Huc-A-Poos on Tybee Island

A slice of pizza described as bigger than your face is not a subtle thing to put on a menu, and it is the first thing anyone says about Huc-A-Poos. The place is a long-running Tybee pizza-and-beer spot with a locals' bar feel, a deck with live music, and a reputation built on oversized slices. If you are staying on the island and want a meal where nobody asks you to dress up or book ahead, it is one of the easiest answers we know.

We are a hotel on Butler Ave, so what follows is what we would tell a guest asking at the front desk.

What Huc-A-Poos is

Huc-A-Poos is a casual pizza place and bar at 1213 US-80, Suite A. US-80 is Tybee's main road, the only one onto the island and the one that runs through the middle of it, and Huc-A-Poos is mid-island along that stretch. You are not walking down to the sand for it. It is a place you go to on purpose.

The signature is the oversized specialty pizza sold by the slice. Slices run around $5 each, which is the number to hold in your head: a large, filling piece of pizza for roughly the price of a coffee-shop sandwich. The pricing logic is the point. You buy what you want to eat, not a whole pie you have to negotiate over.

Specialty pizza here means the toppings are the draw. What matters is the format: big slices and a changing lineup of specialty pies.

There is also the bar. Huc-A-Poos is where a lot of the island drinks, and it has live music on the deck. Both Atlanta Magazine and the Savannah Morning News have written about it, the latter in a roundup of the best places for a beer or a cocktail after the beach. That is the second half of its identity, and the two halves do not look the same at 1 PM and at 10 PM.

Why it earns a place on a Tybee trip

The case for Huc-A-Poos is mostly about friction. A lot of Tybee eating involves a decision: reservation or walk-in, shorts or collared shirt, sit-down or counter. Huc-A-Poos removes most of those: it is come-as-you-are, with no dress code to think about.

That has real value when you are feeding a group. Take a family of five with two kids who disagree about toppings. At a sit-down place, that is a negotiation that ends with a compromise pizza nobody loves. By the slice, everyone gets exactly what they asked for, the picky eater gets plain cheese, the adult who wants something odd gets something odd, and nobody pays for a pie half of which will go cold in the box. It is the same logic that makes a group of friends, a wedding party in town for the weekend, or a few couples sharing a rental a good fit. Big crews with mixed appetites are what a slice shop is built for.

Then there is the size. A slice that big works as a full lunch for most adults and a shared snack for smaller kids. If you are budgeting a few days of meals, one oversized slice each plus a drink is a cheaper lunch than most sit-down options on the island, and you are not paying resort prices for pizza. We wrote about the broader case for eating cheaply and well here in 4 Casual, Affordable Places to Eat on Tybee Island, and Huc-A-Poos belongs in the same conversation even though it is not on that list.

Finally, the deck. A pizza place with live music on a deck is a combination that feels like Tybee, the island at its least polished. It is not trying to be a destination restaurant. It is trying to be a place where you can sit outside, eat something greasy, and hear a band, and it does that.

It's also a bar

We said earlier that it is two places in one, and this is where that matters.

By day, Huc-A-Poos is family-friendly. Kids eating pizza at a pizza counter is not a surprise to anyone there. By night it leans into the bar, with the crowd, volume and music that come with one. That is not a criticism. Plenty of people want exactly that after dinner, and a locals' bar with live music is a more interesting Tybee evening than another hotel lounge. But if you are traveling with young children, plan your visit for the daytime or early evening, and if you are coming for the music, accept that it will not be a quiet dinner.

Practical notes

Address: 1213 US-80, Suite A, Tybee Island, GA 31328. It is on the main road, mid-island, so it is easy to find on a map.

Cost: Expect to pay around $5 for a slice. It is a casual, low-cost meal, and the size is why it is called a value.

Dogs: Dogs are banned on Tybee's beaches year-round. Dunes Inn allows pets. The fee is $25 per pet, per night. In the off season, it's $25 per pet for the first night, then $10 per pet per night after that. Our amenities page has the details on the hotel.

Tips for ordering and timing

Order one slice before you order two. These are oversized. The instinct to grab a second slice for each person comes from every normal pizza shop, and it does not carry over. Start with one each, then go back for more if you are still standing.

Split the table by preference. Because it is by the slice, there is no reason to agree. Let everyone choose, and let the group sample. If one person wants to try the strangest specialty slice on the counter, that is a $5 experiment, not a $25 mistake.

Go in daylight with kids. The daytime version of the place is the one built for families. If your group includes children, lunch or an early dinner will go better than late evening.

Check hours the same day. A quick look at the Facebook page or Google listing costs you thirty seconds and saves a wasted trip.

Skip the car if you can. If you are walking or riding a bike around the island, a mid-island stop for a slice is a natural break. If you are driving, remember that metered parking is how the island works, and plan accordingly.

Bring a plan B for leftovers. If you can't finish a slice, a room with a Kitchenette has a mini-fridge and microwave, which makes it possible to save half for later. Those are specific to our Kitchenette room, not every room at Dunes Inn, so ask when you book if it matters to you.

What pairs well

Huc-A-Poos is a lunch or early-dinner stop, and it works best when it is one piece of a day rather than the whole day.

A morning at South Beach. From Dunes Inn on Butler Ave, South Beach is a short walk, so you can leave the car parked and skip the meters while you swim or walk the sand. Then drive or ride the rest of the way to US-80 for pizza. The beach is better before midday in summer, and pizza is a good reward when you come off it hungry.

The lighthouse. The Tybee lighthouse is 178 steps up and is Georgia's oldest. Pizza first and stairs second is a bad idea, so climb first and eat after.

A swim at the hotel. If you want to end the day without going back out, the saltwater pool at Dunes Inn is unheated, so it works best in warmer weather. It is a decent way to let a heavy slice settle. See our things to do page for more ideas about spending the rest of the day.

A sit-down dinner on another night. Huc-A-Poos is the casual end of Tybee's food. If you want a nicer evening during the same trip, our dining guide covers the island's other restaurants. Eating a cheap, enormous slice at lunch is one way to afford a proper dinner out later.

A low-tide walk. The shark-teeth beds are a low-tide game, so check the tide chart and plan around it. A casual slice before or after fits well around that kind of unscheduled afternoon.

Who this is and isn't for

It is for groups, families with kids who eat at kid hours, anyone who wants to spend less on lunch, and people who want a bar with live music that is not a hotel lounge. It is for people who like their Tybee a little rough around the edges.

It is not for anyone who wants a quiet table, a reservation, or a polished menu with a description under each dish. It is not the place for a proposal or an anniversary dinner.

Planning your Tybee trip

If you are putting together a stay on the island, Dunes Inn & Suites is on Butler Ave, a short walk from South Beach, with a saltwater pool and rates that leave room in the budget for things like a $5 slice. When you are ready, check availability for your dates.