Castaways Raw Grill - Holden Beach

We've been coming to Holden Beach for years and finally decided to try out Castaways. It was an early dinner and the place was packed, but being only two of us we were seated immediately. The atmosphere was very open and there was live music and he was doing a fairly decent job. The food was excellent borderline great I only give four stars because I am very critical when it comes to the different foods that I eat and like to leave room for more. You definitely will not be disappointed in the food at least what I had and my wife. Which was shrimp and grits my wife, and I had the jerk mahi-mahi sandwich. Both were excellent. I'm sure they serve other foods non-seafood related but this is on a beach obviously I would recommend coming here if you're looking for seafood, but if they have it I'm sure they're non seafood items are also top tier. Just FYI our price may be higher than most. We had an appetizer and each had a mixed drink. Our total was just over 70 dollars. You can definitely get out cheaper if you just eat dinner with no alcohol.

We celebrated my wife's birthday with 4 others and Hayes took great care of us. We have been here before and the food is great!

For on-island dining, you cannot beat Castaways! For years, Castaways has consistently exceeded expectations. The food is great for a beach bar. The beer is ice cold. And the service is always top-notch. Truly, year after year, the kids that they have waiting tables are just awesome. The dive atmosphere is great for adults, but equally good for families. My only suggestion would be to make sure a drink menu is brought to the downstairs tables to avoid some confusion on what drink options are available. Otherwise, keep doing exactly what you’re doing. And if you’re reading this in line, the wait to get a table is worth it. Relax and listen to the live music…you’re on island time!

The Lobster Bisque was good but could have had a few small bits of lobster in it, the shrimp burger was okay although the Provision Companies was much better maybe due to the sauce, the clams were small ,few and tasteless. The Margaretta was awful (I left it and maybe I would of liked it better if I had a lot more of them like the guys yelling at the bar)and the virgin daiquiri not so great but the biggest reason for this review was the Caesar salad. My Daughter and I shared it. We thought it was very good. It had some black spice in it but when I looked closer the spice was a large ant still moving! After consuming most of the salad by this time needless to say our appetite went down hill. I pulled it out and gave it to the guy that served the food then told the Waitress. Oh my they said. That was it though no apology nothing. It was never mentioned again by them but here is your bill. Maybe I should have drank the Margaretta.

We had a big group and they told us all they had available was outdoor seating which comes with its own challenges. The server was pretty chill and helpful. He was quick with the drinks and really fast with the food. The food was good but not spectacular.