Daddy Mac's Beach Grille is a great spot for lunch with the family! It's located up two flights of…read morestairs, but luckily there was an elevator, which was helpful for some members of our group. We visited with 8 adults and 2 kids. Since it was quite windy outside, we chose to sit indoors. When we checked with the hostess, we were asked to wait a few minutes until the tables were ready. The interior feels like a spacious, cozy dining room. There is patio seating, and the views are stunning, overlooking the beach area and pier. STAFF Kate/Kat? was our server and she was super attentive and friendly.She checked on us frequently and truly made our first dining experience memorable. FOOD I ordered the Crab Cake sandwich with a side of sweet potato fries. It was delicious! As mentioned on the menu, NO Filler, and they really meant that! The crab cake was seasoned and well-balanced. The tartar sauce was a great complement, tasting fresh and homemade. I only ate half my bun along with all the lettuce, tomatoes, and onions. The sweet potato fries were waffle-shaped and crispy. Everyone else in my party enjoyed their food and we had a few leftovers, which was taken in a to go box. All-around, good vibes, good service, good company and good views.

Food was good. The service was quick. We did takeout at the beach…read more Very convenient, clean and cool inside.

Savanna our watress was outstanding and very kind and courteous and very attentive to our needs.read more

First time in town, we stopped into JM's on the Water for dinner. Compared to other beach town…read morespots, it was fairly average overall. The staff was semi-welcoming, though it seemed like they were a bit overwhelmed during our visit. I ordered the crab cakes, and they did have good flavor, but they were very shell-heavy and a bit bready, which took away from the overall texture. The food was okay for the price point, but nothing particularly stood out or felt memorable. The highlight of the experience was definitely the drinks, which were great and fairly priced. It's worth checking out if you're in the area, but not necessarily a place I'd go out of my way for. Solid 3/5.

We've lived in the area for about 6 years. Eat out fairly often. This restaurant by far has been…read morethe most consistent in the quality of the food, which is the best of all the restaurants in the topsail area. It is not fine dining and has the sports bar vibe. It is a relatively small place and I recommend going on non peak hours in season. If you are into oysters, they have a great selection of both local and regional on the half shell. If you prefer cooked, chargrilled or steamed is a good choice. While the menu has a great selection of seafood, the chalkboard specials features extremely fresh local catches which change daily. While there are several restaurants in and around the topsail area this is the only one where I have never been disappointed. If you go at peak hours during the vacation season expect to wait but it is worth it. You can't miss with any of the steamed shellfish offerings and if you prefer fried there batter is light and not overpowering. As a sports bar, they have a large selection of tap and bottled beers and a good mixology of liquor options which is only outdone in my opinion by Rick's in Sneads Ferry

Whenever a restaurant puts "market price" next to an item, I'm worried. But Dear Wife and I were in…read morethe low country and we wanted a low country boil. So that's what we got. I could've asked the price upfront (and usually do) but what the heck... we're on vacation. The server suggested we get a "double" and share it. OK. Sounds good. It came out quick. There was a TON of food for two of us. Shrimp, sausage, potatoes, corn. It didn't have a lot of seasoning also on it, but - no problem - there was a rack with every hot sauce you'd ever need, plus salt, pepper and old bay. We both ate our fill and even left a few potatoes. The bill comes and it's less than $40. It might be the cheapest great meal I've had in a long time. Or maybe it's the "greatest cheap meal" I've had in a long time... I don't know. Bar ambiance, but pleasant enough for families. Mostly high tables. It all seemed very nice.

This fish market is incredible! We've stopped by everyday to pick-up dinner. The fish is FRESH, not…read morefrozen. Local fisherman drop off their daily catch and much comes from Florida and along the coast. So far, I've tried the local lump crab (made incredible crab cakes), the large head-on shrimp, (shrimp scampi-yum), clams (made a stew) and the flounder (so dang fresh). I'll be going back for more today. They carry every fish you can imagine and live crabs. The fish is in coolers and they will fillet the larger fish for you. Prices are downright reasonable. The clerks are super friendly and will bag up your purchases with plenty of ice. They also carry seasonings and a few frozen prepared fish foods. There was plenty of parking during off season and no wait for service. I'm guessing that during peak season, things get busy. This market is a MUST visit for seafood lovers.

Just what you'd expect from a fresh seafood store at the beach plus some. A wonderful variety of…read morefresh seafood, fresh crab meat and plenty of other items from seasonings to fresh produce. The team there is super friendly and knowledgeable and we're eager to help. Prices also were very reasonable. It really is the type of local place you'd hope to find on a vacation and thoroughly enjoyed the shrimp!

Good food, super quick service, which I prefer. Pretty cheap for how much you get…read more Good vegetarian options. Pretty clean, quiet.

Ordered take out ordered the lobster and tempura shrimp rolls. Both were delicious, each roll had 8…read morepieces in a a roll. More than enough for two meals. Should have ordered one roll, but now I have rolls for two meals. If you are a bigger eater than my self, two rolls may be worth your money.

Great food, service at a reasonable price. Good atmosphere,…read moreshort wait to be seated. Staff is very friendly and helpful. Appetizers and entrees were great.

Our second visit to Fishmonger's was a great experience! Our server was Sebastian, and he was…read moreknowledgeable, super attentive, and had a great sense of humor. I had the same dish as last time, the crab-stuffed flounder, with peppers and onions and a tarragon sauce and it was absolutely fantastic. My husband had the burger with bacon jelly and aioli and it was cooked perfectly, the steak-style fries were excellent. Shout out to the roasted asparagus and the hush puppies with honey butter too, so so good. The rustic style interior and openness of the restaurant provide great atmosphere, and the location on the mainland in Surf City is worth the drive. We find opportunities to talk up this restaurant locally, and will be back again soon.

we had the best time at the outside bar. Morgan was awesome! it was swamped and she was handling…read morethe whole area. we got our drinks quick and the steamed shrimp were great! the peached whale is so good.

We had a really disappointing experience here tonight. We…read moreput our name in at 7:00 PM for a party of 6 and were told the wait would be about 45 minutes. That would've been fine -- but we ended up waiting an hour and 20 minutes with absolutely no updates or communication from staff. No check-ins, no revised estimate, nothing. By the time we were finally seated, we were starving and ready to order immediately. We came specifically for the crab legs, and as soon as my sister ordered them, our waiter casually mentioned he "thought" they might be out. He went to check... and confirmed they were completely out. To make it worse, the table next to us -- who checked in after us and were seated before us -- had just gotten the last of the crab legs. So after waiting far longer than promised, with zero communication, the one thing we came for wasn't even available. And the cherry on top was the fact that our waiter kept forgetting about us and we had to wait so long for the check. That's not just frustrating -- it's poor management. If you're running out of a key menu item, especially something as central as crab legs, that needs to be communicated to waiting guests. And seating later arrivals before earlier ones just adds insult to injury. We left extremely disappointed and won't be coming back.

Had the best time at JM's! The music being played is excellent and the bartender, Brittany, was…read moreawesome!!! Brittany engaged with me with zero judgement and even told me I remind her of her aunt! That was very endearing! I also met the owner, Mike, who was very sweet. There are pool tables and dart boards and all the local regulars!! I'll be back!! Watch out Brittany, pour my drink, please!!

I got shrimp and red snapper from here to cook for dinner. The shrimp was phenomenal. The red…read moresnapper was good. I'm a fan of small local fish markets, and this one fits the bill. When you walk in, it doesn't exactly scream "fish market" - as it took me a few minutes to even find the fish. The staff there that day (one person) was friendly, but when asked for suggestions of what was good "everything." The owner of the bar (of the same name) next door came by to hard sell his place. He wasn't wearing a mask, and I tried to interject that I wouldn't be coming by because my kid is too young to eat out around people - but he really didn't catch on. Sigh. I went on to get the shrimp and the red snapper. I paused trying to do the math on how much. The friendly bar owner then insisted I wasn't getting enough for "that many people" - and I should double it. I don't exactly know why I listened to him (I think I was just ready to go) - so I bought what he said. After a rather hefty bill. Getting home, I pulled out the fish and it was 2x what I needed. Sure enough, we had left overs. I don't know if you've ever microwaved left over red snapper - I don't recommend it. So - the interloper from next door brought down the score, but the shrimp was so good I can't imagine going less than 4 stars.