We had a spectacular lunch at Persimmons recently, highlighted by the amazing service and tasty offerings. This was our first visit, so we were excited to get a water view when seated at our table - it was a bit too blustery to sit outside overlooking the river and massive boats parked alongside the waterfront restaurant. Our server, Brooke, guided us through everything from the cocktail menu to the entrees, effortlessly - she made solid suggestions from the get-go and was a delight to have helping us. Our two-top started off with a classic Persimmons Old Fashioned ($18) cocktail and a pear vodka, habanero and cucumber lime drink called the Bon Voyage ($14). We chose to split the Roasted Beet Salad ($13) as our appetizer and it was certainly large enough for two to share. The spring mix was topped with delicious red and golden beets, flecks of goat cheese and pistachios, as well as a thick fig balsamic. The salad could have easily been a meal topped with an optional protein. The entree menu features most of the coastal classics, including Fish Tacos ($16), a couple of massive burgers and some heavier offerings like Seafood Pasta ($32) and a huge Fried Seafood Platter ($30) We opted for the Tequila Salmon ($32), served over rice pilaf with green beans and a spicy margarita sauce. I ordered the Unicorn Fish ($30), mostly out of curiosity and upon Brooke's suggestion. The latter was an amazingly flakey fish with the taste and texture of grouper. Topped with honey pecans and served over a lemon scallop risotto with asparagus and spinach - certainly the most nicely prepared fish I've had in a very long time. We wrapped up the meal with a couple more cocktails and enjoyed the late afternoon view - the Wake Breaker ($18) drinks feature reposado, bailey's chocolate and a touch of habanero - the perfect end to an amazing meal. read more

See all

My small group wanted to eat waterside, so we went to Persimmons for lunch. We were quickly seated upstairs with picturesque views of the water. Our server Ridley, came to the table promptly, answered our questions and took our orders. Our drinks came quickly and were always full. The food arrived soon after our orders were placed. The presentation of our meals was terrific. Three diners in our party ordered the Fish Tacos and one got the Fish and Chips. It would be an understatement to say the servings were seriously generous. The fish & chips came 3 large fried fish filets and a heaping of seasoned fries. The taco orders each had 3 full vs mini sized soft tacos overflowing with fish filets...the fish was legit spilling out over both ends of the tacos! The fish was lightly battered, nicely seasoned and fried to perfection. The quantity of the food was so generous, only one of us could finish our meal!! On our way out, we stopped and spoke with the manager Kelsey. She is the spirit behind the "the new and improved" Persimmon's ethos. She took no credit for the changes or improvements and instead placed our exemplary experience squarely at the feet of her employees! It's obvious she's a wonderful, caring leader of the Persimmon's team. Cheers to Kelsey, Ridley and the Persimmon's crew! read more

See all

I'm so disappointed with Persimmons on the Waterfront, in New Bern. First, the good things: I love that they sell local art in the waiting area, secondly, I love sitting out on the deck. There was a nice breeze off the Neuse, even though it's 86° right now you don't know that because they have these nice shades and there's a nice breeze coming off the water. So what I didn't like first: I feel the menu was really limited, I can get around that, but the red flag right off the bat was their fish tacos and their fish and chips are made with "white fish" I figured they it was gonna be tilapia or something equally horrible. When I asked the what fish it was he said it was Pangasius, which the waiter described as similar to flounder and I also overheard another waiter. Say the same thing to somebody sitting near me so that's the spiel they're told to tell people who ask what kind of fish. I suggest that you look it up. It's Farm raised and not in very clean environment usually... I never eat tilapia and this is actually one rung below tilapia. I wasn't going to get fish. I ended up getting a burger which I normally don't get at a restaurant, but I ordered my burger, medium rare and the waiter said, "We don't do that. We either do pink or not pink." They tried to tell me it was a health department regulation. Nope! Other than fast food like McDonald's and Wendy's and such I've never been to a restaurant especially a supposedly fine dining restaurant where you couldn't order your burger, medium, well medium, medium-rare or rare. I said, try to make it less than just pink please. Then when I cut into my burger. It was well done. Maybe the exact center was slightly pink, but that was just one bite worth. I'm very disappointed, but I have to tell you I would be back just to be able to have the same glass of wine. It was a white wine, a dry white wine from Spain and the appetizer of brussels sprouts while sitting out on the patio, it was a nice experience for that but not for a meal. read more

Stopped in on a whim. It was Sunday at opening. We opted for the back deck outdoor seating. We ordered the grilled shrimp appetizer and the fish tacos, with a couple drinks. The tacos were amazing!!! Actually, it all was. Loved our waiter; he matched our energy which is rare. Will DEFINITELY be back!! read more

Traveling through the area we stopped in to Persimmons Waterfront. We sat on the outside back deck and had a great view of the water with a nice breeze. The inside is spacious and not overly themed in anyway, and the back deck is also large with tarps providing shade. We had a very nice server who as attentive but not overly so. She was there when we needed her. The food was very good. Two of us had hamburgers and one had blackened fish tacos and the other fish and chips. It all came out as ordered and hot. We enjoyed our meal there every much. read more

See all

The fried white fish was delicious. The fried shrimp were ok but were not fresh shrimp. The fried lobster tail were tough and did not have a fresh taste. My wife had the fried crab cake which was delicious. All the condiments were delicious. The service was outstanding. I highly recommend. read more

Persimmons Waterfront Restaurant - Fried crab cake sandwich with sweet potato fries. - New American Near Me - New Bern, North Carolina

See all

I've been dining here for numerous years. My sister and I arrived from Warsaw first seeing a 3 legged ginger cat who was just sublime as we parked. The weather was extremely generous for Feb no jacket sun in 70s with a view you can never buy. Persimmons being on waterfront is huge pull but so much more its the history of a small town which played such a huge history in NC history and all the historical architectural structures and ability to park walk enjoy. The entrance lounge area is so comfortable and filled with local artist portraits for sale. We were quickly seated. My sister thought she reckonized an old family friend they were just ladies who liked our outfits who came over to chat. Toby was our server very gracious and splendid service. We decided to switch previous entree orders plus I added appetizer which was so divine the feta pita was amazing. I am unfortunately plagued by allergies and sensitive to certain spices got a peppercorn during appetizer so had to excuse myself and refresh but the flavor profile of appetizer was worth my fault of chatting too much got pepper rush. Nothing could spoil our time my sister had just had bday day before so it was festive conversation and dining. Her entree of pork chop was a tad rare for her our server was very accommodating and Mananger quickly came over to reassure her that Chef was making her the chicken which I was having fresh to perfection. The plate size here match charger size plus heated and food always arrives extremely freshly cooked even broccoli isn't overcooked so rare. Portions are beyond most dining experiences. I could never eat full entree here always having leftovers is great to bring back to Raleigh. Look at pics there are 3 butterfly chicken breasts buttery mashed potatoes and succulent broccoli the mushroom peppercorn en glaze tie all flavors to a higher taste profile. After dining chatting enjoying as we were leaving I asked staff about ginger cat whom is named Sampson he's quite the legend in marina. Thanks for wonderful time as always will be back soon! read more

See all

Everything about this restaurant is five stars. First, you couldn't ask for a better location on the waterfront an incredible view. The vibe in the restaurant is casual and the decor minimalist. We were immediately greeted with genuine warmth and friendliness. We sat at a window with a view and enjoyed our Brussels sprouts appetizer. Not only was it hot, crisp and flavorful but plenty of food for three adults to share. Mains were fantastic-- roasted beet salad was refreshing on a super hot day, fish tacos could easily have fed two. Crispy fish, slaw and tortillas were perfection. I had a chipotle burger which was the best burger I had enjoyed in ages. Service was professional and friendly. Can't say enough good things about the spot. Wish I lived closer so I could try more of the menu. read more

1st time here tonight 7/4/26. We arrived at 630 pm and was greeted by a young lady and gentleman at hostess stand who were professional and fully understanding. (Note give option of in or out we originally said in and changed our minds after walking around) they handle it above perfection! Our waitress Ridley M was super sweet comforting and understanding she was a 15/10 loved her personality and more!! Now side note this is a Major seafood restaurant (which yes I knew). I choose it for that reason as it was to celebrate not just the 4th but also my hubby who LOVES seafood. I do as well but I am highly allergic as in anaphylactic type allergic to ALL types. Ridley made sure the kitchen knew and the kitchen handled it 100000% I had NO ISSUES at all. I enjoyed my food beyond belief as did my husband! The atmosphere was on point the staff was above point frankly and the food yeah we will be back!!! Hubby got the fish and chips and I got the pork chop with asparagus instead of Brussels. Most amazing "date night" ever!!! Both of us are stuffed but not feeling heavy like. I honestly would give this place a 15/10 like on point 100%! To all on board... Thank you for all you hard work to make our night magically beautiful (and safe). Forever in our hearts!!! read more

We made reservations for 4:45 pm and were seated upstairs with a view of the water. Our server Julia was so friendly, energetic and awesome! She recommended food for us and answered several of our questions. My husband ordered the grilled pork chop with Brussel sprouts and mac n cheese. I ordered the mussels and i requested the chorizo on the side. I'm not a big chorizo fan. I absolutely loved the steamed mussels with pita points. They were so delicious!!! My husband loved his pork chop and sides as well. I look forward to going back. We did not have room to eat dessert, maybe next time. read more

Persimmons Waterfront Restaurant - Steamed Mussels - New American Near Me - New Bern, North Carolina

See all

Everything was really nice. The service, the outside to bring our dog and the food was great!!

I have to say that the highlight of the service was the "service". Adrian did a fantastic job of making us feel welcome. When I commented on this, he mentioned that the manager insists on being "hospitable" to the clientele. Huh. Hospitable in the hospitality industry, why don't others get this new technique? I ordered two dishes: the brussel sprouts and the unicorn fish. Both the dishes were superb explorations of flavor. I treated my father, my stepmother, and her sister to dinner. They all raved about the food. We sat out back on the water. The views were memory stimulants. My stepmother was fascinated with the ducks in the water nearby. It felt like the definition of relaxation. read more

Persimmons Waterfront Restaurant - Brussel sprouts - New American Near Me - New Bern, North Carolina

See all

My husband and I celebrated our anniversary here. After not going for a few years, we decided to give it another try and so glad we did. Drinks were delicious and the food was amazing. I had the shrimp and grits and he had the tequila salmon. For dessert we had delicious cheesecake with fresh blueberries. The service was great too! read more

Persimmons has the most wonderful outdoor seating and beautiful views. I have been lucky enough to come here in the winter and sit outside multiple times. I really appreciate that. They will open up the back area in the off months on the warmer days. The staff here are friendly and the service is quick. This is the great spot for lunch and delicious southern food. The grilled cheese is a favorite of mine. It's nice to have such a delicious and substantial non-meat option on the menu. I tried the ho cakes on my last visit and would definitely recommend as well!! read more

Persimmons Waterfront Restaurant - Hawaiian rolls - New American Near Me - New Bern, North Carolina

See all

The service was good, the view was nice, but the food was less than stellar. The Brussel sprouts were very good and we should have just enjoyed those and a few cocktails. The crab cake sandwich was the smallest crab cake ever and the fish and chips were not great. Maybe it was an off day for the kitchen. read more

The location is awesome and river setting is more powerful than the food. The service is good and they know the menu. I would say that the seafood pasta I had was really fresh and flavorful. My wife had grilled shrimp and they were good but not great. It is more of a touristy spot since the ambiance and river setting is the main point. read more

Just when you think things are stabilizing ... you have confidence for brunch. We both ordered the eggs Benedict. One of my favorites. The ham was so pungent I thought it would jump off my plate. Wish it had. I watched my friend move it onto the bread plate. We were polite and ate around it. Server did not ask. I would have asked. That little piggy was salty and ripe. Really? Why can't this establishment do quality control in the kitchen. I could smell it. So should the chef. Sad. read more

Excellent waterfront venue. Large bar, indoor & outdoor seating. We had the grilled grouper with butternut squash, steamed broccoli drizzled with cajun & pesto cream sauce. Exceptional paring & taste. A bottle of pinto grio made for a delicious meal. Bella, our beautiful brown eyed waitress was attentive, friendly & had a personality & smile all may appreciate. The apple cinnamon cheese cake was different, but delicious. Lots to appreciate here: great atmosphere, drink, food & services. I highly recommend you check it out. Mustang USMC Retired. read more

See all

Little windy on the deck, but the service and crabcakes were excellent. Husband had the Casear Salad with grilled chicken. Unfortunately the chicken was VERY tough. Other than that, worth a visit. read more

We have been here for three days on our way to Maine from Florida. Our trip has been incredible, every place has had nice friendly accommodating people..........except Persimmons in New Bern, NC . The rudest people from reception to........... that was it ! NO CUSTOMER APPRECIATION! We walked out, I guess the hostess crew has enough money because they just deprived the wait staff, cooks and owner of a decent amount of income. Hope they don't treat everyone that way? Does explain why they choose to close early on a Sunday night??? GO FIGURE?? My wife and I will spread the word and we will spend our money elsewhere! ( Sunday night 5/10/26 ) just so ownership can identify the weak link!!!! read more

They've gotten better! The staff is faster and the mains are better. The tomato salad is still not great, but the fish on special was really good. Stick with the staples and it's great read more

Service is truly rude and not worth the wait or the expensive attitude to serve you a meal.

This was the absolute BEST experience I think I have ever had at a restaurant. I was celebrating my birthday solo and I was not disappointed. Julia, was my waitress and she was phenomenal. Amazing recommendations. The atmosphere was clean, it was so nice to be on the water and it was a simple. The food was not only delicious, but HUGE portions. I had the Green Tomato app, with Pork Belly, pineapple and a whisky glaze. A Pickle Martini to start, then a recommendation of a dry Riesling and the Seafood Pasta. My goodness, the app was easily for 2-3 people. The pasta was big enough for 2 people. As a Birthday treat, they treated me with the Hazelnut Mouse , it was perfect because it was so light! read more

Persimmons Waterfront Restaurant - Seafood Pasta - New American Near Me - New Bern, North Carolina

See all

Food amazing the best seafood pasta, service spectacular our server so friendly and nice, location the best view,

Food was great!! Fried lobster tails and calamari to start with Stay away from the canned painkiller yuck Fish n chips was fried flounder Awesome stuff Cesar salad with corn bread croutons Outstanding Fried crab cakes Unique coleslaw but good Service was very good Ambiance on the water so outstanding Boats water Sun Water Was a great scene You have to check this place out Great food read more

See all

After an absolutely incredible few days in New Bern we decided to make Persimmons our final celebration dinner of the trip. We should have known better when the waiter at the *incredible* sushi restaurant for lunch cautioned us that "hopefully Persimmons is on the way back up". What we experienced was mediocre food served by disheveled and distracted staff. I can't express what a disappointment this entire meal was. The only highlight of the evening was the gorgeous location and views of the river. Please skip this one. It is not worth the time or investment. There are *so many* better restaurants in New Bern to enjoy. read more

The crunchiest fried Brussels sprouts we have ever had anywhere! We stopped late afternoon for a little snack before dinner, sat outside. It was perfect. Our server was friendly, helpful, and not intrusive. read more

Staff and service is excellent. Leah was an attentive, friendly bartender. Super sweet with great suggestions and just a lovely woman overall. Ordered the soronno mule and the old baise. Both were light and flavorful. For food ordered the Brussels. They were not cooked enough for my liking and the balsamic glaze made them sweet - but I am from NY so could be my issue. Hawaiian bread was scrumptious and the butter topped it off. We even saved what we could not finish and made a breakfast sandwich with it the next am. View was beautiful, but as I was sitting at the bar the view is covered by a decorated stained glass. I would recommend making that clear. Also make a rap around outside bar and open a side wall - small changes lol (view is too beautiful to cover). All and all great experience and Leah made it even better :-) we traded book suggestions. Would definitely go back. Thank you! read more

Persimmons Waterfront Restaurant - Old Baise - New American Near Me - New Bern, North Carolina

Nice upscale restaurant with excellent service and delicious food. The staff was friendly and attentive. Food came out faster than I expected. I would absolutely recommend this restaurant. read more

Persimmons Waterfront Restaurant - New American Near Me - New Bern, North Carolina

Came to Persimmons to have a nice meal while visiting New Bern. Although the food was good, I definitely feel like you are paying for the water view here. When we came in, there was a delay in seating because of menu shortages, which really isn't an issue since we only had to wait 5 min or so, but I'm surprised that a restaurant of this size doesn't have enough menus to go around. We weren't there at a busy time either, so I wonder what happened for there not to be enough menus. After being seated, we saw that our cups were fairly dirty with stains and even found a dead fly in one of them! I'm sure this could be easily fixed by storing the cups inside the kitchen rather than sitting on the tables until customers come in. We ordered the Cornmeal Calamari for the appetizer and the Salmon and Grits as our main. The calamari was pretty good, but I think the sauce did most of the heavy lifting on this one. The salmon and grits were my favorite part of the dish. The salmon was cooked incredibly well, almost melting with each bite. The grits paired well with the sweet BBQ sauce on the salmon. I think that the BBQ sauce on the salmon was a little overwhelming, causing some bites to taste only like BBQ sauce and masking the salmon. I felt like the salmon by itself already had a mild sweetness to it so I think less sauce would have gone a long way (but this is personal preference; you can just wipe off the sauce if you want). Overall, I think come if you are willing to pay for the dining experience with the view. read more

See all

Tried Persimmons again after reading some promising reviews. The host and our server were great but the food still disappointing. The flavor of seafood chowder was okay but the shrimp and the other unidentifiable fish in the chowder were mushy. The ham in the crab benedict overwhelmed the tiny shreds of crab on an untoasted muffin. The poached egg was cooked perfectly. The potato hash was fried cubes of sweet potato with a sprinkle of red pepper and onion. The calamari was good. They did have a nice list of cocktails and mocktails. read more

YOu came here for the water views and sitting outside did not disappoint. The food was good, not amazing just good. We were a little disappointed with the petty staff. A young man helped us to start, but he seemed to be a busboy and disrespected by the frat girls working as hostesses. He helped us at the counter because the hostesses were all busy flirting at the bar. Mind you it's like 2:30 in the afternoon and most of the place is empty. One of the hostesses came over and sort of shoved the boy away and restarted what he had already done and was rather rude to him in front of us. She then grumbles about him helping and had him show us to our table outside which we requested as she marched back to the guy at the bar. Then we sat, for a good 25 minutes, and nothing. No water, no silverware, no nothing. Mind you three young women were working the two occupied tables outside, then a third table was seated. They had water, drinks, and appetizers and we still did not have so much as a hello. Oh, they all looked at us but they were not budging to come help us. Finally, a fourth waitress came on staff and she apologized, suggesting we were at her table and she just got there! Really? You were not on the schedule yet so the three women who were working could not be bothered to serve us? or were they just ticked off because the boy made them look bad for taking care of us while they goofed off at the bar? Honestly, at the time we were not put out for the slow service because we were enjoying the view on the water. But once others were seated and served it because irritating. The last server redeemed the place. She was professional, friendly, and hustled. And she took off an appetizer without us asking for the treatment. Well done! Honestly, she made up for the really bad and childish behavior of the other three coeds (I was being nice calling them women). I hope the management reads this and considers doing some customer service training. I realize places like this do well off tourism even with bad service because they will never see them again. However, the locals eat here too. And there are many options at every corner. Please train your staff to not act like bratty siblings and take their problems to the back. When out with customers it should all be professional, courteous, and service-focused. This was not. read more

Came to persimmons for a special occasion and had a generally okay experience. Things were hectic when we arrived, so despite having a reservation, we had to wait about 5-10 minutes to be seated. There was mold somewhere (I think near the deck), so that scent would occasionally come inside and be quite off putting. We ordered the calamari to start and then the salmon for our entree. The calamari was probably the star of the show - the portion, peppers, and aioli were all incredible. The salmon was well cooked, but I felt the BBQ sauce was a bit too sweet. Everything else was great. I write this review being more picky than usual, simply because of the price. Similar to other reviews here, the price does not match the ambiance, level of service, or quality you would imagine to receive at the current price point. I do want to say that the staff was trying their hardest and we really did appreciate that. If you want the water view, though, this is the place to go. read more

Persimmons Waterfront Restaurant - *Cornmeal Fried Calamari - New American Near Me - New Bern, North Carolina

See all

Dinner tonight was amazing... or was it just a different palette? Doesn't matter because it was delicious. Appetizers, drinks, service and main course was just what the doctor ordered. The 1 hour drive from Gvegas was well worth it. The little bit of rain on the patio didn't ruin the meal or the ambiance either. Even with the kids, it was a great evening out. I had the Unicorn Fish... flaky and fresh. The wife had the peppercorn chicken... oh the kick, and the boys had the seafood pasta... scrumptious. And the Hawaiian rolls are a must! read more

We held our 60th anniversary party here last night sponsored by our children. The staff, the food and the manager were perfect. Our waitress was friendly and extremely competent. The seafood pasta I had was the best ever and so abundant with shrimp, scallops and other seafood that I couldn't even finish it. That was my only disappointment. Everyone in the restaurant was friendly and even came by the table to congratulate us. All in all it was just perfect. read more

Haven't been there for a long time due to inconsistency with food and service. Went last night and things have improved immensely. Service was great and so was the food. My wife said her crab cakes were the best she ever had and my unicorn fish was excellent. Only negative was the fried calamari was not tender and their drink prices are a little high. read more

Unprofessional Management. As new residents to the area, I was excited to bring my daughter to this restaurant , I was there about a month ago and the beet salad was superb as was the fish tacos. Unfortunately, our experience left us extremely disappointed! We ordered the beet salad appetizer, it arrived completely saturated in balsamic vinegar, making it inedible. We politely requested a replacement, but what we received was essentially the same salad--with the same lettuce--just placed in a new bowl with a few added pistachios. No additional beets were included. We took a small bite, still found it unpalatable, and sent it back again, asking for it to be removed from our bill. When the check arrived, we were surprised to see the charge still there. We spoke with the manager, Kelsey, who insisted that because we had taken a bite, we were required to pay for it. We explained that we didn't enjoy the dish, didn't eat it, and didn't feel it was reasonable to be charged for something we didn't consume. The manager Kelsey remained firm and unapologetic, which we found highly unprofessional. We understand that restaurants face challenges but customer service and a willingness to address concerns respectfully go a long way. What was supposed to be a lovely lunch experience turned into an embarrassing situation escalated by the management, Kelsey and another woman. Can you imagine arguing with a client over a $13 salad? Unfortunately, this experience has made us hesitant to return or recommend the establishment to others. Side note: my daughter has a masters degree in hospitality management . She was employed previously at a Michelin star restaurant. read more

I had the Port Blue Burger and it was delicious! I sat at the bar and had a margarita it was also good but not worth 14$ I will definitely be back to try new things while i'm in town. The bartender was really good as well. read more

It is great to be able to seat outside on. Sunny Dec day and enjoy the water view. Food and service were great. Can't beat the location!!

Long wait on Saturday for lunch, as expected... great views but not much shade on a hot day. Excellent crab cake sandwich and fish tacos! read more

Persimmons Waterfront Restaurant - Fish tacos and crab cake sandwich - New American Near Me - New Bern, North Carolina