6 Best Restaurants in Wilmington, The North Carolina Coast

Manna

$$$$ | Downtown Fodor's choice

Sleek design, creative lighting, and carefully orchestrated music provide a mesmerizing backdrop to chef Carson Jewell's locally sourced ingredients and culinary artistry and the talented mixologists who create cocktails using seasonal ingredients and house-made bitters. Try the braised pork shank with sweet-potato puree, collards, and radish pico de gallo, or the pan-seared Virginia scallops with parsnip puree, braised leeks, and apple salsa. You're made to feel very special here, and there's great attention to detail.

Modern American Dinner $$$$ Fodor's Choice Dessert
123 Princess St., Wilmington, North Carolina, 28401, USA
910-763–5252
mannaavenue.com
Known For
  • incredible desserts, like a deconstructed peanut butter cheesecake
  • creative, locally sourced dishes
  • impeccable service
Restaurants Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon.

Seabird

$$$$ | Downtown Fodor's choice
On a prominent Market Street corner, chef Dean Neff's long-awaited seafood-and-cocktail lounge fully delivers, from the selection of local raw oysters to the impossibly buttery swordfish schnitzel, served with lemon jam and a mustard emulsion. The throwback style of the comfortable bar and small dining room invites leisurely meals, lubricated by addictive concoctions like the Hummingbird, made with local End of Days rum and honey-rhubarb simple syrup.
Seafood Dinner $$$$ Fodor's Choice
1 S. Front St., Wilmington, North Carolina, 28401, USA
910-769--5996
seabirdnc.com
Known For
  • a seafood tower, featuring seasonal catches like blue crab claws and littleneck clams
  • creative, delicious cocktails
  • wine and oyster pairings
Restaurants Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues.

Bespoke

$ | Downtown
The drinks extend beyond coffee at this attractive, airy spot for a pick-me-up, from turmeric to matcha lattes, where the sign on the wall reads "Death Before Decaf." There's a small selection of scones and muffins and plenty of room—indoors and out—to kick back and work for a while.
Bakery $
202 Princess St., Wilmington, North Carolina, 28401, USA
910-769--4088
bespokecoffeenc.com
Known For
  • delicious iced drinks
  • quick service
  • creative skeleton-oriented branding and merchandise

Recommended Fodor's Video

Catch

$$$$ | Midtown

Native Wilmingtonian chef Keith Rhodes is a James Beard Award finalist who sources local seafood for inspired, beautifully plated Asian- and Southern-influenced dishes. Copper fish sculptures decorate the dining room's sky-blue walls and watch you enjoy lump crab cakes, blackened swordfish, pan-roasted grouper, and other seafood dishes.

Seafood Dinner $$$$
6623 Market St., Wilmington, North Carolina, 28405, USA
910-799–3847
www.catchwilmington.com
Known For
  • locally sourced seafood
  • artistic presentations
  • celebrity chef owner, of Top Chef fame
Restaurants Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon., Credit cards accepted

PinPoint Restaurant

$$$$ | Downtown
The sophisticated dining room delivers inventive new American dishes, crafted out of local ingredients and coastal catches. There are no wrong choices on the menu, from cornmeal-crusted North Carolina catfish to beef tartare, but the smoked trout with baked oysters is especially noteworthy.

Sealevel City Vegan Diner

$ | North Metro
The culinary creations here may be free of animal products, but they're certainly not lacking in flavor, from the addictive lentil burger patty melt to a kimchi tempeh Reuben that hits all the right notes.
Vegetarian Lunch Dinner Quick Bite $
1015 S. Kerr Ave., Wilmington, North Carolina, 28403, USA
910-833--7196
Known For
  • healthy, filling burgers and sandwiches
  • a towering plate of nachos
  • relaxed, courteous service
Restaurants Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon.