Wife and I had a quick trip to Southport. Chose Loco Jo's for our dining experience. It's a nice…read moreplace on the Main Street with its own parking area in a strip mall. Outdoor seating is available. Small tables inside and bar seating that was full. It seems the bar is a big hit. After reviewing the liquor menu, I see why. Some really good ones available. We were seated near the entrance at a small table. The server brought us water and took our orders after a few minutes. We ordered beef dumplings as an appetizer and we both ordered blackened ahi tuna tacos medium rare. The tacos come with chips and salsa. Our appetizer arrived fairly quickly and was great. As we were finishing our appetizer, our tacos arrived. From first glance they looked really good. Then everything kind fell after that. The flour taco shells were cold and looked store bought. The cheese was also similar to the store bought shredded Mexican blend. The sauce tasted like mayonnaise and ketchup mixed together. They use way too much purple cabbage with a nice portion of ahi tuna. The taste was ok. The cold shell and cheese kind of stole the flavor from the tuna. The salsa provided had a strange smoky almost chipotle flavor. I think. It left a strange aftertaste. We wanted to give this place a try. Not sure we'll be back. Our server was good. She was attentive and smiled. We still have her a cash tip that was pretty good. The restaurant has a great vibe and has a lot of regular customers, as evidenced by everyone greeting each other as they entered. Overall, I think three stars is fair. I recommend giving it a try, but not for tacos.

I finally got to eat at Loco Jo's. Three of us had lunch here five days ago…read more It's a small place with several tables and a bar. It's pretty small, so I don't suggest going with a large group of friends. Our waitress, Allison, was friendly and attentive. There's lots to choose from on the menu, including lunch specials. But I ended up ordering the buddha bowl, which had grilled pork. I asked for the Thai peanut dressing on the side. I never know how drenched a dish could be with the dressing. The bowl included rice noodles, cucumbers, other veggies. It also had sliced jalapeno peppers, which added a little kick, but still mild. One friend ordered the dumplings and a Caesar salad, while my other friend ordered the lemongrass curry with chickpeas. She wished she had it with chicken. Everything was delicious and flavorful, although the sliced cucumbers could have been seasoned or pickled. I brought home my leftovers, which I had for dinner. There was plenty of grilled pork, but unfortunately, four pieces were just fat and gristle . The chef needs to trim the pork properly and keep the chunks of fat/gristle out of the dish. That was disappointing. There are other items on the menu I would like to try. Overall, a very good lunch.

Love Swain's! Food is amazing and the staff is friendly. One of our favorite places on the island.read more

This was our second vist to this location. We've attempted to visit before but their hours have not…read moremet our needs. Arrived on a Friday night and was seated promptly away from the noisier larger dining area. We enjoyed our seats around corner of front door. Lily was right with us asking for a drink order which we only had water. My wife ordered the fish special that came with baked fish, hush puppies and coleslaw. I ordered Mermaids Delight which was Sautéed scallops, shrimp, mushrooms and scallions in a garlic, parmesan cream sauce finished with lump Blue Crab over linguini pasta. Everything tasted good and service was ok. I had a little problem with value of meal and the atmosphere is nothing to right home about.

PHENOMENAL--truly special. We had reservations for 7 but were happily seated when we arrived early…read more The service was top-notch. We started with raw oysters topped with crème fraîche and caviar, along with the tuna tartare. For our mains, we had the filet medallions cooked perfectly medium rare, topped with equally perfect scallops and hollandaise. My husband ordered the asparagus, which I wasn't expecting much from, but it was surprisingly tender and full of flavor. For dessert, we had the chocolate mousse--absolutely incredible. I could've eaten an entire tub of it. A truly memorable meal to celebrate my husband's birthday and our first outing to Southport. Chef's kiss!

Ate here (yet again) recently and absolutely loved the entire experience. The owner chef is a…read morechildhood friend of mine and he has always delivered quality and a great atmosphere! The wait staff is always professional and very engaging. I highly recommend eating here!

Great food food and people! Ambience and music all wonderful!…read more*****************************************(****************!

Food was very tasty & favorable I had Cajun Shrimp tacos &…read moremy wife had the crab cake sandwich Location was good The highlight to us was the service, Layla the server was very efficient & personable She stopped by often to check on us & the food arrived quickly She provided to go cups as we left We will definitely come back & refer this restaurant to others

Food was delicious! Scenery was gorgeous!! Thoughtful service was above and beyond!!! We were…read moreseated very close to the band with a very young baby and they were gracious to realize how uncomfortable we were and reseated us.

Great place with festive atmosphere The food is excellent…read more The steamed clams are tasty

Orders were quickly corrected to reflect the the made to order items we had requested, service was…read moreprompt and friendly, food was great!

Had the fresh rolls again. Really like the rolls and sauces. Everything I've had here has been…read moredelicious. Carefull when ordering which spice level. Hot is really hot

Took the Fort Fisher ferry over to Southport for the day, and we stopped in for an early lunch…read more They were not busy yet, which was our plan. Eat first, then do all our walking. We were greeted by very friendly staff that seated us in a back corner. No foot traffic over there. Server came by for drink orders and we had some time to look over the large menu. It is your typical diner food. Big portions and all fresh made. We tried the Henny Penny sandwich with side of fries and the Reuben with side of fries. Chicken was cooked perfectly on this wonderful roll. Looked delicious. The Reuben meat was chopped and mixed with the sauce and sauerkraut. Very easy to eat this way. And I love the marble rye bread. Not sure where they get their bread but both sandwiches were amazing. Fries were hot and crispy too. This is a great spot right in the middle of Southport. When we finished and left, almost every table was full, even outside tables. There are only about 8 tables inside, so when they are busy, I'm sure there is a wait. We will definitely return when in Southport. Give this little place a try. Great food and service right in the heart of Southport. 5 stars

The service was quick and thoughtful...very thorough. I had the burger and it was cooked perfectly…read more Other members in our party had the buffalo chicken tacos and the cheese curds both really good! A definite recommend.

Each sandwich we had from here was delicious. We ordered the BLT, California club, and Italian…read more Every one of us loved what we got. I have 2 boys (11 and 13) and sandwiches aren't their first choice for lunch but this place did not disappoint.

Would have loved to try this place out. Hours read close at 6pm on Tuesdays so we hurried over at…read more4:50 pm to pop in for a few sandwiches and they were closed. No notice on the door or anything. I found that most of the restaurants in Oak Island prefer to be closed instead of open.