I'm so glad I had the opportunity to visit the Frying Pan in late April! This restaurant is very spacious and sleek, the service is excellent, and the view from the dining area is incredible. My mother and I split the "Safe Haven" and could not stop talking about how delicious it was. Before our meal arrived, we fell in love with the hush puppies. Since we hadn't finished all of our hush puppies by the end of the meal, we asked for a to-go box. Jennifer, our waitress, was fantastic. Instead of bringing us a to-go box for our leftovers, she brought us a to-go box full of fresh hush puppies with two small containers of honey butter. We will definitely return to the Frying Pan. P.S. Be sure you order a sweet potato biscuit if your entree doesn't come with one already! read more

Frying Pan - "Safe Haven" - Seafood Near Me - Southport, North Carolina

Delicious food with an amazing view! Lunch for four. We started the meal with some complimentary hush puppies with butter. YUM!!! I had the oyster po boy which came with fries, slaw, and a sweet potato biscuit. The oyster po boy was very different from ones that I've had before- the oyster was lightly fried and well seasoned. Next time I would skip the bread because it was pretty hard, which made it difficult to eat. The fries were great....but the sweet potato biscuit was to die for!! Our server was great, and joked around with us a bit. The service here was also fast! read more

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Nothing special about this place. We ate outside and it was beautiful weather to do so. The food is okay. I don't know that I would come back to eat again. I however did really enjoy the biscuits they serve with your meal. Very good! The staff seemed to be irritated with one another when we ate there. As a first time customer, seeing employees argue in front of each other before you're even seated is a huge turn off. Not a bad place.. Just okay. read more

Probably not worth the wait food just fair very noisy fish or appetizers nothing special would go back

I love their crab cakes! HUGE PORTIONS! The view was great. It was nice to feel like I was outside while enjoying the comfort of being in a building but on a deck. Surrounding area is beautiful for a digestive walk. Highly recommend. read more

Frying Pan - Seafood Near Me - Southport, North Carolina

Meh. Great view. That's about it. Food leaves a lot to be desired. Hush puppies were stale and bland. Coconut shrimp was just awful. Grouper sandwich probably worst I've ever had. Little tiny bits of fried grouper. A shame really. Such a great location. read more

Frying Pan - Seafood Near Me - Southport, North Carolina

Food is awesome. Salads are best in town. The biscuit is to die for! This is hands down the best restaurant for price, quality of food and quantity. Also has the best view of the harbor. Service is very good. We have never had a bad meal here. read more

Great food, service was amazing, and the views are gorgeous. Salad and soup was perfect and the free hushpuppies were hot and so good. Grouper bites were tasty as well. Thanks Princess! read more

Frying Pan - Dinner views - Seafood Near Me - Southport, North Carolina

Our waitress was amazing, she was so helpful and gave some great advice. I do however being a foodie myself think this place is hyped up to much. My food was good don't get me wrong, but for a $34 plate of food (sea bass, grilled shrimp and bacon wrapped scallops) I feel like it was over cooked. The lobster bites were full of grease and couldn't taste the lobster. The view was amazing, but honestly I wouldn't go back or suggest going here unfortunately. read more

This place has a great atmosphere, awesome food and very fast, friendly and efficient staff. Have Mr. Peter, the bartender, make your great drinks! It's worth it and you'll thank me! All severs are incredible but if you want a cool server, ask for Kat! She's awesome read more

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Tried twice to be seated after 7 pm in the last week. Both times was turned away being told they were not seating anymore on both occasions. If you post your hours until 8 pm, you typically continue to seat people for dinner until 8 pm, change your hours to 7 pm if you are going to stop seating people. read more

Fried chicken wraps are good so is shrimp po-boy. Love the basket of hush puppies with honey butter. Those sweet potato biscuits are wonderful. Forget about getting fries. They arrived cold. Didn't have a good taste and no ketchup was provided. One of our folks ordered something grilled and it came fried. Staff is very friendly. Great view of the waterway. I would go back. read more

Always love stopping here. Great food and attentive customer service. Also the bread balls they send out to each table upon arrival are SO yum! We love having ladies outing cocktails here. They never disappoint. Great location and great menu options. See y'all next year. Keep up the great work :) read more

The views were amazing! The service was just okay but the food was delicious! I got the fried shrimp and it was great the person I went with got the safe haven with the unicorn fish and loved it. read more

We had an excellent time at the Frying Pan tonight with a large party. They were extremely accommodating after being turned away at the Fishy Fishy cafe down the street because one person from our party wasn't there. This was the second time we have gone to The Frying Pan. They have excellent service, beautiful views, and great food! The free hush puppies they give you as soon as you sit down are to die for! They have large outdoor porches for waiting area but we arrived tonight (4pm on a Saturday night) and was seated immediately! Def. recommend this to visitors and locals. read more

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One word.....AWFUL. Don't waste one penny here. Although they possess one of the best views of the waterfront in Southport, it's simply wasted by their terrible food and drinks. Begin your evening by enjoying a watered down cocktail coupled with tiny, rock hard hush puppies (at least those are free!). Then be careful what you choose off the menu, because much of it won't be available anyway. I ordered crab cakes; maybe the should have called them crab paste. My wife ordered salmon. Was probably fresh out of the Gortons frozen foods box. Roasted potatoes were more like petrified. Cole slaw was dry as cold hay. Oh, then you get hit with the bill - It'll make the Ritz Carlton look like a bargain. Nuff said.... read more

Yelp review Beautiful decor and interior design. Open, yet not too bright, homley and comfortable... The food..... NOT WORTHE THE PRICE TAG My Fish platter and her steak wraps were devoid of flavor. The fries were delicious however and our drinks all be it in little plastic party cups, stayed full. read more

Although the service was quite good and the location is excellent, if you're interested in food this is not the place. We went for lunch expecting something fresh and found institutional food. The hush puppies where are all exactly the same size and shape and had obviously been pre Frozen and reheated. The french fries were also Frozen and reheated. Not sure what they're trying to do here but with a name like the frying pan they should probably change it to the freezer. The main course that we had was acceptable only because we were very hungry read more

Good seafood at a good price, good sweet potato fries. Service was pleasant. Lobster Mac and cheese was not the best I've had but still good. read more

We enjoyed our dining experience at the Frying Pan. It was rather crowded but they did have outdoor seating available. It was nice sitting outside overlooking the ocean. The service was fantastic and the waitress was very polite and helpful. The gator bites, crab cakes, coconut shrimp and shrimp po' boy were all delicious! We also like the sweet potato biscuit that was served with the shrimp po' boy. The house Cajun cayenne hot sauce is great and I ended up buying a bottle to take home. This was our first time eating here and this restaurant has just become one of our favorites in the area. Can't wait to eat there again! read more

LOVE Frying Pan. We are locals are go all the time. The staff knows us and are always so kind. Plus the views are amazing! read more

Frying Pan - Outside seating - Seafood Near Me - Southport, North Carolina

great food and unbelievable service! stopped in for Sunday lunch and are we glad we did! waitress was out of this world and the food was delicious!!! restaurant was clean and overall fun! thanks!! read more

Just average Food was okay, restaurant its self rather loud. Just nothing special. Waitress was nice, friendly and very catering to our table. Having seen the Frying pan from the water, it's impressiveness had me expecting more. read more

Excellent food, good prices for portion sizes. Calamari was cooked perfectly. Appetizer came out quickly. Entrees took quite a while which is why it got 4 instead of 5 stars. Grouper was good, shrimp was good. Coleslaw was pretty bland. Service was good, overall a good experience. read more

Was looking forward to dinner tonight, I've been wanting to come since our trip here last summer. Unfortunately, I was extremely disappointed. Calamari was extremely salty, it was inedible. Ordered Blackened Sea Bass, it was over cooked and dry, however it wasn't salty, surprisingly it needed some seasoning. The green beans tasted like they could have been out of a can, soggy, cold and very salty. My daughter ordered the ravioli and she said it was super salty. Salads were missing and one of the meals never even arrived. We also ordered chips w homemade ranch dressing and they were delicious as were the hush puppies that were served upon being seated. They were short staffed so I won't critique the service. Best part of the evening was the view and the friends we were with so the three hours we spent there wasn't a total bummer. read more

Frying Pan - Southport, NC - Seafood Near Me - Southport, North Carolina

The food was good. I had the blackened plate and some soup. the prices were a bit high and the glass of wine was small but I did enjoy the fish read more

They don't take reservations - it is FCFS. Which means a wait for dinner on most nights. We put our name on the list around 7:00 on a Thursday night and waited about 45 minutes before being offered seats at the bar (which we accepted because we were unsure how much longer it would be for a table - and we were hungry!). The bartender was friendly even though she was crazy busy. The cocktails we ordered were very good also - pricey, but no more so than other establishments in the area. I had the house specialty seafood platter which had fried fish, a crab cake, scallops, oysters, shrimp served over fries. Hubby had crab cakes. The portions were very generous and sides were included (they aren't everywhere) - so the food prices were pretty fair. They also give you a basket of fresh hush puppies which were addictive! And dinners come with a sweet potato biscuit - a lot of food so come hungry! Ok - so the crab cakes aren't typical of the area... they are flatter and fried (not broiled) but the dinner came with 3 and they were pretty big. They were served with a Cajun dipping sauce which was different- but tasty. They gladly provided tartar or cocktail sauces on request (seafood platter was served with these). My platter was delicious- fried, but not greasy at all. Very generous portions. Sitting at the bar was noisy and crowded- but it allowed a view into the food prep area and it was quite impressive. It's not a huge kitchen, but it was clear that everyone in there knew exactly what do do - definitely a "well-oiled machine". Despite how crowded the restaurant was, our cocktails and meals were served pretty quickly. The bartender and other staff were attentive and friendly throughout the meal. Sitting at the bar wasn't optimal because people are shouting over you to order drinks, but that's expected and our choice to take those seats. The restaurant was clean and well-run. One kind of funny thing was that they have no speaker system and quite a large area where folks were waiting (up & down stairs) - so the poor hostesses had to yell the names out in several directions. Not sure how they kept that up all night without losing their voices! All in all- this is a great place with terrific views and good food. Not fancy - just fresh and well- prepared. I just wish they took reservations... but we'd definitely wait again. read more

Why I don't take pictures, I don't know, but It will be some time before I lose the image in my mind of the grilled grouper po boy. Sounds simple, but it was beautiful looking and tasting. Sit and enjoy the water, get some chowder and mix it with the crab cakes. Good individually, but sooooo good together. Awesome service...worth the ferry trip...well done! read more

Great restaurant. If you want to be seated right when you get here plan to arrive right at 4 pm. They get packed quickly. Another thing is, you can see the kitchen and bar. And the cooks and bartenders eat in the kitchen. One of the bartenders tasted a drink with a spoon. Feels like a violation. One of the cooks I saw break a piece of fish of and eat it . They also have a plate of hush puppies in the kitchen they are each grabbing some every once in a while. read more

Stopped here before catching the ferry to BHI. Was very happy with the view when we arrived. They removed the glass panes to and replaced them with screens which provided an amazing breeze. The food was better than expected. I got a chicken wrap and the others I was with got a seafood platter. Whatever it is you eat here, be sure to try the sweet potato biscuits (amazing). Bottled beer selection was pretty good with your usual wines as well. read more

Frying Pan - Seafood Near Me - Southport, North Carolina

The view form the restaurant was amazing. We came to all you can eat crab night and waited for about an hour and we're told they were out of crab but the Manager gave us a rain check to come back any time for it. So we stayed. Dinner was good drinks are fun and fabulous. I would have done 5 stars but was disappointed with the wait and then being out of crabs. read more

My mom & I decided to spend the day in Southport because it's such a cute little town. We opted for lunch at Frying Pan. The view is pretty awesome, as the restaurant is raised (a restaurant on stilts), where you can see the water and all that fun stuff. We were seated right away! The service was impeccable. My mom & I decided to split the fish & shrimp platter. They even gave us an extra biscuit and side of coleslaw. Even splitting the platter, it was more food than we could eat. It was so good. The coleslaw was a little dry, but other than that the food was awesome. Our server was super attentive and got us refills often. I look forward to my next vacation in the area where I can come back to Frying Pan. read more

This place is missing an opportunity to be outstanding, is only still in biz because of its views. The views are truly amazing! The food subpar, on a scale of 0 to 10, a -5. I would go back ONLY to grab a drink and sit outside to enjoy the view. read more

My husband and I came to Wilmington in March 2020 as everything was closing down. We traveled down to Southport and looked forward to trying this restaurant after a friend suggested it. Unfortunately, due to our timing we were not able to. But we decided to come back to the area and we are so glad we got a chance to try it this time. Firstly.......the sweet potato biscuits are out of this world. I cannot say enough how delicious they are. We even had to get some extra to take with us. Secondly.....the shrimp and corn chowder was one of the best chowders I have ever had. So comforting and not heavy like you would assume. The recipe would be amazing to have since I live no where near Southport at the moment. My husband ordered the bacon wrapped scallops with the potatoes and green beans. Everything tasted amazing. Bacon was a little chewy but that is expected. He ended up removing some of the bacon and enjoying the scallops alone. We both loved everything. Our server was phenomenal! She was attentive, kind, and willing to work with our unconventional ordering. We wanted to try so much of their amazing menu. The atmosphere was relaxed and it seemed like everyone worked as a team to ensure every guest was taken care of. Defiantly on our list of favorite restaurants. read more

Just can't give you a 5 then it would be any room to grow. But the food here was exceptional. You can not go wrong on anything you purchase here. The service and food was awesome. Keep up the good work read more

A great place to eat in Southpork. The biscuits are weird but awesome. Great service, very chill staff. Nice view. Good menu

The Green Beens were absolutely delicious. It was the perfect balance of tangy and savory. The bacon chunks were a little sparse but otherwise absolutely delightful flavor. read more

Don't get me wrong, the view is absolutely gorgeous, but that's about all this place has got going for them. We got the house favorites the ravioli and the Cheesesteak, they were both inedible. The ravioli had enough garlic for 15+ dishes, I've never seen anything like it. The cheesesteak was a mushy mess. We spent $85 and left hungry and sick to our stomachs. I've been nauseous all night leading into this morning from eating here. Definitely wouldn't return under any circumstances. My wife and I both even agreed we would've rather had fast food over eating here. Overpriced and low quality food, major waste of money to eat here. we let your staff know the food was disgusting, and she said "oh my, I'm sorry to hear that" and brought me my check. After eating here I've learned from many people the food is underwhelming and you failed your inspection multiple times, I will not be returning to give you a second chance knowing your food quality and your standard of cleanliness but thanks for that input. I've only heard bad things since eating at your establishment, you have quite a reputation. read more

My best friend and I decided on this restaurant for lunch (Tuesday in June). We were offered indoor or outdoor seating, both have a great view! Our service was amazing with Riley. Hush puppies were a great starter, along with the coconut shrimp & the SWEET POTATO biscuits are to DIE for! We shared a salmon and both left feeling stuffed. We will be coming back!! read more

Food was good. Waiter was amazing. Ask for Hope. Sweet, funny and know her menu. Wait for downstairs back porch seating. If wait is long just walk over the American Fish Company for a cold beer and great view of all the boats. read more