I’ve known about El Bohio for a while. I initially read about it a few months ago on the always excellent Rotten Oysters blog, but it was running in about 10th place in my list of places I wanted to try. It moved to the front of my list a few days ago when I was watching Throwdown with Bobby Flay and Bobby was challenging somebody in a Cuban pork throwdown. Everything looked really delicious and El Bohio instantly popped into my head. It didn’t hurt that I was looking for something that would be easy on my wallet and almost everything on El Bohio’s menu is under $10.
El Bohio (which translates to “the hut” and is pronounced el bo-ee-oh) is attached to the Pour House, a small music venue, and is located on Maybank Hwy on James Island and is right across the street from the Terrace. The dining area is pretty small with 6 or 7 booths lining the outside and a few small tables in the middle. We sat ourselves and after a brief wait were greeted warmly by the bartender who appeared to be the only person working the front of the house that evening. The menu is nice and concise, offering enough options to please a variety of tastes while remaining focused enough for them to do everything well. Our server was extremely helpful and answered all of our questions without seeming the slightest bit annoyed (which happens more than you would think).
For an appetizer we tried the Yuca con Mojo which was only $2.50. Yuca is the starchy, potato like root of the cassava plant, a shrub which is extremely prevalent in South America and the Caribbean. The yuca is sautéed with onion in El Bohio’s own house made mojo sauce. The mojo, which is an olive oil based sauce with lots of garlic, some lime juice, a little vinegar, and cumin, was absolutely delicious. The yuca was nice and tender, and when eaten together with the onion was just unreal. For less than $3, this is an absolute must.
For our entrees, we both chose to go with sandwiches. I had the Turkey Cuban which was house roasted turkey and pork mixed together with Swiss cheese, pickles, and mustard on Cuban bread. The Cuban bread is a white bread that is somewhat similar to Italian bread, but uses a bit of fat in recipe. It has a nice firm outside and is soft on the inside. The turkey and pork are marinated in the house mojo and the sandwich is pressed in a device that is somewhat similar to a Panini maker. The turkey and pork blend together exceptionally well and the flavor of the mojo comes through without overpowering the meat. The Swiss cheese, pickles, and mustard finish the sandwich off with a really nice tang. The sandwich comes with another small cup of mojo for dipping, which I would fully recommend you do. My friend had the Cuban Sandwich which is the same as the Turkey Cuban except with ham instead of turkey. She loved hers just as much as I loved mine. Both of our sandwiches were reasonably priced at less than $7. My only issue with the sandwich was that it was supposed to come on Cuban sweet bread, which sounded awesome, but they were unfortunately out.
The sandwiches come with a variety of sides, but I, surprisingly, took the easy way out and ordered French fries. The fries were solid, but who cares, they’re regular fries. Another side option was tostones or fried plantains. You can get them ripe and sweet, or green and salty. My friend ordered the salty variety and wasn’t particularly impressed. I thought they were a little too salty for my taste and thought they could have used to be a little bit more tender, but they weren’t terrible. Next time I go back, I plan on either getting the sweet tostones or the tomato and onion salad.
El Bohio has a tremendous beer selection as well as a cocktail menu with several Cuban specialties. I tried the Cuban Especiale which was coconut rum, triple sec, pineapple, orange juice, and lime. The drink was really refreshing and the flavor combination of coconut, pineapple, and orange was fantastic. It seemed like the perfect drink for an afternoon spent hanging out by the pool. At $4, it really wasn’t a bad deal either.
El Bohio is a great little spot. The food is unique, reasonably priced, and above all else really, really good. It seems like a great place to head to for a cheap dinner with some friends, or as the start to a casual date before you head across the street to catch a movie at the Terrace. I’d recommend it highly and plan on going back sometime in the not to distant future.
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This review looks absolutely tasty, I didn’t even know there was a restaurant next to the Pour House.
I will most assuredly have to check this place out. ASAP.
Thanks for the kind words on the HCS blog. I’m so happy all these “young Charleston” blogs keep popping up!
xxx,
Caroline
I liked this place a lot too. My sandwich was delicious and I think I could’ve eaten all the mojo sauce with a spoon. You were right though, I should have gone with the sweet tostones because they were a little too salty, even for me. We’ll do that next time.