Where To Eat & Drink in Wilmington, North Carolina
I lived in Wilmington, North Carolina, for eight of the last 14 months — a sentence I never thought I’d say, not even as a North Carolinian.
What we thought would be a two-week stay in March of 2020 turned into six weeks, then two months, then four months before returning to New York in July.
Our second installment (we called it “Wave Two”) ended up being surprisingly similar: four weeks turned into six weeks, which then turned into seven with a trip to see my brother in Asheville for his birthday, and then into nine to celebrate the birth of my niece. Then we reached the Great Covid Scare of 2021, in which the entirety of my extended family somehow contracted Coronavirus, which kept us at home (literally) for weeks 10 and 11.
Just two days after snapping this, we found out that three out of the four people in this photo have Covid. I am not one of those people. Who has Fauci’s direct line? I have questions.
Suddenly it was March, and between my best friend’s birthday, our vaccinations, and the consistently lovely weather, we managed to stay in Wilmington for three more weeks.
Even though it was familiar territory for me, eight months leaves an ample amount of time for dining out, and the minute we felt safe doing so, we explored much of the restaurant scene that Wilmington has to offer, taking it on like a firehose.
Wave One of our North Carolina tenure saw a lot of action at our circuit of local spots right off the island: Kornerstone (go for the pizza), k38 (go for the tacos and the queso) and Slice of Life (order the vegetarian nachos, stat), all worth hitting if you’re in Porters Neck. The perimeter of our circuit expanded in Wave Two with the addition of downtown Wilmington and the Wrightsville Beach area.
The following list of establishments is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to where to #supportlocal in the area; it’s certainly worth noting to also seek out Vivian Howard’s Benny’s Big Time (our first takeout experience in the pandemic), Wrightsville Beach Brewery, Waterman’s Brewing, The Greeks, Brasserie du Soleil, South Beach Grill, RX (which unfortunately didn’t reopen until after our departure), and Lagerheads, quite possibly my favorite dive in all of Wilmington.
So the next time you happen to venture down to what we call “The Dub” — don’t quote me on that as I actually don’t know if anyone has been calling it that since 2006 — here’s a sampling of the places to eat and drink in Wilmington, North Carolina.
(And don’t forget to hit up the Level 5 rooftop bar for nostalgia’s sake.)
“Set inside the comfortable confines of a 1940’s bungalow with a unique assortment of rooms and seating areas to peruse and/or consume our vast inventory” per their website, this bottle shop in Ogden offers up a wide variety of craft beers and more obscure wines not found in your local Harris Teeter. If you follow on me on the ol’ IG you’ll know that QLP and I frequented Fermental a LOT, whether it was for Thursday night happy hour or post-Covid test run. There’s a great rotating roster of both live music acts and food trucks, you can create your own DIY charcuterie board, the outdoor beer garden is outfitted with ample heat lamps for winter temps, and from our Quarantine HQ, it’s not far down on Market Street, which is a major bitch to drive down no matter what time of day.
And for those sour beer-loving fans, the Broomtail Craft Brewery’s aptly-named Sour Barn is located directly across the street. (Look for the funnel cake stand out front — you can’t miss it.)
When I knew I was going to be in North Carolina for what we called “The Duration,” my friend Anne was quick to say that I should, at some point, have the what she deems to be the best nachos in all of Wilmington at Block Taco.
Ten months later, we finally went to the hole-in-the-wall takeout window tucked away on Greenfield Street and ordered two trays: the regular with chicken, as well as the special of the night which was topped with fried Brussels sprouts. While waiting for the food to be prepared, we moseyed over to Satellite, the super kitschy and delightful bar conveniently located next door.
Satellite — where everybody knows your name!
Anne was right. The nachos and the tacos — there’s a Brussels sprouts taco always on offer as well — were so fucking delicious; we should’ve added it to the rotation sooner.
Speaking of nachos, I think I’ve eaten more nachos at Rebellion than I’d like to admit. This NoVA-based hype bar has four locations, and lucky for me, one of them happens to be smack-dab in the middle of downtown Wilmington. During the winter months, the outdoor setup at Rebellion was a welcome respite providing shelter from both the cold, wind and rain, while the back patio gave us ample shade during the warmer months.
The portions at Rebellion are massive (the nachos are served on a half sheet pan), and shocking to no one who knows my mother, my family and I ordered so much food that we had to add a second table as a side car for fried pickles, Nashville-style hot fried chicken, and the largest soft pretzel I think I’ve ever seen.
To change up our weekend long run game, we’d hit the local cross-city trail, a 15-mile route that runs from Wade Park to Wrightsville Beach for a change of scenery. (The elevation, however, is not a change of scenery — it’s still flat.) In doing so one weekend I passed a bottle shop in a nondescript location right off of busy Oleander, and told QLP of my discovery immediately.
Stephen Henson’s got five Brewer’s Kettle locations across the state of North Carolina, and the Wilmington location, which is housed in an old gas station, went through major renovations at the start of the pandemic; we’d finally see the finished product during Wave Two. Order something on tap at the bar, head out back to one of the many long picnic tables, and play a rousing game of cornhole — an easy win for any afternoon.
Located in the Brooklyn Arts District, I didn’t even know Flytrap existed (nor did I know that Wilmington even had a neighborhood called the Brooklyn Arts District) until my friend Matt suggested we meet there for happy hour. Owner and UNC-Wilmington alum Mike Barlas offers up a stellar list of beers with a focus on American and Belgian ales, as well as natural wines. When the pandemic hit, he turned his sprawling parking lot into a beautiful beer garden, which I suspect will remain in place for the foreseeable future. The breweries in Wilmington all feature a rotating roster of local food trucks, Flytrap included, with our dinner one night coming by way of Brendan and Molly Curnyn’s Cheesesmith: the Buffalo Baby with Havarti, braised chicken tossed in Buffalo sauce, housemade buttermilk ranch dressing, and quick pickled carrot and celery slaw, as well as loaded cheese fries topped with kimchi were absolutely bangin’.
Speaking of Matt, End of Days would be the start of an epic bar crawl that was had during these pandemic times — so epic, that we all were completely overserved with wine, shots, and Irish car bombs, that we were eating frozen pizza by midnight. (I’m clearly sparing a lot of details about that day…sorry, Mom and Dad.)
And who the fuck knew Wilmington had a distillery? I didn’t. (Thanks again, Matt!) Distilling vodka, gin and rum, End of Days is housed in a repurposed historic Quonset hut and outfitted with cargo containers — and it’s fucking beautiful. Our crew got a round of cocktails and even managed to score a tour of the facility; check out the attached sundries shop before you go for a free tasting.
Mess Hall — Sam Stegar’s dope-ass burger joint inside The Outpost in the Cargo District — would be the only sustenance we had during that legendary bar crawl (until that midnight pizza, of course). Priding themselves with their “messy burgers,” Mess Hall and The Outpost are forever packed regardless of the time of year or how the weather is. QLP and Matt ordered the vegan smashburger while I procured “Scott’s Tots” because I’ll order anything that gives a nod to The Office. These come piled high with your choice of a chopped patty or fried chicken — I chose the latter — bacon, pickled onions, chipotle mayo, and green onions, a perfect way to right your wrongs from any revelry had the night before.
Located in an historic firehouse dating back to 1907, Edward Teach Brewery — that’s the name of the infamous Blackbeard — is a 10,000-square-feet bi-level space built in the shape of a pirate ship (natch) with a spacious outdoor patio bedecked with firepits. Popular brews here include appropriately-named Scallywag Session IPA and the Teaches Peaches wheat.
My love for Poe’s runs real deep. Poe’s, named for the famous poet, has three locations (the other two are on Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina, and Atlantic Beach, Florida), all of which offer up a massive menu of burgers, sandwiches, and tacos (the Buffalo shrimp tacos are real good), and a killer Bloody Mary.
Elevated bar food aside, it’s the wrap-around outdoor bar that you come here for — at least in pandemic times when you’re not ready for indoor dining. The first time QLP and I went to Poe’s on January 19, 2021 — just under two months shy of a year since we last ponied up to a bar — the only outdoor seating available happened to be at the outdoor bar. Instant happy tears were shed.
This was a good day.
Oh look, it’s Lighthouse, a bottle shop located literally next door to Poe’s Tavern, and something we constantly hit up after lunch, regardless of where we’ve been dining. Here you’ll find a dozen rotating taps and plenty of cans of all shapes and sizes of both wine and beer, as well as some sweet merch. (That grey sweatshirt I wear all the time? It’s from Lighthouse.)
Casa Blanca is as laid back of a coffee shop as you can get, and thankfully for us, only a mere stone’s throw from Quarantine HQ. Sip on some pour over and take in the breakfast and lunch menus that offer what I personally desire most: yogurt, granola, açai bowls, avocado toast, turkey clubs, pork belly grit bowls — you name it, they got it. (And whoever is curating the wine list is doing a bang up job, too.)
I never had any intention of living in Wilmington for as long as I did — and certainly not with one of my best friends — but I’m grateful for it. I was able to spend time with my family, which I know hasn’t been the case for a lot of people this past year. My relationships grew to an entirely new level, deeper than I ever thought possible. And I immersed myself into what the area has to offer, be it restaurants, bars, or outdoor activities (checked shooting range off the list, something I haven’t done since I was roughly eight years old).
I experienced Wilmington not as a tourist or casual beach-goer, but instead as a local, supporting local.