We visited to celebrate our Aunt's birthday. To enter the restaurant, you have to pay a minimum of $9 (per car) at the security gate, which wouldn'tbe too much of a problem. But, they only take cash. Because our party size was over 20 people, this required a trip to the ATM.. The security guard advised that the restaurant would apply a $9 credit to our bill once we arrived.When we arrived, there was very limited parking. There is no fee for parking. The restaurant had an antique setting. Our party was seated in a private area upstairs, which was cozy but was set up really nice. The servers were very attentive, especially given our large party size.The food was pretty good. The seasoning is average on the meat and nonexistent on the veggies. The chocolate mousse cake was my favorite. It was very light and not overly sweet. Get the pasta dish! One of my family members ordered it. I tasted it, and it was delicious.We arrived early for our Aunt's surprise birthday dinner. While we were waiting for close to 45 minutes, we were asked if we wanted to order drinks and apps. We asked if the app orders would be brought out while waiting and was told that they would. We placed app orders that never came. When we checked, we were told that they were waiting for everyone to arrive....smh. Complimentary bread is provided. However, it wasn't served until after an hour of being seated.The serving team was well-versed in the menu and was very attentive, despite the bumps with the apps and bread. I also appreciated the amount of patience that they had with everyone.Overall, the restaurant, food, and service was good.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Seafood Pasta
Gene Crocker
Quiet dining, good food, and nice atmosphere. Reminds me of Old Fort Pub without the water view.
The good: we each started with a cocktail which were very delicious. Moved on to a wine selection by the glass which was also very nice. Good variety of wines by the glass, not your normal very pedestrian selection. Service was attentive, polite, knowledgeable and not overbearing throughout. Atmosphere is very nice, generally quite, especially in a resort setting. We split the shrimp cocktail appetizer ( having had it in the past) — four jumbo shrimp nicely poached with a tangy, spicy cocktail sauce. Unfortunately, our entrees were a miss. The “airline chicken: tasted as it was named— pretty tough and unremarkable at best. My wife left over half of it. I ordered the pork chop—overcooked, dry and tough. The sauce saved it to a degree, but it was still just not very good. We live here so we'll be back for the ambience but will stick with drinks, salads and appetizers.
RitaS
We enjoyed our first dining experience at CQ's. Quaint building tucked back among the beautiful old oaks. The food here is excellent! Very flavorful!! Service was attentive. We did not leave hungry. Highly recommend.
AlexaV
We have been visiting Sea Pines for over 20+ years and this was our first dinner at CQs. Our waiter was exceptional which added to the overall experience. We each started off with a salad, Traditional Caesar and the Roasted Beet and Arugula - both were nicely presented and very flavorful. Our entrees consisted of the CQs Shellfish Pasta and the special Kansas City Steak. The pasta was nicely done with just the right amount of lobster and shrimp. My husband thought the steak was fair but the sauce was "spectacular". Overall it was a really nice first impression and we plan to add this restaurant to our favorites list. I highly recommend it.
Everything was excellent. My girlfriend and I went for Valentine's Day and couldn't have been happier. Service was quick and knowledgeable. The food was fantastic. Would recommend this restaurant to anyone.
Christi Means
CQ’s is one of our favorite HHI restaurants. We ate there tonight - our waiter, John was attentive and our dinners were excellent! CQ’s will always be on our list of favorites to visit every year we come to HHI.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Gary Saunders
If it is possible for CQ's to get better than most of our previous visits over the years, it did. We are often here at the summer peak. Maybe it's the off-season pace and the chef and staff attention to detail when less crowded. We expect good food and service at any time, and they didn't disappoint!
We all enjoyed the food, but what was truly remarkable was the service. One in our party was using a walker, and they moved our pre-set table to the level where the ramp accessed. The server explained everything well, and handled our table of six flawlessly. It is important to note that the $9 fee required to access the restaurant is applied to the check. But you must mentioned it, that information is not volunteered. Would return.
We hadn't been to CQs in a while but had a special occasion so thought it would be a great place. We were NOT disappointed. Food was delicious, service was great. Five stars all around. We'll be back soon.
The restaurant is quaint and has a historic feel. The pre set table was beautiful. Three of four cocktails (straight up martini type) were very good, the old fashion cocktail was too sweet. All salads were delicious with very fresh ingredients. Main meals were very tasty with nice presentation. Service was excellent, attentive and not rushed. Highly recommend for fine dining and /or a special occasion.
Mandatorynicknamesrstupid
We had a very enjoyable evening - as is our usual experience at this restaurant. The only reason for the 4 food rating is that 2 in our party thought their entrees were overcooked - chicken was a bit dry and tough and shrimp a hair overdone. Everything else was perfect and this will remain a go to for us.
BarbaraP
Our first time back to CQs in several years. Forgot how good it really is!! It will absolutely be on our list of favorite places to dine! Everything was delicious and the service was excellent. If we could make one suggestion, please, please get your IPA's back in stock....
Bobbi
My husband and I shared a beautiful and quiet evening at CQ's. Our waiter, Peter, was so helpful with the menu and also with the history of the island and presented us with an interesting brochure about the history of the restaurant after they just celebrated 50 years in business. It was very interesting. The original artist who built the building actually designed “The Jolly Green Giant” Which is a Minnesota company, which is where we are from. I had the filet and my husband had the pork chop...Both were amazing!
lunch
CQ's brilliant food is consistently exciting and beautifully prepared. Our group of 4 had the Ahi tuna, seafood pasta, scallops and the flounder special. Each dish was excellent. The service was thoughtful, attentive but not overbearing. Always a good choice.
We visited to celebrate our Aunt's birthday. To enter the restaurant, you have to pay a minimum of $9 (per car) at the security gate, which wouldn'tbe too much of a problem. But, they only take cash. Because our party size was over 20 people, this required a trip to the ATM.. The security guard advised that the restaurant would apply a $9 credit to our bill once we arrived.When we arrived, there was very limited parking. There is no fee for parking. The restaurant had an antique setting. Our party was seated in a private area upstairs, which was cozy but was set up really nice. The servers were very attentive, especially given our large party size.The food was pretty good. The seasoning is average on the meat and nonexistent on the veggies. The chocolate mousse cake was my favorite. It was very light and not overly sweet. Get the pasta dish! One of my family members ordered it. I tasted it, and it was delicious.We arrived early for our Aunt's surprise birthday dinner. While we were waiting for close to 45 minutes, we were asked if we wanted to order drinks and apps. We asked if the app orders would be brought out while waiting and was told that they would. We placed app orders that never came. When we checked, we were told that they were waiting for everyone to arrive....smh. Complimentary bread is provided. However, it wasn't served until after an hour of being seated.The serving team was well-versed in the menu and was very attentive, despite the bumps with the apps and bread. I also appreciated the amount of patience that they had with everyone.Overall, the restaurant, food, and service was good.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Seafood Pasta
Quiet dining, good food, and nice atmosphere. Reminds me of Old Fort Pub without the water view.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sea Bass Special, Crème Brulee, Cobbler, CQ's Shellfish Pasta
The good: we each started with a cocktail which were very delicious. Moved on to a wine selection by the glass which was also very nice. Good variety of wines by the glass, not your normal very pedestrian selection. Service was attentive, polite, knowledgeable and not overbearing throughout. Atmosphere is very nice, generally quite, especially in a resort setting. We split the shrimp cocktail appetizer ( having had it in the past) — four jumbo shrimp nicely poached with a tangy, spicy cocktail sauce. Unfortunately, our entrees were a miss. The “airline chicken: tasted as it was named— pretty tough and unremarkable at best. My wife left over half of it. I ordered the pork chop—overcooked, dry and tough. The sauce saved it to a degree, but it was still just not very good. We live here so we'll be back for the ambience but will stick with drinks, salads and appetizers.
We enjoyed our first dining experience at CQ's. Quaint building tucked back among the beautiful old oaks. The food here is excellent! Very flavorful!! Service was attentive. We did not leave hungry. Highly recommend.
We have been visiting Sea Pines for over 20+ years and this was our first dinner at CQs. Our waiter was exceptional which added to the overall experience. We each started off with a salad, Traditional Caesar and the Roasted Beet and Arugula - both were nicely presented and very flavorful. Our entrees consisted of the CQs Shellfish Pasta and the special Kansas City Steak. The pasta was nicely done with just the right amount of lobster and shrimp. My husband thought the steak was fair but the sauce was "spectacular". Overall it was a really nice first impression and we plan to add this restaurant to our favorites list. I highly recommend it.
Everything was excellent. My girlfriend and I went for Valentine's Day and couldn't have been happier. Service was quick and knowledgeable. The food was fantastic. Would recommend this restaurant to anyone.
CQ’s is one of our favorite HHI restaurants. We ate there tonight - our waiter, John was attentive and our dinners were excellent! CQ’s will always be on our list of favorites to visit every year we come to HHI.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
If it is possible for CQ's to get better than most of our previous visits over the years, it did. We are often here at the summer peak. Maybe it's the off-season pace and the chef and staff attention to detail when less crowded. We expect good food and service at any time, and they didn't disappoint!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Grilled Atlantic Salmon, Pan Seared Diver Scallops, Crème Brulee, Seafood Pasta, Lump Crab Cakes, Cobbler
We all enjoyed the food, but what was truly remarkable was the service. One in our party was using a walker, and they moved our pre-set table to the level where the ramp accessed. The server explained everything well, and handled our table of six flawlessly. It is important to note that the $9 fee required to access the restaurant is applied to the check. But you must mentioned it, that information is not volunteered. Would return.
We hadn't been to CQs in a while but had a special occasion so thought it would be a great place. We were NOT disappointed. Food was delicious, service was great. Five stars all around. We'll be back soon.
Restaurantji Recommends
The restaurant is quaint and has a historic feel. The pre set table was beautiful. Three of four cocktails (straight up martini type) were very good, the old fashion cocktail was too sweet. All salads were delicious with very fresh ingredients. Main meals were very tasty with nice presentation. Service was excellent, attentive and not rushed. Highly recommend for fine dining and /or a special occasion.
We had a very enjoyable evening - as is our usual experience at this restaurant. The only reason for the 4 food rating is that 2 in our party thought their entrees were overcooked - chicken was a bit dry and tough and shrimp a hair overdone. Everything else was perfect and this will remain a go to for us.
Our first time back to CQs in several years. Forgot how good it really is!! It will absolutely be on our list of favorite places to dine! Everything was delicious and the service was excellent. If we could make one suggestion, please, please get your IPA's back in stock....
My husband and I shared a beautiful and quiet evening at CQ's. Our waiter, Peter, was so helpful with the menu and also with the history of the island and presented us with an interesting brochure about the history of the restaurant after they just celebrated 50 years in business. It was very interesting. The original artist who built the building actually designed “The Jolly Green Giant” Which is a Minnesota company, which is where we are from. I had the filet and my husband had the pork chop...Both were amazing!
CQ's brilliant food is consistently exciting and beautifully prepared. Our group of 4 had the Ahi tuna, seafood pasta, scallops and the flounder special. Each dish was excellent. The service was thoughtful, attentive but not overbearing. Always a good choice.