Came here on a busy NFL Sunday - which we liked the atmosphere. It's open seating which can be awkward when it's your first time and unfamiliar with the layout. We sat in the middle section at a high top. Some suggestions to make the middle section nicer, add another TV & add different lighting -- the recess lighting made it feel like a basement. Our food came hot and I enjoyed the wings. Our drinks were also served quickly and were fairly priced. Overall we enjoyed our time and would definitely comeback and hopefully snag a spot in the other sections. read more

Locals Tavern - Chicken Tenders - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Leland, North Carolina

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Excellent service and food. It's a solid local spot for any time of day. We will definitely be returning. read more

Locals Tavern - Gnocchi - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Leland, North Carolina

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My friend and I came here for lunch right when they opened. She comes here a lot and said the food was great. I had a grilled chicken Caesar salad the chicken was very dry and kind of bland, but I was starving. At least the salad was fresh. The fried zucchini was very lightly battered, with no salt or pepper, but nice big pieces and plenty of them. They couldn't make a blended margarita just on the Rocks, but it did have a decent amount of tequila in it. They were pretty busy right after it opened. My friend had the shrimp basket and couldn't eat it all. Personally the best thing was the 7.50 margarita. I personally wouldn't come again, service was decent. read more

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I live across the street from this place so I thought I'd give it a try. I walk in at 10 o'clock on a Saturday night the bands already done sit down at the bar. Don't even get acknowledged after 10 minutes. I decide to get up and leave seeing them serve multiple people who walked in after me and sat down unbelievable. Review reviews online said they had good pool tables and nice people I found neither disappointing . read more

Only did takeout here food is good except for some shoestring fries was nasty and. Chicken fingers where crazy salty everyone was drunk there so we left quickly read more

We live in OIB and try to stop here when in the area. Food is awesome! Burger and onion straws and fried pickles are the best. We love our server Corey that we try to get. She is so personable, sweet, efficient and makes our experience that much better! And it's a very cute place! read more

Food was good and hot. Service was fast as well. Love the environment. Love the band that was singing and everyone around. I will be coming bk when I visit again read more

Locals Tavern - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Leland, North Carolina

Service was friendly, but slow. The selection of food options was mediocre. The fryer was obviously not at the correct temp or was overloaded, because the fries and onion rings were heavy with grease. I'll give them another visit and I'm hopeful that it's a better experience. read more

Typical Sports bar. Seat yourself, which is ok with me. Went on a Sunday, nice crowd. Quick service and friendly staff. I ordered their house Cheese Burger, medium rare. It was cooked perfectly and very flavorful. Great place for quick meal with very friendly people. read more

Hailey and Maddie are the best! Come enjoy drinks with the best bartenders and best drinks in the Leland area! read more

Locals Tavern - Old fashioned - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Leland, North Carolina

Great spot for a cold beer and some great food! it introduced a hometown feeling with plenty of locals. live music is always a plus and draws out a crowd. read more

We've lived in Leland since early 2020 and this was our first visit (15 Jan 2023). Why haven't we been here before? Well, a few friends said the food was terrible. I totally disagree! We met up with friends to watch a football game. The place had not quite filled up so we were able to get a table for 6 right away. It did fill up later. It was pretty noisy inside but I guess it was because of all the football fans. We had a variety of foods to eat, some of which we shared: Jalapeno poppers, fried mushrooms, chicken quesadillas, shrimp tacos, and a Rueben sandwich. We were very satisfied with the food. I probably wouldn't do two fried foods (the poppers and mushrooms). The shrimp tacos (three of them) were huge with a really nice amount of shrimp. My friend who ordered them said thy were very good. So was the Rueben sandwich. I also enjoyed trying the chicken quesadilla. The tater tots were perfect for me - not overly salted like other restaurants, although one friend said they were just okay. The drinks were a hit and miss. One friend stated her drink tasted like there was hardly any vodka. Mine was fine. I later had white wine, which I liked. Very good and attentive service by the waitresses. Overall, very good food at reasonable prices. And a fun place to hang out. read more

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If you live in Leland, and haven't checked out locals- highly recommend! Wings are fantastic, vibes and atmosphere was great with live music. The service was fast and friendly. Pool tables in the back, and clean bathrooms! Kid friendly too. read more

Found this little place through a coupon book I had, and stopped after doing a pickup at the airport. Service was prompt and beer selection was good, but with abit more range in prices among the 3 beers we ordered. Food came out hot and presented nicely. The side salad that came with the Reuben was huge and fresh. The fries were the best I have had, crispy and flavorful! The shrimp tacos were presented nicely but person that had them said they lacked some flavor and she expected more toppings. Being a pub it was busy and noisy, but we were able to talk at 6:30 due to it being early. I deducted a star since upon getting home I noticed we were charged extra for the fries and that should not have been an additional $2.50. Wish I had seen that while I was there. I will return to try some other items and get those fries again! read more

Food was good and this is a nice building but they were clearly short staffed on servers. We waited a long time before anyone came by our table and were not checked on frequently. I had to walk up to the bar to get a drink refill. read more

I have been here a couple of times and have enjoyed the atmosphere and that there are pool tables. It's definitely bar food but top notch bar food. Last time I was here it took 30 minutes for nachos to come out and it was the most basic nachos I had ever seen with not a lot of chicken and the cheese sauce was cold. I get that we are in the south and that bugs are going to be everywhere but seeing a big dead roach next to the table is not the most favorable thing to lay eyes on. Besides that the service is always good, they have lots of 'events' going on that are family friendly like music bingo and all around it's a good meetup place just to watch a game and drink a beer. read more

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Started to pass up this spot after reading reviews however was glad I didn't !!!! Atmosphere was great service was great food was great !!! Stop by and give it a try for yourself! Reviews can be deceiving! read more

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Had the Philly cheese steak sandwich. The smallest I've ever seen and very skimpy inside. And didn't know there was smoking outside. Workers on a break were smoking on patio. read more

The food was mediocre, service was alright. It was one girl running the whole thing so service wasn't great. The ambiance is sports bar vibe mixed with tavern. read more

Totally should've checked the reviews before going here. The worst place I've ever eaten. Tater tots were cheap grocery store brand tots I feel. Fried chicken sandwich was god awful (wonder if it was real chicken even) and onion rings weren't even onion rings. They were shoelace thin strings of onions with some breadcrumbs. Now the food was awful but the service? Only thing worse than the food. Took a long time to get our food but not only that, they messed up so many orders (completely botched my order, got wrong sides for others, etc). I'm nauseous just thinking about this place. Avoid at all costs. Wish there was an option for zero stars. read more

First time visit atmospheres nice staff friendly always checking on you to see if you need anything. you're able to play pool watch TV little karaoke or dancing just sit and enjoy your friends And I highly recommend the Ruben. It's hard to find one that taste great. read more

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The food and service were amazing! They had the best pretzel bites I have ever had. The manager came over and asked how everything was? Very friendly atmosphere! Would definitely go back again! Attt read more

Fried bologna sandwiches are delicious and made to order. The customer service is pleasant, and attentive.

We moved to the area about a year ago and found Locals Tavern to be a great spot for good drinks and elevated bar food. We visited at least twice per month for the last year. Unfortunately, the last several visits have become increasingly worse. The food quality has fallen WAY off, and prices have gone up. Service remains good and the staff is friendly. But a $16 pitiful quesa dilla and 4 dry, hard chicken tenders for $14. Really? We couldn't even finish our meal. Sadly we won't be returning. read more

Hidden Gem in Office park! We first learned of this place as we had a coupon in the Attractions Book! It is a typical bar type scene, which I hear has live music on weekends! Steak and cheese is exceptional with toasted bun, peppers, onions! They also sell desserts, made by Burney's of Southport, only 4.99 for a delicious slice of cake! Service is great too! read more

Locals Tavern - Steak and Cheese with tater tots - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Leland, North Carolina

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Honestly this has not been my first time coming to Locals experiencing this. But hey, I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt and today was it. 1. I called the restaurant twice and it rang but no answer. So I decided to walk in and place my order and my family and I were looked over MULTIPLE times before being greeted after someone else came in and was immediately serviced. By the time they decided to notice us we no longer wanted to place an order. read more

This is not the first time coming to locals with a bad experience but it's been enough times where I feel obligated to make a post. Upon walking in, were looked up and down by the older woman bar tender with the hat and pigtails ??? Then patronized over our IDs, when we are 27. There was a baby fully sitting on the bar. I ordered a miller lite and she brought me a michelob and then threw it away, seems wasteful?? When I went to go order food, I was ignored. Once the wings came out they were under cooked. We had to move outside because it was so loud/ get away from the baby only to witness people doing coke. Victoria did come up to verify my order and try to smooth things over and I appreciate her efforts. Coming to locals feels like I'm on the show "What Would You Do." I can't figure out if they are trying to be a restaurant or a bar because of the things you see when coming here. read more

favorite place to eat in leland. great cheese curds, burgers, and quesadillas. the service is usually great and ambience is just a chill bar situation. will always suggest it! read more

Food: the best thing ever BUT they take a long time so if you're starving, dont expect it fast Service: A older lady is a waitress there and she's extremely disrespectful. She definitely hates her life and shouldn't be a waitress read more

Great place! Big portions of food, cold beer and great staff! Always clean and they have something going on everyday. read more

Locals Tavern - Jalapeño margarita! Delicious with a bit of spice (but not too much ) reminds me of Jalapeño jam - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Leland, North Carolina

Great live music! They also have football games on the weekends! Down to earth atmosphere!

Kathy had heard some good things about this place from a friend, so we decided to drop in and check it out. We just happened to get there as the first round of Trivia Night was wrapping up and it seemed to really energize the place with some good-natured competition. It truly is a place for locals, as many (most?) of those there (and there was a bunch of folks there!) were from the Leland area. There is a game room adjoining the area where the tables are arranged; while not getting much use the night we were there, there are pool tables and other games (as well as the ubiquitous televisions tuned to whatever sport is ongoing at the time) providing a nice mix to the place. From what I was told, each night there is a different theme (such as the Trivia Night we stumbled into); this bears more investigation on my part (purely on a scientific basis you understand). In addition, I neglected to take any photos other than of the incredible sandwich I ordered (again, a repeat trip there is mandatory to acquire more information...stay tuned. read more

Locals Tavern - Outstanding fries that were crisp and flavorful. The burger was one of the best I've - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Leland, North Carolina

Geared more to the younger crowd. Good beer and ok bar food. Nothing special unless you like a rowdy crowd.

Great food! Pet friendly, and an all around great place to grab a bite or just have a drink

Poor service, bad food, live music was worse than the food. Drinks were ok and priced within reason for the area. If you want decent service, decent food, and decent music go anywhere else. read more

Stopped in yesterday to give this place a try. Waited seventeen minutes and was never acknowledged by the staff. Walked out and found somewhere else. Zero stars should be an option read more

Food, ambiance, and service all extremely bad. We came with a large group and ordered a little bit of everything. The chicken tenders were dry and tasted like jerky, the Reuben was so greasy and bland with hardly any sauerkraut, the club was served cold, and the onion rings were so stringy and just deep fried batter not even onions. Your food takes forever to arrive, the music is so loud you feel like your eardrums are going to burst. They literally sat us right next to the stage and the drums were so loud, even the waitress made a comment about how loud it was. IIt also took our food almost an hour to come out. I genuinely do not recommend this place at all. You can find way better in Leland or even close by in downtown Wilmington. read more

Let me preface this review by saying that the employees are extremely friendly and make you feel very welcome. However, the service at this bar is genuinely the worst service I've ever experienced at any establishment in my entire life. I've lived in North Caroline for 25 years, 12 of them being in Wilmington/Leland. Without a doubt, hands down, the worst service I've ever experienced. I've lived in Miami, Broward county, Winston-Salem, Sanibel Island, Wilmington, and Leland, I was a career chef for some of the finest establishments in NC and Florida, and I have never seen anything like this. If you're looking for numbers, here it is Food - 4/10 Ambience - depends on the night, trivia night is unbearable as the microphone is turned up extremely loud and the MC screeches over the microphone like some antichrist siren. Service - 1/10 TLDR: Service is terrible, food is mediocre, fruit flies everywhere, and draft tastes like they haven't had their taps cleaned in two years. read more

My husband and I (7 year residents of Wilmington) decided to meet up and try Locals Tavern for the first time today (July 2024). I got there ahead of him and ordered an appetizer which was brought out promptly right when my hubby arrived and was good. However, after that things took a major turn for the worse. The bartenders were also handling the waitress service for the tables. When we got there it was very empty but starting to pick up a little. It took about 10 minutes for her to come back and take our main food order. The order was placed, and then......we waited.......and waited........and waited some more. About 30 minutes later she refilled my husband's water and said the food should be right up. A couple minutes after that she served fried dishes to a couple at the bar that ordered 15 minutes after us. We could see the bartender/waitress about a minute or two later looking puzzled. She went back to the kitchen, then went to her order entry screen. We could see her appearing to enter an order and talking quietly out of the side of her mouth to another bartender. Clearly she had forgotten to put our order in their system. My husband really needed to get back to work, but we saw her coming our way and decided we would let her explain. It was at that point that she lied to our faces!!!....and that is where I draw the line. Instead of explaining her mistake and offering some sort of discount, and telling us that we would be next order up, she decided to tell us they were slow because they only had one fryer going. The only problem with that is that right after she said that at least 5 other patrons started receiving their fried food, one after another, all of whom ordered 15-30 minutes after us. After another few minutes of waiting, 45 minutes deep after the main food order, I flagged down the bartender and told her to give us a box for our leftover appetizer. She comped us for the appetizer and my iced tea, but by that time the lunch date was completely ruined. She never came clean. Had she told us the truth I would not have held it against her. I certainly would not have taken the time to write this post, but I cannot tolerate being lied to as a patron of your restaurant. My husband works over that way now and we were hoping this could be a new spot for us, but instead this was the first and unfortunately the LAST time we will ever go there. read more

Staff was rude. Very unwelcoming told to seat ourselves and when we asked to sit outside. We waited 20 minutes without even getting menus. Food was mediocre. inside seemed like a confused fusion of local pub and a honkey tonk read more