We listened to the many raves about the Grill and finally decided to check it out. The raves weren't wrong. We went there on St. Patrick's Day and had one of the best Reubens ever, along with absolutely the best fries ever. It is such a pretty restaurant and when you walk in and see the water and the boats you totally relax. It's like you're on vacation. Our server Christie, was so, so nice, and didn't blink an eye when I changed my drink. We are looking forward to going back there for dinner. The people at the bar were raving about the shrimp. We gotta try that next time. read more

***This is a review for Saltwater's seasonal Thanksgiving buffet, open to reservations only*** Oh, Saltwater Grill... where do I begin? Let's begin with the gravy, or lack there of. It's Thanksgiving. Unless the chef has UNWAVERING, super-heroic confidence the turkey is going to be ultra-moist, gravy needs to be on standby. Even IF the turkey is perfect, what about the mashed potatoes? The dressing? Gravy is the cohesiveness that brings it all together, the savior lifeblood of the holiday dinner plate. (FYI, the turkey needed said gravy.) Let's check in with the alternate entree offerings: chicken & dumplings or shrimp & grits. They're lucrative ideas for options other than turkey & ham. But... the execution was lacking. The chicken & dumplings had a cloying, sweetish flavor. I couldn't put my finger on it; maybe I was getting undertones of nutmeg & allspice in my bites. It was, um, unique (to be polite). The shrimp & grits. Bless it, I just don't know what to say. The grits be gritting, not creamy & smooth like they should be for this dish. The shrimp swimming in the sauce in the adjacent pan struck me as the tiny salad shrimp most of us have seen before. Speaking of the 'sauce': This wasn't a thoughtful carrier vehicle for ANY type of shrimp, great or small. It seemed to be a thinned out mornay with no thought or attempt at flavor. Ah, wait. There is always dessert batting last to save the day! It's the last thing that touches your palate, erasing all vestiges of earlier misgivings. Except... NO pumpkin pie or variation thereof. NO pecan pie or attempted version. There was red velvet cake, flourless chocolate torte & a snickerdoodle'ish crumb cake available. The crumb cake would have to be my go to to close out this meal. For reserved, timed seatings of patrons the dining area was never overwhelmingly crowded. With that said, overall service was subpar. We never received beverage refills (everyone drinking water or tea, no difficult orders) & plates were cleared slowly. Well, that's that. We know to make better choices next year. However, you don't know what you don't know until you know. Now we know. p.s. - It's a good thing I have pumpkin pie stashed at home. read more

Very unique setting. Great service. But honestly the quality and value of the food was outstanding. Tuna sandwich with sweet potato fries was basically a dinner cut of tuna with the best sugar covered sweet fries ever. Wife had seafood Mac n cheese. Amazing read more

Come by boat or car! This restaurant is located on the Trent river with a nice deck on the water. I found the food to be really good and creatively prepared. For example,you know how usually when you order sweet potatoes fries all you taste is the oil in which it was fried,not here,you actually taste the sweet potato! I highly recommend the strawberry salad and the grilled turkey and Brie sandwich. Do not miss the cranberry aoli! I almost didn't get it,but our waitress suggested at least getting it on the side. She was right! It was great on sandwiche and fries. She was excellent and accomodated dietary needs with ease. My only suggestion would be to create a little more ambience inside to match the excellence of the food. read more

Saltwater Grill - Half. I ate the other half! - Seafood Near Me - New Bern, North Carolina

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Came this morning right as they opened. As usual, Christy Jo greeted me with a smile and I got my usual. Fish n chips. So delicious! Was a beautiful day so I sat outside, had the whole place to myself. d always food is on point, and wonderful service too. Only place I eat when coming to New Bern. No need to try anything else in my opinion. Bathrooms always spotless too. read more

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Got here right when it opened today. First time dining in Swansboro and this place has beautiful scenery. The chef was very hospitable and made me feel right at home (as much as possible in a restaurant). I asked if he was willing to make a dinner item although it was lunch and he was very accommodating and I regret not getting his name. The food was delicious and the presentation beautiful. Will definitely be returning. Top tier moment was to see a single dolphin popping out of the water! Still smiling about the whole experience. Keep up the excellent work. read more

Saltwater Grill - This was the bacon wrapped shrimp, risotto and asparagus! - Seafood Near Me - New Bern, North Carolina

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We went on Sunday at 2:30 pm thinking it would be a good time to go. 2 tables of people ending their meals, 2 waitresses, it took 20 minutes for the waitress to come to the table. My wife ordered a vodka martini and the waitress said we don't have a bartender but she could make it, and asked, how do I make it... Then she said the Wi-Fi was down and couldn't take our order. 5 minutes later she said she had to take the order by hand. She took off and no one made the martinI while we heard her say i'm in the weeds. So, our waitress went outside, another customer was outside, just seated. so, another 15 minutes want by. Now usually drinks are served prior to getting your food. Our waitress NEVER even made the effort to make the drink. We have been here for 40 minutes, we were not happy. So, she finally brought out my soup appetizer and at this point, we had enough. We,told her we are leaving. and told her why. As we were leaving she loudly said "Have a blessed day!" with sarcasm. So inappropriate! Now, we have been here several times and this will be the last! we went to MJ's where they have a professional staff that are attentive to their customers! read more

The food was fabulous. We highly recommend the southwest egg rolls and the shrimp and grits. It's a beautiful location right on the water. The service was great and friendly. It's easy to park. What more can we say? We've had lunch and dinner there, come alone and brought friends and family and will definitely be back. read more

Not busy at 6:30 and cannot get any tables items correct (as we could overhear). Shrimp came out cold and waited 15 minutes for risotto only to be told, "I asked the kitchen about it". The other meal in our party was incorrect as well. The waitress mentioned that there was a mix up in the kitchen and that they re-made the food. Completely different quality, but don't eat the risotto if you enjoy keeping your tastebuds. Again, not busy and in no rush. Would not recommend. read more

Saltwater Grill - First plate they gave me. - Seafood Near Me - New Bern, North Carolina

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We walked into this empty golf-course restaurant on a summer holiday weekend evening and immediately wondered why there were not more people in there. We soon found out. We were halfheartedly greeted by a person who told us they had to check with the kitchen before seating us because there might be a 15-minute delay. There were *literally* only 3 tables occupied in the whole place (total of about 30-40 tables, including the outdoor space). So, OK we would wait to find out about the supposed delay. When the greeter came back, we were told it was fine to seat us. We were seated without being asked if we wanted indoors or out. Our table was weirdly squeezed between two of the already-occupied tables, even though the rest of the entire echoing restaurant was empty. We should have heeded these two warning signs. We placed our order and our server was very polite. One of our preferred appetizers was sold out, which was absolutely fine. We ended up ordering 2 apps and 3 entrees. An hour later, we started to wonder why we hadn't received any food in this empty restaurant. A couple came in and received their appetizers & drinks immediately. We continued to wait. It was bizarre to see 3 servers,the host, and some other person handling wine bottles, buzzing around as if nothing was wrong, while there were only four occupied tables and all of them had food but ours. Two tables left, another family entered. We started to quizzically watch our server walking to and fro. He finally came over to our table and said food would be out shortly. Another fifteen minutes later we got some food. 3 items were missing. We asked for them and chowed down on what we had been given. Then one of our appetizers arrived...the "calamari" in the video. The server innocently said, sorry, oops, I walked past it. He walked past it WHEN? Obviously an HOUR ago. It was WIGGLY, Y'ALL. Deep fried food should never, ever be wiggly. The calamari was tasty and I sure would have liked to have it when it was freshly fried. It had the consistency of something that had been boiled and breaded...not fried. The squid they use must be huge because they were cut into like 3/4" thick, straight "fries," not circular or curvy in ny way, no rings or legs. Delicious, but they ate like they were made of silicone. We were tired from being outside all day and not about to make a fuss when this server and kitchen were clearly doing the worst they could possibly do. The ribeye was decent, but it's really hard to mess that up. (Honestly it was a little "under" but our expectations had been lowered so far by then that it did not matter...) The chip-shaped fries were tasty but cold and had been sitting for quite some time. The fried shrimp portions were embarassingly small and, I mean, sooo many places make fried shrimp that tastes sooo much better..this place should just take it off their menu. Again, clearly these fried dishes had been sitting for A WHILE. We were not about to complain because there was no way we were going to wait another hour for the cook to get in gear. At this point we just wanted to go back to our rental. We never did get the second appetizer, despite twice inquiring about it. The KICKER was, when finally presented with the bill, 1 minute after the last fork was set down (NOW the server pays attention?!!), we had been charged for all the food that had been ordered initially, even though one was out of stock, and one never did arrive to our table. I can blame the kitchen staff all day long for our food not being expedited to the table while it was freshly cooked, but it's clearly the server's fault that we were getting charged for food that we did not receive. It is wild to me that this restaurant is even in business. I know beggars can't be choosers when half the restaurants in New Bern are closed for a holiday weekend, but you should seriously consider a chain restaurant ahead of choosing this place. We wish we had. read more

This place is a true hidden gem. Over 20 years. 20 years I never knew it was there. Getting into the parking lot, just follow the arrows as it takes you left. Upon entering, you notice the design and openness. It's a comfortable feel and was very clean. Although the decor was OK, I feel an upgrade in the the tables and chairs would be helpful. Not a deal breaker for me. I believe there was only 3 ppl working. They were working together like clock work. The waitress was great. As for the food. I began with the Buffalo shrimp. I was disappointed with the size of the shrimp as for my meal I got the fried shrimp which were wonderful. I'd pay more for 6 of the large shrimp in Buffalo vs the now. Just my opinion. Pictures is all of the food the family ordered and all enjoyed the freshness and timely manner it got to us. I appreciate great food and great service. Definitely one I'll frequent. read more

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good food good service never disappointed. dont get in a hurry as sometimes there is one wait person. Views on the water are fabulous and prices are reasonable. read more

I've been to this restaurant many times, primarily for lunch. The service is usually good and the restaurant is great. There is a nice view of the channel in River Bend. You can eat outside on their deck read more

My family had a great experience here on Christmas Eve for lunch. This spot is off the beaten track in New Bern, but has a little scenic spot on an inlet. The restaurant was rather empty but the service and food were delicious. I had a Bloody Mary to drink and Shrimp + Grits as my main event. It included andouille sausage, onions and peppers and the sauce had a little kick. The grits were nice and buttery! This is a great little spot for a family meal or even a romantic evening on the waterfront. Prices were fair and we all enjoyed our eats. read more

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Food - 5 stars Setting/ambiance - 5 stars Response to the problems - 4 1/2 stars Wait - 1 star Availability of menu items - 1 star Service - 3 1/2 stars The wait for both drinks & food was really unacceptable. Honestly I would not be surprised if the waitress was in fact the bartender, cook & waitress. She also appeared to be the only waitress in the entire place. I suppose mid week that might be reasonable staffing, but if there's a rush the greeter &/or GM pitches in. There did appear to be a bit of a rush just prior to our arrival but after we got our drinks (easily a 20min wait after ordering) I did not see any more food come out. There were 4 other tables who seemed mostly finished & all of them were gone when our food finally arrived. The food was *delicious.* Every dish was throughly enjoyed by everyone in our party of six. As to availability of menu items - several of the drinks (including the top 2 picks of one of the diners) were unavailable b/c of the unavailability of a single ingredient. Two diners were planning to order oysters but those were unavailable. And one of the dishes was supposed to be over risotto and they didn't have risotto. The diner had to suggest a sub. I mean.... if you don't have something as simple as a starch then pivot - bread, potato, regular rice, grits, whatever. You must have SOME starch you can put with an entree. The oysters weren't available due to an error in a delivery - they got crab instead. Well this is an opportunity. Announce at the opening that you had this issue & as a result there is a special of crab panned in butter for like some crazy cheap price. But that was not presented as any sort of option. The food was great, all of it. Even the dish that came out after literally everyone else at the table had finished eating. IMO that dish should have been comp'd. The waitress (who was lovely & clearly doing her best despite multiple things beyond her control) did comp desserts for the entire table and all of the desserts were great as well. This isn't the restaurant's fault - but wear some mosquito repellent if you decide to sit outside on a non-windy day. I gave 4 stars b/c I honestly think if a few easily addressable issues were fixed this would have been great. I'll give this restaurant another shot. But please - fix the issues. read more

Stopped here after work for a quick bite. Very open dining area. Loved the glass globes hanging from the ceiling. Our server Aiden was very polite and professional. We ordered the tuna and chicken Alfredo. The tuna had a good taste despite a few pieces that were hard to chew. The Alfredo was delicious. For two dinners and two drinks it was around $50 not including the tip. We would definitely stop here again. read more

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The ship and grits were great. The service was attentive and the restaurant clean and quiet. Definitely my favourite spot that I tried in the city. read more

Very lousy food, mediocre at best. Not sure why they get 4 stars. Won't be back. Service was very good, interior is nice. That's about it.

Been there multiple times. I finally gave up. The portions are small, the food is OK and the prices are high. Nothing like the restaurant in Swansboro...such a waste of a location. Do better. read more

The food was delicious. We felt welcomed. The food arrived in a timely fashion. The manager served us (9) Kirsten was fun, kind, friendly, engaging- she made the experience exceptional. We will definitely return. 5 plus stars all the way. Judy P. read more

New Bern has it all when there are gems like this hidden around. You want a meal with a water view? Dig a little deeper and you'll find Saltwater Grill. Tucked in a tropical mini-marina, with parking for you and your boat, Saltwater has all the great attributes that the hungry and thirsty are in search of. The restaurant is clean, spacious and offers an "insiders" look at how New Bern's locals have some of Eastern North Carolina's most spectacular views. There are plenty of plates and drinks to choose from. The menu is sturdy and leans on a long reputation of great seafood. Service is wonderful as the entire team, under Jessica's Management, delivers fast and flavorful plates to eager patrons. Once you walk in, you're ready to stay. Will definitely be back for second excellent meal and experience so that I may post a legit 5 star (follow-up) review. read more

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Very good! Loved sitting on the deck, relaxing by the river. Husband had shrimp and grits, best seafood he's had this week!!!

My wife and I came here to celebrate our 42nd wedding anniversary. She had the 'fish and chips,' and I had the 'fish platter,' both were excellent. The 'bloody Mary's' were great also. The ambience was wonderful as we were on a neighborhood inlet on the Trent river overlooking the pier, beautiful boats, etc. read more

Great food and service. They were able to take a larger party around Christmas when everyone else was booked. Give it a try. You won't be disappointed! read more

Food-excellent taste and presentation. Service-gold star! Beautiful setting and building next to the Trent. A hidden gem. Get out of town- visit this wonderful experience!!!!! read more

Please do not eat here if you have a life-threatening food allergy!!! They do not care about the customer's safety and even have a disclaimer on their menu. My experience was horrifying. This place does not take food allergy seriously, let alone a life-threatening severe allergic reaction. I was humiliated by the waitress today when I asked if the kitchen staff could accommodate a food allergy. I have a life-threatening allergy to black pepper. I just wanted to know if there was a dish they had that was free of black pepper or any peppercorn so that I could continue to live. She became hostile, was rude, and belittled me. She told me I was taking the risk by eating out to begin with. When I questioned her so that I could feel assured they were able to take my allergy seriously she told me she has been a waitress for 20 years and that I was the one in the wrong. She then went on to complain that she was the only waitress in the entire restaurant serving everyone. Additionally, She was a horrible waitress. I had to ask several times for a kid's menu. She didn't bring any one their drinks without being asked several times, and she brought dinner menus instead of lunch menus at the start. Everyone at the table felt they had extra black pepper on all their dishes. I am pretty sure if I had ordered she would have sneaked it into anything. I didn't even get a drink. And of course, I refused to eat ( because I wanted to continuing living without seeing an emergency doctor or ride in an ambulance tonight). read more

Food is always great and the service is better. Been twice and enjoyed lunch once and dinner the next.

New management definitely is making a difference! Went there yesterday and we started with the calamari, then had the mahi mahi fish tacos, and angel on the horseback. Finally for dessert had the chocolate peanut butter pie. Everything was absolutely delicious and highly recommended! We went once last year and after the second try we gave up going. Saw new management and decided to give a try and we were very satisfied. We will be definitely going back. Service was quick and the staff was very friendly. A major improvement from previous visits. read more

Went to saltwater grill again last night and didn't love the food. I ordered the same thing I did the last time (fried oysters) and this time they were pretty bad. Fishy and too fried. My husband ordered a rare steak that came out well done. The service was good though and promptly took it back to have it remade. The one thing I wish they would have done was notice I didn't touch my food and offer to bring something different, although I should have just been more vocal about not liking it. Maybe one more tie breaker visit in the future but probably not anytime soon. read more

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I would give Saltwater Grill of River Bend a 10 star rating if I could! The food was spectacular! The service was fast and friendly, great people!!! The setting is a relaxing understated ambiance, so pleasant! We will be visiting again, and again! Thank you Chef David and staff! read more

Absolutely amazing food and service. We sat outside and it's a beautiful ambiance. 10/10 would recommend

Food was tasty, we went for our son's Graduation lunch. Our server was very friendly and attentive, Due to there being 12 people in our party, we thought it would take longer but the food was out in a timely fashion and tasted great. Family members from out of state were inpressed and look forward to going there with us again!!! read more

Amazing food!!! New chef and all dishes I have tried are terrific!!! Used to travel to Morehead City to get shrimp scampi pasta at Rudy Ducks. When it closed I was so disappointed. However this chef is on point with this dish!!! read more

Amazing food and great service. It was the first time we've been here, but it won't be the last!

Had another great lunch at Saltwater Grill yesterday. We pulled up in our boat (so awesome) to his cute place and were greeted by our excellent server. Both outdoor and indoor seating available. The food: Started with crab dip and the BEST seasoned pita chips. Between our group of five we tried the Reuben, flounder po boy, crab cake sandwich, Cuban sandwich and the new peel n eat shrimp. ALL were delicious, and very reasonably priced. Food was eaten too fast to get photos. Perfect spot for our boating day with friends and we will most definitely make this a regular occurrence and be returning. read more

The food was amazing! My wife had the seafood platter .... Large portions and wonderfully cooked. I had the shrimp and grits fantastic flavor and creamy grits!! The service was great! Both staff members were very attentive and friendly! Great ambiance on the water. We ate inside but they had outdoor seating which would have you closer to the water!! An overall pleasant experience!! Highly recommended! read more

Wow this is a great find for us! Enjoyed my Portobello and my husband enjoyed his gator bites. We shared the seafood platter. We will be back read more

Saltwater Grill - Portabella with goat cheese delicious. - Seafood Near Me - New Bern, North Carolina

Great find tucked away in River Bend. Service and food were excellent. Had the calamari appetizer which was fantastic! Blackened Mahi-mahi and Angels on Horseback for main entrees. Both were flavorful and beautifully plated. Got dessert to go. Delicious carrot cake and pie. Highly recommend! We will definitely be back. read more

Large party early birds. First off drinks from the bar were as to be expected for well drinks. ( My fault). Appetizer calamari was very good. Serve with lemon. Dinners were shrimp and grits, four horsemen, fried seafood. All cooked perfectly. The oysters were perfect...really. wine selection is surprising. Almost ordered the opus one. Service and staff were top notch timely and not bothersome. The place started filling up and people were dressed nicely. Inside furnishings were contemporary with art to match. Very clean too. Upscale atmosphere. Deserts were very good, tiramisu, peanut butter pie, cheesecake. All good and elegantly served. The martini glass didn't work well for tiramisu. Chocolate torte was death by chocolate delight. We liked it. We'll all be back. Maybe this week! read more

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Our server Molly was amazing and Jessica makes the BEAST drinks around. Family friendly, beautiful outdoor seating right on the river! Great atmosphere and the food is fantastic! I had the She Crab soup and Angles on Horseback. Amazing. read more