During my recent trip to South Carolina, I had an absolute blast staying in Folly Beach and exploring the seaside town. A dear friend had vacationed there for many years and armed me with a list of her family's favorite spots. Lowlife Bar jumped out from the pack because of its fun cocktail menu and creative brunch and dinner options.
My family and I had toured the McLeod Plantation on James Island and knew we wanted to stop for lunch in town before heading back to our rental house.
Lowlife Bar has a few parking spaces right in front and we were able to snag the last open spot.
As you walk up, there's a bar area where seating is first come, first serve. You place your order with the bartender and then they yell your name when it's ready.
Since we had my two-year-old nephew with us, we were seeking a table. There are several indoors, with this funky mural on the back wall.
One of the bartenders led us out to the back patio which had exactly one table for eight. We basically had a private patio!
The rest of my family ordered ice tea, but I decided to try one of Lowlife's signature drinks. I went with the Farmer Tan, which was tequila, chipotle, strawberry, pineapple, and lime juice.
It was definitely spicy! I think next time I'd try something with a stronger fruit flavor.
We were all starving after walking around for the two hours before we arrived. My dad ordered the breakfast burrito with chorizo. During his first bite, while still chewing, he muttered, "This is so good!"
My mom went with the avocado toast, choosing to add smoked salmon. You could also add poached eggs or burrata cheese. My kind of place!
We were all in awe of how beautiful the presentation was, particularly the thinly sliced watermelon radishes.
My sister was excited to bite into the fried chicken sandwich. She had also enjoyed the fried chicken at Leon's in downtown Charleston and said that Lowlife's version had much more batter and crunch.
I selected the falafel burger, which turned out to be enormous! The falafel patty alone would have been enough for the meal. It was also topped with arugula, house pickles, harissa aioli and spicy ketchup.
All of our sandwiches came with waffle fries, which I love. They were dusted with Old Bay seasoning, making them impossible to resist.
Lowlife has exactly one dessert on their menu: fried Oreos. I couldn't get my family to go for it, but you better believe I'll order them next time!
If you're spending time in Folly Beach, I highly recommend Lowlife Bar. It has everything you want from a meal while on vacation - outdoor seating, creative cocktails, and food you can't stop eating.
