I loved this place! The vibe and ambience was so awesome! It is literally exactly what it says it…read moreis - a bar and a lounge. With 3 sofas I believe, sofa chairs, a great sized bar area and a gd size patio space in the back with a huge big screen TV and games, though we did not go out there. We sat at the bar and had a very enjoyable time with gd music. I wish I had taken more pics, but I will post what I did take.

Wandered into this place because it just looked inviting and we could hear live music. Lots of…read morepeople had their very well mannered pups. The beer on tap was on point. We will be back and bring our pup and some friends next time.

The family and I stopped by on a chilly Saturday afternoon for Gears and Beers, not a ton of cars…read morebut enough to get us out of the house. Large outdoor area, resident food truck. We walked inside and were immediately greeted by the bartender. I ordered the coffee and cream, my husband had the Irish red and our daughter had some grape juice lol. Which Jessica was so nice to offer her. We found a cozy corner with a couch and a couple chairs and our little one was thoroughly entertained with all the books and games. They brew their beer in house, along with a few THC drinks and a full bar, if beer isn't your thing. We can't wait to come back for one of their many events or just for a chill day/night out.

Stopped by for the Oktoberfest event . Found parking with no issue. Super crowded beautiful day for…read morethe event , wonderful German music and food . Purchased a ticket for a beer and checked out the food trucks. Decided on a pretzel and beer. The pretzel was from Croftons - it had the perfect amount of salt on it . Had the Oktoberfest beer - beautiful color , taste was smooth and well balanced - not harsh, no bitter aftertaste. Definitely worth it.

We made another visit here, this time for dinner, and with different friends who have not visited…read moreSouth Front Tavern before. It was great weather this night, so we opted for an outside table that was in total shade. Very comfortable. Our server came by for drink orders. We had no appetizers this visit and went right into entrees. We tried the Port City Burger, the Gnocchi with chicken, cilantro lime shrimp quesadillas and the salmon tacos. Everything was delicious. The only complaint I would have is that the Salmon Tacos was a bit small. The dish is two small tacos with a side of tortilla chips. There is no salsa, no pico de gallo, no slaw. I was actually sorry that I didn't get an appetizer. I was still a little hungry after I finished. We didn't want any of the dessert offered this time. Again, everything was great. Service, food, atmosphere, outside patio. Just my dish was a little less in size. I will keep that in mind next time we visit. I'm not sure something like this would be changed on the menu, but I still wanted to voice my opinion. Still a great place with a great menu and service. If the weather is good, opt for the patio. It is really nice sitting out there.

Came in for dinner at South Front Tavern with two colleagues who between them have nearly fifty…read moreyears of North Carolina under their belts. I'm the St. Louis visitor in the group, here to be educated on what Southern cooking is supposed to taste like. The verdict by the end of the night was mixed. The space itself is cute and clean, with an industrial-chic, open feel inside, but it gets very loud once it fills up, like hard to hear your side neighbor loud. We lucked into a set of club chairs in a corner away from the main dining area, which knocked the noise down enough that we could hear each other. Without that, I'm honestly not sure we would have stayed. The host didn't blink at seating us over there, and the wait staff throughout the night was friendly. Drinks were fine across the table. My grilled peach old fashioned was the only one I tried, and I was hoping for a sharper, smokier profile, what I got leaned peachy without much else going on. The clams my friend ordered had a little grit in them, so not perfectly cleaned, but the flavor was there. The six-hour baby back ribs was a great start, great sauce, not smothered, fall-off-the-bone tender, the kind of thing I'd come back for. I didn't get a photo because we tore into them too fast, which tells you most of what you need to know. After that, things got uneven. The pork empanadas are listed with an ancho chili jam, but no jam or sauce came with ours. The pastry was crisp and tasty, but the pork inside was under-seasoned, and we left a whole empanada on the plate. The crab cakes was the bigger letdown, my friend, who grew up in Maryland and knows what a crab cake should be, said hers tasted more like a flat, minced patty (possibly with fish filler) than actual crab. She didn't finish it. My gumbo ya-ya had chicken, shrimp, and andouille, but the sauce was thin and tomato-forward where I was hoping for, and a richer sauce. Spice was fine; the whole thing just landed middle-of-the-road. Desserts split the difference. The key lime crème brûlée was genuinely excellent, I'd order it again on its own. The North Carolina blueberry bread pudding was beautifully plated but a little dry in execution for use. We left half of it. One thing worth flagging: the restaurant closes at 8:30, and at 8:30 sharp, with us still finishing dessert, the music came on with the unmistakable "we're closed" energy, even though we'd arrived at 7 and no one else was wandering in late. It made the end of the meal feel rushed in a way that didn't match the otherwise warm service. 3.4 starts out of 5. To be fair: we didn't leave feeling the food was bad, just that we'd ordered into the weaker half of the menu. Our server highly recommended the skillet mac and cheese and the quesadillas, and the skillet cornbread looked great online - we just didn't pull the triggers. We have generous optimism a version of this meal that goes much better than ours did, and on a second visit I'd lean into those recommendations. For now, though, with friends in town and a list of places I haven't tried yet, I probably won't be steering people here for your one night in Wilmington. I'd come back to give it a fairer second shot if I lived here.

If you enjoy Wilmington Brewing Company then you need to head over to their newer brewery concept…read morein Downtown Wilmington. It is a huge space. The have beers from their other brewery on tap but we opted to try their beers. It was the sand dollar shoals czech lager for my husband and the reef runners west coast IPA for me. We both enjoyed them plus seeing the brewery cat. If you are looking to purchase a surf board they have stock and custom options available that you can watch them build. Cheers!

We all love Wilmington Brewery, right?? This is owned by the same couple, but it's in downtown…read more They serve different beer but have Tropical Lightening, of course! It's a huge space with a long bar and plenty of seats. The main area has tables and comfortable seating vignettes, they have a back area with more tables, and a small patio. They also serve cocktails! And, you can watch a surfboard shaper at work! Some would say Wilmington has enough breweries, but my family will say that we can never have enough of this fine brewer.

Really cute spot to get a drink. Friendly staff and a good amount of seating for how small it is.read more

Fanatic spot. Great view to watch the emergency vehicles at the battleship ....related/ not…read morerelated to the recent financial crimes. Only time will tell. Loved it will come again. Xo

A pleasant evening was spent here after the bars and breweries in Wilmington downtown proper were…read morepacked. There was zero parking in downtown and I'm glad about that - this was pretty awesome. A definite family-friendly vibe here with some kids running about and others playing cornhole. At least a half-dozen dogs on leashes too. I left my wife seated outside while I popped in for beers. Hi-Wire Lager for me and a non-alcoholic ginger beer for my wife. Delicious and tasty and a fun spot to people watch because there are so many! Tip: Get the pizza first. It's made to order and takes 20+ minutes! [Review 1826 of 2024 - 3726 in North Carolina - 22848 overall]

We come here about once a quarter, its a great place to get beer and play or watch games, Get pizza…read morefrom next door which they will deliver to you at your table. We enjoy it and so will the entire family.

We stopped in for a quick dinner. A very relaxed and casual atmosphere. The waitress was very…read morenice and helpful. The chips and salsa came out quickly and were fresh and hot. I ordered the chicken bowl and it was very filling with great portions. We also ordered a chicken quesadilla. Great spot for a quick and casual dinner.

Good place to eat if you're downtown and looking for a spot to sit down and eat decent food…read more To the owner of this establishment.....Your burritos aren't even top 10 in Wilmington. Please stop advertising that you have the best in NC. Also I have to pay for a second round of chips and salsa....guac is 14 dollars?? I have no reason to eat here again when there are better Mexican restaurants elsewhere!

Really cute coffee shop that's easy to get in and out of quickly or the perfect place to stay and…read morehang a while! They have an indoor and outdoor space and are very dog friendly. There's coffee, spirits, and snacks! Friendly employees and people.

New owners since end of 2023 and this places is such a cool vibe! The owners are so kind and the…read morecoffee is solid. Outdoor and indoor seating with some other options for wine, food and goods. Y'all have got to check this place out!

Very cool place to grab a beer or other adult drinks. Note, you can grab food at Beat Street which…read moreis in the same building and eat it here. Nice beer selection along with a full bar. Bartenders were very attentive and nice. Highly recommend but wish they stayed open later. I believe they close at 10PM Monday - Saturday.

Great location and atmosphere. Awesome beer and music. What's not to like? Definitely on the…read morerepeat list.

Finally! After many years, we made it back to Copper Penny! On our return trip from Southport we…read morestopped in downtown to grab a bite before heading home. We started walking around and my wonderful wife suggested Copper Penny. Absolutely! There was a short wait for a table, but we didn't mind. The inside is almost like we remember it. We did notice the menu is a lot smaller. The last time we dined here was around ten years ago. Definitely plenty of options. We went with the onion ring appetizer, Cobb salad, and the BBQ Burger. The atmosphere of Copper Penny is the same. Definitely missed this place. After a short wait our food was brought out. Everything was delicious. This is just an update, but we still love Copper Penny and will continue to return.

It's been a long time since I last visited the Copper Penny and it's because of my overwhelmingly…read morepositive previous experience with their food and service that I recommend it to my colleagues (who had never been to Wilmington)when we were considering a place for dinner. It was a little embarrassed after spending $192, on food and drinks for 4, with glasses still full of alcohol when we're were asked to leave. We were told that they are enforcing a 90 min in restaurant visit...to the point where they don't care if we had finished our beer/alcohol...clearly they just wanted us out. I've been to a lot of restaurants all over the world but this was the first time in my life that I was asked to leave...we weren't loitering we only wanted to finish our drinks before leaving...the person didn't look at our situation...was very black and white, "you've been here more than 90mins". Their food is good, they are as popular as ever but clearly not a place for people who want to chat and hang out...copper penny is a restaurant not a hangout spot...to me that's loud and clear. As someone who isn't in Wilmington often I rely on my previous experience as a stating point to my ( restaurant) choice. This experience was so jarring that I'll never recommend copper penny to anyone. The food is good but they really don't want or need non local business!