The Boardwalk was beside our hotel and a short stroll. We were sad to see the iconic Ferris wheel…read moreby the Boardwalk was taken away. Despite the cold weather and construction, it was good to see the beach and walk the boardwalk that morning. Most of the businesses were closed and we spent very little time there. Still a nice walk.

There were rides set up at the Carolina Beach Boardwalk -- the kind of rides that you'd see at a…read morecounty fair -- but we visited in the morning and they weren't operating. It's all good, though, because we didn't want to ride them anyway! The rides just added a nice festive touch to the atmosphere. We mostly visited the Boardwalk for one thing: Britt's Donuts, which is a Carolina Beach staple. (And which I go into more detail about in my review for Britt's, so go read that, if you want.) When we visited, the shops were just opening (some wouldn't open for a couple of hours), and there was a nice, lazy feeling to the boardwalk. We grabbed a cup of coffee and hot chocolate at Crush and Grind, and walked around with our hot bag of donuts while looking at the murals all around the boardwalk. We parked across the street from Crush and Grind, at a dirt lot that requires you to pay to park. I imagine that parking becomes hard to find when it's busy, but we had the parking lot to ourselves when we visited.

Carolina Dreamin' was one of the first murals I saw as I entered the cute boardwalk area of…read moreCarolina Beach. This colorful piece of public art is painted on the side of a coffee shop called Crush & Grind (which is equally great; see my separate review for this cafe). This mural was painted by Jason Parker, a North Carolina-based street artist / muralist. He created it in the fall of 2020. According to basic internet research that I just did, the artwork is supposed to conjure images of Carolina Beach's brilliant sunrises, the native flora in the dunes and the surfers who are eager to catch an early morning wave. I feel like it does that! It's definitely giving beach boardwalk.

The Beach Breeze mural is located on the outer walls of CB Arcade, and is one of the murals that…read moregreets you as you pull up into the Carolina Beach boardwalk. The mural depicts lots of sea-animal-shaped kites floating in a sky, and it's supposed to celebrate the Cape Fear Kite Festival, which takes place in the fall and wraps up the kite-flying season. This piece of public art was painted by artist Jenna Rice, who is based in Greensboro, North Carolina. It was completed in 2022. It's a really awesome mural, and it makes me wish I had visited Carolina Beach when the kite festival was happening! That's neat that the beach town now has a piece of its history on the walls of its local buildings.

When I came across the Tribute to Carolina Shag mural while I was visiting Carolina Beach, it…read moreinstantly became my favorite. There are many murals in this area of town, but this one was notable to me because of one thing in the mural: white loafer dress shoes, which look almost exactly like the kind of shoes my late grandfather used to wear. Was my abuelo a fan of the Carolina Shag? Or maybe just cool old guys who like dancing also like penny loafers? I'll probably never know the answer to these questions. This piece of public art is a celebration of Shag dancing and a tribute to Malcom Ray "Chicken" Hicks, who, according to my brief internet research, was a member of the Shaggers Hall of Fame and one of the people who invented the dance known as the "Shag." Chicken helped introduce R&B music to Carolina Beach in the 1940s, and was active in getting young people involved in shagging. Yeah, baby. The mural was completed in 2023 by graffiti artist JEKS (aka Brian Lewis), a self-taught member of the street-art scene in Greensboro, N.C. Knowing this info about the artist makes me love the mural even more, because I love street art and especially people who make street art without formal training. This artwork is incredible. It's located on a south-facing wall of a storefront on Lake Park Boulevard, so you should go admire it yourself in you're in the Carolina Beach area.

This mural -- titled Marine Magic -- is located on the side of The Dive Food & Spirits in Carolina…read moreBeach. You really can't miss it: It is huge (about 50 feet) and colorful, and it's one of several beautiful murals that have been painted all along this area of the beach town. Marine Magic was painted in 2021 by Raman Bhardwaj (aka artistraman), a muralist, painter and illustrator in North Carolina. According to the artist's website, he has painted lots of murals all around the state and beyond. He's very talented! This piece of public art is just one example of his skills. The mural depicts marine animals with lots of bright blue and neon colors. There's a sea turtle, jellyfish and shark on the mural. The artwork really gives off a beachy vibe, which is appropriate considering this area is by the beach!

Been here year after year. Great food. Little leary now after calling in our reservation and they…read morenever called back to confirm it. So I called them back and they somehow didn't have my call / reservation voice mail. It was a 630 pm reservation. Suddenly none available. Got one for 5pm (tomorrow) Worried but hopeful it's still great, like in the past. Update: super service and great food as usual. A++++

I have eaten a lot of Italian food but the sauce on this seafood special is the best I ever had…read more Anywhere. Chunky, tasty, seafood. A rich deep flavor. I will pay money for this sauce recipe. It was that good. Excellent bread . Spot on pasta. Great ambiance and excellent Spumoni Bomba! What a great place . Easily 5 stars.

Crispy crusted pizza (in best way) on regular pizza AND THE GLUTEN FREE CAULIFLOWER pizza. Never…read morehave I ever had a crunchy crust that wasn't burnt and didnt taste like a veggie...gluten free folks come here!!! The staff was friendly and so helpful! Very impressed! Tiny eating area so you may want to be prepared to take your food to go, but if you stay they will make sure you have the best time. Very clean

One and Done! Really, really wanted this to be our place living nearby. We get pizza about 6 times…read morea month and have tried many local places to decide so far. Very convenient, sauce is good, but that's it. Run by "youthful pizza-makers" who do not care about quality or consistency. I am not a fan of the thin crust which is not crispy or chewy... not sure if trying to be New Haven, Tavern, NY or Detroit? Anyway, aside from being a slight step above a better brand supermarket pizza; our's was literally almost all red in color. No, we didn't ask for a Vegan special / no cheese pie, but what else could explain the extremely sparse amount of cheese!? Also, the price for toppings is insane. Pizza's are $30+. This is cost prohibitive especially if cheese will need to be one of them because they are so skimpy.

Great pizza service was great mussels was top notch always very friendly staff my family always…read moreloved to go there

This was one of the most disappointing restaurant experiences we've had in a long time and the…read moreproblems were obvious the moment we walked in. The restaurant was hot and stuffy and it was obvious the air conditioning either wasn't working properly or couldn't keep up. An employee had dropped ice all over the lobby floor and multiple staff members were focused on cleaning it up while customers entering the restaurant weren't being greeted or seated. Once we were seated, things only got worse. The flowers on our table were dead and drooping, which immediately made the place feel neglected. We also counted five dead flies on the windows and windowsill right beside our table. Disgusting. When the (what appeared to be an owner or manager) server came over to take drink orders, we already had a bad feeling. My son's lemonade tasted like water with a hint of lemon flavor and my husband ordered a Sprite only to be told they were out. Looking around the dining room, we noticed several occupied tables and not a single one had their food. Most guests looked frustrated and impatient. Before ordering, we decided to ask a father sitting with a large family how long they had been waiting. His answer: over an hour and by his long sigh and annoyed facial expression, he was obviously pissed. At that point, we got up and left. It's a real shame because the dining room itself is cute and has potential, but the lack of attention to cleanliness, poor service, missing menu items, uncomfortable temperature and extremely long wait times made this an experience we won't repeat. This restaurant seriously needs to get its operations under control. Would not recommend this place to anyone!