Joe Pisasale has had a lifelong love affair with the coast, whether it’s in New Jersey, Mexico, the Caribbean, or here in Charleston. When creating the Beach Bar, Pisasale wanted to incorporate all he loved about living on island time, even if his bar is located on Sam Rittenberg, 14 miles from the coast.
Patrons of the former Dog & Duck (and Bobby Hartin’s before that) will not recognize the place. Pisasale made extensive renovations, including a new floor. The walls got a fresh coat of aqua paint that call to mind sparkling, tropical waters. Other decor includes vintage beach advertising, tiki totems, and surfboards. Murals were hand-painted by local artist and Beach Bar bartender Patrick Fields.
In the dining room, there’s booth, regular table and pub table seating, while the bar features bar and pub table seating. Thanks to openings cut in partition walls, diners can see the stage from any seat in the house. Out front, there’s a tiki bar and an inviting beach full of wooden Adirondack chairs.
Happy hour is 5-8 p.m. with daily drink specials. Draft beers include Guinness, New Belgium, Holy City, Longboard, and a Beach Bar draft (currently Pacifico.) Drafts will change with the seasons. There are also domestic and imported bottles. Red, white, and sparkling wines are available by the glass or the bottle.
The cocktails menu was created by Linda, Joe’s sister and General Manager. There are six signature cocktails, made with vodka, rum, tropical-flavored rums, tropical juices, ginger beer and sodas. For example, the Surf’s Up includes blue curaçao, vodka and coconut rum with tropical juices; for a couple extra bucks, diners can choose to sip it from a fish bowl. Rounding out the cocktail menu are four Svedka vodka martinis, a cinnamon whiskey-based martini, three mojitos, and a house margarita with a choice of fruit bases. Frozen drinks include margaritas, tropical coladas and daiquiris with a choice of fruit bases. There are also six beginner cocktails, for those who want tropical flavor sans alcohol.
In creating a food menu, Pisasale says they started with a suggestion list, but let their three cooks — William Wilson, Bruce Martin, and Gordon Ladson — take it from there. The menu offers specialties like a 10-ounce rib-eye, the very popular baked chicken leg quarter, and wasabi pea encrusted tuna. Other menu options include three half-pound specialty burgers, build-your-own half-pound burgers (turkey or beef), seven sandwiches, seven salads, and four wraps. Sandwiches, burgers and wraps come with fries, but other options include mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, sweet potato fries, sautéed mushrooms, and onions, sautéed spinach or today’s vegetable. The kids menu is also casual fare served with fries and a surprise dessert. Kids meals are served on a take-home Frisbee.
On the appetizer menu, diners will find oysters and clams on the half shell, jumbo-sized coconut shrimp, lobster mac and cheese, chicken fingers, fried gator bites, and pan-seared pork belly. There are also jumbo wings, served in platters of six or 10, with nine different flavor options. The house soup, Gidget’s She-Crab, is Wilson’s own recipe. Desserts are Key Lime Pie, Dessert of the Day, or, for a dose of Americana nostalgia, ice cream in a dixie cup.
There’s live music Thursday through Saturday nights, and Sunday afternoons from 3-6 p.m. Bands that have played since the grand opening are Plane Jane, Louie D Project, Tricknee, and the Cubes. During the week, a variety of beach music plays over the speakers; the music is diverse, but the mood is always mellow.
The Beach Bar is located at 1124 Sam Rittenberg Blvd., at the Orange Grove Road interchange. Their phone number is 212-3100. Find them online at facebook.com/thebeachbar843.
(843) 766-WEST (9378)
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