Local Restaurants

Wilmington has so many great restaurants of various kinds to choose from. In fact, you may have seen a few of them featured on Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. Famous Southern Chef Vivian Howard also has a new restaurant in downtown Wilmington as well. There is something for everyone no matter what they may be craving. You’ll definitely never go hungry in this town!

Since there are so many restaurants to choose from in our area, see below for our recommendations from friends and neighbors with links to the restaurant websites and menus. Want to explore beyond our list of favorites? Click here for a full comprehensive list of all restaurants in the area.

On Wrightsville Beach…..

Dining options on the Island.

Close to Wrightsville Beach…

Dining options all within a close distance to Wrightsville Beach, just a short drive over the bridge away.

  • Jerry’s Food, Wine & Spirits Fine dining, especially seafood

  • The Bridge Tender The best food with the best view located just over the WB bridge on the Intracoastal Waterway.

  • Cruz Carolina meets California with a fresh menu featuring salads, sandwiches and seafood in a laid back coastal atmosphere.

  • Boca Bay Seafood and Oyster bar. Also has an incredible Sunday Brunch.

  • Sweet N Savory Fresh, seasonal full menu for Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner. There is also a full bakery area inside as well. Featured on Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.(click for news article)

  • Brent’s Bistro An American Grill with an eclectic mix of options for every taste featuring fresh seafood, meats, and local ingredients.

  • Ceviche Latin-American fusion restaurant inspired by the dishes of Panama. Featured on Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (click for news article)

  • Port City Chop House Steaks, seafood and chops of the highest quality.

  • Brasserie Du Soleil Authentic French cuisine and beautiful atmosphere with both indoor and outdoor dining. Complimented with one of the most extensive wine choices in the area.

  • Port Land Grille Enjoy a meal sourced from sustainable farms, grilled over natural hard wood charcoal and served in a casually elegant coastal setting by award-winning chef/owner Shawn Wellersdick who uses free range meats, heirloom vegetables, fresh herbs, and house made spice blends.

  • Grand Cru Food & Wine Specializing in exceptional wines with chef designed small plates.

  • Spoonfed Kitchen and Bake Shop Incredible breakfast menu. Lunch and Dinner also available. (Many people love their shrimp and grits). Gorgeous bakery items as well.

  • The Donut Inn Best Donuts in town, offering hand-cut yeast donuts, cake donuts and muffins! They also have a full breakfast menu of all sorts of sandwiches and burritos. In addition, there is also a lunch sandwich menu with a soup and chili of the day.

  • PT’s Olde Fashioned Grille Their Certified Angus burgers, fresh-squeezed lemonade and lemon pepper fries have gotten them voted “Best Burger” in local Encore magazine for years!

  • Wrightsville Beach Brewery Local brewery that offers craft beer and an extensive menu. Serves lunch, brunch, and dinner. Live music often.

  • Famous Toastery All day breakfast menu, lunch and brunch.

  • Slice of Life Pizzeria & Pub Great pizza and bar type food. Grab a slice and watch the game!

  • Terrazzo Trattoria Our favorite Italian restaurant in town, locally owned by an Italian family from New York. They are the real deal!

  • Lovey’s Natural Foods and Cafe Natural and Organic Grocery Store with a cafe attached. Lots of gluten-Free and Vegan options to choose from.

  • Big Thai Authentic Thai food with a variety of menu items and levels of spice. Try their famous Coconut Cake too!

  • Nikki’s Hibachi Steakhouse and Sushi Bar Nikki’s sushi chefs are dedicated to providing the freshest fish possible for their dishes.

  • The Bento Box The culmination of Asian street food, with a menu featuring food from Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, China and Korea. The focal point of the restaurant is their sushi bar, sourcing as much organic and sustainably grown products as possible.

  • True Blue Butcher & Table Open for lunch, dinner and brunch, True Blue is a Butcher-to-table restaurant, featuring an in-house butcher serving up certified Angus, USDA Prime as well as American and Japanese Wagyu beef selections.

  • Tama Tea Cafe Serving up 50 premium loose hot/cold teas as well as specialty teas. Their cafe menu offers wraps, salads, and quiche with vegetarian options.

  • Boombalotti’s Homemade Ice Cream Family owned and operated ultra-premium ice cream made fresh daily from the milk of grass-fed North Carolina cows. Multiple Vegan options are offered daily as well. The best ice cream you’ll find anywhere! They also have a second location in Downtown Wilmington as well.

  • Epic Food Co. Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Paleo and Vegan friendly. Offering over 20 vegetables, ten sauces, and eight different protein options (or vegetarian and vegan) to choose from

  • Drift Coffee Kitchen Simple, fresh, holistic foods and beverages. Their store has been designed to foster a social, friendly environment for every demographic. A place to visit for wholesome food and cordial interaction.

  • Clean Juice 100% Certified Organic Juice Bar. Also serving smoothies, acai bowls, and snack bites.

  • Five Guys Famous Burgers and Fries Five Guys or PT’s? The debate is real. Both offer up amazing burgers and fries.

  • Kale Me Crazy A superfood cafe offering juices, smoothies, salads, and wraps with the use of fresh, organic, and raw foods.

  • Roko Italian Cuisine Unique Italian food infused with fresh, local ingredients.

  • Zoe’s Kitchen Mediterranean food based chain restaurant.

  • Brooklyn Pizza Co. Amazing locally owned (by a family from Brooklyn) Pizza. They deliver too!

  • Grocery Stores: Harris Teeter (2 locations), Food Lion, Lovey’s Natural Market, The Fresh Market, Earth Fare

Midtown Wilmington

Dining options further in town.

  • Cast Iron Kitchen Award winning chef Josh Petty serves up NC based Southern cuisine all day long with 75% of their items sourced from NC farmers, fishermen and growers. Also featured on Season 28 of Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. (click for news article)

  • Bitty and Beau’s Coffee “A special coffee shop run by very special people.” Bitty & Beau’s was founded to provide employment opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The official coffee of the Rachael Ray Show, this shop has been featured on ABC News, BBC, Good Morning America and more. Serving up coffee and smiles, this little shop is sure to give you with a meaningful, unique customer experience.

  • SeaLevel City Gourmet Extensive gluten-free and vegan options, with something for everyone with cuisine inspiration from every corner of the globe. Voted Best Vegetarian Restaurant in 2018 by Encore Magazine.

  • CAM Cafe Art inspired dining located in the heart of the Cameron Art Museum. Lunch, brunch and dinner options with a fresh local menu of traditional favorites with a modern twist.

  • Indochine Wilmington’s most acclaimed Thai and Vietnamese restaurant. Beautiful Asian atmosphere. A local favorite!

  • K-38 Baja Mexican Flavorful Baja Mexican food featuring chilies and spices from all over the Southwest and Mexico. Signature dishes are their famous Fish Tacos, Rolls, Burritos and Wraps

  • Double Happiness Authentic Chinese cuisine locally owned and family run with an extensive menu prepared fresh daily. They offer a mix of traditional Chinese dishes and modern twists on classic favorites.

  • Catch Award-winning chef Keith Rhodes serves up the best modern seafood cuisine in Wilmington. Daily specials are alive with seasonal fresh catch paired with hand picked produce with every ingredient sourced from local fishermen, organic growers, including grass-fed steaks and heritage porks. The bar offers local craft beers, boutique wines and refreshing craft cocktails to compliment each meal.

  • Tandoori Bites Authentic Indian cuisine with unique twists. Lots of vegetarian options available. Delivery/Take-out available.

  • Peño Mediterranean Grill Fresh, flavorful, and run by Jamal Haddad to bring the traditional flavors of Lebanon to Wilmington in a vibrant atmosphere.

  • Blue Surf Cafe Locally sourced with a wide variety of menu options served in a very fun, casual, surf-shop atmosphere. (Explore the Blue Moon Gallery gift shops across the street afterwards!)

  • Flaming Amy’s Burrito Barn Voted "One of the Best 33 Burritos in America” by Thrillist, Flaming Amy’s is a local cult favorite.

  • Smoke on the Water Overlooking the Cape Fear River, but not in Downtown Wilmington, this restaurant is part of the new River Lights development. Offering a menu with a delightful mix of seafood, smoked and signature BBQ recipes with a New Orleans flair.

  • Port City Java Locally owned with locations scattered throughout Wilmington, with two roasting facilities right here in town as well, allowing coffee to be served that was roasted just days before. Take that, Starbucks! Baked goods, breakfast items, sandwiches, wraps and hand-crafted beverages are available all day.

  • Grocery Store: Whole Foods

Downtown Wilmington

Dining Options in Historic Downtown Wilmington

  • Benny’s Big Time Pizzeria Famed Chef Vivian Howard’s farm-to-sea-to-fork Italian fare in a beautifully renovated building on Greenfield Street in downtown Wilmington. This incredible and casual restaurant features open kitchen, and offers everything from a full brunch menu on Saturday and Sunday, two wood burning pizza ovens to house made fresh pasta. Come see why this is one of the few restaurants ever filmed for a National Television Show, featured in a National Magazine and on Southern Living's "Top 13 Things to Eat" list prior to its opening.

  • Manna Avenue 123 Manna’s chefs specialize in French technique, serving upscale American cuisine Tuesday through Sunday. Their menu features innovative choices and a robust selection of wine and cocktails. Manna is the first restaurant in Wilmington to receive the prestigious AAA Four Diamond Award multiple consecutive years.

  • Pinpoint Chef Dean Neff’s menu changes daily and features local seasonal offerings from Wilmington’s farmers, fishermen, oystermen, and crabbers as much as possible, deeply rooted in tradition. In 2016, the restaurant was named among the best new restaurants in the South by Southern Living Magazine and was featured on The Best Thing I Ever Ate in 2018. 

  • RX Restaurant and Bar Described by owner James Doss as '“Seasonally inspired, ingredient-driven Southern cuisine,” RX is a local favorite nestled in the Antiques District of downtown Wilmington. Chef and Owner James Doss is committed to bringing the choicest harvest from local farmers, fishermen and growers in this casual but refined restaurant.

  • Fork N Cork This quaint restaurant features burgers, brisket, gourmet pot pies etc in the perfect combination of bar and comfort food. Featured on Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (click for news article)

  • The Copper Penny This combination sports bar/restaurant offers an eclectic mix of appetizers, salads, and sandwiches along with an extensive selection of mixed drinks and beers in a relaxed atmosphere. Featured on Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (click for news article)

  • The Basics “The name is also the mission statement: this casual all-day spot, located in the Cotton Exchange, a collection of shops and restaurants, takes staples of Southern comfort food - pimento cheese, fried okra, smoked chicken - and keeps it simple." - New York Times

  • Caprice Bistro Hosted by Thierry and Patricia Moity, previously owners of Patou Bistro in Charlotte, NC and Cafe de Bruxelles in New York City, Chef Moity, has been cooking since age 13 in some of the finest French restaurants in Europe and New York City and delivers French cuisine that is influenced by a combination of traditions. Caprice Bistro has been chosen as one of the 2018 Top 100 Most Romantic Restaurants in the country according to OpenTable.

  • Circa 1922 Offering a wide variety of tapas, sushi, and a full selection of cheese and charcuterie.

  • Savorez This restaurant offers high quality Latin American fare made from local ingredients in a casual atmosphere.

  • Winnie’s Tavern Serving award-winning burgers for over 50 years- you have a choice of spicy cajun fries, cinnamon and brown sugar dusted sweet potato fries with honey dipping sauce, or onion rings. One signature ground chuck burger: "Trailer Park Burger" is topped with a fried green tomato, house made jalapeno-pimento cheese, “bread and butter” pickles, hickory smoked bacon, lettuce, onion and Winnie’s signature chipotle sauce.

  • The Fortunate Glass Wilmington’s premiere wine bar, showcasing globally sourced wines, plus creative small plates and craft beers. Choose from among 60 wines by the glass, 350 wines by the bottle, or 30 craft beers. Small plate offerings are cheese, antipasto, paninis, desserts, and more to compliment your beverage selection

  • Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse Located inside the Hotel Ballast, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, serving spectacular steaks and other dinner choices with incredible sunset views, this premier chain of restaurants uses a signature cooking temperature that quickly seals in all the flavor of the main course

  • The District Kitchen Located in the Brooklyn Arts District of downtown Wilmington. Offering a polished-casual environment with a thoughtfully crafted menu, as well as wine, beer and cocktails. 

  • The George On the Riverwalk Savor delicious “Southern Coastal Cuisine” right on The Riverwalk with views of the Battleship North Carolina. Signature favorites of Shrimp and Grits, Bacon Encrusted Scallops and Alligator Satay are complemented by a seasonal menu featuring land and sea, vegetarian, gluten-free and children’s choices.

  • Bespoke Coffee & Dry Goods Serving only the best coffees and espressos, Bespoke offers quiet solitude in the bustling downtown area. Relax and stay a while, grab an espresso and a delicious bite from the small selection offered daily