The peach cobbler here is made by the owner’s wife. That’s the kind of detail I want to know before picking a restaurant.
This is family cooking, not some kitchen trying to reinvent Sunday dinner.
The collard greens are cut fresh every morning, and the daily specials arrive on a big standing placard placed right at your table.
No tiny print, no scrolling through a QR code. Just a very direct invitation to see what’s cooking.
Then come the plates: crunchy fried chicken, cake-sweet cornbread, and sweet tea that keeps finding its way back to your glass.
The South Carolina spot draws on recipes from the owner’s mother’s legendary Sunday dinners. He actually started washing dishes here at just 12 years old.
Some things on this menu have a lot more history than you’d guess.
A Kid Who Washed Dishes At 12 Built Something Big
Big Mike’s Soul Food opened in March 2012, but its story starts much earlier. Owner Michael Chestnut began washing dishes in local restaurants at just 12 years old.
By 14, he was already working as a commercial cook. Most of us were still figuring out lockers at that age.
He later sharpened those skills in the culinary program at Horry-Georgetown Technical College. After that, he ran his own catering business and owned the 5th Ave Grill in Myrtle Beach.
Mike is a lifelong Myrtle Beach resident, and it shows. He also serves as a city councilman, a real estate agent, and a church deacon.
That is a seriously full calendar. Somehow he still found time to build one of the best-known soul food kitchens in South Carolina.
The restaurant has grown into a true staple of the local food scene. It’s locally owned, locally operated, and locally cooked, all the way down the line.
Knowing this backstory makes your plate feel a little more personal. You’re eating food from someone who has spent most of his life in restaurant kitchens around this very town.
Mom’s Sunday Dinners Are The Secret Recipe Book
Every great soul food kitchen has a hero, and this one belongs to Rosalee Chestnut. Mike’s mother was famous in her family for cooking huge Sunday dinners.
Those meals became the blueprint for his whole menu. The restaurant’s motto says it plainly: soul food the way his mother made it.
Another motto rounds things out nicely. The kitchen promises good food at a fair price, which is a pretty friendly mission statement.
The family theme keeps going inside the restaurant too. Mike’s wife, Maxine, is a crucial part of the operation and bakes the peach cobbler.
Their oldest son, Michael Jaccobi, works as general manager. Folks know him as Medium Mike or Lil’ Mike, which might be the best nickname system ever invented.
Son Marcus helps out in different roles and hopes to expand the business someday. Daughter Miccaela pitches in whenever she visits home.
That kind of family effort is hard to fake. When the people behind the counter share a last name, the cooking tends to carry real pride.
It’s a Black-owned business with deep roots in Myrtle Beach. Every plate connects back to one home kitchen and one generous mom.
Crunchy Fried Chicken Leads The Meat Lineup
Crunchy-crusted fried chicken is the dish that headlines the show at Big Mike’s Soul Food. It shows up right in the restaurant’s own description, alongside collard greens.
Still, the chicken has plenty of company. The meat list here is long enough to cause real decision trouble.
You can choose fried or grilled pork chops, fried or grilled fish, and chopped sirloin. Fried livers and fried gizzards are here for the classic soul food fans.
Meatloaf, ribs, fried bologna, shrimp, and grilled chicken breast also make the list. Chicken fingers are ready for picky eaters or anyone wanting something simple.
Timing matters for a few favorites. Ribs have shown up on Mondays and Saturdays, while meatloaf has landed on Tuesdays.
Chicken bog, a rice-and-chicken dish beloved in South Carolina, appears on Fridays and Saturdays. Plan your trip around that one if you can.
Here’s a smart move for first-timers. Pick the fried chicken for your main meat, then bring a friend who orders pork chops so you can trade bites. Sharing is caring, especially when the crust crackles.
Greens Cut Fresh Every Single Day Deserve Your Attention
Collard greens get cut fresh daily here, and that’s a detail worth bragging about. Fresh greens are the backbone of any honest soul food plate.
Then come the rest of the sides, and wow, there are a lot. You might need a minute with the menu.
Baked mac and cheese arrives topped with melted cheddar. Candied yams lean sweet and soft, and potato salad is creamy with a little zing.
Rice and gravy and mashed potatoes and gravy cover the comfort department. Green beans, cabbage, field peas, pinto beans, and lima beans bring the garden flavor.
Fried okra, corn, tomatoes and okra, mustard greens, coleslaw, and grits round things out. That’s a deep bench for any kitchen.
Vegetable lovers get their own deal too. The Veggie Plate lets you pick four homemade sides, plus cornbread.
A fun idea is to build your plate around contrast. Grab something sweet like yams, something rich like mac and cheese, and something green like collards. Your fork will stay busy, and your taste buds will never get bored.
Maxine’s Peach Cobbler Is The Grand Finale
Dessert at Big Mike’s Soul Food comes with a name attached. Maxine Chestnut, Mike’s wife, bakes the peach cobbler herself.
That alone makes it feel special. A cobbler from the owner’s family just hits different than one from a factory box.
Peaches have a big place in South Carolina food culture. So ending a soul food meal with peach cobbler feels exactly right in this part of the country.
Not a peach person? Cheesecake is also on the dessert menu, so there’s another sweet option.
The restaurant has even run a free peach cobbler deal with an entree purchase. That offer was set to end on December 31, 2026, so don’t count on it for a 2027 trip.
Still, paying for this cobbler sounds like a fair trade. Desserts made by family hands are worth every bite.
One tip helps here. Save a little room before your main plate wipes you out. Portions run big, and nobody wants to stare sadly at a cobbler they can’t finish.
Taking a to-go box home is always an option, too.
Big Mike Or Lil Mike, Pick Your Plate Size
Ordering gets easier once you learn the family naming system. The specials are named after the two Mikes, and it’s honestly kind of adorable.
Big Mike’s Special gives you one meat, three homemade sides, and cornbread. That’s the move when you walk in starving.
Lil Mike’s Special trims things down a bit. You still get one meat and cornbread, but with two homemade sides instead of three.
The cornbread leans cake-sweet, which makes it a nice partner for salty greens. Dunking is allowed, as far as anyone can tell.
Beyond the plates, the menu wanders into fun territory. You’ll spot chicken and waffles, shrimp and grits, fish and grits, and Big Mike’s Burger.
Hushpuppies, collard green dip, and chicken sausage gumbo also show up. For bigger appetites, there are seafood baskets, a shrimp boil, and a seafood boil.
Starters include hot wings, BBQ wings, onion rings, buffalo shrimp, and mozzarella sticks. It’s a lot to choose from.
The plates are known for being big and filling. Pick wisely, or come back twice.
Wood, Booths And A Multi-Level Room Feel Like Home
Cozy is the right word for the dining room. The space is quirky and multi-level, with an old-school wood feel that seems more like a family house than a restaurant.
Seating comes in a mix of styles. You’ll find booths, regular tables, two high tops, and a small counter.
Outside, picnic tables sit under umbrellas for open-air eating. On a warm coastal day, that’s a pretty sweet setup.
One fun detail stands out. The specials menu comes on a large, free-standing placard brought right to your table.
It’s a little theatrical, and it works. You won’t miss what’s cooking that day.
Because the room is snug, it can get crowded. Sometimes there’s a wait, so pack some patience along with your appetite.
Drinks keep things easy while you sit. Homemade sweet tea, lemonade, and Coca-Cola products come with free refills.
Fruit punch is on hand, and Kool-Aid is available too, though without refills. Pick your favorite and sip slowly.
The whole place feels like eating at home, just with someone else doing the dishes. That’s a win in anybody’s book.
Timing Your Visit Saves Your Hungry Stomach
Finding the restaurant is simple. Big Mike’s Soul Food sits at 504 16th Ave N, Myrtle Beach, SC 29577.
It’s a short trip from the busy beach action. That makes it handy after a morning in the sand.
Hours run Monday through Thursday from 11 AM to 8 PM and Friday through Saturday from 11 AM to 9 PM.
Sundays are closed, so plan your soul food craving for another day.
Online ordering may show slightly earlier cutoff times on some days. Checking ahead keeps you from a sad parking lot moment.
Speaking of parking, the lot is on the small side. A busy kitchen plus limited seats means smart timing really helps.
Arriving near opening time is usually a good bet for any popular spot. Late lunches between rushes can also work well.
Online ordering covers both pick-up and delivery. That’s great if your hotel room has a balcony and a view you’d rather enjoy.
Families on vacation in South Carolina can grab a big order and eat back at the condo. Nobody has to change out of their flip-flops, which is a vacation goal in itself.