March 2007

Surfing For a Great Sandwich - Stu's Surfside Subs

Author: Linda Hopkins

The smallest restaurant on Hilton Head Island, Stu’s Surfside, just caught a big wave, riding it inland to a second location at Port Royal Plaza. Beloved by islanders and visitors alike, the tiny sandwich shop has been serving up some of the tastiest food in town for the past six years—at a rate of a sandwich per minute during the peak summer season—from it’s bustling Coligny area location on Lagoon Rd. Hungry surfers and beachgoers have long known where to find the freshest, most flavorful food to fortify them for a day of play.

The beach location is perfect for everyone from the south end office crowd to sand-covered sun seekers and picnic packers. “The idea is, anybody can be comfortable,” said owner, Mike Murray, who bought the restaurant two years ago and opened the new Stu’s in December, 2006. “People come to Stu’s dressed in anything from a business suit to a bikini,” he said.

But Stu’s is not just for summer anymore, he said, pointing out that the new, larger location on Mathews Drive, central to the major service areas of the island, is ideal for north end residents and businesses.

In addition to an easily accessible site with dedicated parking, the north end sandwich shop has something no one else has, said Murray, describing the convenient drive-through system. Unlike fast food franchises that keep you waiting in line for take out, Stu’s offers call-ahead service. (Stop by and get a menu to keep in your glove compartment.) When you drive through, your order is ready and waiting. “Where else can you get food this fast, fresh and easy to eat?” he asked. “I think this is going to be our niche.”

If you’re not eating on the run, dine in. The atmosphere is clean and comfortable with a surfer theme and super-efficient service. Customers range from serious business executives to harried service workers, time-challenged moms, after-school athletes and everyone in between.

Menu offerings include 20 sandwich selections, all significantly named and many dubbed for special friends and acquaintances. One of the most popular, The Jedi, boasts Genoa salami, spicy capicola, pepperoni and provolone cheese. Another favorite, The Islander, piled high with smoked turkey and topped with bacon and provolone cheese, is served with Stu’s homemade Parmesan-peppercorn mayonnaise. The Sweet Caroline, a hot sandwich featuring an eight-ounce marinated chicken breast, is named after Murray’s five-year-old daughter.

“Most people find a sandwich they love the first time they order and never change,” said Murray. But Stu’s is always happy to make up whatever combination floats your boat. No sandwich is made until you order it, so you can truly have it your way.

Every sandwich is really flavorful, and high quality, fresh ingredients are the key, according to Murray. “We’re not a deli, so we don’t have 18 choices of meat,” he explained. “We offer only a few but the best, including certified Black Angus beef, Black Forest ham and pepper-crusted turkey.” The chicken salad is also made fresh—no canned chicken here, only the leanest, most tender chunks of roasted white breast meat.

“But the bread is the biggest deal,” said Murray—made fresh daily on the premises—an adaptation of French bread, crunchy outside and soft inside. Other ingredients that make a difference include Roma tomatoes and crisp, hand-cut pickles.

Although the generous eight-inch subs make a substantial meal on their own, irresistible side offerings include homemade potato salad with bacon and chives, chips, cheesy bread, garlic bread, big pickles and homemade white chocolate macadamia nut cookies for dessert.

Salads, wraps and children’s selections are also available. Stu’s offers party platters and, with advance notice, can prepare large orders for special events.

Stu’s is open for lunch only. Coligny location hours vary seasonally—call (843) 686-SURF (7873). North end hours are 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Saturday. For more information or to place a take-out order, call (843) 681-SURF (7873).

Stu’s Surfside Subs
Coligny Plaza – 686.SURF
Port Royal Plaza – 681.SURF

Let Us Know what You Think ...

commenting closed for this article

Social Bookmarks

Hilton Head Island's Neighborhood Bar and Grill

after dark, air-conditioning, alcohol, animals, antiques, artist profile, arts & entertainment, bachelor, bar and restaurant, beach, beauty, beverages, billiard bar, blog, boating, book review, brewery, budgeting, business, business partner, cable, calendar, cars, car wash, catering, charity, chatter box, children, cigar bar, cleaning, clothing store, community, cooking, cosmetics, cover story, current events, dance club, dating, death, destination weddings, dive bar, economy, editors note, environment, equestrian, event, event planning, exercise, family, farming, fashion, feature story, festivals, finance, financial, food, fundraiser, furniture, gifts, golf, government, green, green space, grub street, health, healthcare, heating and cooling, heritage, he says she says, historic, history, holidays, home improvement, horses, how to, humor, inn, insects, insurance, interior design, internet, interview, it could be worse, jewelry. family, jockeys, law, law enforcement, lawyers, life, literature, live, live music, live musical performance, local shoppes, lounge, maggie, makeover, marriage, medical, medicine, men, military, modeling agency, motivational speaker, movies, music, nature, neighborhood bar, networking, online dating, outside bar, palmetto dunes, parade, parenting, partner, partners, pets, pharmacy, phone, photography, plantation, plantation rules, police, politics, pollution, polo, press release, produce, public interest, public intreset, question and answer, real estate, recipes, relationships, restaurant, retirement, roofing, sandbar, schools, seafood, security, services, socialize, spa, spirits distributor, sports, sports bar, surf shop, survival guide, taxes, tennis, transportation, travel, vacation, verizon heritage, wealth, weddings, wine, wine club, winery, wine talk, woman, work, youth

© 2010 Celebrate Hilton Head. | P.O. Box 22949 | Hilton Head Island, SC 29925

About Us

In September of 2006, Celebrate Hilton Head (CH2) burst onto the scene with a fresh perspective on Hilton Head Island, Bluffton and the surrounding Low Country. At the helm was a team of young women (all under 30!) with no experience whatsoever in the publishing industry. The first year they made up the rules as they went along. CH2 (and CB2 – Celebrate Bluffton and Beyond), now entering their third year , has evolved into a well-respected publication with over 150 advertisers and a distribution to over 47,000 locals and visitors each month.

Content ranges from Interesting Islander profiles and arts and entertainment pieces to food and wine topics and Hilton Head and Bluffton Business Profiles. CH2’s Bachelor of the Year Contest has blossomed into a greatly anticipated media event every year with viral marketing (i.e., Facebook, MySpace) contributing to the annual readership of those issues pertaining to the contest and over 700 people attending the Bachelor of the Year party held every October held at a local Hilton Head or Bluffton entertainment spot.

CH2 strives to give back to the community in which they have been so successful by sponsoring charitable events in both Hilton Head Island and Bluffton (Bluffton’s MayFest, put on by the Bluffton Rotary), donating editorial space to worthy organizations (Bold Strokes, Volunteers in Medicine, March of Dimes), and making the Hilton Head Island Rec Center the recipient of monies raised in conjunction with the Bachelor of the Year Contest.