bite. Willpower like that deserves its own trophy.
Calabash Style Frying Came To Myrtle Beach Through These Doors
Light batter and a quick fry. That simple formula defines Calabash-style seafood, a tradition that began in Calabash, North Carolina.
The Original Benjamin’s Calabash Seafood is credited with bringing this style to the Myrtle Beach area. The goal is a crispy, golden finish that doesn’t bury the seafood under heavy breading.
You’ll see the method across the buffet in fried shrimp, fried oysters, fried flounder, and fried scallops. Clam strips and calamari bring even more crunch to the party.
Hushpuppies tag along too, because no Carolina seafood plate feels complete without them. Cheese biscuits sit nearby for anyone who wants a different kind of bread.
Want to taste the difference between cooking styles? Try a fried scallop next to a broiled one.
That little side-by-side test shows you what Calabash frying actually does. It’s a tasty lesson in Carolina coastal cooking.
Flounder fans get options as well. Fried flounder and stuffed flounder both appear on the lineup, so you can pick crunchy or rich.
The restaurant’s name puts this cooking style front and center. After a few bites, the reason feels pretty obvious.
Over 170 Buffet Items Means You Need A Game Plan
More than 170 items fill this buffet. That number sounds like a challenge, and honestly, it kind of is.
Oyster lovers can choose fried oysters, steamed oysters, or oysters Rockefeller. Salmon comes blackened, and parmesan tilapia offers a milder pick.
Then come the clam bake, the craw daddy’s, and crab cakes. Shrimp and grits also make an appearance for anyone craving a Southern classic.
Specialty stations add even more variety. Carving stations serve up meats, and a made-to-order pasta station lets you build something to your liking.
Here’s a smart strategy for first-timers. Walk the whole buffet once before you pick up a single item.
Scouting helps you spot your must-haves early. It also keeps you from filling up on bread before reaching the good stuff.
Small portions are your best friend here. A spoonful of five things beats a mountain of one thing you might not love.
A fresh salad bar offers a lighter break between seafood rounds. Think of it as a halftime show for your appetite.
Nobody tries everything in one visit. That’s a pretty good excuse to come back.
Not A Seafood Fan? The Land Menu Has Your Back
Every family has one person who won’t touch a shrimp. Good news for that person at The Original Benjamin’s Calabash Seafood.
The buffet piles on Southern favorites that never saw the ocean. Ribs, barbecue, pork loin, and pepper steak all show up.
Chicken lovers get fried chicken, baked chicken, and chicken tenders. Ham and ribeye steak round out the meat options nicely.
The sides feel like a Sunday dinner in South Carolina. Macaroni and cheese and mashed potatoes sit ready for anyone who wants comfort food.
Picky kids can usually find something familiar here. Chicken tenders and mac and cheese have rescued many family dinners over the years.
Mixing land and sea works great too. A plate with fried shrimp, a slice of ribeye, and mashed potatoes covers a lot of bases.
This variety makes group outings much easier to plan. Nobody needs to argue about where to eat when one building serves both crab and barbecue.
Tell the seafood skeptic in your crew to relax. There’s plenty for them, and they might even sneak a hushpuppy or two.
Those Endless Snow Crab Legs Are The Reason Everyone Grabs A Plate
Alaskan snow crab legs sit at the center of the action at The Original Benjamin’s Calabash Seafood. They’re all-you-can-eat, and a dedicated crab station keeps them coming.
Crab legs are the main event for plenty of diners. Still, smart eaters treat them as one stop on a much longer tour.
Blue crabs also show up on the buffet, which gives crab fans a second option. Crab cakes join the lineup too, so nobody has to do any cracking if they’d rather not.
Here’s a practical tip for crab lovers. Grab a moderate pile, finish it, then head back for a fresh round.
That approach keeps your plate warm and your table tidy. It also leaves room to sample shrimp, oysters, and everything else waiting nearby.
Shrimp deserve their own mention in this crab-heavy story. The buffet offers fried, broiled, steamed, jumbo, peel-and-eat, coconut, scampi, and Cajun versions.
That’s eight ways to enjoy one little crustacean. Pairing a few shrimp styles with your crab legs makes the whole meal feel like a seafood sampler platter.
Pace yourself here. The crab will still be there when you return, and so will the shrimp.
Save Room Because The Bakery Works Every Single Day
Fresh breads and desserts come out of an in-house bakery daily. That’s a big deal at a place that already serves 170-plus items.
The dessert lineup covers a lot of sweet ground. Soft-serve ice cream leads the way for anyone who wants a cool finish after salty seafood.
Cookie fans can grab chocolate chip or ranger cookies. Brownies and banana pudding bring classic Southern comfort to the table.
Cheesecake and assorted cakes give you richer choices. Key lime shots offer a tangy little bite that feels right at home near the coast.
A key lime shot after a plate of fried oysters just makes sense. The citrus cuts through everything in the best way.
Here’s some honest advice for dessert planning. Stop one plate short of full if you want to enjoy the sweets.
Small portions work well here, so you can sample a few treats. Try a cookie, a spoon of pudding, and a swirl of soft serve.
Kids usually head straight for the ice cream machine. Grown-ups often follow right behind them without any shame at all.
Look Up Because Sharks Are Hanging Over Your Head
Hammerheads, great whites, and makos all hang in the air here. They’re part of a Dry Sea Aquarium, one of the most unusual dining features on the Grand Strand.
These life-size models show sea creatures without any water at all. Marlins and swordfish join the sharks, creating an ocean scene above the tables.
Eating crab while a great white looms overhead feels a little cheeky. It’s like the sharks are watching to see how many plates you finish.
Kids especially love pointing out each species. It turns dinner into a mini science lesson without anyone calling it homework.
An overhead dry sea aquarium also appears in another area of the building. So the sea life follows you around more than you might expect.
Bring your phone camera for this part. Snapping a photo with a hammerhead overhead makes a fun vacation memory.
Take a few minutes to walk around before you sit down. Spotting each creature becomes a bit of a game.
The Original Benjamin’s Calabash Seafood clearly wanted a meal that felt like an adventure. These floating sharks prove that point better than any sign could.
An 18-Foot Ocean Liner Model Steals The Spotlight
Master shipwright Jimmy Frost built or restored the ship models displayed throughout the restaurant.
The collection ranks among the largest private nautical collections in the world.
The star of the show is an 18-foot replica of the Queen Elizabeth II. That’s longer than most cars, and every inch shows careful work.
A scaled Mayflower replica also sits in the collection. It’s a cool chance to see the famous ship up close without leaving South Carolina.
The models go well beyond those two. Historic cruise liners, schooners, military ships, and even airplanes appear in the displays.
Naval antiques add another layer of history. Diving suits, military artillery, naval uniforms, and historic military ship models fill spaces around the dining areas.
The collection gets updated regularly too. Repeat visitors might spot something new on their next trip.
History buffs should plan extra time here. The displays feel more like a seaside museum than typical restaurant decor.
Quick tip for families. Ask kids to find the oldest-looking ship and the biggest one, then compare notes over dessert.
Kids Get Their Own Boats To Explore Before Dessert
Little sailors get a whole play zone called the Children’s Nautical Adventure. It includes a dinghy, a fishing vessel, and a galley where kids can pretend to cook their catch.
An aquarium adds real-life sea viewing to the fun. An arcade and other games give restless kids another spot to burn off energy.
A pirate character greets guests at the entrance too. It’s a playful start before anyone even reaches the crab station.
A gift shop on the premises lets you take home a souvenir. Kids rarely leave a nautical adventure without wanting something to remember it by.
You’ll find the restaurant at 9593 N Kings Hwy, Myrtle Beach, SC 29572. It sits on Restaurant Row, about half a mile north of the Carolina Opry.
Barefoot Landing is roughly three miles north. That makes dinner here easy to pair with a show or an evening stroll.
Opening hours vary by season, with the restaurant generally opening at 2:30 p.m. from May through September and 3:30 p.m. from October through March. Plan accordingly so nobody misses the fun.
Families have enjoyed this South Carolina tradition since 1986. With boats, sharks, and crab legs, it’s easy to see why.