For some reason, Jebby's reminded me quite a bit of Merlotte's in "True Blood". Maybe it was the fact that we were in the "South" or that the waitresses were dressed in t-shirts and jean shorts. Whatever it was, I definitely got a supernatural vibe. Luckily, however, there were not any encounters with either vampires, werewolves, were-panthers, or fairies!
What we did get was friendly service and tasty, reasonably priced food. The inside of the restaurant is pretty small, and was also packed the evening that the fam and I decided to visit. Thus, we were very kindly told that there was a 20 minute wait and that we could wait either outside or inside at the bar. We opted for the more scenic option (outdoors), and thus all grabbed a seat on two smallish (but adequate) white benches outside of the restaurant. After only 10 minutes, the hostess/waitress came outside and informed us that our table was ready.
The inside of the restaurant is largely no frills with standard wooden tables, paper napkins and silverware, a decent sized bar, and a very diverse mix of diners. Interestingly, the seating capacity of the restaurant (as listed on the back wall) is 54 people whereas there are no less than 9 flat screen televisions in the joint. Thus, there is at least a 6:1 ratio of peeps to telly here. Not too shabby, and this probably explains why the place gets so packed on game days as mentioned in other reviews.
As for food, I opted for the she crab soup as a starter and it was amazing! Fresh, flavorful, and served with a buttered piece of toasted herb bread, it was definitely some of the best soup that I have ever tasted. For my main course, I opted for the fried shrimp po' boy (being a huge po' boy fan), and I was satisfied if not overwhelmed by the dish. The po' boy was definitely much more than merely edible, but it seemingly was lacking somewhat in the spice/flavor department. Given that the collards had just run out, I opted for steamed broccoli as a side which was clearly more for the health conscious tilt than the flavor. Regardless, the broccoli served well as a po' boy side. On a semi-related note, the sides here warrant a shout-out as there is quite a variety including broccoli, collards, spicy grits, spinach, french fries, onion rings, string beans, and many others that I cannot remember. A varied sides selection always equates to points in my book (I'm just saying).
With respect to other dishes had/shared in my party, the spicy grits were indeed spicy but in a way that enhanced the dish's flavor, the crab cakes were thought to be stellar all around (three people in the party chose this dish which came with a wonderful side medley of potatoes and veggies), and the dessert options that were indulged in (peach/blueberry cobbler and a brownie with ice cream) left many unbuckling their belts.
All in all, Jebby's on 17 is very much worth visiting for some true low-country cuisine and friendly service should you ever be in the Hampstead/Topsail Island area! read more