The perfect lunch spot if you're in the mood for a cool view of the cape fear downtown and a relaxed vibe. I have been here a few times (for both lunch and dinner). The food is good and it's pretty consistent. However, it is not super memorable. Customer service is also a hit or miss. I have had awesome experiences and great waitresses and I have had not so great experiences and terrible waitresses. The food is also on the more expensive side but I think you're paying for the view and ambiance. There's a large bar inside and they have a HUGE selection of wines, beers, and cocktails.. which is always a plus! It's also pretty romantic during dinner time! They even light a lantern and give you some dim light action. I've come in a large group and we all ordered something different so I've had a little taste of most of the dinner menu and there wasn't really anything that would keep you coming back for more. If you're looking for 5 star food and excellent service this is not the place for you. If you are looking to sit outside and have a quick lunch and basic burgers and sandwiches are what you crave..it's perfect!! read more

Elijah's Restaurant - Black and Bleu Salad - Seafood Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

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My wife and I have been to Elijah's many times. It has a terrific view of the river. We always love the menu and service we've had in the past. We recently went here again and this time we left disappointed. The crab dip we started with didn't taste fresh and was very fishy. We returned it. We had the Carolina chowder and loved it. I ordered the mahi linguine and my wife ordered the salmon BLT with no bacon and we were both disappointed. The mahi I had was seasoned and cooked well but the cream sauce which was supposed to be Alfredo was unseasoned and bland. The pasta was cooked well but the sauce sucked. It tasted like bland white sauce. The salmon on my wife's BLT with no bacon on a pretzel bun tasted dry but she liked the pretzel bun. As dinner went on the service we received got slower and slower and we had a huge gap of time we had to wait for our entrees and dessert. For dessert we shared a chocolate mousse type chocolate cake which was tasty. Two hours we spent there for a so so meal and incredibly slow service from our server. I did see other servers running around but we weren't so lucky. It'll be a while before we decide to come back. C'mon Elijah's you're better than that. read more

Started visiting this place 25 or so years ago with my parents on weekend trips to Wilmington, went there on my honeymoon, and now return as often as possible. Wonderful service, history, atmosphere, bar, and food- there is a full up scale dine in menu as well as a refreshing dockside menu. Love this place! read more

Elijah's Restaurant - Elijah's from the Wilmington River Tour - Seafood Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

The good, bad and the ugly. The good: The waitress was very sweet and cordial and everyone at the table raved about the fries. The ambience on the patio is a pleasant way to spend an 80 degree afternoon while sippin' a little something The bad: if you plan on waiting for a patio table by hostess stand #2 (by the patio), expect waiters to be whizzing by as they plow by you minus the pleasantries such as, "excuse me." While the waitress was pleasant, our water glasses were not refilled for the entire hour that we occupied the table but they sure were in a hurry to remove our plates- even while we were still enjoying our meals. Also, the appetizers took exactly 23 mins to hit the table after they were ordered. If lunchtime is this shoddy, I can only imagine what the dinner hour would be like. The ugly: Do you remember when the old lady in 80s film, The Princess Bride booed Princess Buttercup? That's how I felt about the crab cake. Boooo! Siskel and Ebert would have said, "Two thumbs down, way down." There was so much filler in the crab cake that it was reminiscent of a hush puppy. This is easily the worst crab cake I've ever eaten. I've had better crab cakes at greasy beach shacks for less dough than this. Verdict: Meh. That's what competition is for. Where is Chef Ramsey when you need him? read more

Elijah's Restaurant - Crab cake or hush puppy? Maybe it's a crab flavored hush puppy. Too much filler makes Danny a dull, dull boy - Seafood Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

Pretty okay food. My food came out cold, and it was not good. I sent it back, but it was barley warm when they brought it back out. Service was great and prices were reasonable. Nice outdoor seating, but besides that I will only be coming back for the drinks! read more

Amazing atmosphere and staff. Vinny, the GM, took care of us and even followed up on a special request via phone as he promised. Over the top service and the food was great. Thanks again to Vinny and staff. We will definitely be back. read more

First time. Super friendly. Crab dip and fish tacos amazing !!!!!!! Strongly recommend, food was delicious and the view is an extra point read more

We ate at the raw bar side last night and it was so amazing! We had raw oysters, steamed oysters, Oysters Rockefellar, shrimp and fried okra. It was one of the most amazing meals I've had in a while. It was an oyster extravaganza! As for cocktails we had the Carolina Iced Teas, which is like a Long Island but more Southern. Brian was an excellent waiter and bartender and oyster opener when professional assistance was required. We will definitely be back next time we're in town. read more

Elijah's Restaurant - Oyster with good luck crab! Best oysters ever! - Seafood Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

Outstanding service and excellent menu! My wife's family and I stopped by with our in laws and kids in tow. Jacob, our waiter, was out of this world patient with our never ending asks for more and more delicious food. Everything came out great and we will happily come again when we visit Wilmington. Highly recommend the Carolina Bucket for a large group! read more

Carolina clam chowder, BBQ shrimp, Edna valley merlot... color me happy Not rushed, pleasant view... even better read more

Elijah's Restaurant - Menu, sorry it's sideways - Seafood Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

Just like one of the previous reviewers, I wanted to give this place more stars but couldn't. The best thing that stood out, in my opinion, maybe because it wasn't that busy was the service. The server was very attentive and kept checking back to see how things were and refilling my drink without me having to ask. Unfortunately the food was just ok. Actually the appetizers were better than the main course. I started off with the Hot Crab Dip. Very creamy with some good size hunks of crab in it. The bread that came with it was good as well. That was accompanied by a cup of chowder. The soup had a good taste, but was a little cool, temperature wise, than I prefer. I like me some "Hot Soup Mother F***er!". The main coarse was just bland. I ordered the Cape Fear Stuffed Shrimp. The title of this meal is kind of misleading. The shrimp are not stuffed. Nor are they large like the description says. There is just a ball of breaded crab at the end of 5 small shrimp. Everything on this entree really had no flavor. And it was really too bad because I was looking forward to this entree. And at $20, it was a little over-priced for what you get. But I guess you get charged for the view from the outside seating. Not sure if I would go back. If I do, I might just stick to getting appetizers. read more

Elijah's Restaurant - Hot Crab Dip & Clam Chowder - Seafood Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

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Elijah's was okay, I suppose I expected a little more. When my husband and I arrived we were seated immediately good sign. Our waiter came to our table immediately and took our drink order and brought us bread after that we didn't see him for quite some time (bummer). We ordered our entree, note here our ice teas were empty and would have liked them refilled. We waited and and to asked another waitress for refills. Our entrees arrive very flavorful but the crab legs were cold. I really wanted to like this place. The location is phenomenal. read more

This is a good place. Go here at least once. I will likely be back. I wavered between 3 and 4 stars for this reason - I expected a little more. I think it will be more next time. I really like the setting and our server was absolutely friendly. So those are the high points. In detail: 1. We waited quite a bit after being seated for the first server to come to the table after seeing about 5 go by. It seems they may have been confused as to who serves where. I wanted that first beer. I had to wait. Don't THEY wait on ME? Call me crazy, but I think that's in the manual. 2. Once that was clear, our server was really very nice and attentive. 3. Selection of beers was really very good. Many craft brews represented. Many popular regular brews as well. 4. I ordered shrimp, wife ordered a crab cake sandwich. Here's where the trouble starts. The shrimp was really good, but I felt a little overpriced and under-presented. Shrimp was boiled, laid in the plate and sprinkled with old Bay. Granted, it was the appetizer, but though it tasted good, it just looked kind of "meh". Again, taste was good and our server was fast with my order of extra horseradish. 5. Wife's crab cake sandwich tasted like - TUNA! Now wait a minute. It was tasty and good. But I was conceived and hatched in the state of Maryland. I am part crab myself. I love the taste of crab meat. I also love Tuna and can taste the difference. Now, I was enjoying my beer and the nice sunset and was NOT in a crappy mood. So I didn't complain on her mostly eaten and enjoyed sandwich. BUT - It was TUNA. or at least cut with Tuna. Good, yes, but good Tuna, not all crab. Mostly Tuna. All said, I like Elijah's, but I am not quite trusting them. I will drink their beer, but I will be a little hesitant to order the "crab". Anyone with a novice's understanding of the seafood market knows there's sufficient cost incentive to substitute these two seafood options, and hope it's not noticed. Well, it was. Maybe a bad choice on someone's part. All said, the food, service, and beer was good. We were at the end of the meal when I sampled my wife's sandwich on a pleasant evening, so I wasn't going to go all chemistry lab on them. But it left an impression. read more

We have been to this restaurant in the past coming home from the Wilmington area. Great little spot on the water with outdoor seating as well as covered outdoor seating. The bar menu has very good options. I especially like the crabcake on English. Nice chunks of crab on an English muffin smothered with cheese and tomato. The rolls and mini muffins came out nice and warm. Our server Mason was very polite, professional, and attentive. Will continue coming here for a nice evening overlooking the water. read more

24 minutes agoNEW Could not have had better treatment and better food if I went anywhere. Right now I have difficulty walking, everyone went out of their way to make sure that I had a place to sit, as they are understaffed and there was a 35-45 minute wait. Friend and I had margaritas, made to order and chatted until we had our table. I ordered the olive and cheese bread, baguette with black and green olives with melted cheese, followed by shrimp and grits, with requested cheddar cheese. Sauce was like a white wine sauce that was so delicious, quite a few shrimp, and grits were wonderful. My friend had the Elijiah's red chowder and calamari with both horseradish and marinara sauces. Vincent the manager came and spoke with us for quite a while, he is a lovely person, as was all the wait staff, David and Ashlylynn? All were very concerned about our order and comfort. We had a delightful afternoon. Sat outside by the river and enjoyed the beautiful day. read more

Yesterday was my husband's birthday and we decided to celebrate the occasion by dining out. We went to Elijah's Restaurant to enjoy seafood and views of the water. I ordered a fish and chips meal. My husband loves Jumbo lump crab cakes and ordered that dinner meal. Sadly his crab cakes arrived with little crabmeat and about 80 to 85 % breading in the form of cracker crumbs. My meal was okay but his meal was awful as those crab cakes were so little crab and mostly cracker type filler. Our bill was almost $58 as he also ordered a cup of seafood chowder. He was very disappointed in the quality of 'jumbo lump' crab cakes but did not want to complain. Well after arriving home he had symptoms of numerous trips to the bathroom and sickness throughout the night and still today. I believe something was wrong with that crabmeat and that is why they cracker breaded it. I believe it presented some type of seafood food poisoning with the symptoms he has experienced. I wish we had not gone there now for that awful Birthday dinner. read more

What a great place to eat outside and watch the tourists and river drift by. I tried the special and am glad I did. I devoured two large fresh deep fried soft shell crabs over a bed of slaw and topped with a sea weed salad. I wouldn't have changed a thing and would certainly order it again. read more

Elijah's Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

I visited this place when visiting Downtown Wilmington NC for the first time. I was looking for something light as the day was 90+ degrees and humid while walking around town. I had the crab stuffed mushrooms and the calamari along with iced tea. It hit the spot. Nothing really stood out with the food, pretty ordinary. The atmosphere was great but what stood most was the service. Hannah was outstanding, attentive, and a pleasure to talk with. Note the service was a 5, the atmosphere was a 4 and the food was a 3. There you have it, a 4. read more

Whenever I move from Wilmington and reflect back on my time here, one image that will certainly stick out is a plate of a half-dozen raw oysters, a beer, and a view of the Cape Fear river on a warm day from the deck of Elijah's. I'll agree with other reviewers that the main courses aren't great: I've had a passable catfish sandwich and a downright horrible seafood mixed grill, among others. Elijah's is my personal favorite though for raw oysters (after being unimpressed with Dockside and Shuckin' Shack on multiple visits). They get them local during oyster season (months with 'R' in them for the uninitiated) and from the Gulf at other times. They come with copious crackers, good cocktail sauce with a dollop of horseradish on top, and, like every meal at Elijah's, they serve you a basket with rolls and cornbread muffins (which I've really enjoyed) when you sit down. This is my favorite place to take a book on a warm afternoon, sit down with a beer, and then slowly shift into an oyster snack. Go elsewhere for entrees but give Elijah's a chance for oysters and ambience. read more

Elijah's Restaurant - Oysters and beer (they have Highland on tap) on a warm afternoon at Elijah's, nothing better. - Seafood Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

I would like to file a complaint. Drove all the way to Wilmington to eat at your restaurant. I walked inside of the restaurant from the pier and waited at a kiosk to be seated. Had seven different waiters/waitresses look at me and my partner - and witnessed how none of them came to offer a menu, seat us, or even let them know they'd be there with us shortly. Worse case of customer service ever, and the most obscene display of "not my problem" at a restaurant ever. read more

Very upset with this establishment. Walked in with a table of 8 on an understandably busy night but the way it was handled was not understandable. The hostess told us it was an hour wait and it was not an hour wait. We waited almost 2 hours while others were sat in areas that could be seated at that were walk ins because they do not do reservations of less than 8. Disappointing. read more

Great service and outstanding views! Food was alright. The wait time was long and looks like a very popular restaurant! Being right on the river walk was a huge plus! read more

We were very disappointed with the overall experience, to start out the waiter was great at not doing his job except for when the overpriced ticket was gave to us. Our waiter came over to our area more times in that short period of time- from getting the ticket to being able for my better half to get the debit card out of her pocket book- then the WHOLE TIME WE WERE AT THE PLACE. The food wasn't hot, not a good seasoning, not close to being enough for even half the price THAT IT was. I had to get up and go to the bar for a refill of WATER! I could go on but I think u get it. read more

Here is your secret - great view, very friendly staff and Manhattan clam chowder (often hard to find). One other secret - there is a parking lot across from the restaurant (hard to find street parking, there are a few other lots that are 2 blocks away). Staff is really friendly - we had parties that came in at separate time from 20 people to 4 to 10. Each time staff helped us arrange tables so we could sit together. A bowl of soup is $6 and a cup of soup is $4.50 - but the waiter will give you two cups for the price of a bowl - save a little money if you want to split a bowl of soup. Lobster roll, crab cake, shrimp salad, and turkey avocado sandwich were all top notch. The lobster roll sandwich full of lobster but probably to level where there was a loss in flavor from all the other sauces and "fillers". Shrimp were the small shrimp boiled and served. I'd give these two items lower rating. The New England and Manhattan clam chowder soups were great. The Manhattan clam chowder is a hearty soup - you'll get lots of clams and it is possible to eat with a fork. Highly recommended Small selection but moderate priced and good wines (I like wines) to pick from. Prices are moderate under $12 for lunch. Cape Fear River view (I can't get out of my mind the movie "Cape Fear" but other than that just a nice place for lunch. What I like most is this place seemed more open than not to different range of people. Not so high end that it feels stuffy. Located at the end of the city area it is a little less crowded. Walking out there are number of small artisan shops that is naturally inviting to art type people. I think the establishment wanted that coastal laid back feel and they did it. Outdoor seating, very friendly staff, good food, and seemingly open to all types of people PRO: All the items I mentioned above - view, outdoor seating, friendly staff CON: Food was good but not outstanding. Price is right. No real negatives just a couple of dishes were just OK. OVERALL - I love it. Would go back. A little away from the center - at the end of the town. Best of all was the terrific staff. read more

Here from Pittsburgh. My raw oysters were small and a few were warm. The oyster po-boy had 3 oysters on it. . The food took approximately 40-45 minutes to arrive and it wasn't that busy. Guess I'm a bit disappointed that I ended up here when I could have gone elsewhere. Sorry read more

The atmosphere is honestly what saves this review but I will be honest. The food is a solid 2-3 stars but I don't believe they should be charging the amount they do for basics like fish & chips. The appetizer we ordered, Olives and cheese, was honestly very disappointing for $9. I'm not asking for the world but at the same time I shouldn't be charged $9 for 4 small half slices of baguette with some cheese and olives on it. The portions are great, the food was okay at best. Wasn't something that I would go back and spend close to 70$ on for two people. Mind you our bill was only 1 appetizer, 2 entrees and one soft drink. The point of the restaurant is to basically enjoy the river and the sunset, which we would've enjoyed more if the windows were actually clean on the inside. Our server seemed very nice but at the same time didn't really come around to our table and refills were kind of slow. There seems to be some lack of communication due to the fact that the host brought us plates and water cups and the server also brought us a set of water cups. Lastly the food took way to long to come out. I'm not asking for McDonald's service, I know I'm at a sit down and it's not a 3-5 minute thing especially with steak. But I should not have waited 30-40 minutes for the 4 slices of bread with melted cheese and then another 40-45 mins in my entrees. We entered the establishment at 7 which we had to wait which is no big deal, and we left at closer to 9. Which I think with no drinks, barely any food that's kinda a long time. read more

Yummy shrimp and grits! Could've had more shrimp. Key lime pie is very sugary, not enough tart.

I ordered the Cobb Salad. It was exquisitely executed. The bacon was crisp, the egg perfectly cooked, the avocado wasn't overly ripe, and the lettuce was a mix of greens, not just iceberg. The view of the Cape Fear River is great! The area around the place looks like it is in transition. There were a lot of empty storefronts around them; however, there were repairs going on to them, so maybe in a year the area will be revitalized again. read more

We came for lunch today, having been before, when we found the food good, setting, despite being a bit touristy, was very nice on the river. Today was really a disappointment. Setting still good. Food bad. It was ILM restaurant week, so they had special menu from which my spouse ordered kale salad and steak tacos. Salad was a few kale leaves, hint of dressing. Tacos ok at best. I ordered raw oysters and a crab cake sandwich. Sandwich arrived before oysters, and I sent them back since I had begun with sandwich. Crab cake was a quarter inch thick, 2.5 inch diameter; couldn't have been 3 ounces, and more breading than crab. Awful. The capstone was that when our server told us the bar made its own Bloody Mary from scratch, not a mix. We ordered, and they should reconsider using a mix: first time I didn't finish a Bloody Mary. Another awful. This restaurant has fallen from decent to don't go. Better places everywhere. read more

Had a lovely late lunch around 3pm on Thursday. Our waiter, Jacob was wonderful! If they were short on staff it wasn't evident to us. Had the lobster roll (really yummy!) And the crab cake sandwich (a bit spicy. I wouldn't order again but I'm super picky on my crab cake. I think this was fried and I prefer lightly broiled.) Ordered a kids popcorn shrimp which was a huge hit. Chocolate cake (spoon one) and key lime were both delicious. Would reorder. Would definitely eat here again! read more

Overpriced for mediocre food. Chicken caesar salad was good and every bit was eaten. Got a salmon BLT and the salmon was good but a little plain. Oysters were really good. Shrimp salad was not good and didn't eat very much. Service was not good. Half of our table was finished with their food before the other half even received their order. Slow service and had to leave. The weather was nice and we sat outside. read more

I had not been herein a few years even though I am frequently in Wilmington. I was looking forward to the crab dip. It could be my memory fades but it seemed a bit too salty and not as horseradishy. It was still good but not great. My friend had the Tuna sandwich and said it was 'okay' nothing to write home about. It too lacked any real presentation, bun , sandwich fries. I had a black and blue Salad with copious chunks of prime rib. A great balsamic dressing and chunks of blue cheese. It was more than a meal and very good. Steak was tender, greens fresh, and blue cheese a plenty the steak was a bit luke warm, and the 'presentation' left something to be desired, a bit like hunk some meat and throw on greens. . It was a, solid 3.5 salad . Service was prompt and friendly. Overall a nice meal,not great. Did love the outdoor seating with river view. Definately one of Wilmingtons favorite places and one of the oldest on the wharf end. Overall the food is just average, nice size serving and decent presentation and the service was good for a busy lunch crowd, but for the 45.00 plus for two with no drinks, not sure it's a bargain. I could be wrong , and as I said my memory is weak, but I really felt like it was better in years past. Nothing spectacular here but for those visiting Wilmington, you will likely enjoy the view, and the meal, but it won't be anything you write home about. Dress- For lunch it's casual , in years past dinner was more upscale but this may have changed so call and ask. read more

Elijah's Restaurant - Crab dip - Seafood Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

We stopped in after walking around in the hot sun for a late lunch. Everyone was a little grumpy and we were looking at a wait for a table, so we decided to sidle up to the bar with our children. The bartender was great. He let us order for the children first. The children got some standard kid fair, grilled cheese and chicken tenders. They brought theirs out first and it may have been some of the best kid food. We got fish and chips, chowder, crab stuffed mushrooms and my parents shared a salad and crab dip. We were all very happy with our choices. It is a nice, not to fancy waterfront joint and we all enjoyed it. read more

Fair food at best. 6 of us came her for a late Sunday lunch. Four of us got salads, 2 had fish tacos. Fish tacos were the WORST we have ever tasted!! No flavor. Very slow service. Won't be coming back. Yuck. read more

This was such a great place to grab some lunch on our way back to Charleston. Riverfest was going on so it was delightful that we found a place that wasn't packed and a little ways away from the hustle and bustle of the festival. We were in the mood for some seafood and this definitely fit the bill. Not to mention the view. The restaurant inside was pretty spacious but we opted to enjoy the beautiful weather and sit on the patio overlooking the Cape Fear River. I ordered the salmon BLT and it was so good. It had a Dijon marinade and was grilled to perfection. The service was great as well. Knowing Wilmington is a film community, it was cool to find out this was also used in filming as Pacey's restaurant. All you Dawson's Creek fans know what I'm talking about. If you want a great outdoor atmosphere with some pretty on point seafood, it's definitely worth the visit. read more

Elijah's Restaurant - Salmon BLT - Seafood Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

I ordered take out of Shrimp and Grits. First the take out box felt like it was empty it was so lite weight. My order turned out to be a pile of rice with a few small shrimp for $19. Rosalyn read more

3 tequila and grapefruits with 0 buzz. I'm 110 lbs! Food was good, but 3 drinks (I was stone cold sober when I went in, it was lunch!) and no buzz at all. Not going back. read more

Two senior couples had lunch outside on river front. We ordered the regular size Caesar salad that was enough to share with one other person. Everyone ordered a cup of soup 2 red seafood and 2 creamy chowder. Each was delicious. Food coming out to other tables looked delicious. Our server was a young lady named Alex K. Very polite and efficient. Would look forward to returning here next trip to Wilmington. Highly recommend this restaurant. read more

The shrimp and grits with the mushroom risotto is delicious. Highly recommend! The kids chicken tenders were crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. My friend was going to remove the breading of the fried shrimp, until she tasted the tender goodness of the shrimp inside. The cheese bread was amazing. I could eat that all day. The view is great, especially during sunset. read more

It was decent. It had a great view and good drink deals. The crab dip was sort of bland the fried shrimp wasn't crispy at all but it had good flavor! read more