“The heart of our menu? Fraser's Smokehouse,” The Sea Pines Resort says. That line gets right to what makes Fraser’s Tavern worth considering when barbecue is on your mind.
Fraser’s sits inside the Plantation Golf Club, overlooking the Heron Point and Atlantic Dunes golf courses. Floor-to-ceiling windows, a broad patio, a full bar, and plenty of televisions give it the polished feel of a Sea Pines clubhouse.
The barbecue menu is more substantial than the setting might lead you to expect. Brisket, pulled pork, spare ribs, smoked chicken wings, and pork belly burnt ends appear across platters, starters, sandwiches, and other dishes.
This is not a rustic, counter-service barbecue stop. Fraser’s serves its smoked meats with table service, golf-course views, and a full tavern menu, making it a good choice for a leisurely lunch or dinner.
When you visit makes a difference. Brisket and pulled pork are available at both lunch and dinner, along with combinations that include smoked chicken wings.
Dinner adds spare ribs and the largest smokehouse sampler. If ribs are the main reason for your visit—or you want to try all four of the primary smoked meats—dinner gives you the widest selection.
They season their smokehouse meats with a house rub and smoke them fresh daily. Fraser’s uses a commercial Southern Pride smoker in the kitchen.
A restaurant video offers a closer look at the work involved. In it, Chef de Cuisine Daniel Mears takes viewers through the pulled pork process, from seasoning the meat to loading it into the smoker.
For the broadest taste of the smokehouse, look to the combination platters. The largest dinner sampler includes brisket, pulled pork, smoked chicken wings, and spare ribs, served with cornbread, pickles, and two sides.
You can also order brisket by the half pound or pulled pork as its own plate. Spare ribs come in half or full portions at dinner, and pork belly burnt ends can be added to any smokehouse plate.
You do not have to order a full platter to try the barbecue. Starters include house-smoked Duroc pork belly burnt ends in tangy bourbon barbecue sauce, smoked wings, pulled pork or brisket sliders, and smoked brisket chili.
Among the sandwiches are pulled pork with slaw on brioche and brisket with sweet onion, house pickles, and Fraser’s barbecue sauce on sourdough. At dinner, the smokehouse meatloaf combines brisket, short rib, and chuck.
The sides carry Lowcountry and Southern influences. Depending on the current menu, choices may include Hoppin’ John, smoky collards, Lowcountry potato salad, slaw, macaroni and cheese, sautéed green beans, mashed Yukon Gold potatoes, and fries.
Fraser’s is also a good fit when only part of the table wants barbecue. Burgers, fried chicken, seafood, salads, and other tavern dishes give the rest of the group plenty to choose from.
The Sea Pines Resort opened Fraser’s Tavern in 2018 as a more casual replacement for the former Live Oak restaurant in the Plantation Golf Club. The tavern takes its name from Charles and Joe Fraser, whose family played a central role in the development of Sea Pines and modern Hilton Head Island.
Google reviewer Ryan Lynn found plenty to praise on the food side and had a candid observation about the drinks:
You need to come here for the ribs and brisket. For a guy from the North, this hit the spot and satisfied my BBQ craving for the week. Fantastic smoke flavor, especially in the ribs! The mac and cheese side is also a must, delicious! Drinks were slight more than other restaurants, but maybe pound a few drinks at home before dinner and order one with your meal.
Yelp reviewer Jim K. came away impressed by a family meal that covered a good bit of the menu:
The family and I went to this place as part of a winter escape package. Well, I was blown away with the quality of the food and the exceptional service. We started with pulled pork nachos that were excellent, even my daughters who are not a big fan of pulled pork loved them. The other appetizer that we had was a Scottish Egg...something I have never seen before and it was excellent...it was coated in sausage and quickly deep fried.
The mains were all excellent, BBQ platter was all cooked very well, meats were tender and well seasoned, you received pulled pork, ribs, and brisket (a little fatty). Another favorite was the bangers and mashed, my oldest loved the mashed. A wood fired pizza was very good...great sauce.
The overall service and atmosphere was exceptional and would highly recommend this place to anyone who wants a high quality non-chain restaurant dinner. Kudos to the chef on the night we visited. We will be back on our subsequent vacations!!!
Fraser’s is open to the public, but its location inside the gated Sea Pines community means a visit requires a little advance planning. A gate pass is required whether you enter by car, bicycle, or on foot.
The resort recommends making a reservation through Resy. Once you have a confirmed reservation, restaurant guests may request a gate pass in advance. Sea Pines also says diners can request reimbursement of the gate fee with a restaurant check over $30.
Sea Pines Community Services Associates operates the gates separately from The Sea Pines Resort, so procedures can change. Confirming the current requirements before you leave should make getting to the restaurant straightforward.
Menus and availability can change. Check the current Fraser’s Tavern menu before you go, especially if spare ribs or a particular smokehouse combination is the reason for your visit. The graphic below summarizes the barbecue-related choices listed in August 2026; prices have been omitted because they are especially likely to change.
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