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Restaurants On Topsail Island
Taking advantage of all the activities and attractions on Topsail Island requires energy, and for that you need food.
Beach Shop Grill
Beach Shop Grill, located in Topsail Beach at the south side of the island, is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week. The restaurant closes after their luncheon service on January 1 and reopens in March each year, probably to allow the owners to catch up on their sleep. Beach Shop certainly enjoys a wonderful reputation for the quality of their service as well as the food.
The restaurant is quite casual during breakfast and lunch service, with many stopping by in bathing suits with a cover-up or wrap on their way to or from the beach, which is just one block away.
Dinner service is different however, with most people feeling more comfortable wearing island casual clothing since linens and candles are placed on the tables.
Menus for all three meals are extensive. Egg dishes from scrambled to benedict, pancakes and breakfast sandwiches are among the eye-opener meals offered. Lunch features all types of salads and sandwiches, and many consider their hamburgers the best on the beach. Dinner consists of steaks, fresh local fish, seafood served broiled or fried and such specialties as shrimp and grits. Be sure to save room for the key lime pie with mile high meringue backed on site by pastry chef and owner Cheryl Price.
Beach Shop Grill, which has been in business on Topsail since 1952, has all ABC permits, a very extensive list of wines including some superb ones at prices lower than most others for the same bottles, and a large assortment of craft beers.
After you’ve finished eating, be sure to visit the attached gift shop for “life is good” brand merchandise, apparel for men and women and all types of beach sundries.
New Menu At Mainsail
Mainsail Restaurant, located on Highway 50 in Surf City, has introduced several new menu items in 2011. They now are offering steamer platters, with steamed clams, oysters, shrimp and crab legs on the menu. The platters can be ordered with just one type of seafood or with whatever combination you might prefer. Oysters on the half shell also are a new item on the menu.
Mainsail will continue to offer quality steaks and authentic pastas, cooked properly al dente and with delicious sauces. Mainsail’s very fresh fish topped with a wonderful chipotle sauce or mango salsa remains on the menu. A children’s menu is also available at Mainsail. The restaurant has full ABC permits as well as craft beers and wines both moderately priced as well as a small assortment of special bottles.
Large parties can be accommodated at Mainsail and reservations for larger groups are accepted. Mainsail has a separate room downstairs that can be reserved for special parties and the Commodore Room upstairs that is available for such events as wedding receptions, rehearsal dinners or anniversary parties.
Deli-ghtful Food
When you crave a good pastrami sandwich, run to the New York Corner Deli. You’ll need to run to build up an appetite for the huge sandwiches that are served on New York rye bread that really comes from New York. A large selection of delicious deli meats and all the salads you’d expect, including excellent egg salad, macaroni salad, potato salad, etc., all homemade, are served. Be sure to go upstairs to see the New York memorabilia. From a wonderful poster of Grand Central Terminal to a huge shot of Yankee Stadium to drawings of Mickey Mantle, there is much to see. Don’t leave the Deli without trying the rice pudding; it is the best you’ll find south of the Carnegie Deli in Manhattan. The New York Corner Deli is open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner year-round.
Oceanfront Dining
Daddy Mac’s Beach Grille is set on a spectacularly beautiful site: the restaurant is right on the ocean in Surf City and features an outdoor dining deck as well as large windows for a beautiful view. Daddy Mac’s food includes everything from fresh seafood accompanied by tasty sauces to the best back back ribs on the island and features a full bar and kids menu.
The restaurant has always been open for dinner and began serving lunch too in the spring of 2011. Sunday brunch is served at Daddy Mac’s and it is wonderful to enjoy watching the waves break while you’re enjoying your meal.
Restaurant And Tavern
Another restaurant worth visiting is Quartermasters Restaurant and Tavern, located in a strip mall on the Causeway before the Surf City swing bridge. This spacious facility offers smoke free dining in the separate dining room as well as a tavern where smoking is permitted. The full menu is available in the tavern as well.
A very extensive menu is offered in the restaurant. Crab dip, shrimp and crab au gratin, homemade French onion soup and fresh seafood platters in numerous combinations are available, as is Skully’s Dirty Chicken, a popular dish that moved with the owners from their previous restaurant in Topsail Beach. Prices are moderate, service is efficient and the restaurant has all ABC permits.
The tavern opens daily at 4 p.m. and the restaurant opens daily at 5.