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Breakwater Restaurant Brings Lowcountry Take on Tapas to West End

Submitted by: Richard Breen on Jul 26, 2011 at 7:50 pm Tagged with: Architecture, downtown Greenville, Restaurants, West End Source: Crawford Strategy

It is a long way from Greenville to Beaufort, but a new West End restaurant is hoping to close that gap.

Breakwater Restaurant & Bar announced plans to open this coming October at 802 S. Main St. It is the second restaurant for Beth Shaw and Gary and Donna Lang, who have enjoyed a decade of successes in Beaufort dining. The trio said they had been looking for a second restaurant location for several years before visiting Greenville as tourists in 2010.

“We fell in love with Greenville,” Donna Lang said. “Greenville is such an up-and-coming city, and we are excited to be a part of the growth that is going on in the West End.”

Shaw, one of the owners and the executive chef from Breakwater in Beaufort, is moving to Greenville and bringing several staff members, including sous chef Kris McGowan, a Greenville native. The 150-seat West End restaurant will have an upscale casual atmosphere and specialize in New South cuisine with an emphasis on tapas – appetizer-sized dishes that are perfect for sharing with a group of friends.

“Breakwater is known for its consistently good food and we will have many of the same menu items in Greenville that we have in Beaufort,” Shaw said. “We believe in sustainable living, so we will also be building relationships with local farmers so we can bring fresh, seasonal items to our menu that are unique to the Upstate.”

Breakwater will also be bringing an award-winning touch to its new location. It is an OpenTable.com Diner’s Choice winner in addition to the accolades it has earned from Trip Advisor and the Lowcountry press.

Gary Lang said the Beaufort restaurant enjoys a solid fan base of “locals,” but it also attracts area tourists, as well as diners who are willing to drive more than an hour to taste items such as smoked duck breast or Lowcountry red rice with shrimp and scallops.

“We have learned a lot of lessons over the past 10 years. Ambiance, service and food all have to come together for a restaurant to be successful,” Gary Lang said. “Breakwater is warm, it’s friendly, and it’s consistently good food.”

The former Rio Grille location on South Main will be completely renovated to accommodate Breakwater. Brad Benjamin of Radium Architecture in Greenville is handing the design work.