GEORGETOWN — Front Street’s newest restaurant is easing into the offseason. But don’t be surprised when Hop Garden on Front ramps up.
“We opened on a small scale first,” said Trevor Day, one of the restaurant’s owners. “The plan is to build it as an entertainment complex.”
Hop Garden sits on the same property that houses the Winyah Bay Brewing Company. Along with Day, the restaurant is owned by Graham Plummer of Graham’s Landing in Murrells Inlet and Michael Miller.
Day and his partners also own Alfresco Italian Bistro, Buzz’s Roost, and the adjacent Winyah Bay Brewing Company.
Their latest venture opened Jan. 14 with only a bar area, but the owners were quickly moving to open the entire dining room. Glass garage doors enclose the perimeter of the dining room, with promise of open-air dining once the weather warms.
“People can dine along the beautiful courtyard under a live oak,” Day said, adding there would be a fire pit area that would give diners an opportunity to sip wine or enjoy a beer from the brewery while waiting for a table.
So far, some of the most popular menu items have been bacon jam scallops and pork dumplings.
In addition to Hop Garden’s fine dining menu, there is more informal fare available from the brewery and its barbecue food truck, which is an Airstream at the back of the property that’s been upfitted to include a kitchen.
“So people can come enjoy, families can come hang out. If they’re not interested in a little more expensive item, they can get more casual items from the food trailer. There will be games for kids, arcade games, cornhole, Jenga, and just a fun family atmosphere,” Day said.
Hop Garden currently offers cocktails, tapas (small plates) and shareable menu items.
“There’s only one freezer in the building. Everything is hand-prepped and handmade from the pork dumplings to the steak frites,” Day said. “This includes our take on a shrimp and grits dish – three stacks, with a polenta pillow, foie gras sausage, rock shrimp and a cajun cream sauce.”
Chef Noah Fernandez, who has been a cooking for more than a dozen years and has worked in the owners’ other restaurants, said that while Hop Garden’s tapas/small plates generally have a Hispanic vibe, the restaurant is not limited to one type of cuisine.
Each week, they have their regular menu as well as a chef’s menu that’s constantly changing.
Recently, the special item was a poached pear dessert with mulled wine and crème anglaise, which might make it onto the permanent menu if it’s popular enough, Fernandez said.
“[The specials] will be based on items locally available and fresh, and they’ll be our more unique dishes,” he said. “We’re pushing the envelope a little in Georgetown and hopefully they like it. … The biggest goal right now – we’re giving people an experience, not just a meal.”
A city stormwater project that’s under construction had hindered some Front Street businesses over the holidays, but it is near completion. Day said city officials worked with business owners to make the area more accommodating.
“We spoke our piece about issues we were having and they (the former mayor and council) really jumped in and tried to make it more business-friendly,” Day said. “We’ve seen no issues moving forward. I think both sides of the aisle would agree that Front Street is the lifeblood of Georgetown.”
Hop Garden on Front is open from 4-10 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.
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