Dining By The Water

Two restaurants are located on the ocean in Wrightsville Beach., The Verandah Café, located at Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort, is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner throughout the year. The restaurant overlooks a stunning swimming pool and the broad vista of the Atlantic Ocean. Whatever a person might want for breakfast is available, from yogurt and fresh fruit to pancakes to eggs prepared in many different ways. An extensive selection of salads, sandwiches and specialty wraps are offered at lunch. Dinner entrees feature the abundant fresh seafood in the area. There is a weekly Sunday brunch buffet and kid’s meals are available. Verandah Café has a full bar.

The Oceanic Restaurant is on South Lumina Avenue with three floors of indoor seating as well as outdoor seating on a long pier, weather permitting, all overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner daily, and serves Sunday brunch as well. Steaks, chicken and pasta are available at dinner in addition to several fresh seafood choices. Lunch is comprised of large salads, sandwiches, seafood baskets and seafood platters. The restaurant also has a full bar.

Bluewater sits on the Intracoastal Waterway at Wrightsville Beach and overlooks a beautiful marina. The sprawling two-story restaurant, with both indoor and outdoor seating, offers casual American food including baby back ribs and New England Clam Chowder. The restaurant is open daily for lunch and dinner. At lunch, choose from appetizers, a number of filling sandwiches, or special entrees such as the Knife and Fork Chili Burger, a huge burger topped with chili and cheese served on a mound of whipped potatoes. Dinner entrees include daily seafood specials as well as pasta and steaks. A full bar is available and a good selection of beer is offered.

The George on the Riverwalk is wonderfully situated with a very large deck overlooking the Cape Fear River. The only riverfront restaurant in Downtown Wilmington offering dock and dine, boaters can pull right up to the dock and moor free of charge while dining. Those arriving by land can sample Southern coastal cuisine for lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch. Specials are prepared daily and the menu is extensive, offering a large assortment of appetizers as well as soups, salads, sandwiches, vegetarian dishes, seafood entrees, kids meals, steaks and pasta dishes. A full bar and numerous wine selections are offered too.

Another restaurant that faces the Cape Fear River in Downtown Wilmington is Ruth’s Chris Steak House, located on the second floor of the Hilton Wilmington Riverside. Here you’ll find wonderful USDA Prime steaks of all types, including filet, strip, ribeye and t-bone, and you can even order a porterhouse for two. Chops are available in lamb, pork or veal varieties and seafood, including a huge three-pound live Maine lobster, is available also. There is a wide array of side dishes to accompany your meal, including nine vegetables dishes, potatoes prepared eight ways, and seven salads. In case that’s not enough, you’ll also find a vast assortment of appetizers, an extensive, award winning wine list, numerous beers, a full bar and delicious desserts. The lounge opens at 3:00 p.m. daily with dinner beginning at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday and at 5:00 p.m. all other days.

Topsail Island has a restaurant on the ocean in Surf City. Daddy Mac’s Beach Grille, located on N. Shore Drive, has an oceanfront dining deck and large windows that offer a panoramic view of the Atlantic. New owners reopened the restaurant in February 2009 and both food and service have improved dramatically. In addition to daily seafood specials, pasta, steaks and crab cakes are on the menu. And if you love fork-tender baby back ribs, this is the place to have them. The restaurant has a menu for kids and elevator access too. Daddy Mac’s is open for dinner only, but is available for luncheon events for larger groups.