This is a cool place to stop for lunch via car or boat! If your traveling by boat you just dock and walk up a ramp and enjoy the view. I ordered the flounder and shrimp special for lunch. This came with slaw and green beans. I had the fish grilled and I really liked it. It was fresh and had some flavor. The shrimp were average size which was fine. I don't think the green beans were fresh but they were ok. The ambiance is great here and service was spot on. We enjoyed our meal and continued on for more boat time. read more

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Very pleasant dinner! We love the quick service and dockside location as well as hot and tasty food! I had the senior combo with shrimp and flounder. My husband had the senior combo with oysters and flounder. Great hush puppies! The dining room was clean and well maintained as were the restrooms. Lots of windows to see the water and the boats. Very relaxing. read more

Captain Nance's - Senior Combo with oysters and Flounder - Seafood Near Me - Calabash, North Carolina

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Aja and Amanda we are amazing. We were a party of 14 and all our orders came out fresh and delicious. The service was top notch and the manager even came to check on us a few times. I am so glad they have cocktail now before it was just wine and beer. read more

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It is okay food, service was okay.dinner room area was not very comfortable. Just lot chairs and tables. Not sure what was going on there with the cold slaw. Have had slaw various ways, sweet, lots of mayo and vinegar slaw. But this was not compliment to seafood, sweet pickles??? read more

Captain Nance's - Fr - Seafood Near Me - Calabash, North Carolina

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Shrimp was the best part. The crab cakes are good, but super small. Pretty basic inside, but the outside seating is decent.

Our go to restaurant!! Been eating there since 2003 when I worked in Calabash!! Love the outdoor dining when weather allows!!

Decent seafood, fast service. Lot of fried seafood if that's what you're looking for. It felt like the waitresses were trying to rush us a little bit. We asked for another few minutes to look at the menu and they came back very shortly after and asked again. The food came out very quick which was nice. They've updated their menu to include both a cash price and "other payment" price which was interesting. They also only serve one free basket of hush puppies now instead of unlimited which was disappointing. The sweet potato fries were a little undercooked, but everything else in the pictures was good. Beck's, right up the road, has plenty more options for those that dislike seafood which some in our party did. Overall, this place is alright and will get the job done if you're looking for some classic Calabash style seafood. read more

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We were devastated when Dockside closed and we knew that Captain Nance's served a similar menu so we decided to give it a try. We LOVED it!!! Hush puppies were so good and the platters were amazing with an over abundance of food. The price was so reasonable. We were waited on very quickly and we were a party of 14. The atmosphere is just a typical diner type restaurant, but super clean. You can sit outside if you prefer and we did walk out and look at the water, but we prefer eating indoors. We will be going back in a yearly basis. read more

We had a wonderful dining experience! The seafood was incredibly fresh and full of flavor. Everything tasted well-prepared and made with quality ingredients. The restaurant is very family-friendly, making it a great spot to enjoy a meal with kids. We also appreciated having the option of both indoor and outdoor seating. Our server, Jason, was welcoming, attentive, and provided excellent service throughout our meal. We would definitely return for another delicious seafood dinner! read more

Captain Nance's - Grouper bites - Seafood Near Me - Calabash, North Carolina

ZERO STARS!!! What a sad excuse of a business! Instead of being accountable they only made excuses... "it came out of the press and our manager is out". I'm sorry, but my nephew asked for a burger not a damn panini. My sister was calm and did not raise her voice and the only thing they did was comp his little $10-$15 burger. Like at that point the whole meal should have been free and then some once he had a screw in his mouth!!! I will never step foot in this establishment. read more

Captain Nance's - Seafood Near Me - Calabash, North Carolina

The experience started off great. The hostess staff and waitress were great. Loved the hush puppies and honey butter were great. Then my son bit into a nail. A literal nail. They apologized and said they think it came out the press but like it literally could've killed my child. So if you're going to risk it I'd double check the food or atleast the BBQ. read more

Captain Nance's - Nail in BBQ sandwich. - Seafood Near Me - Calabash, North Carolina

Lunch | $10-20 Made a special trip to Calabash just to have Calabash style. Unfortunately, the restaurant Ella's is closed and no longer there so tried Nance's. What a disappointment with the quality of food and the prices. I ordered an entree and it was obvious it was frozen processed food, the French fries were soggy with no crispness, and the deviled crab was nothing but dressing ( no crab meat to be found) not to mention extremely small. When the waitress came to our table after serving our food I told her and she took my plate( I had one bite and passed on it) to show the cook for either another item or refund. She came back and said that I was not being compensated or offered another item. I have never been to any restaurant that didn't even offer another item... really? At check out the cashier asked how was everything... I told her and she just keep her head down and didn't say anything . Paid full price for this meal that was barely touched. Please do yourself a favor and avoid this restaurant... obviously, customer service isn't their main priority. Too many other choices around the area... go there. read more

Food is okay for a quick bite but I'm not sure if the fish served are fresh catches. I got the grouper sandwich that came with hush puppies and coleslaw. Sadly, only the hush puppies tasted good. Coleslaw didn't taste fresh and the sandwich lacked flavors. And, I got my food within 20 minutes. Prices are a bit steep for the overall food quality and ambience. read more

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Service was great. No wait, quick seating on patio, quick food service. The portions seemed a little smaller. Most of the seafood was good except the flounder was tough. There are several reasons that may cause tough fish. Biggest reason is overcooking. I questioned the owner and he said it was real flounder cooked properly. ?? read more

The wait staff was great and very accomidating, but it stops there. When our food came out, my oysters were luke warm at best, told out waiter and she quickly remeded the situation. The replacement oysters were good and hot, but were like rubber... I was so looking forward to eating so good seafood... Disapointment was an understatement! Our whole party of 11 had similar issues, food was a disapointment for every one except the grandson that had chicken nuggets. I am 70+ and have been eating at the Calabash resturants since I was 10ish. I so miss the Dockside, and it is too bad since the mom and dad passed away that their children can not get along...sad, so very sad!! Mom and dad are looking down and wondering just what the heck !! But this note is about the Capt. Nance's resturant... I DO NOT recommend eating there at all!!! The Seafood Hut up the street is much better!!! !!! ZERO STARS for Capt. Nance's !!!! read more

We love Captain Nance. It's our favorite Calabash location. The food is fresh. The hush puppies are great. You can get a baked potato. We go all the time. Hate that the prices have gone up. read more

I'm gonna start a collection and share it and call it "Great for Boomers" and this will be the first spot on the list. And I say that with love not hate as my parents are boomers. They, especially my father, would think that this place was the highest rated seafood you could find. The prices are cheap. The grease is heavy. And they offer senior discounts. 5/5 boomer stars. As for us with a bit better taste...this seafood is just overly friend junk. The fries have no style or flavor. The clam strips you can get anywhere including the frozen section at the store and they'd taste the same. I don't even think they made my stuffed crab there and it was almost all bread. The only reason I give it 2 stars instead of 1...the location and service. It is absolutely gorgeous and a great spot to sit and eat especially outside. The parking lot is huge and they had no problem seating a group of over 20 people I was with, nor did they have a problem taking care of everyone. However, the food was so bad I didn't finish it but took it home to my chickens...true story...see my photos! read more

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only thing this place has going is the atmosphere by the water. I got the crab stuffed flounder, and it was so overcooked that it was stuck to the plate, tough as heck and bland. The crab stuffing in the middle was gooey mush, did not look like crab, they must have puréed the crab meat in the sauce. I sent it back and the waitress was very sweet, I got the honey glazed salmon. Rice was minimal and very mushy, salmon was hardly flavorful with a little sauce on top. Something like I'd make at home if I was meal prepping several meals at a time. read more

My husband and I drove all the way from Myrtle Beach to Calabash just to eat lunch. We saw the 3-star rating but decided to give it a shot anyway. The restaurant is casual, on the river with indoor and outdoor seating. They had a decent crowd for lunch, and our server, Steven, was good. We had lunch specials. My husband had the (popcorn) shrimp and baked potato and I had shrimp and sea trout with baked potato. Hushpuppies and coleslaw comes with lunch. The hushpuppies were excellent, and our meal came up quickly. I was not a fan of the coleslaw... too sweet-pickly for me. Both of us really enjoyed the shrimp, but the trout was so fishy-tasting I couldn't eat it. Our server offered to swap for flounder, which was really kind. But the flounder was only marginally better. Baked potatoes were perfectly prepared, and nice and hot. The lady at check-out was not very friendly. Disappointing visit overall. read more

Met some friends of ours for lunch here on 10-17-25. We ate out on the deck by the waterway since the weather was nice. I had an oyster sandwich that came with small, but a lot of oysters. I added cocktail sauce which was good without being to spicy. The wife had a soft shell crab sandwich that she said was delicious and came real close to what we had eaten in Maryland. We are not normally fans of green slaw but here it was very good. The hush puppies we kind of plain and not the best I have ever eaten. Our server Mike was very good, friendly and very attentive and thanked us when we left. With drinks, tax and tip it was right at $40 which I thought kind of pricey for lunch, but I guess it's the going rate for lunch at a place like this these days. If our friends wanted us to meet them here again or we were in the area a return visit would definitely be in the cards. read more

Our second trip to Captain Nance's in Calabash and once again it didn't disappoint. Fried seafood combo me and my wife shared and took plenty back home with us. Dog friendly and excellent service. Maryanna was our server this afternoon and she was friendly and attentive. We sat outside because the temps were around 82 which is excellent for the coast of NC in early August. I usually don't post a review unless we have visited a place at least twice. If you like "Calabash - Style" seafood I would definitely recommend this place. They only serve beer and wine but today we skipped the margaritas and went with an ice cold Pepsi. Enjoy... read more

Sitting outside was amazing and so was the service. Sitting by the commode when I got back to my Airbnb was not fun. The food is a disgrace. I could've had a better chance using my cold fries as bait to catch everyone in the restaurant some fresh fish. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY HERE!!!! read more

Stopped here for with a group of people for lunch. We had a friendly waitress, and the atmosphere was pleasant. I ordered soup and a salad. My New England clam chowder and salad was o.k. My dining mate enjoyed his fish sandwich and coleslaw. The rest of the diners seemed to enjoy what they ordered. It was a pleasant day and some diners enjoyed outside seating. read more

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The food was very disappointing. Probably the worst clam chowder I've ever had. We came here because the Seafood Shack next door was closed. Won't make that mistake again. read more

8/22/25: We enjoyed a late lunch on the deck overlooking the Calabash River waterfront. Server MaryAnna was very welcoming, friendly, attentive, and quite knowledgeable of the menu. We both ordered the lunch special of red snapper: one grilled and the other blackened. Cooked to perfection with sides of baked potato and sweet mashed coleslaw. The price of the lunch special was pleasantly reasonable @ $15.99 with a slight up-charge for grilled and blackened requests. The only negative was that many starling-like birds would rush a table for scraps as soon as the customers walked away, creating a messy scene...and one of us was pooped on while eating. Overall, an excellent meal with a marsh view. - Laura & Mark VanValkenburg, The Bluffs on the Waterway, Myrtle Beach read more

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Mediocre food and incredibly slow service even on a weekday night in the off-season. The views do not make up for the service and mediocrity of the food. What read more

This was a dirty place, food was disgusting. Canned soup when the water was out back. Not a place we will ever go to again. read more

Captain Nance's - Seafood Near Me - Calabash, North Carolina

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Lovely seating area overlooking the water. Relaxed atmosphere. The hush puppies were amazing! The fried shrimp very good. Had a lovely time!

I had the flounder with baked potato. The flounder was thin and dry. The baked potato was cold and wouldn't even melt the butter. The hush puppies were good. Doubt I will go back read more

Good locally owned seafood restaurant. They have daily specials, a seniors and kids menu. Really nice people who own it and the portions are plentiful. Wait staff is always friendly and quick to serve. They have an outdoor dining area also that is a nice view of Calabash River read more

Worst seafood I've had and I'm from Idaho. So fishy and smelly couldn't stomach the river trout or flounder, service wasn't anything special either. Looked great tasted like ass read more

Warning....... Don't waste your money just because you can get a table quick. It's a shame that a restaurant on the water doesn't use fresh seafood. The shrimp are clearly from a bag and not from the states. The flounder and grouper were both frozen filets like you would get from Sam's. The price is the same as other much better locations in Calabash. Just wait on a table at literally anywhere else other than Captain Nance's! read more

Took a chance and so glad we did. We went on a Monday evening around 5. They were very busy but we got a table within 5 min. Our waitress was Amanda. Food and service was excellent. $100.00 for 2 adults and 2 seniors. We will be back. Thanks again ! read more

We were able to get in and get a table for 5 in about 20 minutes on a Saturday night. Once seated the server was quick and attentive. I had the snapper sandwich and was not disappointed. I also sampled a seafood platter with the table and the scallops and shrimp were amazing! Also really good fried okra. The only thing not enjoyable was the Cole slaw which tasted very pickled. We sat outside and had a good view as well as being able to enjoy the fresh ocean air. read more

Came here with party of 7 for lunch. Server brought Hushpuppies when we sat down. Best I ever tasted. Peel & eat shrimp were fresh, large, and cooked perfectly read more

This is our first visit to the Sunset Beach/Calabash area. I was excited about the location..upon arriving, the carpet was the first red flag. Hate carpet in restaurants , it's gross and outdated. Second red flag:bus tubs out on the floor with staff scraping food from plates into the garbage right next to tables trying to eat. Final red flag: food was tasteless and probably not fresh. Disappointed to say the least. We should have gone with our first instinct which was to try the Waterfront seafood shack right next door. read more

Food was great, the service(the waitress) was sweet and the back deck was relaxing this time of year. I'd definitely go back. read more

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shrimp were damn bait shrimp. Disgusting. They even sold full big shrimp right outside the restaurant. It was nuts. Everything was pretty terrible. Fish was fishy and gross. Took forever too. Never will be back. Holy crap they need to step up their game. read more

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Must be hit or miss based on other reviews. Way better than the place we ate for lunch which had 5 stars. Broiled Sea Trout, Crab stuffed flounder, and cold boiled shrimp were fantastic. Patio seating right on the intracoastal made for a great evening. Staff was friendly and timely. Casual environment so this was perfect for since we only had tees, shorts, and sandals. read more

Staff, view and beer were good. That's pretty much all I can say about this place. I would like to say I'd come back but probably not.