Everyone, it seems, wants to live in paradise.

New restaurants are growing along with the population in North Myrtle Beach, and that’s fine.

My regular Monday lunch group talked about this at R.W. Wood’s recently. One of them said, “I’m fine with progress but let’s keep my dives, too.”

I agree.

One of the greatest appeals about North Myrtle Beach to me for last 40 years is the great food I can get at dives.

May they never go away.

The term dive can have a negative connotation to some, like a seedy bar, for instance.

But for our purposes here, dives are plain-looking, unglamorous restaurants that serve great food and are usually populated by locals. Of course, what constitutes great is subject to opinion.

Let’s start with R.W.’s. A former general store, it’s as good of dive as you’ll find anywhere, adorned with football helmets and jerseys from every team on the planet. It’s a place where you want to eat your meal slowly and enjoy being there.

The O.D. Arcade has always been a favorite — and then they added alfredo with either chicken or shrimp as the Tuesday dinner special. Chicken Alfredo is my all-time favorite dish and these guys knocked it out of the park. Alfredo sauce with bowtie pasta, blackened chicken and broccoli makes for a perfect meal. I’m not going to miss a Tuesday going forward.

And let’s not forget the Arcade’s hamburger steak with rice, gravy and lima beans for lunch on Tuesday. That’s another favorite. And it’s just fun hanging out there.

The favorite burger is the one smothered with blue cheese at Curley’s Cafe on Highway 57. It’s a simple place with great food. Another favorite is their chicken fried chicken with white gravy. 

When I want pepperoni pizza, Giorgio’s on Main Street is my go-to place by a country mile. The place hasn’t changed in 40 years. And it doesn’t need to.

You can’t go wrong at Captain Archie’s either. The place has a great vibe and has been around forever. My favorite is the flounder.