Planet Follywood

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  ( No Credit ) A fried Grinder chicken sandwich, topped with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese.

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It’s a stalwart, a world unto itself, smack dab in the middle of Center Street on Folly Beach. And which establishment accords such measure? Planet Follywood, naturally.

The restaurant’s classic exterior mural featuring Hollywood icons of the 1950s welcomes visitors and its loyal base of customers into its quarters for cold beers, burgers, a little music and more.

The fare here is standard: tried-and-true hits popular with beachgoers, or almost any American. Appetizers include chicken fingers, nachos, wings, beer-battered fried mushrooms, potato skins, mozzarella sticks and gently fried onion rings. As for the fried okra — and credit goes to Planet Follywood for describing the starter as “Charleston okra” (love it) — it’s a voluminous sampler nearly teeming over the basket.

The restaurant also presents an admirable burger menu, including seven specialty options. These half-pounders ($6.95-$8.95) are cooked to temperature, and, say, in the case of the Cowboy burger, topped with bacon, pepper jack cheese, barbecue sauce, lettuce, tomato and — what the hey — an onion ring, just for good measure.

A simpler option might be the old-fashioned patty melt, or roasted garlic cheddar burger, which finely mixes roasted garlic and other seasonings into the meat.

The Grinder ($7.95) is a popular pick, as well; the chicken grilled or fried and topped with mozzarella cheese and marinara sauce.

Several pita sandwiches ($7.95) also grace the docket, including one containing grilled tilapia, teriyaki shrimp and chicken versions, and another made from chicken fingers.

And the specials aren’t bad, either, such as the German wrap containing kielbasa sausage, onions, potatoes, peppers and a brown mustard sauce for dipping.