Tapas Restaurants

If it’s lighter fare you want, try Chelsea’s Wine Bar & Eatery, located at the corner of Market and Front Streets. Chelsea’s offers a number of hearty appetizers, paninis, and interesting tapas you won’t find elsewhere. Chelsea’s also has an extensive beer selection and a full bar. Their specialty is the huge wine selection; the restaurant is designed to look and feel like a fine wine cellar. There is a complimentary wine tasting every Tuesday evening at 5:30 p.m., and unlike many other restaurants downtown, Chelsea’s is open daily for lunch, affording a welcome choice for midday meals.

Circa 1922, located on Front Street just off Market, offers diners an exclusively tapas menu – small portions of exquisitely presented food morsels. You’ll find a very large selection of appetizers, pastas, vegetarian dishes and tapas items and should order a little of this, a lot of that in the true tapas spirit. Groups of diners often share large mixed platters, a good way to sample several offerings at a time. In addition to a full bar, Circa 1922 also has a very extensive wine list with many wines available by the glass.

On Eastwood Road going toward Wrightsville Beach is Boca Bay, which offers good food at reasonable prices, a somewhat unusual menu, and relaxing surroundings. Appetizers such as crab dip served with toasted baguettes or a potato, mushroom and goat cheese tart are popular. There are several salads and main courses such as pecan fried flounder or shrimp & grits. A tapas menu is available too with cheeses, small plates of vegetables, hummus, or bruschetta featured. Boca Bay is open for dinner from 5 p.m. every day and for Sunday brunch from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.