Fresh food, clean, fast, friendly service & beautiful view to top it off! One of our favorites when we visit Southport. Keep in mind their hours as they are closed the beginning of the week. Only left off one star because it is pricey for a casual seafood restaurant, about $10 for kids meals & fountain drinks are $4. read more

This location and its service was delightful. The service from our waitress was good. The seafood was fresh and brought to us while still hot. For a family eating out its important to feal relaxed and know that the environment is welcoming. The pictures and description on the menu were reflective of what we ordered. read more

Marvelous view. The entire restaurant is elevated and has a lovely view of the water. Food was very good. The hush puppies were very good, the chowder was a bit on the spicy side and totally delicious. Apparently, it won some competition. The crab cakes were flavorful, though the sauce it came with didn't seem to complement the crab cakes well. The crab cakes seemed to overpower the sauce. Service was friendly and efficient. They handled my large group's request for separate checks without batting an eyelash. Bathrooms: Spacious and clean; however, only one for each sex and single-occupancy. The other annoying thing is that the paper towel dispenser is way far from the door knob so you can't do that thing where you open the door with the paper towel and toss in trash. The trash can has a lid so you can't throw it across the room. read more

Went and ate while on vacation. Service was awful saw different servers pointing and talking about our table but not getting any help. Finally got hell and our waiter seemed very displeased to be helping us. We asked for refills and he turned his back and said well I just can't keep up. The food was ok. The food had no flavor and tasted like old frying oil. We didn't really enjoy anything. We used to love this place. Seems to have gone downhill. read more

Huge portions of delicious seafood. We took out of town guests and they loved it and so did we. The sweet potato biscuits are to die for. Had a bit of a wait for seating and then food, but worth it. read more

Amazing food. My spinach salad was perfect and the shrimp and grits was awesome! The star of the meal was the sweet potato biscuit. Better than any bread/biscuit/bun/donut/roll I have ever had. Shrimp and grits one of the best I have ever had. Loved the open kitchen so you could watch food being prepared. Service was excellent and the water view even better. Really want to give it a 1 star so folks don't discover it but can't. It is too good. read more

Yuck. Over fried, horrible fries that were flavorless, shrimp sandwich wrap was like breaded hell with a few measly shrimp and over abundance of wrap. Crab cakes were mushy, gator bites tasteless without dipping sauce. Chef needs lesson in seasoning and fresh ingredients read more

Good Lord...the sweet potato biscuits!!! We had such a good meal here...little kids were happy, parents were happy, grandparents were happy. Would love to come back someday. read more

I like to update my review on this place as we come once or twice a year on vacation. We visited twice this year and I'm happy to say it has maintained quality and maybe gotten a bit better. The pan-seared grouper continues to be my favorite. Light, fluffy and perfect. They have included a new side on the specialty plates, wedge-cut seasoned potatoes. They were good one trip, but slightly overcooked on the second. Still, that was a minor quibble. We had a flourless chocolate torte for dessert that was very good. Service was excellent one night and pretty good the other. The view is as spectacular as ever. This year we got to watch dolphins frolicking in the waterway as we ate. Seriously. read more

Went there the other day. Great view, attentive waitress BUT the food was a huge disappointment. Average price per Entree is about 25.00 each. the Crab cakes were a disgrace. Deep fried, greasy, UGG!! Will not be going back!! read more

That was way too expensive for the quality that was given.The hush puppies and chips were good but I definitely do not recommend the crab-cakes or chicken pot pie.bueatifal restaurant but quite honestly I was very let down .they charged for fountain drinks and but the service was pretty good .There are a lot better seafood restaurants for way cheaper, but to each their own. Shrimp and grits were good , but other than that the dishes were not traditional.The dishwear was cheap for being charged per cup , supposedly formal restaurant but showed less than in reality. read more

First of all, it was a gorgeous, sunny day in Southport. From the second story of the Frying Pan (there is an elevator) the views over the beautiful blue waters were breathtaking. Three of us were dining for lunch today. One person ordered the shrimp and grits and quite literally devoured every morsel. Definitely a 5 star choice. I had the shrimp po boy and it was filled with a generous bounty of crisp delicious shrimp. The sweet potato biscuit was a welcome surprise. Another 5 star decision. But the most impressive factor was the third person in our group. She has a plethora of serious food allergies. The chef came to our table to be certain of her precise dietary needs and then created a special salad just for her. We were beyond impressed. Excellent service, tasty food, a reasonable price...and the million dollar view. We will be back...again and again! read more

My family and I have been coming here for years. My dad is an OKI native and I always ask him if we can eat here every time I visit. Never a disappointment! Love the atmosphere, love the food! If you want an awesome view with a gorgeous sunset, this is your place. As far as food, the grilled chicken wrap is a favorite of mine, you can never go wrong with it. However, the sautéed spinach was a little too garlic-smothered for my liking. Overall the place is great! read more

Frying Pan - Grilled chicken wrap - Seafood Near Me - Southport, North Carolina

Bad food but the cocktails and view are definitely worth going for. For food, we ordered the crispy lobster bites, grouper nuggets, and the galley combo "cajun style". We also drank a pair of cocktails apiece and we loved each one we tried. The sauce with the lobster bites was terribly bland and weak and the bites themselves were mostly breading with just a suggestion of lobster inside. The grouper nuggets and the sauce were decent if also a little bland. The big disappointment was the galley combo. Apparently, this restaurant interprets "cajun style" to be cover the seafood in a crispy, disgustingly salty, blackened batter. We tried to pick off the batter to get at the seafood underneath but it was a difficult to ask. It's likely my fault for misinterpreting the menu and expecting cajun style to indicate cajun spices and not extra salt. However, I highly recommend avoiding cajun style from this restaurant at all costs. Even with the bad food, we still enjoyed the view of the water and the cocktails. I can certainly recommend Frying Pan on that alone. read more

We have eaten here several times. The view is really nice and the food is ok. It isn't my favorite place in town, but they seem to be consistently average. I like the frying pan chowder. My husband gets the cajun shrimp wrap and he enjoys that. They do a good job if you have large parties and kids. The kids seem to like the chicken tenders. Go here for the view, but don't expect award winning food! If you want better food at a lower price, there are other choices in town. read more

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First time visiting Frying pan and it was hands down excellent. Big shout out to the kitchen crew and wait staff. Pete was very nice!! Loved the fantail shrimp my husband had to buy some to take home. The sweet potato biscuit was out of this world! I wish I could get that recipe. Great view of the water and nice fresh atmosphere. Will return in the future read more

Frying Pan - Seafood Near Me - Southport, North Carolina

It started hopeful. Great view and open floor plan with good tea and hush puppies. Then, our food was brought to the table. The crabmeat in the crab cakes was microscopic. Bread cakes would be a better term. The green beans were canned as was the advertised "grilled" pineapple in the salad. The roasted potatoes were good. The sweet potato biscuit was flavorless. It also became hard to relax in the dining room because of the music. One type of music was playing for the dining room and the open kitchen had different music playing at equal volume. It's a great location and building. It's a shame the food makes you want to stay away. read more

Not a favorite is Southport. I'm a seafood lover and to me this is tasteless fried seafood. No creativity. Grouper nuggets were all breading. I'd prefer to cook seafood at home than to eat here. read more

Great atmosphere and great food+drinks! Our waitress was super helpful and friendly as well! Would recommend..we will be back next summer! read more

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The Frying Pan Restaurant Style: Seafood and Low Country Food Last Visit: 04/06/18 Ambiance: A room with a view from a height with a woody bar with a cannot beat river panorama. Clean, capacious, with lots of windows so you can watch supertankers, pilot boats, the Coast Guard, Brunswick County Sheriff Marine One with flashing lights cruise by under the crusty eye of Old Baldy across the river mouth. Service: Nice cordial server willing to find out what the spices were. The corn and shrimp chowder stuck to my ribs on a windy day, but the cayenne burn in the back of my throat will not be to some tastes. Lunch special on our visit was a grouper Po' boy, but I eat grouper for dinner. You could probably eat lunch of the appetizers such as catfish bites along with the excellent hush puppies. Hush puppies are NOT the onion spiced variety which suited us fine. You could get the de rigeur fried seafood platters on the lunch menu, shrimp and grits, even scallops,but all that struck me as overkill at midday. The shrimp po' boy challenged us with its size and the accompanying sweet potato biscuits might add too much carbs for some but the flavor was wonderful. Mango dip appeals to the sweet tooth but not to mine. For Kids: Three options, all $8.95 each. This is not a great kids place but the adults will have fun and a view. Difference Dividend: Homemade desserts worth tasting if you have the room. Hours: They are open for some lunches and dinners but all, pretty consistent with local beach inconsistency. Call first. Expense Account: Beginning to look a bit pricey. Figure about $15 to $30 each. Adult Beverages: Full bar and limited wine cellar with about twenty beers wedged in beside the wines. They warmed my view of the river. read more

Our first visit to the Frying Pan was a disappointment after reading so many good reviews. We had lunch rather early, at the 11am opening. The ambiance is excellent. High ceilings with exposed trusses. Not a bad seat in the house with a panoramic view of the Cape Fear river and inland waterway. We were seated by the window overlooking the waterway. One suggestion: the Frying Pan needs clearer polymeric window film as the PVC they use causes optical distortion. What a shame as the view is wonderful. Our waitress was excellent: cheerful, informative, fast, attentive, and polite. Our lunch: - The complementary hush puppies were excellent, hot, fresh and delicious. By far the best item we had. - Small house salads were good (and large enough). The mango coconut dressing is delicious. Tastes like the tropics! - The Frying Pan Chowder was not quite hot enough, otherwise very good. Flavors of the sea with a bit of hot spice. - We decided to share an entree, the Safe Haven platter with pan seared grouper, grilled shrimp and bacon wrapped scallops. Sadly, all the seafood was over cooked, driving out the flavors. The grouper was dry and very salty. The green beans were cooked to limpness, southern style. The potatoes were nicely roasted. The sweet potato biscuits were very good. We paid $1 for a "share plate" which came with an extra serving of Cole slaw. Like maybe 2 tablespoons of slaw. Mind you, the slaw was very good! -$62 plus tip. Frankly, at this price point, our lunch can only be considered a disappointment. Two stars it is. As we were eating, I noticed several orders of fried foods being served. Shrimp. Flounder. Fries. Maybe oysters (I couldn't tell for sure, constrained by my genteel lady friend to remain a respectable distance from someone else's lunch). If the fried foods taste as good as they looked, then we made a big mistake going "healthy". Anybody can have a bad day so we will be back. You can count on me going to the fried side on the next visit. read more

Awesome view and awesome food! I got the pink bikini drink and it was really good, also got the lobster bites! Wow! The sauce that comes with them is a little spicy but they are soooo good! read more

Awesome location...Awesome service...Awesome food. Their chips were very good. I had Pete's chicken sandwich and it had an very good unusual combination of tastes. My girlfriend had the chicken fingers which she liked. Evening was great with a nice breeze blowing through. Really enjoyed this place. read more

My boyfriend took me here for my first time in Southport, him never been himself.. We were blown away, crab legs and salmon were so good! the hush puppies were a perfect lil snack n the drink menu is super fun ! The staff is awesome n you can tell they work as a team and can push through a rush for sure. Thanks for having us! read more

Food was amazing and staff was friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. We sat at the bar and the owner/chef took time out to talk to us and provided us with a sample of the shrimp and corn chowder and grits with gravy. We got the grouper po'boy. It came with fries, slaw, and the most delicious sweet potato biscuit I've ever had. You're missing out if you don't stop in here! read more

Frying Pan - Hush puppies - Seafood Near Me - Southport, North Carolina

Good food! We got right in on a Saturday night. But we were earlier than the normal crowd. Good social distancing too!

Fantastic views! Beautiful day with tasty food! Service was great! Had the shrimp po-boy and it was huge! Wish the slaw portion was a little bigger to match the sandwich but that's just nitpicking! read more

Awesome meal and view in South Port NC. South Port NC is a great place to a visit spend a vacation. read more

Was so looking forward to trying this place. It was just okay. I will have to give the wait staff their due. They were amazing and on top of the service. I ordered the crab cakes and there was not much crab. Not impressed at all. I did enjoy the shrimp and corn chowder. I asked several people at our table how they felt about food and they agreed it was just okay. It was not terrible food just was expecting more. Great atmosphere to enjoy a meal. read more

Great location especially when the weather is beautiful. Food is average. Green beans are overcooked. Only canned and Bottled beer, need good draft options read more

We stopped here while on vacation and had a very good lunch. Though several restaurants around were busy, they had plenty of seating and were accommodating of our toddler. There weren't a ton of options for my husband who doesn't eat seafood, but overall it was a good lunch in air conditioning, which was much needed after walking around town for a few hours. One request to management - please add a changing table in the men's bathroom. Dads sometimes need to change a diaper. read more

I had high expectations for this place. We waited a very long time to get seated due to it being very popular, so we were all very excited to try the food. Unfortunately, everything I ordered was unexpectedly poor. I could hardly cut through my chicken fried steak, it was so tough. The taste was as disappointing as the texture and this was consistent with everything else on my plate. The $4 sweet tea I ordered, which came in a small plastic cup, and the $20 meal, that I could hardly consume, was incredibly unpleasant and upsetting. This place received 2 stars and not 1 due to the friendly service, NOT for the food that was not worth the price. Would not come here again. read more

First and foremost, the staff here was outstanding. Very efficient, friendly, and hard-working. One young man (Dylan/Dustin?) was busting his butt all over the place. Kudos to all them! Now, regarding the establishment. What a shame that this prime piece Southport real-estate is basically living off the overflow from Fishy-Fishy and Provision Company next door. The overall menu just screams Hwy 17 Myrtle Beach. Not local or ecletic in any way shape or form (maybe that's their target market). The laminated menu should have been my clue to go get in line at Provision. My wife and I both had a shrimp cocktail, which of course, is hard to mess up, and they didn't. Six nice size shrimp in a martini glass filled with a very servicable cock-tail sauce. I had the crabcake appetizer as my entree and blech, I actually had to come home and look up the menu to see again what that cup of sauce was. "Cajun Cream" tasted alot like weekold KFC gravy. Crabcakes were small, fried way to long and not crabby at all. Wife had a spinich salad which was right out of a bag. So, in all fairness, not a great sampling of product to judge, but part of that was the menu just didn't speak to me with anything that looked appealing. This place could use a remake and take advantage of the great space they have. read more

Great location overlooking the river from a raised position. Our meal consisted of pan seared grouper, fried shrimp, and crab legs. The crab legs came out cool, not steaming hot like they should be. Waitress right away said she would get us fresh legs. In the meantime we all shared and loved what we had ordered. Upon delivery of the new legs, was told the $27 order was credited to our bill for the extra wait time! Amazing! Then we looked down and realized they gave us a double order of legs too! All of the food was great. Waitress (laura we think?) was fantastic. Really enjoyed our time and gave a good tip as a thank you. read more

This place was perfectly efficient and the food was phenomenal. I had to buy a shirt. Please support this local restaurant. I was in town on a rescue mission to save the Syringa and relocate it after the hurricane and it was apparently a must go to restaurant. My grouper bites were delicious, the hamburger steak was delicious. Lobster Mac and cheese was delicious and service was on point. Every COVID precaution taken. Go there! Eat, drink and enjoy the view!!! read more

Despite their air purification system, the servers were non-compliant with wearing masks and NONE of the kitchen staff: the people who prepare your food, are even wearing any masks!!!! read more

Food quality was poor. Service was terrible. 4 out of 5 of us got sick. MSG might be added to food. If anyone has,experienced weird after effects of eating there please email or message me. PAKtwins@aol.com read more

Ate inside because it was busy.. beautiful view. Wore mask to table then removed. Servers all wore mask. Food was delicious. Had lobster mac n cheese that came w a fresh salad and delicious homemade ranch dressing. read more

My husband and I ate dinner there figuring with all the good reviews it received we would have a delicious dinner. It was awful! My husband had the shrimp and grits. I don't know what the brown stuff was on top of the grits and if you dropped it on the floor the grits would stay in one piece they were so hard. I had the blackened fish and shrimp they were very greasy. Cocktails were awful they don't have a real bar. I would never go back to this place and I do not recommend this place. I don't understand the people that gave it four stars. Did they not eat there? read more

Went for dinner and immediately loved the location and classic seafood restaurant overlooking the water. The views and screened-in porch feel were great, as were the cocktails and service. The food, however, was not so great. The worst part was the crab cake appetizer, which we shared. This was two deep-fried cakes that barely tasted of crab and were reminiscent of the frozen ones my mom used to get from the supermarket in the '70s. Totally unacceptable for a seafood restaurant!! Our entrees of fried shrimp and oysters were not as bad. The shrimp were actually plump and quite tasty. The oysters weren't awful, but small and overwhelmed with breading. Food definitely didn't live up to the atmosphere. read more