The food was absolutely delicious!! They greet you with a basket of hush puppies and honey butter (yum!), and have incredibly fast service. Our appetizer (corn ribs) came out in 5 mins flat and the dinner was 8 mins max! The ambiance was amazing, the whole restaurant was a wide open space with panoramic views of the water! I recommend going by 5 otherwise you will have a wait. By 5:45 there was a line and by the time we left at 6:20 the bar was packed with people waiting. They do a great job of cleaning tables quickly and making the food fast so they move it along well, but to avoid the wait be there by 5! Enjoy! read more

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The fried fish and shrimp were good and hot. The fish was tender and flaky. Wife's dish was the blackened shrimp on skewers and slathered with too much butter & cold. After she said the shrimp temperature was not hot, I took one bite & it was cool. It was definitely made and then sat for a long time in the kitchen before being brought to our table. read more

Food was and is always really good. The host skipped our table and was quick of try to make up for it. Our server was MIA for 90% of dinner, drinks came slow, and checks were entirely incorrect when we got them. Lucky the food was good and we had a lot to drink at the beach or our group would have not been happy. Overall, meh if you want to have mediocre service with good crab legs. read more

Always good, but miss their sweet potato biscuits. Service was outstanding, and the view of the water is amazing. Their grilled fish bites are always a treat following the mini hush puppies. Bring back the sweet potato biscuits. read more

We had a long wait but that's to be expected in a coastal town it took a little while for initial service but it was good after that. Food was pretty tasty but portions were a little small for the price. read more

Frying Pan - Everything was good. We tried to go the night before but the kitchen was closed. Way too early for a restaurant in a tourist town. - Seafood Near Me - Southport, North Carolina

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Family vacay 2024. Last night of our trip and I ordered a mojito and the salmon platter. By the time we all were finished I was deathly sick and just believe me, my meal was wasted in the parking lot of the ice cream shop. Trip ending with misery. read more

Frying Pan - View from dining room. - Seafood Near Me - Southport, North Carolina

This place is truly exceptional, offering some of the best seafood on the East Coast. The shrimp is so hot and delicious that it practically melts in your mouth. I had a great experience sitting near the window, where I could enjoy watching dolphins flip while savoring the best hushpuppies in the United States. Highly recommended! One last thing, this place is kid friendly, the staff is A1, beautiful views and vibes. Please don't sleep on that sweet tea read more

Frying Pan - Fish & Shrimp - Seafood Near Me - Southport, North Carolina

Beautiful views and good food. This is one of the quintessential visits in Southport for lunch or dinner!

In spite of mostly good reviews, the restaurant only had a few diners on a beautiful Sunday afternoon- nearby restaurants had wait times. Food was salty, greasy and the blackening seasoning was used much too liberally. Beautiful view- too bad food doesn't live up to surroundings. Would not go back. read more

Came for the Wednesday all you can eat crab legs. It was a long wait but totally worth it. Never had to wait for a refill and they were hot and delicious every plate. Yum!!! read more

Frying Pan - I'm in crab leg heaven - Seafood Near Me - Southport, North Carolina

Frying Pan is a great place to go for drinks and apps to watch the sunset. They have among the best views in Southport. I don't particularly care for the dinner entrees which are almost exclusively deep fried. I have however very much enjoyed their shrimp and grits. They drop a nice basket of hush puppies at every table too. That's a nice plus. I strongly recommend a visit if you've never been to the Frying Pan. read more

Another OKI/Southport staple for us. Their hush puppies are unmatched. All the service in Southport is about the same - good local, seasonal workers who are generally friendly. We love the Frying Pan for the views of the Cape! read more

Ambiance is very nice but noisy. Our waiter was attentive until our food came then sat at the bar while we finished eating and waited for the check-.-.and waited for the check. As to the food, I was saddened. My family and i ate there last summer and was impressed. This time it is as if the place has a new owner or something. Crab cakes were a JOKE. Nothing but frozen breading. The food seemed to have been dumped from a fryer basket onto the plate and shoved down a delivery line. I for one will not go back. There are too many prime dining locations in Southport to spend money here. read more

Service and food were both excellent! My hubby is a southern gentleman and he loves grits; he was not disappointed! I had the shrimp dinner which was also delicious. We had strawberry cheesecake which is the best I've ever had! I dont think you can go wrong here! read more

Frying Pan - Sweet tea and hush puppies - Seafood Near Me - Southport, North Carolina

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My party of 6 arrived at Frying Pan Saturday Night at 5:30pm. We had about a 60 minute wait to be seated. Once seated, service was fast and friendly. The server brought out the hush puppies and took our drink order. We were not rushed and ordered Calamari for appetizers. Very delicious. Once the calamari was delivered, we could order our main course. I ordered The Blackened Line Fish and shrimp meal. It was presented covered in light butter. Good hints of Blackening, very mild meal. Would have been sensational with a mango salsa. I recommend this restaurant and recommend you arrive before 5 to have less wait time. read more

Frying Pan - Popcorn Shrimp - Seafood Near Me - Southport, North Carolina

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Hmmm! A June visit is sure to be an experience! So too, July or August. Great views. Good food. Inconsistent but still good service. Walked in to a 45 minute wait, on season, Thursday night. Headed for the bar where it took some time to get noticed. Eventually connected with bar staff and ordered dinner there. Super efficient kitchen production on display with chef inspired ,causal dining, seafood recipes! Touristy but fun. Be kind, remember great restaurants are getting back to being good! read more

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This place has a great outdoor eating area and the service was excellent. The food was also delicious and the hush puppies delectable. We'll definitely eat here again. They lost a star because the prices are pretty steep for what they are. read more

Frying Pan - Seafood Near Me - Southport, North Carolina

Ate here a while back. The atmosphere doesn't get much better than this! What a view! If you are looking for fried seafood, the food here is fairly typical for the area. The service I had was good. Very attentive. Give this place a try... read more

Man oh man... I hate writing bad reviews but my coconut shrimp was not like the picture and was cold in the center. The waitress dropped a fork on my aunt..Spilled tea in my mother's plate of food (ignored that she did that and walked away) and all of my family's food was tasteless. View 10/10, Service: 5/10 (she was sweet), food 2/10 (good biscuits).. Never would go back read more

Frying Pan - Coconut shrimp - Seafood Near Me - Southport, North Carolina

My husband and I dined outside and had a great experience. The views are beautiful. We started off with the frying pan chowder and sweet potato biscuits. The biscuits are a must order. For our entrees I ordered the bacon-wrapped scallops with a side salad instead of green beans and my husband ordered the crab cake dinner (Chef's specialties are served with roasted potatoes and green beans but you can substitute). The scallops packed so much flavor and the crab cakes were good. Frying Pan is worth checking out if you are in the area for lunch or dinner. read more

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This place was out of this world! First of all- the view is absolutely breathtaking. The hush puppy starters were a nice touch. The food was delicious and the service was top tier. This was our first visit and won't be our last! read more

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I stopped in late one night when everything else was closed in the off-season, but it was well worth it. I grabbed a bunch of apps, and they came out quickly, and I had no complaints! read more

Food was over cooked. All four of us had same meal. All Over cooked. Spoke to waiter and was told this is how they do it. Not sure had same meal was. Ot overcooked read more

Food is excellent. Little bit of a wait time. Plenty of parking. Wait staff is excellent. Good for groups. Nice view of the sound.

Top Notch. After being seated at a gorgeous window to view the port we were greeted by a lovely server. She was very helpful when it came to selecting menu items and suggested some really good choices. The chicken pot pie was incredible and so was the cheese ravioli but the food that really took the cake, The Sweet Potato Biscuits. If you're viewing the menu and contemplating , order them for the table. They were AMAZING, my friend and i were in shock with how delicious they were. Overall the service was great, food was even better and the views were phenomenal. Will return to southport just to eat here! read more

Frying Pan - Chicken Pot Pie and Ravioli - Seafood Near Me - Southport, North Carolina

Waitress was inattentive. Had to ask several times for basics, drinks , condiments. Never checked back with us once food was served. Spent her time talking to the bartender and other servers. Food was great. Service was the worst we've experienced. . read more

We have been coming to Southport for the past couple of years and always wanted to try the "Frying Pan" I'm grateful that we had not tried it before today, because the best thing about this restaurant is the location and view. So to the owner of this establishment here are 10 tips for you. 1. When putting crab cakes on your menu, make sure there is crab in them( see photo). One has to ask what happened to all that crabmeat that you spent a good deal of money on.? How do your cooks account for the use of it when preparing the batch, are they using your intended ratio? 2. When purchasing gloves for you kitchen staff, make sure they use them. Sat near the kitchen and did not observe a single employee using gloves, even though many boxes were available. I saw at least 4 cooks in the kitchen an I expeditor. You certainly have plenty oc employees and I'm sure you are paying them fairly, it's time they put their attention into the food. 3 in advertising grilled pineapple one would expect to observe some browning(Maillard reaction) on the pineapple, which is typically fresh. Instead a generous portion of Dole small dice canned pineapple on the salad. 4. Red Onions should be equally sliced, for this Big Island salad I would suggest a radial cut julienne marinated in lime juice which will brighten the flavor and preserve them for a least two shifts. 5, Canned green beans, come on at least use frozen ones so there are some nutrients in them. You can still cook them until they are tender, convenience food liked canned vegetables and fruit should be relegated to the penal system, not restaurants charging a fair price, 6. Unicorn fish filets are typically shipped from India. Why not source local fish? 7. Grouper bites are really a fancy name for processed fish nuggets. Why not use local grouper? Is your kitchen staff unable to use fresh seafood and fish for some reason. 8. Service was good- keep the folks who get good tips. 9. When designing an open kitchen it's good to remember that your customers are watching. Therefore the highest level of sanitation and professionalism will draw the customers back, If it is your intention to provide a fun environment for your kitchen employees by allowing them to listen to music, then that should be the same music in the dining room, otherwise it is a cacophony of unpleasant noise in the battle of the bands. 10. A dining room manager or chef who checks in on the customers is always a good practice. Paying attention to the customers experience is what your direct competition does very well. You only have one chance to make a first impression. Hopefully you can understand that we will not be back and hope that you remedy the issues before the summer season goes into full speed. read more

Frying Pan - Crab cake- 95% filling 5% crab - Seafood Near Me - Southport, North Carolina

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Had dinner here with my family tonight. I ordered the crab cakes and my sides were roasted potatoes and green beans for $21 or so. The green beans were either canned or cooked to death. The roasted potatoes are three little dinky potatoes. The crab cakes... Oh boy, the crab cakes. I knew something wasn't right when I cut into them. I quickly realized they used imitation crab meat, so I asked my server what was in the crab cakes. The server told me they use lump crab meat and, wait for it... shredded crab meat as a filler (shredded crab meat is code for imitation crab meat). So, I sent them back to have them taken off the bill. The server was lovely, but a manager never came to the table. In full disclosure I didn't ask for a manager, but I digress. I'm sorry, but I cannot respect or frequent an establishment that charges $20+ for fake crab cakes, nevermind canned green beans and lackluster potatoes. I can't trust that other corners won't be cut to make a buck. Sorry, but I won't be back, nor will I recommend this place to anyone. read more

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Beautiful views and large portions of food! All the food my party of 7 had was very good. Would definitely recommend this as a lunch spot in Southport read more

Frying Pan - Bloody Mary - Seafood Near Me - Southport, North Carolina

Went for all you can eat crab legs. Service was amazing. Staff was friendly and couldn't ask for a more welcoming environment. Top notch food with top notch service! I will eat here everytime i come back to the coast! read more

Beautiful views, whether you're sitting inside or out! They offer a wide variety of seafood options, as well as traditional options(burgers, steak, etc). The fried gators bites were absolutely phenomenal for a starter. I would definitely come visit here again! read more

Great location on the water with outdoor and indoor seating. Indoor 2nd floor seating has an elevator, so you can enjoy the view if handicapped, especially nice on rainy days! Good seafood, American menu. Liquor license. read more

The food was so salty 2 of the people couldn't eat it. Worst food we have eaten in a long time. Service was good, but stay away if you want good seafood read more

The restaurant offered the most amazing hush puppies. Sorry! No pics..we were too busy eating. read more

Frying Pan - Southport port... pic from Frying Pan! - Seafood Near Me - Southport, North Carolina

Food wasn't horrible but it wasn't great either. This place earns its keep because of the location and the view. The cocktail list is good if you're a college kid and the food selection is weak on innovation. read more

Awesome! My mum and dad treated my brother and I to lunch here on a Tuesday at the end of July. The staff was incredibly kind, seating available inside and outside. Mask rule is mandatory while walking through the dining area to your table. The complimentary hush puppies were well fried , hot, and delicious. Three of us got the lunch special- grouper po boy and mum got the shrimp po boy. Very generous helpings on a nice soft roll served with fries and slaw. My cajun grouper was crisp, well seasoned, and perfectly fried. The fries were perfectly salted. The accompanying sweet chili sauce was YUMMMMMM. Would definitely return. read more

We just ate there yesterday and the food was absolutely terrible. I got the 'Safe Haven' from the menu which is a seafood combo. We have eaten there before and it was good or at least okay enough to return. The Safe Haven has a crabcake, bacon wrapped scallops, shrimp, fish, green beans, and potatoes. The only think that was okay were the potatoes. The rest was terrible and we won't be going back. read more

Ordered food for carry out which was delicious! They had us look at our order before bagging it up to be sure everything was there and correct, which it was. All staff had face masks on too. read more

Frying Pan - Safe Haven, Duck Wings, and Hush Puppies - Seafood Near Me - Southport, North Carolina

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Nice view and great food. I requested no bacon wrapped scallops due to dietary restrictions, restaurant happily accommodated given a super busy Friday night. Usually I'm not a fan of fried fish since it's usually blend and not enjoyable without tartar sauce. But this fish perfectly seasoned and tasty. Our waitress is also very friendly and attentive, I thought my dietary restrictions would come as pickiness and not well received on a busy night. Our waitress actually made sure our order came out to be exactly what we asked for. Very happy with the experience, highly recommended. read more

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Outstanding customer service, very professional. Food was delicious and well seasoned. View was very nice, would recommend.