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    El Grill

    4.4 (50 reviews)
    Open 7:00 am - 3:00 pm, 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM

    El Grill Photos

    Business Info

    EL GRILL ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Divey
    Outdoor seating
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - El Grill

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    a burrito wrapped in aluminum foil
    Judy E.

    Casual place with freshly made breakfast and lunch items. We had the Breakfast Burrito and it was stuffed full with peppers, onions, egg and sausage/ham. Very filling and delicious. Service takes abit of time to prepare each item but it is worth the wait.

    Menu
    Lauren M.

    I've lived 1.2 miles from this places for years. I've gotten oil change across the street and smelled it several times but it didn't look like much and I'm particular about health scores so I, ignorantly, assumed it wouldn't be a good score. I am sorely sad for how many years I've passed up this GEM! Don't overlook this CLEAN little dive off 17! My Dad loved the breakfast, I loved the crab cake sandwich and sweet potato fries. Service was five stars, cleanliness five stars, fast five stars!! (The man beside me just said this is the ONLY place he orders burgers! He is loudly loving his cheeseburger!)

    View of the restaurant that faces the street
    Maria S.

    Sonja's Grill, locally owned and operated, has been serving up breakfast and lunch to hungry diners for 32 years. Immensely popular with area contractors, businesses, and law enforcement, you'll often find a steady stream of customers during peak hours. The menu is colorfully written on large chalkboards near the north entrance, and they serve everything on it Monday through Friday, from 7:30 AM until 3:30 PM. (Sonja's is closed Saturdays and Sundays and traditional holidays.) Navigating this cozy space is simple. Once you know what you want to eat, place your order at the window, pay, and then find a seat -- there's booths and regular tables inside, picnic benches outside. They'll call your number when your order is ready. It's a homey, no-frills establishment, and the food that comes out of the kitchen is quite good. The iced tea is excellent, made fresh each morning. They make a mean omelet and the grits are out-of-this-world delicious. The fried pickle chips were a hit at our table, served with a side of ranch dipping sauce. My husband enjoyed the onion rings and a couple of Chicago dogs, and my cousin's 10-year-old daughter polished off a plate of French toast and bacon. Visiting with friends old and new at the charming and welcoming Sonja's Grill was a great way to start a beautiful spring day.

    Trip and fall hazard - no railing

    My breakfast was greasy. The hash browns were from freezer at a discount grocery store. The cook deep fried the hash browns to a solid mass of burnt potato. The side order of ham was some pressed deli meat burnt from a grill. Eating from the lowest quality disposable plates and flat ware is not for me.

    Hamburgers

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    9 months ago

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    9 months ago

    Food portion were a little smaller than the last owner but the food was very good and the lemonade excellent!

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    5 months ago

    Great food and service. All the people that work there are very nice. Very pleasant atmosphere. Great selection as well.

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    5 months ago

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    1 year ago

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    3 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    3 years ago

    I went there once and it was great. Nice staff and nice place. It's right off highway 17

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

    The food and service were on point! Will definitely be back to try other items on the menu!

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    6 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Such a cute little lunch spot. Be sure to stop by for some good ol' southern cooking!! I can't wait to try their breakfast next!

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    5 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    3 years ago

    The food was very good and reasonable. The staff are so nice and accommodating. Highly recommend food so fresh!

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    7 years ago

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    10 years ago

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    14 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    10 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Absolutely wonderful place to get breakfast or lunch, great food & fast service. Would highly recommend

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    7 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Great local place! Kids and I love breakfast at Sonja's! Just wish they were open on Saturday's!

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    9 years ago

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    7 years ago

    Really good old style burgers, fries, hot dogs, etc... Only complaint is it is BUSY at lunch time which is telling how good the food is.

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    11 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    10 years ago

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    Page 1 of 2

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    The Cove Restaurant

    The Cove Restaurant

    3.8
    (117 reviews)
    5.8 mi

    Bottom line: I liked my first visit to The Cove Restaurant near Holden Beach. Their Fish & Chips…read morewas satisfying and just what I needed that night. Service was good as well. This farm-to-table restaurant supporting local farmers and fishermen is worth a try if in the area with a little something for everyone on their menu. The Deets: A friend of mine drove down from Wilmington while I was vacationing in Holden Beach recently and we decided to get dinner to catch up. Looking at options on the trusty Yelp app, we decided upon trying The Cove Restaurant for dining. It is located just a bit out from Holden Beach, along Hwy 130 going towards Shallotte. It has pretty good parking that was almost full when we arrived. When we went in to place our name on the waiting list, we were told it would be about 30 minutes wait (we were actually seated around 15-20 minutes) and so we used the table and chairs outside the door to relax and talk. When seated at a booth inside, we perused their menu and they have plenty of different selections (not just limited to seafood). The cover of the menu describes The Cove as a restaurant "...featuring all natural ingredients supporting local farmers and fishermen." This farm-to-table format is good to know going in and I'm glad they share that on the menu. We were given bread service to start with (loved the bread!) and my friend got their Homemade Crab Soup to start with, and he liked it a lot. I went for Fish & Chips for my dinner entree while my friend opted for their Chicken Marsala for his meal. I was satisfied with my meal, the beer battered deep fried cod fish tasted great here. I sampled my friend's Chicken Marsala and it was good but was hoping for more flavor to come through on the Marsala sauce. Service was acceptable from the host desk to our server, all went well. I enjoyed the first visit to The Cove Restaurant and would like to revisit them on future trips to the area.

    My husband and I are new homeowners on Holden Beach. One of the first things we wanted to discover…read morewas a local place with great seafood. We were thrilled to find this place! My husband ordered the special Trio: grouper (blackened) with shrimp (fried) and scallops (blackened). It was served with mashed potatoes. The portion was huge! He said it was the best mashed potatoes he's ever had. I ordered the seafood linguini, scampi style - it was delicious with a generous amount of mussels, clams, shrimp, and scallops. There was an option to have the dish "fra diavolo" (spicy red sauce) which I may try next time. My husband shared his giant side-salad with me. It was an extra $2 for the salad that could have been a meal for me. Complimentary bread is served with olive oil and freshly cracked pepper and with single serving pats of butter. For dessert, we shared the housemade brownie with ice cream. It was recommended by our wonderful server, Bailey! It was a great first meal for us in Holden Beach as locals and no longer just visitors!

    Photos
    Menu 2 (April 2018)
    Menu 2 (April 2018)
    Menu 3 (April 2018)
    Menu 3 (April 2018)
    The Cove Restaurant

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    Oak & Anchor

    Oak & Anchor

    3.5
    (24 reviews)
    6.8 mi

    Located inside the Lockwood Folly Country Club club house (open to the public) and the first thing…read morethat blows you away are the spectacular views of the Lockwood Folly river. I had the fish and chips. The beer-battered cod was crispy on the outside and moist and flavorful inside. The fries (chips) were crunchy and delicious. Reasonable pricing makes the entree that much better! The full-service bar offers whatever alcoholic drink suits your fancy at a very reasonable price. Service was good (not exemplary). All in all, I can recommend this establishment as a great lunch destination with an awesome view.

    Not impressed at the Saturday Prime Rib night. 4 of us got the prime rib. We found it chewy. One…read moreperson wanted it medium-well done. It came out seared, like it was broiled or pan fried. Uh-uh...you don't do that to prime rib...wrong. And... We were told that the dinners came with a "green and yellow squash medley". When I asked if I could get only green squash, no yellow, I was told, No. We asked if there were any other veggies that we could have; we were told, No. Then the meals came out with a yellow squash, bean & broccoli medley...no green squash. We were then told that they DIDN'T have any green squash, but it miraculously came out with some beans and broccoli. HUH??? The draft beer was good, but we felt that we did not have to go back for any reason. Maybe, breakfast or lunch? Could they screw that up?

    Photos
    Visitor on the drive in. Yikes.
    Visitor on the drive in. Yikes.
    Entrance
    Entrance
    View from our seat inside.

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    View from our seat inside.

    El Grill - tradamerican - Updated August 2026

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