Cocktails and french fries might not sound like a common pairing, but the high-low combo has found its following with Sauce’d, located on the downtown Riverwalk. The signature cocktails are all made with North Carolina spirits and are extremely Instagrammable — the Raspberry Beret is made with Cape Fear Distillery Vodka, Oak City Amaretto liqueur, and comes with a burstable bubble just begging for a Boomerang. Soak up all that booze with the fries, which come in three different varieties alongside 11 different dipping sauces.

The team behind Dram Yard and the accompanying Arrive Hotel (set to open later this year) recruited chef Joe Wolfson up from Charleston to reopen the restaurant after a 10-month hiatus, giving him full control of the menu and staffing. Dram Yard reopened in February with Wolfson’s brand new menu of local cuisine with Southeast Asian inspiration. The charred Brussels sprouts come with a garlic fondue, peanuts, nam jim jaew, and toasted rice. Other standouts on the menu include the uni carbonara, a whole fried snapper with a tangy tamarind sauce, and Wolfson’s signature beef tartare, held together with a beef tallow mayonnaise and served with a bright and bracing arugula salad.

Located in the former Hungry Sparrow space on Castle Street, Vientiane Kitchen is one of the few Laotian restaurants in the entire state. The menu is a combination of traditional Lao dishes like larbs, Lao sausage, and tom khem (a caramelized stew of either pork leg or beef short rib), alongside fusion specials like the Lao-American-style grilled salmon and a ribeye steak with stir-fried vegetables. There are plenty of traditional Lao drinks to wash it all down and a variety of traditional Lao desserts.

An upscale lunch and dinner menu, craft cocktails, and a global wine list define the Green House — oh, and it’s all vegan too. There’s a raw beet ravioli, creamy tahini Caesar salad, glazed lion’s mane mushroom, and a gnocchi that comes with a gingered leek pomace, preserved lemon, herbs, and carrots that have been marinated, fermented, roasted, topped. The lunch menu features items like cauliflower raw tacos, a root vegetable poutine, and BLT lettuce cups with mushroom bacon. Bakery items are also available to go.

This is the second North Carolina location for the small Southeastern breakfast chain. As one might guess from the name, biscuits are the star of the show here. There’s the Ranchero, a cheddar and jalapeno biscuit with black bean spread, panko-crusted avocado, pico de gallo, spicy remoulade, and a sunny side up egg. The Gravy Train comes with two buttermilk biscuits smothered in maple sausage gravy. There’s also a shrimp and grits burger, with the classic Southern breakfast dish poured over some biscuits. A small offering of breakfast plates, salads, and small plates complement the biscuit list.

Located on Market Street out in Ogden, Point Break showcases “wings, wraps, and good vibes,” with those vibes definitely catering to those who just spent a morning surfing at Wrightsville Beach. There are the signature PB wings or Jamaican jerk wings — available on special for $1.00 per wing (with purchase of a beverage, 12 wings per person max). There’s also a bevy of salads, wraps, and shareables like loaded potato wedges and nachos. The Market Street location is the new dine-in spot, but it also offers a regular catering menu for those who prefer to have their post-surf chowdown at home.

The newest outpost of popular dessert spot Artisano (located right before the drawbridge to Wrightsville Beach) offers all of the original spots popular gelatos alongside an extensive menu of appetizers, pastas, soups, salads, and Roman-style thin crust pizzas. There is a large beer and wine menu, along with both vegan and vegetarian options throughout the menu. Pizza options run from the traditional (margherita, funghi, four-cheese) to the locally-inspired (the Wilmington comes with shrimp) and the avant-garde (an entire pizza inspired by a traditional English breakfast). The full range of the gelatos, still hand-made by the Grassi family in Turin, Italy from milk sourced from their own herd of dairy cows, is available for dessert or to take home.

One of the Port City’s most popular breweries opened a new brewpub in Wrightsville Beach over the summer, transforming the former Banks Channel Pub space into a modern, airy eatery. The full range of Flying Machine’s beers are available along with an exceptional craft cocktail menu, all backed up by superb lunch and dinner menus, plus Sunday brunch. The menus span the globe, with everything from its take on fish and chips or a pastrami sandwich to fried oysters in a chili glaze, a falafel and cauliflower burger, vegan plantain enchiladas. Standouts on the popular Sunday brunch menu include a stuffed blueberry French toast, short rib hash, and a chicken biscuit with chorizo sausage gravy.