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I love Dock Street! The seafood is always fresh, the assortment of beer is pretty good and the kitsy decor always makes me feel relaxed. My favorite items are the scallops, shrimp or the big boil platter to share with friends.
It's a small place that fills up quickly during peak times and like any downtown area, the parking is not easy but it is worth the trip.
I spent the day on Cape Fear and the only Pirates I saw was behind the desk of the dive Hotel I was booked into. And when Black Beard came out from the back room to check me in, she didn't seem too happy to see me. But I digress, this is a restaurant review.
Having a taste for seafood (coincidence? I think not), I dove past the two billboard advertised mega joints in Carolina Beach and headed to downtown Wilmington to the Dock Street Oyster. Why? Just look at the other Yelp reviews. Can all these people be wrong?
The Dock Street Oyster Bar is about one block north of the river in an old brick building that could have been a civil war factory, warehouse, etc. The place is narrow with distressed brick walls and high rafter ceilings. There are about a dozen tables inside and 6 more outside. The place is LOADED with character including the 3 man kitchen in the store front window.
And the food was great. I ordered the Steamer Platter for $20 which was loaded with large gulf shrimp, oysters, clams, mussels, snow crab, crawfish, redskins and corn on the cob. It was delish! [see the picture I posted].
This was one of the best seafood meals of my life. One I will not soon forget.
My only regret was that my college had to sit there, after he demolished his Jamaica Blackened Grouper, and watch me tear through shell after shell after shell. Do I feel guilty. No way, he made his choice.
So thank you Yelp for helping me find this place and avoiding the billboard plastered tourist traps.
Like Jane H., I haven't been here often - just twice, while in Port City to visit in-laws. The last time we were here, it was for lunch, but I don't remember it very well. This time we came after a movie for a late-night snack and a beer.
The restaurant is very informal, with "island" décor - surfboards, license plates from the Dutch East Indies island of St. Maarten, etc. And when we got there, of course, Jimmy Buffett was playing. It was toward the end of the night, and the bartender was just starting to close down the bar, but she gave us great service.
I started with a Longboard lager, and my wife had a Yuengling lager, both served in Sam Adams Summer Ale glasses. We had those almost immmediately which I liked. My wife ordered a half pound of steamed shrimp, and the barkeep made sure to ask if she wanted Old Bay or not, saying that they go easy on the stuff when they put it on (which was true). I ordered a half dozen raw oysters.
The presentation of the oysters surpassed that of the shrimp. I was served a large plate of ice with 6 large oysters and a lemon slice, with plastic containers of horseradish and cocktail sauce - very inviting. My wife's shrimp were in a bowl flanked by the same sauces, plus drawn butter. By the time we were served I noticed that draft Guiness was available, so I ordered one to go with the oysters. Good pour by the barkeep.
The shrimp were nicely done, came hot, and tasted great. And the oysters, besides being large, were fresh and clean-tasting. They went great with the Guinness.
All in all, this hit the spot and the price was right (about $12 for the shrimp and $7 for the oysters - total tab less than $35). Would I go back? Yes, I'll make a point the next time we're in town!
This is my favorite place in Wilmington, for all kinds of reasons. Fresh catch of the day is always good. Great beer list. Great atmosphere. Friendly & efficient service.
The best part is the fact that a dozen raw oysters here are as good as any you can find in New England and they cost about 1/3 of the price you'd find here.
I adore Downtown Wilmington. It's got a mix of shops, great restaurants, trendy bars, sketchy bars, a strip club, street fairs. Love this city and love Dock St.
I'm reluctant to give this place 5 stars after only a quick visit to grab a few dozen raw oysters en route to a wedding.
The oysters were delicious, fresh, and very fairly priced. My bf thought they were even better than at the frou-frou Oceanaire back home in DC. The accompanying horseradish sauce was firey and at times choke-inducing! Our waitress was efficient and friendly, definitely a 5-star in the service category.
The decor is fun and funky, and very artsy. I wish I could have gone back again before heading out to stay at the beach.
Only two small tables out front, so don't count on eating outside.
I'm a big fan of this place. The atmosphere is casual, comfortable and relaxed. I'm a huge fan of steamed seafood and this place has that nailed. I don't really venture out on the menu to try the other dishes because I enjoy the steamed stuff so much, so I can't speak to those. My favorite thing about this place is that they one of the only (if not the only) place in Wilmington that serves steamed crawfish. I also really love the calamari, which is served steamed, hot, with a marinara sauce and little pita wedges, opposed to fried. I normally don't get a table, and choose to sit at the bar instead. The bartenders have always been friendly to me. The owner has taken the time to chat with me more than once while he was behind the bar taking care of some paperwork. Overall, this is one of my favorite places to eat. I feel comfortable coming in by myself and having a few beers, or with friends or family who want to enjoy some good seafood.
We're from sunny CA and went onto Yelp to find a good restaurant in Wilmington. This did not disappoint! Excellent oysters, excellent fresh mussels, the crab cakes are seriously DELISH, service is good and fun, and my kids were just as welcome as the adults. We actually went back a second time and brought relatives as we liked the place so much. Oh, and did I say the prices were reasonable? They are - definitely a place I would return to and recommend!
I've eaten here twice in the past and really should make an effort to do so again soon. Quite simply the oysters are delicious, and the prices are good. The restaurant is also themed with a fun decor.
A really good sea food restaurant, with a nice, laid back vibe. My girlfriend and I went here after a full day at the beach after I read some good reviews about it on Yelp. We were promptly seated, waited on, and served. Everything we had was fresh, and cooked just right. Especially liked the steamed shrimp. They may look a little pricey for 24 of them, but they hit the spot for two hungry people as a appetizer... I will make it a point to eat here when I'm in Wilmington in the future.
The Dock St Oyster Bar's main appeal to me is the atmosphere. It has a Key West sort of feel to it, and has outside seating.
The food is good, but the menu is sparse and lacks variety. However, everything was well-prepared and tasty.
The shrimp burger is a total disappointment. The Oysters Rockefeller is very good, and the She Crab Soup was above average. I think Dock Street is a great place to take friends from out-of-town, but I rarely eat there.
I ordered sesame ginger shrimp with rice. It was pretty tasty but the shrimp wasn't local. Local shrimp may be out of season or something--not sure. I was still sort of hungry afterwards, but my friend got their catch of the day and was absolutely stuffed. The drinks are pretty cheap and the service is very good. Might check it out again next time I'm in the area.
This is a great little seafood joint where everyone is super laid back and the food is good. They also have a great bar where the beer is cold- something that is greatly appreciated in the Southern heat.
The waitress was very nice, taking her time to ease my worries about ordering oysters in the summer months and explaining how the oysters were imported and would not kill me. I took her word for it and ordered a dozen raw shucked oyster platter. Mm mm... I'm glad I listened to her. The soup of the day was a Manhattan clam chowder with a tangy tomato base which was yummy. The pasta with clams was hearty and filling. The steamed black tiger shrimp were tender, spicy, and perfect.
My best restaurant experience in Wilmington.
I cannot understand why most people have given this restaurant five stars. My husband and I were recently looking for a good seafood place and I saw that Dock Street had received very good reviews so I was so excited to go. I ordered the steamed oysters which were served with clarified butter and cocktail sauce. They were ok, nothing special. My one complaint is that they were covered in dirt. It seems like if you are going to serve oysters in the shell you should a least scrub them up a little before serving them. There was dirt all over the plate and my hands from opening the shells. It was actually pretty gross. My husband got some kind of pasta with shrimp and alfredo sauce. I tasted it and it was alright, not too different from some of those frozen dishes you buy premade from the supermarket. So over all our meals were pretty bland and we were both disappointed.
This is the best restaurant in Wilmington, in my opinion. Extremely friendly service and OUTSTANDING food! Very healthy options available. LOVED IT and recommend to anyone who loves seafood.
Visiting from California, went to Yelp to find best seafood restaurant in area. This was the clear choice. There must be no competition because this place is the Rockport of restaurants - comfortable, affordable, but bland and uninteresting. We started with some appetizers - family had calamari, not fried. Basically, it tasted like steamed calamari dressed by bottled tomato sauce; nothing interesting here. I had raw oysters. I didn't get sick, but other than that can't say anything positive. The main thing I want with raw oysters is to taste of the ocean, but there was no ocean to be found on these shells. They had no flavor. The waitress, a very friendly soul, was a little clueless. She could not answer my questions about the sweetness or dryness of certain wines, and which fish was local. It's a seafood restaurant in a coastal town! I settled on the "catch of the day," grouper, blackened. It wasn't bad, but a little dry. The corn on the cob was way over-cooked and soggy. The rice was uninspiring to say the least. I won't go on, but the seafood pastas the others had were mediocre. I didn't hate this place; the prices are good and the atmosphere is friendly, but I was really hoping to have some good, down home seafood with flavor and character and I felt this place did not deliver. I might return for lunch and try one of their fish sandwiches.
The absolute best Oysters Rockefeller I've ever had. Crab legs are delicious too.
Love this place! Everyone in Wilmington is already friendly, but the atmosphere just brings me home as soon as I walk in the door! The oysters, clams, and even the corn are delightful! Everything is served to you in a bucket with a roll of paper towels. Great drinks and great beer selection! Everytime I go home, I can't leave without meeting 2 of my very best friends, Mike and Diane, and stopping in for a bite to eat!
Wrightsville Beach, NC
Category: Seafood Markets
Wrightsville Beach, NC
Category: Seafood
Wilmington, NC
Category: Barbeque
Wilmington, NC
Category: Restaurants
Wilmington, NC
Category: Restaurants
