Location: Surf City
Top Restaurants in Surf City
North Carolina, United States Food Guide: 10 Seafood food Must-Eat Restaurants & Street Food Stalls in Surf City
Best Seafood restaurants nearby. Discover the best Seafood food in Surf City. View Menus, Photos and Reviews for Seafood restaurants near you.. Surf City is a town in Pender and Onslow counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The population was 1,853 at the 2010 census. It is located on Topsail Island.
Things to do in Surf City
10. Buddy's Crab House and Oyster Bar
Overall Ratings
2 based on 82 reviews
The prime oceanfront location in Surf City to eat delicious Seafood featuring Steam Buckets with Oysters, Snow Crab Legs, Shrimp and Clams with Corn on Cob and Potatoes!!! Also featuring Hand Cut Prime Angus Ribeye Steaks, Chicken & Barbeque Ribs!!! Remem
Reviewed By catvahine
It had been years since I ate here since my prior experiences had not been great. Friends who go regularly talked me into trying it again since they re-opened post-Florence. The view from the deck is great and sometimes entertaining. So far, the servers we've had were experienced. Staff has alluded to a good amount of turnover in the kitchen and wait staff, so I don't assume every visit may bring the same experience. As locals we've learned to never go to restaurants in season during peak hours and to never be in a hurry. One of our party had a truly disappointing steam bucket, but otherwise the food we've had has been okay - not memorable, but okay enough to let the view tempt us back a couple of times. Our best luck has been with the sandwiches and baskets. The flies on the deck can be persistent, so try to get one of the tables right at the railing where there might be enough direct breeze to disperse them.
9. The Crab Pot
Overall Ratings
3 based on 468 reviews
Reviewed By Wyndswept8
We visit The Crab Pot every year when we go to Topsail Island for our family vacation. Never have I been so disappointed in any restaurant as I was today with the Crab Pot. To begin with, we sat at our table for about 15 minutes before anyone paid attention to us, and then it was from a server who was not even ours. He got us drinks, and told us he didn't know where our waitress was, but he would try to find her. After another 10 minutes a very frazzled looking woman came by to take our orders. Even though it was barely 6pm they were out of zucchini fries and onion rings which indicated to me they are not managing their kitchen well - and it just got worse from there. After another 30 minute wait they finally brought our food out, but we had no utensils with which to eat. We asked for them and then we sat. And we sat. And then we sat some more with no one bringing us utensils. Finally I got up and looked around and didn't see any anywhere. I was so done with waiting that I stepped right inside the kitchen and said excuse me can we please get some silverware? A young boy told me yes ma'am, I'm working on it. He was putting silverware inside paper towels and twisting them up - but every table in there has a roll of paper towels on the table! We were all beyond frustrated, and had to wait another 5 minutes for him to bring us 4 sets of knives and forks. But then all of our food was going cold. Which made the overcooked fish even worse. Crab Pot, what happened to you in the past year to cause you to serve bad food with incompetent help? I'd skip the Crab Pot this year if I was you and go to the Hardee's next door instead!I am sorry about your ding experience with The Crab Pot. We take these complaints seriously and have spoken with our service team. Thank you for dining with us and hope you chose to come back
8. Quatermasters Restaurant and Tavern
Overall Ratings
3 based on 180 reviews
Great Eats & Fine Spirits!
Reviewed By GreenEyedLady518
Arrived here after waiting 20 min. at another restaurant and left without being acknowledged. The hostess on duty was obviously not having a good evening. Abruptly informed that it would be a 30 min wait which was okay. The wait ended up being closer to an hour. Once seated, we waited another 20 min before being greeted by a server. Placed our order and waited another 45 min for our meal. The food was just average fried seafood fare and certainly not worth a 2 hour wait. Obviously, the management needs to hire more help or do a more effective job of scheduling during peak times. Won't be back - sorry.
7. Batsons Galley
Overall Ratings
4 based on 205 reviews
We are a locally owned and operated family restaurant
Reviewed By mklesanfordnc
Our family of four went for breakfast on a Wednesday morning. We placed our order and waited and waited. Another table of four ordered after us, ate their food and left before we received our food!! Thatâs ridiculous. The food was good but there was no apologies from the waitress. We waited probably 40 minutes! My son showed mercy on them and went back the next day. Bad mistake. It took 30 minutes for a to go biscuit order! Management issues?! We will not be back .
6. Beauchaines 211
Overall Ratings
4 based on 349 reviews
Great place to relax for a drink, date night, family dinners, or celebrations! Reservations strongly suggested.
Reviewed By LovinMyLife_8
My husband and I hesitated to try this place due to the mixed reviews, but decided to go for it. We made a reservation for 8:00 but upon arrival realized there was probably no need.In hindsight, we should not have ordered our appetizer, salad and entree all at once. Normally the waitstaff discreetly observes the customer sipping their cocktails and the food gradually arrives. Instead, here comes the app and salad, both were delicious and presented well. The app was roasted oysters on the half shell and we would return just for those!But before we could even finish, here comes dinner! My husband ordered the surf and turf special. I ordered the salmon, which was baked in butter and fresh basil, in parchment and was one of the best pieces of salmon I ever tasted! Buttery, soft, cooked perfectly!Then I realized by the time we ate our dinners, I still had half of my one and only cocktail to finish off!!From start to finish, the whole evening there lasted 50 minutes! I would have LOVED to have taken my time, savored the lovely food, had another drink but we decided to go have a snowball since it was only 8:50!!My husband believes there was a lack of coordination between our server, kitchen and runners, considering it was a different person bringing each selection of food! But kudos to the chef and kitchen staff for the creativity and speed for turning out such amazing food! We will definitely return, but will order very slowly, one item at a time!!
5. Shuckinâ Shack
Overall Ratings
4 based on 201 reviews
We offer seafood including local oysters and clams when in season. In addition we also offer many types of fried seafood baskets, whole breaded hot wings, salads, sliders wraps and more. With 12 rotating draft beers and over 30+ bottles we're sure you'll
Reviewed By letsgotovirginia
This was our favorite place this week. The service was fantastic and the food was outstanding ! We had the low country boil, oysters, and steamed shrimp. Best fried oysters! The shrimp were huge and excellent. They do have a special each night. It's a small place, so it will be loud.
4. Gallagher's Sports Bar & Grill
Overall Ratings
4 based on 550 reviews
Now Open at 8:00 AM for Breakfast! Gallagher's Sports Bar & Grill is the place to be for family fun! 16 Flat Screen TV's, a great professional staff and something on the menu for everyone. Gallagher's Sports Bar & Grill uses the freshest local seafood ava
Reviewed By BeachcombersNC
We tried two other restaurants first but werenât willing to wait 1.5 to 2 hours. On the recommendation of a friend, we tried Gallagherâs. Let me begin by saying our opinion of Gallagherâs was framed by our experience at the front door. The man at the door, who was taking names and directing the hostesses to seat parties (his name is Peter) was perhaps the most rude person we encountered while at Surf City. We were told he was the new manager! We witnessed him yell at one woman who was trying to get in the door but was delayed by the crowd. He told her to close the door because he wasnât cooling the entire beach. Very classless. This made use pay closer attention to his behavior, and we witnessed this same unnecessary behavior extended to the hostesses and female wait staff. The bartenders were left alone.The manager should have been paying attention to what was happening, or not happening, in the kitchen. We waited close to an hour for our food, and had decided to simply pay for our drink and appetizer and leave when our food arrived. Our waitress, Kara, was excellent. She anticipated our every need, hassled the kitchen to get our food moving, and was very apologetic for the delay. The manager apologized to no one. It would have made up for a lot had the food been great, but it was just okay. Two examples: The tuna was way over cooked and tough. It is difficult to mess up tuna this bad. Fish and chips should be an âeasy Aâ for any seaside restaurant, but this one arrived cold. As long as we had to wait, we were not going to roll the dice by sending the food back. On a positive note, the drinks from the bar were quite good and the bathrooms were clean.The manager tried to make up for his earlier behavior by wishing us a good night and saying âSee you again soonâ. However, nothing short of him actually asking us about our experience and offering a bit of an apology would have made any difference. We wonât ever return and recommend you bypass this place as well.
3. Daddy Mac's Beach Grille
Overall Ratings
4 based on 1041 reviews
Oceanfront dining at it's finest. Enjoy a wide selection of hand cut steaks, fresh island seafood, and the house specialties. A locals favorite since 2006.
Reviewed By KenA490
We arrived right at 5:00 on a Thursday and already several people seated. We were greeted warmly and given a choice of inside our outside. We set outside in the shade and very nice view and comfortable setting. Our waitress was very friendly and engaged and took our drink order. We started with crab dip which was excellent - creamy and tasty with a good amount of crab. The pita points were fried and a great change. We wife had the grilled shrimp which were a dozen good sized shrimp perfectly grilled with the Tuscan garlic butter sauce. The shrimp were tender, sweet, and delicious. She had the mashed potatoes and vegetables du juror which were both very good. I had the grill scallops which were 6 large sweet and tender scallops topped by the Tuscan garlic butter. The fries were fresh and hot. The coleslaw was good but not fresh and soggy with little taste. There was plenty of convenient parking just across the street. This was our best meal during our week on Topsail Island and we will definitely go back.
2. Sears Landing Grill & Boat
Overall Ratings
4 based on 842 reviews
Reviewed By KenA490
We stopped for an early dinner on a Sunday and sat inside. We started with the West Indies which was good - creamy filling and crispy crusted outside. My wife had the fried shrimp and cheesy fries. The shrimp were very lightly breaded and fried and were tender, sweet, and delicious. The grits were creamy and tasty. I had the grilled magi which was a good sized portion of very tasty fish. The fries were the run of the mill crinkle cut fries. The cornbread was excellent - slightly sweet and very tender. The service was efficient but not that friendly. A good meal.
1. Topsail Steamer
Overall Ratings
5 based on 79 reviews
We provide seafood steam pots prepared with fresh local seafood, meat and veggies and homemade spices to take home, steam, eat and enjoy! Our buckets come in a one-time use pot with easy to follow instructions.
Reviewed By msdevore
My fiance and I got engaged last year in Top Sail and we ordered from here as our celebratory dinner. It was pricey (as all good seafood should be) but it was SO worth it. We will be back in Top Sail next month to get married can't wait to order this for our wedding day dinner for all of our family to enjoy. Will definitely be a family tradition from now on.Thank you for the kind word and congratulations!
