Old Town Bluffton’s newest gastropub opens, pouring dozens of SC’s favorite craft beers
With the addition of a new gastropub along S.C. 46, Old Town Bluffton is one step closer to becoming a prime craft beer destination.
Craft Kitchen, which specializes in craft beer and food to complement it, opened less than a month ago in the space that once housed Andes Rotisserie. That restaurant closed in April 2019. Craft Kitchen’s menu currently includes 48 different beers or ciders in bottles and 12 taps that will offer a rotating selection.
Vincent Kull and wife Desi of Hilton Head Island own Craft Kitchen. Kull, who graduated from culinary school in New York, previously was chef de cuisine at Coast in Sea Pines.
“We really want to focus on the independent craft brewers of the world,” Kull said. “We’ll have a lot of local stuff, a lot of things from Charleston — Westbrook, Edmund’s Oast, Revelry.
“We are trying to make it a fun and exciting place for people who want to try beer.”
The full list of beers, each with a description and state of origin, is on the gastropub’s Facebook page. Most are in the $6-$7 range, but there are a few outliers, such as the Sierra Nevada Narwhal Barrel Aged Imperial Stout that’s aged for eight months and is more expensive.
Craft Kitchen offers seven different wines, and Kull said the wine list will grow with time.
The menu
The food menu also is expected to evolve. Right now, Craft Kitchen patrons can choose from a list of appetizers, sandwiches and salads, but Kull said the plan is to add a more substantial dinner menu in the future. “For now, we are just taking it slow,” the chef said.
The “starters” section of the menu includes options that range from creative (Herb Cheese Stuffed Dates with boursin cheese and a pinot noir gastrique for $9) to comfort foods (bacon cheese fries for $11). A charcuterie and cheese board is $19.
A note for the french fry connoisseur: The potatoes are hand cut into thick slices and tossed in a house seasoning blend that includes fenugreek and savory, a nod to Desi’s Bulgarian heritage.
“It’s been a fun little menu to develop,” Vincent Kull said.
The most popular menu item so far has been the cheesesteak with in-house-made beer cheese ($14).
There’s also a smashburger ($11 single or $15 double) with sauteed onions on a brioche bun or beer-battered fish and chips with kohlrabi slaw and chow chow relish tartar sauce ($20). A fried chicken sandwich with pimento cheese ($14) brings a Southern touch.
Gluten-free buns and beer are available.
Kull’s mom, his inspiration for becoming a chef after first getting a college degree in environmental science, has been enlisted to prepare desserts. Mini cheesecake bites ($2) can be topped with a choice of cherries, blueberries, pineapple and coconut, or white chocolate ganache. There’s also two types of mini ice cream bites: Cherry vanilla with dark chocolate or cookie dough with butterscotch chips.
The location
Craft Kitchen can seat 50 at full capacity. There are a few tables and a standing ledge outside.
During the renovations, the owners swapped out the large community dining table that was in the prior restaurant for social distant seating in the name of COVID-19 safety. They also closed off the kitchen to install a beer tower.
“When we found this place, it was kind of like the right fit,” Kull said, explaining that he doesn’t miss the high-volume restaurants he’s worked at in the past. The smaller space “gives us the chance to focus on the quality that we are giving our guests.”
Plus, he said, “Old Town is just such a fun place to be.”
If you go
What: Craft Kitchen
Where: 7 Johnston Way in Bluffton (along S.C. 46 near the post office and library)
When: Noon to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday; closed Monday and Tuesday
Facebook: www.facebook.com/craftkitchen
Phone: 843-815-7755
This story was originally published October 21, 2020 at 4:30 AM.
