I came here my first night in Wilmington and I had a great time. I decided to order a white peach sangria with my crab cake sandwich and both were absolutely delicious! The crab cake wasn't "fishy" and it tasted just right. I'm usually very cautious about ordering crab cakes but these did not disappoint. The sauce on it was amazing as well. The sangria was so good and a perfect size. I will definitely be back! read more

Michael's on the Waterfront - Crab cake sandwich - Seafood Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

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Very nice and polite staff, and attentive. Atmosphere was like an Irish Pub but from the outside it seemed more upscale than I was thinking. Not on the water as I initially thought also. Calamari was a bit flimsy breading and somewhat chewy, great marinara. Shrimp po boy had good flavor but the lettuce seemed wilted and the tomatoes were not ripe. Good NC beer. read more

I've walked past this restaurant three times on three different occasions, but today we went in. The restaurant wasn't packed so we didn't have to wait for a table and was immediately greeted and sat at a table. There was a nice amount of menu options and drinks . There was plenty of dining room seating with a large bar area as well. The restaurant gives off very much coastal vibes! Lol, I ordered a crab cake and my son ordered the Wellington sub (I probaly got the name wrong). My crab cake sandwich was okay, but I must mention that it was big in size. My son loved the Wellington sub , the fries with the gravy sauce was amazing. Our server was amazing , service was awesome. The Restaurant itself was tidy and well kept and good times were awesome. The restaurant cuts right on the Wilmington Riverwalk and outside seating is available. read more

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We made a reservation to Michael's on the Waterfront on a Friday night during the Christmas tree lighting. We were seated promptly by our wonderful server, Taylor (I hope I'm getting her name right!). We got a round of amazing espresso martinis along with crab dip and a jumbo Bavarian pretzel to start. I get a big pretzel everywhere I go, and this one definitely didn't disappoint. It came with a lovely cheese sauce and a honey mustard-like sauce. We also loved the crab dip. Taylor quickly resolved any issues we had and got us everything we needed. I got the penne alla vodka with shrimp, and it was very good! Everyone who came with me was very happy with their meals as well. My partner got the prime rib dip and loved it. Overall, I had a blast and would definitely recommend dining here. read more

Michael's on the Waterfront - Penne alla vodka with shrimp - Seafood Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

I was walking along waterfront came across this spot overlooking water. Very casual outdoor seating and nice seating indoors.. beautiful day out but it was bit warm so I went inside and was greeted by Lizzie who was my waitress.. she was sweet and helpful and gave me time to look over menu. I got the crab cake sandwich without bread.. some places give you hard time about it but they were happy to do it. It was very nice and very quiet inside. Everyone else decided to be b outside. My crab cake was full of crab.. great flavor and came with fries.. Lizzie asked if I wanted a mimosa which now I wish I had taken her up on.. I didn't because I had a medical test after lunch . Lunch was great and so was she! Recommend giving it a try read more

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Great location, right off the northern part of the riverwalk looking over the river. We sat outside on a delightful day. Great selection of local craft beers were being offered for $5; amazing! The beer pretzel was good, the honey mustard excellent, the cheese sauce was ok, nothing great. All sandwiches were great. The server was horrible (sooooo slow) and I considered lowering another star for this reason but decided against idle to the excellent fries, sweet potato fries and onion rings. read more

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Solid 4 1/2 star restaurant. Food is handhelds (several sandwiches), burgers, with some seafood entrees. There is also a ribeye on the menu. The portion sizes are very generous. Huge draft beer menu. Decent cocktails and wine selection. Service was good. No issues. Friendly staff and very accommodating. Location is right on Water Street, in the heart of downtown. Indoor and outdoor seating available. Price range is higher but it's worth it. Recommend. read more

Michael's on the Waterfront - Prime Rib Dip - Seafood Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

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TLDR: Dog friendly patio and staff, good thick burgers, great fries. Wandering around looking for an open patio while walking the dogs on the Riverwalk and saw this place was open and had burgers, which was exactly what we needed. We were the early birds so we were seated, watered and ordered super fast! The burger was alright. I don't really like super dense brioche buns for my burger but I get that that has become the norm. The bun took over the entire taste profile. I ditched the top bun and used knife and fork and it was pretty darn good. The fries were perfect! Crisp on the outside and very well salted and peppered. Side note: Can we normalize pepper on French fries? Side of excellent ranch for fry dipping *chefs kiss! The waitress brought a big old bowl of water for my dogs. Thank you!!! Also, weird note, if you sit outside on a sunny day and then walk into the restaurant you'd swear you'd gone blind! It's nice and dark inside :D read more

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Location...Location...Location!!! Our first time to Wilmington. This place is right downtown on the waterfront by visitors center. The staff seemed short handed but friendly once they had a moment. I had a garden house salad with chicken with vinaigrette dressing. Delicious. My husband enjoyed the super burger with crinkle fries. We sat outside on their patio. Plenty of seating indoors or outdoors. Full bar and tons of beer options too. read more

Michael's on the Waterfront - Huge pretzel - Seafood Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

The day we came was very empty in the middle of the week but the service was great ! The food wasnr the best The ambiance is has to tell because we were the only people here but I would say classic and traditional interiors ! read more

I loved this place! They were able to seat us super fast outside. Always make a reservation for inside though. The fish of the day was shark and it tasted delicious in the lovely Thai sauce. I could've drowned my entire meal in that. Calamari was a tad greasy but they were fresh and tender. Get the dill tartar sauce! The salad was okay and could've used some salt but otherwise yummy. read more

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That view tho!! Sit outside if possible, it's a great riverfront view. The catch of the day- was Drum. It was delicious. Served blackened over grits. My picture doesn't do it justice. Wednesday is 1/2 price bottle wine! Great service! read more

Michael's on the Waterfront - Seafood Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

Great food, with solid service and a nice view. Serving were large and prices are within the range of downtown Wilmington. Id definitely eat here again. read more

A fairly frequent visitor of Michael's. We love the informal atmosphere, the friendly staff , and the great food. This trip we came with our two married kids and my youngest grandson. Two other grandkids are away at college. Appetizers were crabdip and toast points, and their huge Bavaria. Pretzel. Not only were they great (as usual), but they were large enough to satisfy all of us. The Ribeye steak sandwich was excellent, smothered in onions, served aujus with waffle fries. The Slammin ' Chicken Sammy was another star of the evening. Their special sauce makes it a signature dish. My wife ordered it with sweet potato fries. For a small woman, I g've got to wonder how she got it all down. GONE! Everyone else enjoyed an array of salads, a Reuben, or chicken.we all waddled out very happy we came. read more

Food was very good nice sized helpings and fast service. The late afternoon view topped off the afternoon!!

This guy named Mark is the best person and server that I have ever known.! He made sure that we had everything we wanted and he personally made ourdrinks with a nice pour!!!! Mark made our night! Thanks again Mark, you're the best! read more

Food, ambiance and service were all amazing. Came here following a UNC-Wilmington tour. We got the crab dip to share, I got a caprese burrata salad with sea scallops, my boys got burgers and my daughter a HUGE pretzel. It was all delicious. They have a large beer, wine and cocktail menu as well. Super cute and delicious place to eat. read more

Michael's on the Waterfront - Caprese salad - Seafood Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

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Great service and food. Haven't been there in years but will definitely return. Went when it was Waterstreet restaurant many years ago.

Energetic environment. We took our family of 10 for our 9 year-old's birthday. Jake was a terrific server. Excellent appetizers. The main course, salmon, steak, burgers, etc. were all done perfectly and very tasty. We sat at the bar () and waited a little while for a table for 10. Worth the wait. We will be back. read more

Pretty good experience. My wife and I came for lunch. We wanted to sit outside near the Riverwalk. And there was the restaurant, right in front of us. I was quite hungry and decided to go for the Short Rib entree. Oh my! The portion size was enormous (which was great)! And the taste was wonderful. Very tender and flavorful. It came with a side of mashed potatoes which were tasty as well. The service was quite good also. Definitely worth a try. read more

Great service but, unfortunately, my son got food poisoning and was sick before we even got to our car. Stay away from the steak!!

Food and ingredients were both good. Had a few small bites and continued. Service was sub par. 5 collage kids all sitting around on their phones. My bartender never checked to see if we needed anything once the food was delivered. Had to flag down for a 2nd drink. They do have a giant pretzel that looked delicious read more

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While vacationing in Downtown Wilmington, I selected Michael's for dinner one evening of our stay. This was one of the best foodie decisions of my life. The food, the hospitality, the food and the food! We walked from our rental literally around the block to the restaurant. We arrived in the middle of a dinner rush but were greeted and seated in all of 10 minutes. Ms. Shonda was our waitress and she is the epitome of southern charm and hospitality! She made sure we never went without anything. She was very knowledgeable about the menu. We really enjoyed her service. Now, the food, my goodness the food! We ordered calamari and a pretzel for appetizers. I'm always searching for the perfect pretzel and beer cheese unfortunately it wasn't here. The pretzel was okay, nothing spectacular. The beer cheese was flavorless. Perhaps using a sharper cheese and a hoppier beer would help with flavor. The calaMARIIIIII! This was some of the best calamari I ever had. Lightly breaded, flash fried whole(with tentacles) calamari! The bang bang dipping sauce compliments it perfectly. I almost wished I would've double up on the calamari rather than order the pretzel. Entrees: My husband ordered the salmon with grits and asparagus. He said he would come back to Wilmington just to have that salmon. I had the pleasure of having a taste and it was delicious. It was smoky, seasoned, flaky and the cheese grits just pair nicely with the sauce. This blessed my little foodie heart. I ordered the COTD rainbow trout with grits and asparagus. Once again I was blown away! The trout was cooked to perfection, served hot, with the cheese grits. You can tell by the picture how much we enjoyed this culinary treat! Finished it off with bread pudding! Highly recommend!!! read more

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The food and service were great. I had a steak and it was cooked perfectly. It was kind of noisy from a couple of ladies that probably consumed a little too much. lol We will definitely come back. read more

Came upon Michael's and decided to try it out. There was no wait as it was a Monday night. We ate outside. Our server was very friendly and gave some great suggestions. We ordered the crab dip which was delicious and creamy. Loved the pita that came along with it. We ordered shrimp po boy and prime rib sandwich. Both were really good and flavorful, and a large portion. We actually each only ate half the sandwich and brought the rest home. The other meal was the grouper special with cheesy grits and asparagus. My friend said it was delicious, best grits she's had in a while and the piece of grouper was huge. Nice little place. One star removed bc the bathrooms could've been cleaner. read more

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Stopped in midday Friday and sat on their patio by the waterfront. Shrimp poboy was excellent and huge! Service was fast and ambiance was casual. read more

Michael's on the Waterfront - Shrimp poboy - Seafood Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

Located near the waterfront (I wouldn't call it "on the waterfront" as the name reads, since there's a road, a public bathroom, and a boardwalk between the seating and the water, but you can see it), this is a nice establishment to drop in for lunch. They offer both indoor and some limited outdoor seating. We came at around 2pm on a Friday so at an off-peak time, though the restaurant was nearly empty. We were seated immediately. Our server was very friendly and attentive. I ordered a beer flight, and perhaps it was bad luck on my four choices, but all of them were warm and flat, not especially appealing. I then ordered their "special margarita" which is advertised to include Espolon tequila. It was pretty good, more like a tequila cocktail served neat and not drowned in margarita mix. However, I was disappointed to see they charged $4 extra over the listed price for using Espolon as "premium" tequila, when the drink says it includes it. Overall, bar experience was unimpressive. Where they redeemed themselves was in the salads we had for lunch. One was an apple salad and I added blackened shrimp, and the other was a sesame ginger salad that we added grilled chicken to. Both were fresh, crisp, attractive, with good dressings. Probably a bit expensive for what you're getting, but still some of the cheaper items on the menu. They were very good. Overall, Michael's has room to grow. Prices are high, bar is mediocre, and the view of the public bathroom across the street isn't quite as "on the waterfront" as we were hoping. But at least the food and service was good. read more

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My family ate there on July 31, 2026 our server Marlena was great. Everyone got their dinners in a reasonable time. My wife ordered the 16oz ribeye medium rare. She got her steak but it didn't look like it was a 16oz steak it looked more like a 8 oz. Well it was over cooked so the server took it back and brought out the second steak that looked like a 16 oz steak. This it looked like a blue rare steak so it got sent back to be cooked more. By the time she got her steak everyone was done eating their meals. I looked like the steak had a lot of fat on it. The server apologized for what had and she said this does happen. Marlena did get her a free dessert for all the trouble we experienced. Teach your cooks how to cook steak right the first time. My son-in-law loved his prime rib sandwich! All the rest of us enjoyed our meals! read more

Food is wonderful, very flavorful! We ordered the salmon and the scallops! The service is fast and the staff Ryan was very nice! Atmosphere is relaxing fronting the water view! read more

Michael's on the Waterfront - Seafood Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

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Great food and service. Unfortunately they were operating a daycare service in a booth. Two young children laughing and having fun without an adult but too loud. read more

I stopped in for lunch and sat on the patio. I ordered the lobster BLT with green beans. The service was great and friendly. The food was pretty good. I found it interesting that the chef uses Maine lobster tail meat and warm water lobster claw meat mixed together. Either way it was pretty tasty! I would definitely eat here again. read more

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Our waitress was amazing. The seafood was 1/10. Maybe it's because we were there on a Monday night....

This place was amazing ! Stopped with my grandkids and our Golden . The food and service were phenomenal! We had the Apple salad with shrimp ; yum, yum. Pretzel was perfect ! Burger was excellent.... The kids had pizza and said it was a 5 star ( 7 yr. ) server served our dog ice cold water . Must stop and enjoy . My husband had the oyster Poboy. ! He said it was quite good. Could have used a few more oysters. read more

Michael's on the Waterfront - Ferreira pretzel with crab dip , and cheeses - Seafood Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

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Good food, good service, a bit pricey but a great location! Would recommend to anyone looking for a good meal and a great view

This is our go-to place where we convene for family dinner after the 5pm monthly Latin Mass at the nearby Basilica. We always start with one of their gigantic pretzels, served hanging from a hook. Simply delicious! Watch out, they're HOT, straight from the oven. And there's always a hearty craft beer on tap to enjoy it with. We've enjoyed most of their entrees, from their excellent "Penne Alla Vodka" pasta, to their "Steak Burger", to the classic Reuben. My personal favorite is the "Bang Bang Shrimp" appetizer ... a meal for me. An after-dinner stroll on the waterfront completes the old-town Wilmington experience. Consistently good food, great service, nice location, and reasonably priced. That's why we keep coming back. read more

We were at Michael's for Mother's Day as a last minute option for lunch. At first glance the inside was dark and more a Pub atmosphere. Our server was attentive and quite helpful. The food was a special surprise They had just placed a new entree of tuna on Jasmine rice with an Asian flair which my wife was thrilled with. The Big Apple salad topped with tuna was superb. Thanks for making this a special occasion!! read more

We requested to sit outside which had an amazing pretty view of the river. Devon sat us outside and introduced himself and brought water promptly to our group. Everyone enjoyed their meal and was enough to split. Wonderful beer selection. read more

I ordered a sweet tea and it came out with what looked to be two floating pieces of moldy slime in it. I don't know if it was something from their ice machine or maybe something from a tea urn. I decided not to order food after that and I left. I had actually taken a few sips before I saw it. read more

I was in town for a conference, so I walked from my hotel down to Michael's. The staff provided friendly service. The beer was cold and delicious. The tuna was a good recommendation from the bartender. Not a bad dining experience. read more

Michael's on the Waterfront was a disappointment from the moment we sat down. The inside is dark and gloomy, not atmospheric, just poorly lit and uninviting. Our table had deep gouges all over it, and instead of replacing the surface, they simply glazed over the holes, which somehow made it look even worse. To make things stranger, you can clearly see the laundry area in the back when you went to the bathroom. Nothing kills the mood of a waterfront restaurant faster than staring at piles of dirty linins. For restaurants, it's all about location, and this place definitely has it. But unfortunately, that's about all it has. The food didn't redeem anything. The mashed potatoes looked a day old, dried out and poorly plated. I ordered a steak sandwich with au jus, and it was extremely salty, borderline inedible. Nothing matched the prices they're charging or the experience they're trying to advertise. Between the poor atmosphere, visible laundry area, damaged tables, and disappointing food, this place falls far below expectations. Wilmington has many better options -- I wouldn't return here. read more