March Madness Final Four: Vote for Greenville's best shrimp & grits dish

• 16 of Greenville's most popular shrimp & grits restaurant dishes will square off in a weekly voting battle beginning on March 11, ending April 8.
• We encourage our readers to visit each of the highlighted restaurants and familiarize yourselves with some of the best shrimp and grits options in Greenville County.
• Our March Madness Foodies winner will be profiled and showcase an inside scoop on their Greenville voted best shrimp & grits dish.

Welcome to the third round of our March Madness Greenville: shrimp and grits edition.

In the spirit of the upcoming four-week college basketball tournament, we have pitted some of Greenville's most popular and favorite shrimp and grits dishes against one another to determine the county's favorite Southern delicacy. Our second round was filled with a few upsets and close battles, as more than 1,100 votes were cast to name the best shrimp and grits dish.

In seeding this battle of shrimp and grit restaurants, we ranked each local establishment by popularity, centralized location to downtown Greenville and of course the unique spin on each dish available.

Here are the Final Four matchups for our March Madness Greenville: Shrimp & Grits edition.

(1) Soby's vs. (13) Shortfields

Previous Matchup: Soby's beat Local Cue by a total of 18 votes.

Maybe the most popular shrimp and grits dish in Greenville is at Soby’s. The trio of tomato creme sauce, Granda Padano cheese and hints of tarragon make their shrimp and grits a rich bowl of warmth and goodness, so good, they’re served on the menu all day long. 

Previous Matchup: Shortfields routed Southern Culture Kitchen & Bar by more than double the votes, 379 to 174.

Traveler’s Rest and Simpsonville both feature stone ground grits and caramelized onions that make the difference in their bowl of shrimp and grits. It's very underrated, but a definite treat for those who are familiar with Shortfields - a hidden gem.

(3) Larkin's vs. (15) Low Country Shrimper

Previous Matchup: Larkin's beat Smoke on the Water by 20 votes.

At Larkin's, almost everything on the menu makes sense. The grits come directly from the Lowcountry and the Tasso ham gravy makes for a memorable Creole binder for the dish perfected by Chef Wilbert Sauceda.

Low Country Shrimper edged out Roost Restaurant by 1 vote.

At a great price point, Low Country Shrimper offers an affordable and delicious bowl of grilled shrimp and a special andouille sauce that accompanies all that comes alongside. Well worth a trip to the Golden Strip.

– A.J. Jackson covers the food & dining scene, along with arts, entertainment and downtown culture for The Greenville News. Contact him by email at ajackson@gannett.com, and follow him on X (formally Twitter) @ajhappened. This coverage is only possible with support from our readers.Sign up today for a digital subscription.