We came in this past Sunday and were so happy we did! It was crowded and we were told we'd have to wait about 30 minutes. That was totally fine - but we ended up waiting about 10 minutes - even better!! They'll put your name on a wait list then send you a text so you can easily track when your table is almost due. We went for good food and left super satisfied. My mom ordered the Southern Breakfast which offered a good amount of food and she loved it, she said the ham was very tasty and that it tasted like bacon! It was nice for that option you could choose a biscuit or toast as a side. We also got a single biscuit and gravy to share. The gravy was delicious and the chorizo added a nice little spicy kick to it. I can see why these are so popular here! My brother ordered the dirty south biscuit and he was also very satisfied. It had a little bit of everything and was steps above a traditional breakfast sandwich. I personally ordered a pancake topped with strawberries and I love that they offer to bake the strawberries in too. Bacon was crispy, thick. Everything was super fresh. Our server was wonderful and I regret not catching her name. She came about 5 times to ask if we needed anything, any extra coffee, coffee to go. She was exceptional and I appreciate that they are so detail oriented here. We had a great meal and ate very comfortably here. Only issue is that we were slightly ready for a nap after. So happy to have stopped by! read more

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Came in on a Friday morning and it was not too busy. We were seated at the bar. Pictured: The hot pepper chicken sandwich with a side of breakfast potatoes. I believe this might be a newer item on the menu. It was absolutely delicious - chicken was juicy and perfectly fried. The balance between heat and sweetness from the jam was the perfect combo in a bite. Also ordered, breakfast shots served with OJ and side of bacon. Great breakfast and staff were great. Definitely recommend. read more

Cast Iron Kitchen - Breakfast Shot - Southern Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

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This no frills restaurant is serving up some delicious southern food! Do not skip on the homemade biscuits, not only are they huge but they are melt in your mouth delicious. The sausage and sausage gravy are really good too. Their home fries could use some improvement - there is no seasoning and need more salt, they also could be crispier. The service could also improve - they didn't want to put the biscuit on a separate plate that came with the meal for my friend who is gluten free. Also make sure you call ahead or have a reservation otherwise you will be waiting! read more

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Was really looking forward to trying the food, I've heard great things. Put our name on the list and hostess put down wrong number, so we never got a text. Watched multiple people get sat when we're were next in line so we went and asked, then they realized the mistake. Said they sent us a text letting us know our table was ready, and that it must've not gone through because the wrong number and that they would text us when next table opened. Waited again in car for another 30 minutes and finally went back in to see what the problem was, they had put us back at the END of the line so they were seating more people in front of us. Overall waited almost an hour before leaving because restaurant was closing soon. Frustrating waste of time. read more

First time trying this breakfast spot. Just had a basic eggs, bacon, skillet potatoes, toast breakfast. All items were really good and cooked perfectly. The bacon was extra delicious. I thought prices were a little high but the food was excellent. Friendly service and neat decor. read more

We were made to feel at home as soon as we walked into this busy, cozy restaurant. As we sat at our first table the server saw me put on my sweater (right under the A/C unit) and quickly whisked us away to a different table. Then we met our friendly, knowledgeable server, Kathy, who made our experience special. We let her know it was our first time here. She went over specials, asking us our likes/dislikes, made sure our coffee was refilled throughout the meal and her recommendations were spot on for the quality and flavor of our meals. Hubby is a corned beef fanatic--had the corned beef hash served in a skillet and said it was well worth it. I'm a bit more adventurous and had the sweet potato bravas (after Kathy's explaination). How does the chef do it? So many flavors all complementing each other--a winner! This will not be the last time we visit this location. Hint: show up early--there was a line as we left. read more

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Cast Iron Kitchen is a must stop for great food when visiting Wilmington, NC. The food is outstanding and the staff is always on their game. You get incredible service along with some of North Carolina's most delicious meals. We have visited several times and have enjoyed every time. The restaurant has warm and rustic feel that is located in the Porter's Neck area with easy access from Market Street. You will be happy and full. We love it. read more

This place slaps you in the face with souther vibes the minute you walk through the door. Everything was delish but that SAUCE was top notch. They were attentive and made sure we were being helped even during a rush. read more

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Today, we had friends visiting from Virginia and wanted to treat them to a great Southern breakfast, so we brought them to Cast Iron Kitchen. We've eaten here many times, but this was their first visit. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a mistake. The food was very good, the service was excellent, and the restaurant was clean, just as we've come to expect. The problem wasn't the meal--it was a group seated at the table next to us. The group included a staff member (who was not working that day) as well as well as a family member of the owner along with three friends. They arrived one at a time and quickly became the center of attention for all the wrong reasons. They were loud, obnoxious, and their conversations were not appropriate for a family restaurant. When I say loud, I mean we struggled to have a conversation at our own table because they were constantly shouting over one another. They were also drinking heavily. New drinks were served before the previous ones were finished, and at one point, a half-full drink was simply poured into a fresh one. It was obvious that alcohol was contributing to their increasingly disruptive behavior. I was embarrassed that this was the experience our friends had at a restaurant we had enthusiastically recommended. On the drive there, we had talked about the owner's popularity and appearance on a Food Network television show. It made the experience even more disappointing to see someone connected to the restaurant behaving this way. Perhaps the next television appearance shouldn't be on Food Network--it should be on Jon Taffer's Bar Rescue. We will not ever be back! read more

What a great place to eat! This short rib hash was phenomenal and rich! I think it needed more salt but the famous hot sauce was worth it! Service was great and we had Grace! read more

Cast Iron Kitchen - Short rib hash - Southern Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

"We had a great breakfast. The wait staff was very attentive, and everything was very clean. The wait time was minimal, and we would definitely eat there again! read more

Solid reliable breakfast place. Chef truly has an eclectic slant and it shows in the menu specials. Service is efficient but friendly. The ambiance is good but as can be expected gets a little loud when crowded. You may also anticipate being asked to dine communal style at their larger tables especially on weekends when the volume is crazy. read more

This restaurant was recommended to us from a local! Plus the Restaurant was on Triple D! Everything we ordered was amazing! The friend chicken and biscuit in the dirty south was out of the world! The blueberry pancake tasted like a thin pound cake! So good! Our waitress was helpful in ordering and great personality! The restaurant was super clean. read more

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Was really good! I ordered the pork skillet. They're really busy on the weekends so make sure you go early! Food was southern comfort & service was excellent. Restaurant is family friendly and a great place to enjoy Saturday brunch! read more

Food and service were great! We took our dogs and eat outside. The place seems to stay busy but we didn't have a long wait.

Love this place. Have been eating here for quite some time. If not the best, has to be one of the best in Wilmington. I am glad that Guy Fieri had visited this place while visiting Wilmington. The whole staff including Lyndsey are amazing read more

We tried Cast Iron Kitchen on a rainy Saturday morning for a change of pace from our usual Wilmington breakfast haunt and because we noticed that it had been featured on Guy Fieri's Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives. Turns out that segment on Triple D was filmed back in 2018, but Cast Iron Kitchen is still heavily hyping it. My dining companion and I both tried the meat omelet with cheese. We both thought the omelet was OK and noted that it contained a generous serving of sausage. Neither of us cared for the breakfast potatoes, which were "skillet roasted" potato wedges. They had a starchy texture and would have benefitted from some extra time in the skillet to fully cook. My sourdough "toast" was neither heated or browned; it was just a slice of bread. My dining companion ordered the biscuit and received a huge, very dry, and overly salty biscuit. I preferred my piece of bread to the biscuit. The restaurant is attractively decorated. Our server was polite and attentive, and helpful. Cast Iron Kitchen is one of those places that is totally forgettable. The restaurant seems like it has evolved to deliver standardized meals at volume from the attention garnered by the TV segment instead of focusing on a great meal for each customer. It is unlikely that we'll ever think to return, unless perhaps that 2018 episode of Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives airs the evening before. read more

The Cast Iron Kitchen had a real cute vibe. There was so seating outside, but too windy today to partake. I ordered the BELT with a side of potatoes. The sandwich was incredibly large, as were the potatoes. I had to cut the sandwich in quarters and use a knife and fork to eat the potatoes. The BELT is just a BLT with an egg and some sauces that were very tasty. The overall portions were meant for a giant. I took half home and sliced the potatoes into a more manageable size and reheated them in my air fryer. The service was excellent. read more

Cast Iron Kitchen - BELT with potatoes - Southern Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

Absolutely unacceptable waitlist system. We arrived around 11:45 a.m. on a Sunday, put our name down in person, and waited for over an hour thinking we were on the list. When I finally checked with the host, I was told we were still far down because people had been calling ahead and getting placed ahead of guests who were already standing there. Letting call-ins jump the line over people who actually showed up is ridiculous and incredibly unfair. There was zero communication about this policy, and wasting an hour of someone's time like that is not okay. Completely turned me off from ever coming back, especially during brunch. read more

First off, one of the orders was for scrambled eggs which came out like a folded omelette. The eggs had a weird taste. Not sure if it's the oil they are using, but the egg whites didn't taste good either. The grits were weird and tasted pasty and undercooked. The country ham was dry and very salty. The biscuits were good and quite large enough to eat the next day with butter and jam. Overrated IMO. The service was great and the staff was friendly. read more

Cast Iron Kitchen - Southern Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

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We went to CIK at 10 am on a Sunday so we were pleasantly surprised that there was no wait & we were given the option of both indoor and outdoor seating. The Maple Cinnamon roll is a MUST get & I enjoyed the robust flavor profiles in the Dirty South Biscuit bowl because every ingredient shined through. There were numerous breakfast cocktail options & my friends who ordered this enjoyed them as well. I took off one star because our waitress would ask us a question & walk away in the middle of our response every time she engaged with our table. She also tried to take our plates away when we were still actively eating off them. We weren't super bothered by it - just seemed strange because there wasn't a line or need to quickly turn tables that day. read more

Cast Iron Kitchen - Dirty South Biscuit* - Southern Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

CIK is our favorite breakfast place. The service is wonderful and you will love everything on the menu. My favorite is their grits. Yum! You will not be hungry when you leave!! read more

I recently visited Cast Iron Valentines weekend. I called about 20 minutes ahead to get on the list (it was a 45 min wait). Arrived, checked in, and wait about another 20. Service was great but I wasn't enthusiastic about the food. I felt like the menu was just weird and a bit overpriced. I ordered an omelet which was just okay while my Fiance ordered the shrimp and grits. Th shrimp and grits were on the good side but just felt greasy. The restaurant itself was cute, farmhouse ish. read more

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Thank you for existing! This was the perfect way to end our trip! Besides it being a triple D joint, this place is awesome! The fresh food, decor, and service was the Perfect southern establishment. Home fries were cooked to perfection and the chorizo is to die for!!! Corn beef had the perfect seasoning, it brought me back to old school deli style seasoning for corn beef! read more

I honestly don't know what the big deal about this place today I went for the first time and I won't go back again I don't recommend it the wait is more than 40 minutes you can wait outside or in your car inside the restaurant they definitely tell you that you can't enter until they call you after ordering our food another half hour wait and the truth is the food wasn't great the service was regular nothing extraordinary. The prices are high and the wait is very long. read more

Cast Iron Kitchen - I had better omelette for much better price else where. - Southern Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

No complaints about this breakfast! Everything was delicious. Of course being DDD fans we wanted to check out what Guy got - The Not My Mommas Meatloaf and The Dirty South Biscuit, both were really good and super filling. I had seen on another review that the service was bad but we had excellent service and food came out in good timing. We went on a Friday morning and it was busy but we were still able to get a table, I do imagine the wait may get a little long on the weekends. It's got a southern country chic feel inside, nothing too fancy but a great place to stop in if you are in the area! read more

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This place was recommended by my Airbnb host, service was awesome. I went early on a Sunday before the crowds came. Was seated right away. I opted for the meatloaf sandwich and a pancake on the side. The sandwich had a nice flavor but was a bit dry for my liking. The grits were delish and creamy and piping hot. Prices were reasonable. read more

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I feel than when you order a full breakfast including grits, you should at least get more than a tablespoon of grits. Don't mind paying a little more than the average breakfast places, but was sorely disappointed in size of serving. Will not be returning. Cast iron kitchens too expensive for what you get. Will not return. read more

Not my mammas meatloaf was amazing. Great service. Stopped because it was on DDD and Guy was right!! Decent coffee too. read more

Cast Iron Kitchen - Not My Mommas Meatloaf* - Southern Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

Found this place on yelp and it was the first place I looked into and it looked amazing. The name Cast Iron Kitchen had me like, what, what, I have to go! We enjoyed the corned beef hash and the dirty south biscuit as recommended by our server, Vince. They were both amazing. The corned beef hash could not have been any better! We'll definitely be back. read more

Great waitress and fast service. Southern inspired food and cute country feel. The chicken biscuit was amazing!

I've eaten here a few times and the food is good. Nothing spectacular and definitely not worth waiting 45 minutes to an hour wait. DON'T BOTHER CALLING AHEAD!!! I can't stress this enough. When you call they will always tell you a time that is just made up. However, if they're not busy you should take a shot but you aren't really going to experience anything beyond any other restaurant in the area. read more

Wow what great food. I had the Dirty South Biscuit and it was excellent! My wife had the pancake and bacon and she loved it. Wonderful service and atmosphere. read more

This restaurant has amazing reviews so I brought my hubby here to try it together. Upon arriving I saw that the restaurant was featured on the show Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives so I was very excited to try it. I ordered the corn beef hash, hubby ordered the biscuit with chicken, bacon gravy ( the entree that Guy Fietti tried on the show) and a pancake. The portions were large and the presentation was above average! When I bit into a bite of my corned beef hash the flavors were off. The potatoes had a strange flavor and were not crispy. The flavor of the corned beef was good but all other elements of the hash (egg, beans, and cabbage) were not cohesive to the dish and did not add any great flavor to the corned beef. My husband said his biscuits tasted slimy. We realized that the gravy and the over easy egg yolk mixed together to create a texture nightmare. A slimy tasteless gravy. There is no need for an over easy egg on top of gravy. And on to the pancake, it tasted like Bisquick to me, but it was good and I enjoyed eating it the most. Overall I felt tricked when I came to this restaurant. The reviews don't match the true food and flavors at this establishment. Also I learned just because restaurant is reviewed on Food Network doesn't mean it's truly a good place to eat. read more

Cast Iron Kitchen - Corned beef hash - Southern Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

Always get the biscuits. Always. So good, we wish they opened for dinner daily! Take some of their hot sauce to go!

So far, it's the best brunch place I've had in NC. meatloaf is good but has too much rosemary for my liking. French toast is AMAZING even for a non sweet loving person. Potato's could have a nicer crunch to them. Overall a good breakfast place! Also the interior is nice and unique, definitely has one of this "it" restaurant vibes. read more

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2nd visit to give them a try after 1st moderately-good visit. I desperately HATE writing bad reviews, because I enjoy writing great ones for businesses, especially local owned! Unfortunately, it was just incredibly disappointing! It's shocking to me that every Saturday/Sunday morning it seems this place is packed with people waiting outside to get in. Maybe it's just the biscuits (which we did not have)? Arrived about an hour and a half before closing on a Saturday, so it was not busy at all. The entire service staff seemed like they were checked out and ready to go. Our server was mildly polite at the beginning, but looked at us like we were strange when we asked if we could have chopped tomatoes in our eggs, apparently they only use pico de gallo...I said, ok-plain scrambled would be fine but she said she'd "make that happen" with chopped tomato -- but eggs arrived with pico de gallo. Never had eggs with pico & wont ever again. Pancakes smelled delicious when they arrived, but were so dry and the un-fluffiest I have ever had, total bummer. Fresh strawberries on the side were OK until I got a few strawberries deep & realized that there were four or five halves that literally had black 'gunk' on them (like they had started to rot, and they served them anyways). Hubby asked for eggs over medium, they arrived barely cooked & barely over easy with white running everywhere. We asked if they could possibly re-cook the eggs...even saying that if kitchen was closing we didn't need them to. I've been a server in the past and would never ever be rude to servers - anything that comes out of the kitchen is not their fault... But I noticed our server talking to the cook in the kitchen, and it looked like he looked over at our table and rolled his eyes at us. When the server brought them out she slammed the plate down. At this point, we were afraid to eat them & just asked for the check. I was almost in disbelief, but looking around it seems like most of the wait staff was just completely rude... It's almost like they expect you to just eat what they bring you and if you don't eat it, then you're the rude one! Again, this was our second visit, and we were hopeful it would be better, or AS good as the 1st (which was OK but still not 5-star). If you want great breakfast AND great service, try First Watch, Sawmill, Donut Inn, or Brunches instead. read more

Try the spot for breakfast, when I was in Wilmington. An awesome spot with good southern breakfast, options, and great service. Started with the cinnamon roll, it was massive and delicious for only six dollars... Then I tried the fried chicken biscuit with gravy, and that surely did not disappoint. The gravy was delicious, the biscuit was awesome and it was plenty of food. Would definitely come back here if I was in the area. read more

Cast Iron Kitchen - Southern Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

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Out with a group of friends and we heard this restaurant was featured on Triple D so had to stop by and try it out! It was a pretty good spot, pretty crowded, and the service was good. The parking lot is tiny for all the stores there so it may be hard to find a spot. The breakfast sandwich on the biscuit was extremely fresh and the bacon and egg really topped it off. The potatoes were good though very salty. Overall some of the meal prices seemed excessive, but the quality is there to match. read more

Cast Iron Kitchen - Breakfast Biscuit or Sandwich - Southern Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

We like to watch Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives to look for places to eat when visiting areas. We saw Cast Iron Kitchen on an episode and since my husband loves breakfast decided to drive an hour from Topsail Beach to try it. (We were far down Topsail.) The hour drive was worth it. We were seated immediately and it didn't take long to get our food. We ordered the Western Omelet, Sausage and Gravy Biscuit, Chicken and Pancake, and the Southern Breakfast. Everything was delicious. The biscuits are huge! The cheese grits were perfect. Husband thought the sausage gravy was awesome. Our server, Lindsey, makes a great cup of coffee. She was super friendly and helpful. Everyone was nice. We plan to visit again next year. read more