Our family has been eating in Calabash since the 60's and this place has been one of our top three favorites along with Seafood Hut and Dockside over the years. Since my parents are in their 80's with preexisting health conditions they haven't been able to venture out to their favorites since the pandemic . We dropped in yesterday about 12:45 and were shocked to see just four people there, which we figured was a good thing since fried seafood is best served piping hot. So we didn't mind waiting about 20 minutes for our food figuring it would be nice and hot. Wrong! I guess we were waiting on hushpuppies because they were piping hot. The rest - not so much. I ordered their deluxe platter as usual and the parental units ordered their usual seniors platter. We also got an order of onion rings as an appetizer and three ice teas. Non of the fried items had any flavor whatsoever. The scallops were watery, the shrimp nor the oysters had ANY flavor and the tiny little deviled crab was a joke - and no flavor. The flounder fillet was okay. The first thing my dad noticed was the smaller platters used to make the plates look fuller with less food. It didn't work! "Every restaurant can have a bad day" I was saying quietly to myself while I sat there wondering what had happened to this great little eatery and wondering where all the people were at - until the check arrived. It became blatantly apparent at that point when I looked down and saw $96.75 on the check. No wonder the lady at the register sat quietly and didn't speak, or even make eye contact for that matter, probably too embarrassed! So it boils down to this; one deluxe seafood platter, two seniors platters, an order of onion rings, three teas, plus a $20 tip cost a grand total of $116.75. We won't be back and I don't foresee this place staying open very long. read more

My food was cold the bake potato was HOT THE scallops were over cooked my salad had brown lettuce- the service was good The food to the table was long and there were only four other table at that time. read more

Captain Nance's is my favorite seafood restaurant when I go on vacation. Delicious Calabash style seafood and friendly service. The food is amazing all around. The hushpuppies are delicious with the perfect amount of breading; they melt right in your mouth. The flounder is battered perfectly, and the fried shrimp are light and flaky. I'm extremely picky about my sweet tea, and theirs is freshly brewed with just the right amount of sweet. The lunch special is really affordable at $7.25/person. You can choose two seafoods with fries or a baked potato. I recommend the fish (flounder) and shrimp. The service is fast and friendly. Meredith especially is an excellent server. She checks on you at just the right times throughout your experience. The waterfront setting is really pretty with a nice view of the inter-coastal waterway. Capt. Nance's has been a family favorite for a long time. It just isn't a vacation to the beach without eating here more than once. read more

Captain Nance's - Lunch special with flounder, shrimp, slaw and baked potato. - Seafood Near Me - Calabash, North Carolina

Had lunch there on Monday and was disappointed for the first time in sever years. Small lunch portions for the price paid. Waitress was obviously overwhelmed with customers, perhaps not enough employees working to keep pace. Normally we eat out on the deck but decided to eat inside due to the outdoor heat. Never really noticed before likely because we normally eat outside, but the place has a dirty look and feel to it, over whelmed with the kitchen smells from food cooking I assume, and has that closed up smell of mildew or like a house never aired out. The place is old and could use a fresh updating in looks. Bottom line the food was average this trip and I've had better back home for less money and bigger portions. Yes, I know your paying for dining on the water but improvements could be made. read more

Always a favorite when we are visiting Calabash! Quick service and consistent food. Servers are friendly and a great spot for kids.

Nice Friday afternoon for a local seafood lunch, right along the inland canal. Plenty of parking, large seating area and large staff. Wife ordered fried grouper and shrimp, I had stuffed crab and fried shrimp. Both came with choices, we had backed potatoes and Cole slaw, also. Ale with a huge basket of hush puppies. Food was very fresh, well cooked and really good! Potatoes were hot, slaw excelled and loved their puppies. Solid 4 stars for lunch, 4 1/2 if I could, 5's a stretch but don't let it concern you!! Price was very fair for coastal dining, worth the lunch stop. read more

Our food was tasty. We had the flounder and deviled crab. The building could use some upgrades though.

Food was absolutely delicious and service was fantastic! I loved sitting outside seeing all of the birds around the water!

I was referred by a few people to try Captain Nance's and I wasn't disappointed. They first bring out hush puppies with honey butter, there were great. They took our order and within 5 minutes our food arrived. I ordered shrimp and founder with slaw. The Mrs ordered shrimp and the deviled crab and everyone else ordered what I had. Everyone really enjoyed their food and would definitely return to Captain Nance's. The only item that everyone didn't just love was the slaw. Slaw is tricky due to the different flavors people are looking for when they eat it. I would definitely recommend eating here. We want to try some more places in the area since there are literally 5 or 6 restaurants in a close proximity but we will go back to Captain Nance's! read more

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I'm kind of confused as to why this place only as 3 stars, I was skeptical to try it out due to the reviews but I'm so glad I decided to. It is so delicious, perfect amount of breading on the fried foods & the best flavor in the oysters. I didn't have anything I didn't enjoy and I'm usually on the pickier side. Can't wait to come back! read more

Captain Nance's - view from our table, so peaceful! - Seafood Near Me - Calabash, North Carolina

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Captain Nance's has a good reputation and over all we enjoyed it but my wife found the flounder not as tasty, the oysters we ordered tasted like they were undercooked. Overall it was a pleasant dinner with friends, but I'll save a higher rating for possibly the next time we go there. read more

Like the other reviews, I'm incredibly disappointed. A trend I've noticed in the area, is that most restaurants have horrible reviews. As someone who tries to always leave a good review, I realize that it probably isn't just tourists being jerks, and that the restaurants in this area are honestly lacking. I'm giving my review 2 stars, on the sole reason that I didn't get food poisoning and that the view is pretty. Captain Nance's has huge potential. Unfortunately, owner/management is choosing to stay in 1983. The interior of the restaurant is gross. Smells terrible. Dirty carpet throughout, and it's 2021 yall. We need floors that can actually be cleaned, and not smell like the inside of a chuckie cheese. The decor is dated, which I will argue can be absolutely charming. This was not. The tables, walls, and host station are all seemingly older than I am. We hesitantly sit down outside, which is an incredible view of the creek. It was sunset and beautiful weather. Our waitress wasn't memorable which makes me feel horrible, but we barely saw her besides taking our order and asking for water. No drink menu. The food menu is pretty large and they have a large variety of seafood. Two in my party ordered soft shell crab, another the grab cakes, and myself (the vegan) managed to get fries and a salad...the vegan staple!! Both who got the soft shell crab were underwhelmed. It was soggy and fried. They both were disappointed. Neither of them finished their meal. They also split the shrimp cocktail, which was HILARIOUS because the shrimp were identical to the ones you thaw from the grocery store bag. The shrimp were spongy, mangled, and tasteless. They came sitting on a piece of romaine lettuce, something that was done 20 years ago. To compare, I purchased shrimp from dougs seafood in ocean isle for the same price, made shrimp cocktail, and they were fresh and huge. It's laziness here. My fries and salad were fine. Crab cakes were good according to my friend. Overall we were so underwhelmed. Meal was about $140 for the 4 of us, which is good, but we all left regretting staying to eat. "I can't believe I paid $74 for this meal," was said by our friends. That's just how it goes sometimes, I know. I'd avoid this place. Hopefully they can overhaul and improve. read more

Great location on the water for lunch or dinner. Deron was our waiter he was very pleasant and took good care of us. I ordered Grouper sandwich with FF and coleslaw. My friend got the Red Snapper. Both were very good. Refills on soda. Variety on menu for seafood or Land Lubber. Will definitely go again. read more

Captain Nance's - Outside - Seafood Near Me - Calabash, North Carolina

Well not much to say. This was my 2nd time here & now it will be the last. Food was just ok I have for surely had better & this isn't the place for seafood. The service wasn't good it was like they were new but they weren't. The staff needs more training. You don't go to a table with the bill before asking if you want anything else then when you ask for coffee you ask to put it in a Togo cup. Oh before I forget when everyone orders seafood either put lemons on the plates or bring a side plate of lemon before the food gets cold. read more

We always go to Captain Nance when we visit the beach. It is a fish camp on the inlet. Their lunch special is consistently good. Great seafood and slaw. The hush puppies are the best ever. read more

We went down to Calabash between Christmas and New Years. Although they had inside dining, we chose outside - it was nice weather, and COVID is still out there. Even with the birds outside, dining area was clean and tidy. Staff used all the proper masks and gloves - and we masked when not eating/drinking. We both had the Grouper special. Fish was fried perfectly, with a nice spicy coating - crispy on the outside, moist inside. Great hush puppies, cole slaw, fries(wife), and baked potato(me). Service was spot on - attentive without being intrusive. Price was very reasonable - I see why the locals go there. read more

We were in the area and craving good, BIG, fresh shrimp.....So the waiter recommended the blacked broiled shrimp as a local favorite. We figured what could go wrong. shrimp boat docked outside, pictures of big beautiful shrimp everywhere. The meal arrived and it was probably the most unappetizing plate I have seen in a long time: a pile of steamed tiny shrimp with a sprinkle of old bay seasoning. Mushy with no flavor. Most likely frozen and shipped in from somewhere else. read more

Our party arrived on a quiet Tuesday evening. We were seated quickly and had hush puppies on the table in no time. William was a fine server, but the food took a long time to arrive and three of the four entrees were just OK. The best we had were the scallops. The snapper and salmon were both over-broiled and a bit tough, but well seasoned. The fried platter was fair, but with lousy French fries. The green beans were a dark shade of brownish green and tasted mostly like salt. Overall, our evening was meh. And meh doesn't deserve to cost $97 before the tip. read more

Good stuff, the cornbread they bring is worth the visit. I had clam strips, tasty. My parents had the fish which looked wheel prepared and gone by the time we left. Cool area, neat shrimp boats. Would... Should have had shrimp and grits read more

First time here not impressed with oysters and shrimp they were not to die for! I love seafood and this place had many fried options but not grilled for the healthy people. Probably won't return. read more

Captain Nance's - Shrimp cocktail - Seafood Near Me - Calabash, North Carolina

Only good thing was their fried pickles and nice servers!! The restaurant felt very beach with a fun atmosphere which was exciting at first but only left with disappointment. The chicken tenders were baked and soggy, the sautéed shrimp came out as boiled salad shrimp in some butter sauce. Our waitress was really nice but unfortunately the food overshadowed our entire experience. read more

Just traveled to the area and that was our first stop. Hadn't been there in several years because we like an adjacent seafood restaurant but it was closed that day . Had a marvelous waiter and the food was good. We may end up there again soon! read more

This is standard Calabash seafood at a good price. First star -- on the water (close enough, anyway) with plenty of parking. OK, Captain Nance's Seafood isn't technically on the water, but it's less than 50 yards from the commercial shrimp boats and touristy catamarans in Calabash. It's nestled between two other seafood restaurants with ample parking for patrons. Second star -- prompt seating and good service. My wife and I arrived about 12:30pm on a weekday to a half-empty dining room. We were seated immediately. Most of the other patrons were of the geriatric variety. Our waitress brought hush puppies, utensils and sweet iced tea and took our order quickly and efficiently. I gathered we were experiencing the calm before the storm. Before the end of our meal, the dining room would be nearly full, with several large tables of ol' folks gettin' their Calabash dining on. The wait staff stayed busy the whole time we were there, especially as the crowds rolled in for the 1pm lunch. Third star -- simple, straightforward seafood. My wife and I both are trying to avoid fried food. Eating in Calabash is a contradiction in terms. I don't know of anyone who WOULD NOT expect Calabash seafood to be fried. Regardless, we had to err on the side of local blasphemy and order our lunch special (one or two seafood item platter for $6) broiled. Sure thing -- it'll just be $1.50 extra and little longer for the order. This sounded reasonable to us. I will admit to wondering if they had to take more time and charge labor to un-batter seafood prepped to be fried beforehand. After aforementioned extra time, our platters arrived -- seafood, small (tiny?) baked potato, and slaw. My wife ordered broiled shrimp. I ordered broiled shrimp and flounder. The broiled seafood was heavy on the butter and some sort of seasoning. The shrimp seemed fresh -- poop chute intact -- although almost overcooked. My flounder, I know, was fresh -- it was skin on, with some pin bones, and probably looked very much like the fresh flounder on ice at the docks outside that we saw after lunch. It was broiled spot on with a good butter and herb flavor. Total cost for lunch -- $20 before tip for two broiled lunch platters with iced teas. Fourth star -- everything I expect from Calabash seafood dining. I don't know what else I can say. I grey up in North Carolina eating at country restaurants like this, just with less seafood. Captain Nance's Seafood is just the type of experience you expect in Calabash -- a little bit of country, good fresh seafood, and lots of hungry old folks. And mebbe some Yankees. read more

Captain Nance's - Wednesday lunch crowd... - Seafood Near Me - Calabash, North Carolina

Our frequent Dockside was closed so we decided to pop into here. They got our group of 11 right in after saying there was a 45 min wait. The prices are high and food quality is low. Still a fun experience though. read more

Go for the lunch special. It's every day until 4:00pm. You have your choice of 1 or 2 items which include clam strips, fish, shrimp or deviled crab. It comes with slaw, baked potato or fries and hushpuppies. Their tea is great and the hushpuppies with honey butter are excellent. I've tried a couple other seafood restaurants in Calabash, and this is my personal favorite. read more

Captain Nance's - front entrance #1 - Seafood Near Me - Calabash, North Carolina

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Great authentic North Carolina seafood. It's right on the water with nice and friendly service. I would definitely go back again.

Upfront I'll admit it, I'm biased, I love calabash-style seafood in family style restaurants. Especially when they are sitting in Calabash, NC. No, this isn't Bonefish Grill. It's all about fresh seafood slaw and sweet tea and hushpuppies. Order a hamburger somewhere else or you'll be disappointed. And bring your smiles and appetite and be nice to the waitresses, because they work their backsides off. I love these kind of places and hope they will always be here. read more

Captain Nance's - Seafood Near Me - Calabash, North Carolina

Delicious Calabash shrimp, hot and crispy. Hushpuppies with butter. One of my favorites.

"Unassuming" was how the restaurant was described online & that's a perfect adjective. Nothing fancy, but good food for a good price. We had the lunch special which was $8.99 & plenty of tasty fried shrimp & clams. The hush puppies they brought out when we sat down were perfect. read more

Captain Nance's - Lunch special: fried shrimp & clams with fries & slaw. - Seafood Near Me - Calabash, North Carolina

I really enjoyed my seafood combo platter. The fried shrimp was plentiful and fresh. The fried flounder was absolutely amazing - tender inside and crisp breading on the outside. The baked potato on the side was piping hot and the cole slaw was decent. The clam strips were the only meh item. Cold and rubbery. I definitely don't recommend those. If you want good fried seafood but don't mind a crowded, busy, diner atmosphere, this is your place. read more

Great food and my server Matthew was really nice and kept checking on everyone. They were really busy and staff was keeping it going well!!

Typical Calabash-style seafood restaurant. Really good, fresh seafood, decent hush puppies. Quick service, decent prices. No liquor license, but the pink lemonade helped after sweating through a dolphin cruise with the grand kiddies. Not a "special occasion" place, but really good value for a family. read more

I saw all the bad reviews and wanted to still give this place a chance. It was awful. Barely anyone in there and we had the worst service. The crab cake came on a hamburger bun and as plain as could be. My fried shrimp and fries were cold. Oh well, first and last time. read more

We have been here a couple of times in the past few years. Always for lunch, always the lunch special, always good, always reasonable. Love the honey butter for the hush puppies. Sat outdoors, all masked, very comfortable for 2 seniors. read more

We were a party of 3, and each ordered from the senior citizen selection. I'm not a senior citizen, but the other 2 people I was with were ordering from it, so our server let me order from it as well. I had the fried flounder, fried shrimp, and boiled shrimp. The flounder was yummy, the fried shrimp were so-so, and the boiled shrimp were tasteless and awful. The hushpuppies that were served in a basket at the beginning of our meal were tasty, but really just sweet cornbread. Our server was friendly, patient, and helpful. read more

The food was good. Good amount food for the price. The server was very overwhelmed. She had to much going on. The view of the finish boats coming in is pretty. But other than that it was good. read more

Visited Captain Nance today after A recommendation from a local store keeper. What a disappointment! My husband ordered a fried entrée and that was acceptable. I ordered a broiled fish fillet, and the food was completely unappetizing. Dried out and not flavorful. Our server was very friendly but the service was almost unbelievably slow - at least 15 minutes to get a glass of water and nearly an hour for food. First visit = Last visit. read more

When I saw the 3 star rating I should have known better. We tried anyway. Once we sat down we ordered our drinks and then never saw our server again for about 25 minutes. Turns out she left. Another server came over and finally took our order. Another 25-30 minutes went by before we got our food. Only ate half of my crab cake sandwich. It was cold and served on a hamburger roll. Come on guys. Place is a joke! read more

Great food. Great service. On the water, so great ambiance. Get super safe and comfortable during pandemic. read more

Captain Nance's - Loved the place and the food. Get very safe now that they've reopened. Highly recommend!!! - Seafood Near Me - Calabash, North Carolina

I like this place It's a little noisy the food Is a good place to go Is a great place to get fish I went with my Uncle in my Aunt read more

Captain Nance's - Me and my family went to eat - Seafood Near Me - Calabash, North Carolina