Chef Keith Rhodes’s ode to the seafood of the Cape Fear Coast has been one of Wilmington’s most lauded restaurants since opening in 2006. The menu is certainly seafood focused, with dishes like Cajun-crusted North Carolina oysters, seared ahi tuna (with coconut-saffron risotto, baby spinach, oyster mushrooms, and a sesame buerre blanc), and a fried seafood platter that comes with the catch of the day plus jumbo shrimp and local oysters. The fish-averse can choose from the “Land Offerings” (steak, duck, and ribs), although the shrimp and grits with Benton’s bacon might be hard to turn down.

Genki offers a classic sushi experience with both traditional and more modern nigiri and rolls. A smaller lunch menu reads like a choose-your-own-adventure book, allowing you to combine smaller sushi portions with like a Japanese-style omelet, bluefin tuna tartare, and housemade kimchi. Dinner sees many of the same sushi offerings added to a more extensive menu of appetizers and entrees. Unique menu items include an kimo (monkfish liver with ponzu sauce), hiya yakko (chilled tofu with bonito flakes), and a number of Japanese curries.

Eternal Sunshine Cafe takes breakfast classics like pancakes, French toast, and Benedicts and turns the volume way, way up. There’s the bananas Foster French toast or blueberry Danish French toast, “Dippy” pancakes (with candied pecans, candied bacon, and peach puree), a hot honey chicken biscuit, and duck and waffles (confit duck with sweet and sour orange duck sauce on a ginger waffle with sunny side up duck egg and scallions). There are more than half a dozen different Benedict offerings, and the daily/weekly specials are always worth a look.

Wilmington native Sam Cahoon’s downtown restaurant offers what the website calls “local fare with Latin flair.” Formerly the executive chef at Ceviche’s, Cahoon’s menu includes an entire section dedicated to salsas, appetizers like BLT arepas and chicken tinga empanadas, and entrees like the caliente tuna, a blackened tuna filet served with cilantro-lime quinoa, pineapple salsa, oven-dried tomatoes, balsamic glaze, avocado, and pickled shallots. The lunch menu is heavy on tacos and tostadas, and the Sunday brunch is one of the most popular in town.

Manna sets the bar for new American cuisine in Wilmington, and it sets it high. The menu changes so constantly that it’s almost futile to list dishes (who knows how long the Swine Spectator, a hickory-smoked pork shoulder done Eastern NC barbecue style, will last?), but rest assured that executive chef Carson Jewell is always serving something tasty. The abbreviated cocktail menu and beer and wine list is as creative as the dinner menu.

After taking flight in spring 2021, Seabird has quickly soared to the top of Wilmington’s restaurant scene. The creation of local fixtures Lydia Clopton and Dean Neff, the restaurant is now open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. A nautically-inspired interior is the setting for Neff’s creative menu that is heavy on seafood, like the swordfish schnitzel, a seasonal seafood tower, and a smoked catfish and oyster pie. The cozy bar transforms into a counter-service coffee, breakfast, and lunch scene each morning with sandwiches, soups, pastries, and more.

For more than two decades, Caprice has been the go-to for classic French bistro fare in downtown Wilmington. Chef Thierry Moty runs the kitchen, turning out the greatest hits like steak frites, escargot, and lamb shank cassoulet. In a nod to his wife Patricia’s background (she was born near Belgium) there’s also waterzooi on the menu, a Flemish soup of seafood in an herby, creamy broth. A wine menu chock full of French favorites and the intimate setting with a pressed-tin ceiling complete the bistro vibes.

Looking for thick-cut pork chops, dry-aged steaks, or pecan-smoked chicken? But also, Szechuan eggplant, beef satay with crispy Brussels sprouts, and a bowl of Tonkotsu-style ramen big enough for two people? Toss in a high-end butcher counter and a small selection of gourmet grocery items, and True Blue Butcher and Table suddenly transcends the idea of a simple steakhouse. The Military Cutoff location is the original, but there is also True Blue Butcher & Barrel (a more relaxed menu with a whiskey bar concept) in the South Front Street District and True Blue Butcher & Baker in Hampstead (a full-service butcher shop and bakery). Both the Table and Barrel locations also serve lunch and brunch.

The Green House is Wilmington’s first, and so far only, restaurant dedicated to high-end vegan cuisine. The seasonally-changing menu highlights the region’s plant-based bounty with dishes like braised cabbage with Calabrian chili oil, chickpea merguez with Sea Island red peas and braised fennel, and Carolina Gold risotto with mushrooms and shallots. Weekend brunch features an abbreviated menu of classic dishes like the BLT and biscuit sandwich reimagined as vegan options.

Ceviche’s serves up Panamanian staples in a rambling, beach-shack-esque spot just north of the Wrightsville Beach drawbridge. As the name implies there are a variety of different ceviches to choose from including langoustine de coco (langoustine tails in a citrus and coconut milk marinade with ginger, red bell pepper, red onion, avocado, and cilantro) and the mango mahi (with jalapeno, red onion, red bell pepper, cilantro, and housemade hot sauce). A variety of tapas and empanadas are ideal for sharing, and larger plates like grilled sea bass, ropa vieja, and Panamanian paella are available alongside daily specials, cocktails, beer, and wine.

Opened in 2000 by owners Amy and Jay Muxworthy, Flaming Amy’s is as well-known for its burritos as it is for the nearly-ubiquitous “Eat At Flaming Amy’s” bumper stickers. There are chips and queso and nacho platters, but the unique burritos are the real draw. The Bayou comes with spicy Creole jambalaya sauce, rice, beans, cheese, and a choice of grilled filling seasoned with Cajun spices, while the Philly “Phatboy” has grilled steak, green peppers, onions, mushrooms, lettuce, diced tomato, sour cream, and cheese. Heat lovers should stick with the original Flaming Amy burrito, packed with chipotle peppers, fresh jalapeños, mild green chiles, lettuce, cheese, sour cream, rice, beans, “Flaming Hot” salsa, and a choice of grilled filling. There is a second location in Carolina Beach for those not wanting to make the trek into town.

The folks behind the Live Eat Surf restaurant group operate five Baja-Cali-Mexican-style restaurants in the area, but Tower 7 is easily the most iconic. Located just steps from the sand in Wrightsville Beach, the restaurant offers a range of tacos, burritos, enchiladas, and more. Customers can try the San Felipe tacos, filled with Dos Equis-battered fried cod and topped with salsa fresca, shaved cabbage, avocado, cotija cheese, and Ranch, or opt for the Tower 7 burrito, stuffed with black beans, Mexican rice, guacamole, salsa fresca, cheese, sour cream, and cilantro along with a choice of a variety of meats or veggies. Wash everything down with one of its many margarita varieties and head back out to the beach.

Since 1976, beachgoers and locals have lined up at Trolly Stop in Wrightsville Beach for one (or more) of its iconic hotdogs. Customers pick a style of dog, the beef and pork Traditional Southern Dog, the all-beef Northern Dog, the smoked turkey dog, the veggie dog, or smoked pork sausage, before deciding on toppings. The Surfer Dog comes topped with mustard, cheese, and bacon bits, while the Mexican Dog has salsa, cheese, onions, jalapenos, and two strips of bacon. Out-of-staters should probably go for the true North Carolina experience and order the Carolina Dog with deli mustard, chili, and coleslaw.