Three Wilmington-area restaurants make Yelp’s 2024 list of top seafood spots

Allison Ballard, Wilmington StarNews
·2 min read
Waterfront Seafood Shack in Calabash was listed among the best 100 seafood spots by Yelp.
Waterfront Seafood Shack in Calabash was listed among the best 100 seafood spots by Yelp.

In a newly released list from Yelp, three restaurants in Brunswick, Pender and New Hanover counties were named among the Top 100 Seafood Spots for 2024.

The crowd-sourcing review site regularly creates such lists for a wide variety of dining categories, from diners to brunch. This time, it’s a look at a dining style where coastal North Carolina excels.

Yelp identified businesses in the seafood category with a large concentration of reviews mentioning “seafood,” and then ranked them using factors like total volume of reviews and ratings. They only included 10 businesses per state for geographic diversity.

While local eateries didn’t make the Top 10, two did (barely) crack the Top 50. Here’s a look.

Waterfront Seafood Shack, Calabash

Of the many seafood restaurants in Calabash, it’s this one at 9945 Nance St. that made the list, and was the highest rated North Carolina seafood eatery mentioned, coming in at No. 48. It has a walk-up window, outdoor tables and a menu of locally sourced ingredients. Popular dishes, according to Yelp, include fried shrimp and the crab cake sandwich – then get the grilled pound cake with ice cream for dessert.

Topsail Steamer, Surf City

A take home seafood experience from Topsail Steamer
A take home seafood experience from Topsail Steamer

Right behind the Shack at No. 49 is this spot in Surf City. Topsail Steamer offers take-home seafood steam pots with seafood, meats, veggies and homemade seasonings. This locally based business also has a location in Wrightsville Beach. There are others in New Jersey, Florida and more on the way.

Fish Bites Seafood Restaurant, Wilmington

This popular restaurant calls itself a No. 1 spot for locals. In this case, it’s No. 58, which will probably spark some heated conversation from their fans. The lobster bisque has a whopping 91 reviews on Yelp. Other popular dishes include the stuffed flounder, mini crab cakes and grouper cheeks. The spot at 6132 Carolina Beach Road also posts daily specials on social media.

Other North Carolina eateries on the list include – No. 52: I Got Your Crabs in Kitty Hawk, No. 64: Mama Easley’s in Corolla, No. 76: Fin & Fino in Charlotte and No. 95: The Kill Devil Grill in Kill Devil Hills.

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Allison Ballard is the food and dining reporter at the StarNews. You can reach her at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Wilmington, NC restaurants on Yelp’s Top 100 Seafood Spots for 2024

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