“Through Hazel and Hugo and Still Cooking!”
That’s the motto of Lee’s Inlet Kitchen, a Murrells Inlet seafood institution that has withstood hurricanes (Hence the Hazel and Hugo reference) as well as the ever-changing landscape of Murrells Inlet for 63 years. Opened by Eford and Isla pearl Lee in 1948, Lee’s Inlet Kitchen has been passed down, and is now currently owned by Kelly Dorman, the grand daughter of the original owners. Lee’s is now the oldest restaurant on the Grand Strand still owned by the original family, and although prices have changed, many of the recipes that have brought generation after generation have not. The hushpuppies, tartar sauce, Shrimp Creole, Shrimp Salad and many other items on the menu are the recipes that have been used since the first day.
Also unchanged: the fact that the very first waitress, Alzata Lee, is still working there. You can find her hostessing on weekends, and she is as much a fixture as the restaurant itself. Below is an article written in the local Murrells Inlet Messenger about the restaurant and Ms. Alzata.
