Whenever customers reserve a dinner at Fowler Dining Room, they’re rolling the dice on what will end up on their plate. On a whim, director Joseph Boneparte steers his student at the International Culinary Institute into different realms — one week it might be inspired by what Matsuhisa did at Nobu and there will be edamame and blue crab gyoza or next week coq au vin and escargot paying homage to the French Troisgrois dynasty. A recent menu included Arnold Palmer granitas, roasted quail stuffed with andouille, and a riff on the classic surf and turf : sautéed monkfish paired with braised oxtails from WK Price Farms.

One has to give chef Angelo Antoncucci props for having the audacity and bravado to claim his restaurant has the “best steaks in the universe.” Some people might give that title to Peter Luger in Brooklyn, but as far as Myrtle Beach goes, he does have great steaks, all of them are USDA certified, aged, and hand cut on premises. This is place is definitely from a scene in Casino, with Joe Pesci ordering the linguini with clam sauce and Robert De Niro eating the cowboy chop, a 22-ounce bone-in ribeye sizzling on a skillet on the way to table, as they discuss mafioso matters.

It’s like the South Bronx but with palmetto trees, bright orange walls, and a lush array of flora and fauna that give off a vibrant and breezy atmosphere. Punta Cana is a shining example of the diverse foodscape of Myrtle Beach. The smell of deep fried yucca and the thud of a machete chopping slabs of crunchy, yet tender chicharones work in concert. All the classic Dominican staples are here: hearty bowls of sancocho, pescado con coco, and mofongo exploding like a bomb over the sides of a pillon. The restaurant even has morir sonando, the only thing missing is an Águilas Cibaeñas baseball game blaring loudly from all five flat-screen televisions and a bottle of mamajauana.

Full disclaimer:If you want delicious seafood fried Calabash style (lightly breaded and fried), drive 30 miles north to the actual city of Calabash and eat at Beck’s Restaurant. Many of the Calabash seafood establishments in Myrtle Beach are buffets. There’s a plethora of these shrines of gluttony dotting the beach, most of them boasting 170 items or more, from teriyaki salmon to chocolate fountains. While at the buffet, don’t miss the Alaskan king crabs legs — Captain Benjamin’s goes through about a ton night (for real )The item’s so popular that the legs are the only thing pictured on the Captain Benjamin billboards around town.

There’s a thriving Jamaican population in Myrtle Beach, and when they want to get their fix on the food they left back home, they come to Homestyle Restaurant. The curry goat will stain anything it touches; the jerk chicken is perfectly smoked and fiery enough to have lips tingling; and yes, the oxtails are so tender the meat can slurped from the bone with minimal resistance. Don’t miss the brown-stewed red snapper — served whole and always cooked to order.

In 2010, National Geographic magazine made a list of the top 10 boardwalks — Myrtle Beach came in at number three, and it’s held its own since then. Every respectable boardwalk from Coney Island to Santa Monica needs a greasy-spoon institution like Peaches Corner. When the shoe-boxed-sized place opened in 1937, Myrtle Beach wasn’t even a city yet, and it’s still run by the same family with the same untouched menu of cheeseburgers, corn dogs, onion rings, and root beer floats. Order the the Bruiser — a beer-battered, foot-long, all-beef hotdog wrapped in bacon, and topped with shredded cheddar cheese, diced onion, and homemade chili — it’s such a monstrosity that it comes with a plastic knife and fork, because the staff knows you’ll need something to fight it with.

The slogan at Big Mike’s is “Soul Food the way your momma made it,” as if everybody’s lucky enough to have a mother who can cook this well. Like most good soul food joints, there’s a mix of faux brick, wood-paneled walls, and checkerboard linoleum floors. Big Mike’s Special is the meat-and-three with a chunk of cornbread. It can be a daunting task deciding, so here’s some help: go for the fried chicken, collard greens, candied yams, and chicken bog (it’s a local specialty that Big Mike humbly guarantees is the best around).

There are pancake houses stacked on top pancakes houses here. There’s a rumor going around that there are more pancake houses in Myrtle Beach per capita than anywhere in the country. It’s a quintessential societal element, sort of like bodegas in New York City. Olympic Flame is one of the O.G.s. It’s always packed with a little bit of everybody from Little league baseball teams, Vietnam veterans, and honeymooners. Olympic Flame and other mom and pop pancake houses get more love than the national chains like IHOP or Waffle House. Start off with a stack of buttermilk pancakes and festoon them with a choice of more than 10 toppings. Or, skip all that a get them with the whipped cream and blueberry smiley face.

First and foremost, the panoramic view of the Atlantic Ocean is downright epic and sets the tone for the upscale Malibu-ish vibe at Bandito’s. No matter how many taquerias serve menudo, massive tortas, or Styrofoam cups of horchata, there’s always a place like Bandito’s Cantina to get caught up in a Baja Mex vortex with street corn, margaritas in Mason jars, and fish tacos. The highlights are most definitely the Baja shrimp burritos that go well with shots of smokey Xicaru mezcal and pints of Dirty Myrtle Double I.P.A. from the local New South Brewery.

The Sea Captain House is to Myrtle Beach what Commander’s Place is to New Orleans, with award-winning she crab soup instead of turtle soup. It’s a old salty cottage that’s been here since 1962 when Myrtle Beach was still a sleepy little beach town which is why It sticks out like a sore thumb in the shadows of the 21-story Caribbean Resort, which it’s separated from by a pool and waterslide. The menu stays true to old school with ubiquitous tried-and-true dishes. Folks dont come here expecting anything avant garde, they stand in lines for the classic shrimp and grits and pecan-crusted grouper.

Little Pigs Bar-B-Que is a small and unfussy spot where customers can get some of the best Pee-Dee style barbecue piled between two buns or with a side or baked beans, coleslaw, and hush puppies.

Despite the numerous plaques on the wall from the local newspaper voting this place “Best BBQ in Myrtle Beach,” no one can get Robert Huffling to brag or call himself a pitmaster, even though he’s been hickory smoking pork butts for the past 42 years. He won’t get into the politics of sauces, stating, “There’s no such thing as the best sauce.” Though he will admit that his mustard-based sauce is likely the most delicious you will taste in your life.

When’s the last time beachgoers noticed poutine and wagyu beef ended up on the same menu? Executive chef Tyler Rice is the mastermind behind one of the first gastropubs right near the Atlantic Ocean. He baits customers with humble and familiar dishes like North Carolina jumbo lump crab cakes and Memphis-style ribs and abruptly drags them out into deep, unchartered territory with dishes like bison carpaccio, and free range elk chops with sides of bone marrow bread pudding.

Chef Evi Spaho provides progressive breakfast at its finest at Blueberry’s Grille. The restaurant has lactose-free cheese, gluten-free toast, and stone-ground grits made better with goat cheese and pesto pine nuts. The chicken is GMO Free and the kale varieties for the egg white omelet range from Black Magic to Red Russian. The smoked salmon benedict is hard to pass up, but go for the Monte Cristo, because what’s more indicative of Myrtle Beach than something deep fried and sprinkled with a heavy hand of powdered sugar? Expect a wait and a very lively atmosphere. Be sure to get a souvenir coffee mug.