What our customers are saying

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Review of Seaworthy Kitchen and Bar: A little place that’s getting some big attention. 

Let me preface by stating I am a full time Kure Beach resident with many more years of Island time and sand notched in my flip flops. Over the years we have dined at many restaurants on the island, but one we hadn’t been to until last night was the Seaworthy Kitchen and Bar on N Lake Park Blvd in Carolina Beach. It’s in the same building that was formerly The Surf House and after that the Shangri-La and as a landmark it’s just behind The Last Resort Bar.

 We were heading out with friends and booked a table for 4 at 5:30. You can risk being in the right place at the right time as a walk-in but really you should plan on making reservations in advance as they fill up quickly - and with good reason. The interior has undergone a complete and classy nautically inspired transformation. From the front entrance, to the wood-look tile flooring and handsome long main bar, you know right away someone has a great eye for detail. 

There are low tables and pub height tables, with enough space between them that you don’t feel crowded. The tables all appeared to be reserved but we noticed there were many people happily enjoying their dishes at the very comfortable bar. 

Our server was Jenna, and she was an absolute delight. Good servers can make or break a dining experience and we knew immediately that we were in good hands. Jenna was extremely menu knowledgeable, made great recommendations and answered any questions we had.

The menu is not huge, but they have all the surf and turf bases covered and it supports a seasonal menu. There’s a nice selection of appetizers and salads, some with fresh crab, and boasts a two page craft cocktail menu. No surprise they are delicious as the owner pours a skillful, well-designed drink.

 I began with a El Marinero, a tequila cocktail made with Espolan Reposado, Sailor Jerry’s, a house made sour mix and blood orange juice cocktail where the tequila was the shining star and the juices were a lovely balance. Two others in our party enjoyed Seaworthy’s local beers and another of our group was able to choose among several non-alcoholic selections.  

We took Jenna’s advice and ordered the special cold shrimp cocktail appetizer. Sixteen large to jumbo, perfectly cooked shrimp sprinkled with house seasoning are delivered and served on a fun, crowd-pleasing 2’ long surf-board, surrounded by a spicy take-no-prisoners cocktail sauce and a generous amount of lemon wedges. To say we dug in gracefully would be a lie. It was so good I would order it again just for me, with another El Marinero. 

Three of us ordered the “Off the Hook” fish tacos, which with the seasonal spring menu comes with a bowl of vinegar based cabbage slaw to eat straight or with which to dress your tacos. The fish of the day was mahi and we all chose it blackened. You get three tacos in this order on 6” flour tortillas, each bursting with flavor and coated with a spicy house remoulade sauce. The mahi is diced into small pieces, similar in size to what you might find in a tapas style serving. One of our group loved that the small, but plentiful bites were nicely coated with remoulade sauce and fit neatly inside the tortilla, while another of our group would have preferred larger pieces of fish with a heavier blackened seasoning. Neither preference however, stopped any of us from cleaning our plates and most of us were too full to even finish the sweet potato fries we ordered as an extra side. 

Another in our party ordered the shrimp and grits special, which came with an amazingly flavorful creole style sauce, plump shrimp and a tasty, perfectly cooked grit base. (This food writer may have dipped her fork into that bowl just to be able to say it was absolutely heaven and may even be a new fan favorite). 

Throughout the meal Jenna was sure to check on us to refill our water glasses and to make sure we were all happy with our meals. I watched other diners while we were there and saw many happy and satisfied faces. We were all too full for dessert this visit but next time I’d be sure to at least split one. Seaworthy Kitchen and Bar is definitely worthy of multiple visits for dinner or even a casual evening spent sampling appetizers while enjoying a few of some of the best cocktails you’ll find on the island. Bonus - after 8 PM every night those delicious appetizers are half off! 

Seaworthy gets 5 out of 5 nautical stars from me. I hope you give them a try!