The sweetest spot just before the island- and with no traffic to deal with!…read more Sara, Megan and all the staff are super welcoming and happy to help out! The vibe is coastal speakeasy if that's such a thing! You can get artisanal cocktails to domestic beer! Something great for all tastes!

I love this spot! It's bright and welcoming inside and out! Lots of seating and the staff is…read moreamazing! Most of all is the charcuterie boxes and drinks they make! My goodness I crave these boxes! They have a variety of sizes and different ones. I've also gone on bingo night which was so fun! Can't say enough about this place!

If you love Salty Turtle, you'll love The Cove even more!…read more The Cove is a cocktail bar/event space that is owned by Salty Turtle. They carry a few of their beers to serve as well as wine and liquor. Ever wish you were having a cocktail at Salty Turtle while your partner was enjoying a beer? Well now you can! Hit up the cove and you can have the best of both worlds with no one compromising. The Cove is a "club" so you'll need to sign up for a membership at the bar before you can enjoy some drinks, but don't worry it's free to join! We enjoy coming here on Wednesday nights to play trivia with friends that is hosted by Meeser Eddie. My favorite drink to sip on when coming here is probably the spicy margarita. It's not on the printed menu, but you ask and your wish shall be granted!On Wednesdays they also offer $15 bottles of Prosecco. Yes you read that right $15 for a BOTTLE of Prosecco. Nothing beats coming to play trivia with friends and sharing a great bottle together. The staff here is always so friendly, it's clean, the service is fast & the cove itself provides excellent vibes. We love the cove & salty turtle so the hardest decision is usually choosing which one to go to... and sometimes we just hit up both!!

My friend and I went in here on a whim when we had a ladies night at Salty Turtle. Prior to this,…read moreI thought this was only an event space. Which it is but it is also open a few days a week, one of which being on Wednesday nights at 6:00pm for trivia. The place is smaller but very cozy. The decor inside is super cute and the drinks are great. We got a tequila drink that looked beautiful and tasted very good. They also have beer and wine. Super cool place to check out and really excited for an upcoming event I am going to at their location too!

If you're looking for one of the best hidden gems in the Surf City area, make sure you visit The…read moreSea Witch Lounge. The food, cocktails, atmosphere, and staff consistently make this one of our favorite local spots. The standout on the menu is the Roast Beef Sandwich. The combination of hand-carved roast beef, caramelized onions, brie cheese, arugula, and horseradish crema is absolutely incredible. Every ingredient works together perfectly, creating a sandwich that's both rich and flavorful without being overwhelming. What really takes it to the next level is pairing it with one of their homemade daily soups. The soups rotate regularly and are always fresh, creative, and delicious. If you're having trouble deciding, order a soup flight. It's one of the most unique offerings around and it never disappoints.

Stopped by just for a drink and really liked it! The bar is super cute, the bartender was very nice…read moreand attentive, and the cocktails were very good. Would come back to try the food!

Yes it's pricey. Yes it's good. Yes it's the only 'fancy' restaurant on the island. We loved their…read moreshrimp and grits. Ordered it multiple days in a row. They take reservations and do book up some nights. You can always order take out from the bar. It's next to a park so could bring the kids there right after dinner. I will def go back here.

Yay they take reservations for our family of 17, not easy for small beach town…read more Place was packed thou on cozier side (not huge space). We're from the land of plenty aka Northern VA, the food is comparable to All American Restaurant chain. The steak was the star, the other entrees were fine but not spectacular. The short ribs tasted like pot roast and was oddly shredded- not a fan. Dessert was let down, crème brûlée was way too fudgy (no signature jiggle), carrot cake meh and truffle had no cake (just pudding). Seriously, Hire a new pastry chef. Service was efficient, friendly but more towards quick turnaround as they were busy.

food was great, service was great, drinks were great (esp the mojito) all around a great spot!read more

Stopped by on a Wednesday night around 5pm and man was it busy! The line was already out the door…read morewith a wait. We sat outside and got a beautiful view with the beach and the pier. For appetizers we got the crab dip and the calamari. I loved the calamari, the crab dip was good but we definitely needed just a few more chips. They bring out bread which is nice as well. For my main I got the salmon, it was delicious! I did the Tuscan garlic butter on top which I really liked. My sides of vegetables and a baked potato were good as well. Our server was so sweet, we loved her. Unfortunately we're giving a 4/5 because we asked the hostess if she could move us to an open table out of the direct sunlight and she states she would check and be right back. Well, we never saw her again. The table was open for a while before another party was sat so I assume she just didn't want to move us. Overall, we still had a great dinner and would come back again to try other food options as we enjoyed what we got. Definitely try this place out!

picked up lunch for husband and me huge serving of flounder…read moresandwich....enough for 2 really yummy burger great seasoned ff crispy fried okra

The space is clean, has plenty of selections for burgers and other items. Drinks are yummy and…read morereasonably priced. I've never gotten a server here that wasn't a 10/10. Come here if you like good burgers. Get the peanut butter burger if you like peanut butter, you won't regret it!

First time in town, we stopped into JM's on the Water for dinner. Compared to other beach town…read morespots, it was fairly average overall. The staff was semi-welcoming, though it seemed like they were a bit overwhelmed during our visit. I ordered the crab cakes, and they did have good flavor, but they were very shell-heavy and a bit bready, which took away from the overall texture. The food was okay for the price point, but nothing particularly stood out or felt memorable. The highlight of the experience was definitely the drinks, which were great and fairly priced. It's worth checking out if you're in the area, but not necessarily a place I'd go out of my way for. Solid 3/5.

Only one server seemed to like her job and of course we didn't get her. The food was average.read more

Always busy and happening! I love going here everyone is so friendly, especially with my dog…read more I go for small snacks, treats and their sourdough! This place is such a treat and is filled with so many hidden gems.

I love this place. As someone with celiac disease, it's a huge challenge to find gluten free…read morepastries and desserts. This coffee cake muffin is what's left of my haul. I've tried cheese cake, s'more cookies, and lemon blueberry muffins and I was not disappointed. Everything was moist and flavorful.

We've lived in the area for about 6 years. Eat out fairly often. This restaurant by far has been…read morethe most consistent in the quality of the food, which is the best of all the restaurants in the topsail area. It is not fine dining and has the sports bar vibe. It is a relatively small place and I recommend going on non peak hours in season. If you are into oysters, they have a great selection of both local and regional on the half shell. If you prefer cooked, chargrilled or steamed is a good choice. While the menu has a great selection of seafood, the chalkboard specials features extremely fresh local catches which change daily. While there are several restaurants in and around the topsail area this is the only one where I have never been disappointed. If you go at peak hours during the vacation season expect to wait but it is worth it. You can't miss with any of the steamed shellfish offerings and if you prefer fried there batter is light and not overpowering. As a sports bar, they have a large selection of tap and bottled beers and a good mixology of liquor options which is only outdone in my opinion by Rick's in Sneads Ferry

Whenever a restaurant puts "market price" next to an item, I'm worried. But Dear Wife and I were in…read morethe low country and we wanted a low country boil. So that's what we got. I could've asked the price upfront (and usually do) but what the heck... we're on vacation. The server suggested we get a "double" and share it. OK. Sounds good. It came out quick. There was a TON of food for two of us. Shrimp, sausage, potatoes, corn. It didn't have a lot of seasoning also on it, but - no problem - there was a rack with every hot sauce you'd ever need, plus salt, pepper and old bay. We both ate our fill and even left a few potatoes. The bill comes and it's less than $40. It might be the cheapest great meal I've had in a long time. Or maybe it's the "greatest cheap meal" I've had in a long time... I don't know. Bar ambiance, but pleasant enough for families. Mostly high tables. It all seemed very nice.

The place was empty at 8:15 on a Tuesday night. The environment is very nice & clean inside. This…read moreplace has lots of potential. The server knowledge is lacking if you care about details...& the menu is gutted and has leftovers from last year (there are several blank pages of things they don't offer anymore, everything offered still is in the pics)...& prices are quite a bit more than the menus posted here. For example, oysters are only one type and are $3 per oyster instead of $26 per dozen as the Yelp pics show. They know where they bought oysters, but not where they came from. The crab dip was good, but seemed to have a tuna hint to it. The server was hovering the whole time, but that may have been because we were the only people in the place and they were ready to shut the kitchen down.

We rated this a 3.5. I would highly suggest the Scallops! Cooked perfectly and had a great flavor…read morepairing. Service was great! Hosts are pleasant and friendly. Our server was Dallas and he was on point, respectful and friendly as well. The restaurant is spacious with lots of seating. As this was our first time to the area, we will most likely try somewhere else in the future, but wouldn't be opposed to giving this another try.