So, my wife and I went to Atlantic Beach for an anniversary. It was funny, we found a really good price on a room, and then a problem came up: in doing research my wife found statistics saying that Atlantic Beach is like the most dangerous beach town in NC. I asked around at work on this, and was assured it's just drunk marines at the bars getting into fights with each other. Well, I'm too old and scared of getting sick to go to bars anymore. Never the less, when we dined outside at Idle Hour we were encountered with Drunken Marines. It was a couple seemingly on a first or second date, talking loud enough for everyone on the patio to hear them, singing along with the very corny music (think Sublime, 311, Smashmouth hits), and sometimes making comments about people's orders while they just downed drink after drink. I pointedly did not interact with them. So, I've got to point out that literally none of the staff wore masks. In fact when we arrived on the crowded porch we were literally the only people wearing masks, and it was like when the record scratches in an old movie. The service was very slow, but at least the server was polite. I got the bratwurst, which was decent. It didn't knock my socks off, but it was okay. Also my dinner came with a side of fries. They did them "McDonald's style" which is to say very thin and crispy, and they don't taste good about ten minutes after they come out of the fryer. My picky vegan wife got the Bavarian pretzel. The only thing on the menu she could eat. For a beach restaurant maybe this place is okay. But it would have been nice if they had slightly more varied offerings. I probably wouldn't choose to go back, but it wasn't awful. read more

Idle Hour was our favorite find from our recent trip to Atlantic Beach! It had a cool vibe and a nice beer selection. When we went, there was live music outside. We chose to sit inside which was a tad on the loud side. Our server, Cody, was so nice and helpful! We had the blackened shrimp tacos and salad. They were good! If you order the salad for an entree it is a bit on the small side. The kitchen was quite slow but we didn't notice too much as it was a fun spot to hang out! read more

Food and atmosphere were great. Our server was not very attentive. She asked if we wanted water for our dog . We said yes. Never saw her again after she took are order. Never came back to see if we wanted more drinks or anything. Had to go looking for her to get the check. She was in the wait station talking. Never even acted like it was a problem that I had to go looking for her for the bill. read more

Fun little spot w mostly outdoor seating. Live music but when we went, they didn't play long. Interesting but good menu. We got several apps & mostly brats. Good cheese curds & lollipop wings. read more

Yeah I know 3-Stars and it's really due to portions and price. The server was amazing, drinks came promptly, same with food. So wondering where the 3-stars come from...Shrimp Burger Grilled $13.95 for a total of 5 (likely frozen) shrimp with sort of warm fries. Next up Grilled Mahi Sandwich - one would think grilled filet- think again - chopped bites maybe 5 on a bun for $11.95. Kiddos had chicken tenders and a cheese burger on par for kiddos food. I will say the beer menu is amazing and even though the sandwiches weren't what we expected they at least had flavor. read more

Idle Hour Biergarten - Grilled Shrimp Burger - Bars Near Me - Atlantic Beach, North Carolina

Fun beach spot! We went around 7:30 on a Monday night, and there were several outdoor seating options available, but later on in the night (and when we had drove by on other days) it seems to get pretty crowded. We brought our dog, who greatly appreciated the water dish that the staff brought out for him! The restaurant seemed slightly understaffed, along with a lot of other places right now, but our waitress was super nice and accommodating to my food allergy. Food tasted great, super fresh and light. I was hungry and ate my first taco before taking my attached picture, but I enjoyed my grilled shrimp tacos a lot! Portions for the main dishes seemed a little small, with just two tacos, but with starters or dessert after it was perfect. Great location and fun atmosphere! read more

Idle Hour Biergarten - Grilled Fish Tacos with Side Salad (without corn and bean mix) - Bars Near Me - Atlantic Beach, North Carolina

Horrible service. One server for the entire place ok, I get it, if employees call out you have to still should do the best you can. If the server had just told us when she sat us, we would have just left and gone somewhere different. But she didn't, sat us, and still took 15 min or more to take drink order. We waited nearing 20 more min before drinks came. Appetizers no where in sight. After nearing a total of an hour, we threw a few bills on the table for the cokes and left. I imagine we'd still be there waiting if we hadn't. Can't say if the food is good or not since we didn't even have a bite, but I can sure tell you the service sucked. She acted like she didn't even care. Not 'hustle' in the steps. read more

Loved this place! It's in the circle and close to the water. It was delicious! The staff was very friendly. Our waitress even put up with my dads silly jokes! There was live music and it was great! Our food was delicious! The shrimp tacos were so good and so were the burgers! We will be back! read more

Idle Hour Biergarten - American burger with onion strings - Bars Near Me - Atlantic Beach, North Carolina

Super cute bar/restaurant super close to the beach! Has outdoor seating would recommend going on a nice day since inside seating is limited. Food was really good as well as the cocktails! read more

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Beautiful night and a Biergarten at the Beach go together really really well! Took my sandals off to walk across the sand and sit at a bench. Some tables have umbrellas over them. Ours did not, but wasn't needed that night anyway. Note, some of the picnic tables are pretty large, so this is not the place if you don't want strangers sitting down at your table. They do have indoor seating, if you prefer that. The other three in our group enjoyed their brew choices. At the risk of embarrassing them, I really just wanted wine and they had a decent one (BV) for $6 a glass. Sis & Bro-In-Law had been here before and raved about the Fried Cheese Curds, so they ordered those along with the Chicken Wings to share. They were a bit disappointed in the Curds this time as they weren't hot like they had been last time. Those wings sure looked good, and they must have been because they weren't offering up a taste! Husband got the Bavarian Grilled Cheese with German Potato Salad. I got a small taste of each and they were both good. He liked them, but would have preferred the sandwich a bit more "melty", and the potato salad to have more vinegar. I loved my choice of the Hot Sage Sausage minus bun and mayo. The mustard they use is so creamy, I can't imagine anyone needing mayo. The sausage itself was indeed spicy and really tasty. Would have loved more sauerkraut and maybe for the mustard to be on the side for dipping purposes rather than smothered in it. The Onion Straws were flat-out amazing! YUM! I would order both again. Service-wise, we had a Friendly Gal who took good care of us. Prices are reasonable, and there are plenty more great-sounding menu choices that would bring us back in next time we're in the area! read more

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The food was delicious. I had the blackened mahi-mahi and shrimp with onion straws for the price the portion was very questionable! You can eat in or out, they have a small bar with plenty of signature drinks to choose from! They have a small window where you can see the cooks! Taylor was eye candy for sure If you're in town check them out! Monday's they're short on what they have left so ordering could be tricky! But enjoyed what I could try! read more

Best shrimp tacos I've ever had!! My friend also has the chicken tacos and said the same. Cody was our server and was amazing! Highly recommend this spot. Friendly service and great atmosphere! read more

Excellent food and service. Really enjoyed the staff and atmosphere. My favorite was their rum and coke! Yum!

Several things to like here, and a few disappointments. The beer selection isn't overly extensive, but they do hit a few German favorites, such as Weihenstephaner. There are also a few local NC brews available, and a few of the national swills. The fried pickles are really great, and the sauce served with them for dipping is excellent. Highly recommend as an appetizer. Great sausages and sandwiches in general. The fully loaded sausages were fantastic. I wanted to eat more than one. They seem to do the main courses really well. For those that got fried sides, like the onion straws, those were good. I was disappointed that outside of the sausages, there was not a ton of German fare available. I was really hoping for some Schnitzel, I did not see any offered when I went. The German potato salad was not good, in my opinion. This was the cold variant. The potatoes were not cooked tender enough when the salad was made, and were therefore overly chewy, and it kind of ruined the whole thing for me. The cucumber salad also tasted off in our opinions. It was overly sweet. Almost like it was swimming in a sweet marinara sauce of sorts. It looked extremely attractive to the eye, but eating it wasn't so good. We were expecting something a bit more vinegary. The beer garden itself is pretty neat, though unfortunately many of the palm trees in the fenced area have died. On the plus side, there is plenty of table space and lounge chairs for everyone to relax in. Would be nice if the palm trees were providing shade, however. But that is just bad luck for the owners I would imagine. Overall, I think I would definitely come back to this place with the knowledge that certain things are great, and others might disappoint. I could definitely see myself hanging out here more often if I had a place nearby. read more

Idle Hour Biergarten - Spicy Sage Sausage fully loaded. Really great. The german potato salad was not my favorite - Bars Near Me - Atlantic Beach, North Carolina

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I'm sure this place has potential but it is poorly communicated that this is a bar. I came here with my underage daughter for her 14th birthday as this was the place she picked. I saw this place served alcohol but I saw nothing that communicated it was a full scale bar in the description - I looked. Upon arrival, we were obviously directed to the outside seating area. This would have been super cool in my college days but not what we expected. It has picnic tables and the ground is 100% beach sand. For some reason there were flies everywhere. I was so annoyed we took all this time to pick a place to be seated outside. The staff was friendly and we ordered fried pickles and a pretzel both of which were fine but we took them to go and ordered a pizza instead. Y'all. This place is just a bar that serves food. read more

Great local hangout. Great and friendly service. Great food. Great beers on tap. Great prices....

This place has the best fried pickles! The pickles are made in house, which sets them apart. The dipping sauce for the pickles was really good, too! However, the tacos were not good. The tortillas were like cardboard, very stiff and hard to eat. I ended up just eating the filling of the tacos and left the shell. The chips weren't great either. I would come back for the amazing pickles, though! read more

Idle Hour Biergarten - Fried pickles - Bars Near Me - Atlantic Beach, North Carolina

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Great food, delicious drinks and very good service. We came back on Friday night for drinks and the music and had a great time. read more

Idle Hour Biergarten - Friday night entertainment. - Bars Near Me - Atlantic Beach, North Carolina

A few weeks ago my wife said, I need to show more grace. I said "I do! Every time I visit Idle Hour!", because I eat there frequently. Look, I'm going to be honest with the readers. Idle Hours service has been a running joke in town for the last few years. The service has been horrendous!! We keep eating there and sending friends there because the food is awesome and simple. The outdoor seating in the sand is awesome! And the staff has ALWAYS been very friendly. I believe the service was a result of a need for some kitchen management and organization. I've dined at Idle Hour with at least one of my children every Friday over the last six (6) weeks. A few weeks ago I started noticing some improvement and then last night I was ecstatic when I ordered appetizers and received them quickly. When I ordered my 3rd Tito's and Soda I received it in less than 5 minutes and they were slammed! It was then that while laughing I gave praise to Samantha (our server) and disclosed how normally it would take 3-years to get a drink! It was then that Samantha told me Idle Hour is under new ownership. The wait staff is new and very friendly and the food is still great! I see people complain out natural elements that come with outdoor seating and yes, there could be flys. Yes, it could be hot. This is not the atmosphere you're looking for is your worried about your hair or makeup. This IS your place if you want a Florida Keys type atmosphere with great food and great people! They have live music too!! read more

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My wife and I come to Idle Hour Biergarten every time we visit Atlantic Beach. The surfs up cheese fries with carne asada is a must but we've never had anything here that we didn't love! read more

Fast, casual and delicious! Blackened shrimp burger was great; the kids burger was on point. The salsa is so good we got more to go! Friendly service, too, with good recommendations on tasty cocktails. read more

How have I missed this place? Great for kids - they have a high chair for food inside, and outside they have swings which are fun. The sand is not clean to play in obviously but the vibe is great. Great for kids at 4pm or earlier. I can't say I found anything moderately healthy to try but that must have been the mood I was in - the bartender recommended the cheese steak fries and they satisfied everyone. I'm not going to lie - my entire 4 person family was full and we later went for ice cream . Basically - if you want to eat other healthy foods, hold off on the steak fries because they'll fill you. read more

Great, easy choice right off the beach. Pretty standard menu offerings, good beer/cocktail list, and the price is right. They were very friendly to my kid and accommodated his picky requests! read more

Cute spot on the beach with both indoor (small) and outdoor dining. Mahi tacos were delicious! Hubby likes his shrimp tacos!

The pretzel is literally in my dreams... it is sooooo good!!! Great service, fun location!

We stopped in for the onion straws and chicken lollipops. Neither matched the photos but, both were very good. They have an indoor and outdoor seating area. Inside is small so I recommend outside. They were very busy so our waitress wasn't as attentive but she was nice. read more

I have been coming to the Biergarten for years. It has always been a top notch place in AB!! Today was not the same place. Our waitress basically forgot about us most of the night. It rained like crazy, we stuck it out and ordered our food. People around us were seated later and got their food before us. Hour and a half later our food wasn't even started. The waitress then argued that it it was everyone's fault but she had nothing to do with it. It just wasn't a good night for the Idle read more

Food sucks service takes forever waited almost 2 hours for 2 burgers fries shrimp and shrimp tacos

Awesome little Biergarten just off the AB circle with great beer, drinks, and food. Eat inside or outside by the brick fire pit.

Good drinks and good atmosphere, but no COVID safety measures. Bartenders are pushy and trying to get people out, which I can understand that with COVID, but nobody (bartenders, servers, and cooks) were wearing masks or gloves. Just be careful and you'll enjoy yourself! read more

Generally if something calls itself a biergarten I'm thinking bier! They didn't have a whole lot in the offering and some they did have seemed a little out of season. Nobody who knows anything about beer wants to drink doppelbocks when its 95 degrees out. That being said we sat outside in the heat to enjoy the garden...which we had to ourselves...thanks COVID! Didn't get any food but got a few cocktails. The bartenders were really friendly, the drinks were good and strong! I noticed a drink called "The Painkiller" which seemed to be on almost every restaurants cocktail list I went to that weekend, and the one we had at the Idle Hour was the best. read more

Unfortunately, we were really disappointed. We came for the first time Labor Day weekend in 2022 and we just thought we went at the absolute worst time. We decided to give them another shot today and it was no different. The service was terrible and the food was subpar. We were one (2 adults and a 1.5 year old) of TWO groups of people (other group was 3 adults). The waitress we had asked us about 3 times in two minutes if we were ready to order when we just sat down and would just stand there. Once we got our food, the staff was just standing at the bar more worried about their conversations than customers. We ordered and it took probably 30-45 minutes to get fried pickles, mahi tacos, shrimp basket, and a kids tender. We were the ONLY people inside.. The next group that came in got their food probably within 15 minutes. When it came time for the bill... it was $60. I understand that being on the beach it's gonna be a little pricier, but your food needs to match the quality of your pricing. We could have went to a really nice restaurant with great service for what we paid. Unfortunately, we won't be back. read more

Came here last night at about 5:30. Sat down, and they were out of a lot of drinks. So we ordered a pink lemonade, Diet Coke, Coke, and water. Took a long time to get drinks, even longer to get the appetizer. Waitress didn't even bring out the appetizer and it had been so long since we had even seen her that we had no drink left to eat the appetizer with. The waiter doing all the other tables was absolutely killing it. We finally flagged down our waitress and asked for some drinks and she said "give me a minute." Which turned into about 25 minutes of her making conversation elsewhere. A member of our group (only 4 of us) went inside and asked the bar tender for drinks, she was so polite (Long brown curly hair.) Our member brought out all of our drinks in about 1 minute and ran the tray back inside. Our waitress comes back after about 30 minutes and realizes we already have drinks. Keep in mind they are not that busy and we have been here so many times where they were insanely busy and have done amazing. The other waiter brought our food out, yet again while our waitress is no where to be found, YET AGAIN. We begin to eat our food and it is terrible. Not like the 100 times we have been here before. We were utterly confused. We ate what we could and then decided to stop. We waited for the bill from a waitress we haven't seen at all, with no drinks again. I decided to go inside to pay because at this point we have been sitting here for so long. I ask the bartender if there is anyway we could pay inside and she immediately asked if everything was okay and if there was anything she could do. She helped us pay and when we were walking out our waitress finally comes up and blames her lack of service on the cook. Will try again and hope that the next time is different. read more

We visited this establishment 3 times in 2 weeks. Fun atmosphere, good food at a good value (those onion strings!) , great service. liked this place better than the expensive fancy restaurants near by. Love Cody the server too! Highly recommend! read more

We got takeout from here on a rainy day and sat and ate it in the nearby lot facing the ocean. The menu features tacos and burgers but I think it's supposed to be German style. The food was good quality and the service over the phone was great. We had blackened fish tacos, shrimp tacos, the pretzel, and fried pickles. Awesome dips and sauces with the pickles and the pretzel. We didn't try the wings but they came highly recommended. There aren't many choices around here but this one is pretty good. read more

This place is great! Laid back, great food, nice people. Good range of beers and mixed drinks. Limited indoor seating, lots of outdoor seating. read more

Idle Hour Biergarten - Veggie wrap with chicken and fries - Bars Near Me - Atlantic Beach, North Carolina

Cool spot to have a drink. Wouldn't recommend eating here unless it's not crowded. I think they're understaffed or the kitchen can only take on so much demand. Took an hour for our appetizer to come out. Took an hour and 45 min from ordering for our dinner to come out. Our waitress was nice and attentive. She just could not control how backed up the kitchen was. Came back two weeks later. They said the kitchen wasn't backed up. Same s. Different day. 2 hours from time of food order till it was delivered to our table. This place shouldn't even serve food. It's a joke. read more

Great location, super-friendly staff...but they actually open an hour later on Saturday than their site says. The food is good, but not the best...however...the location, staff and cool outdoor seating made it definitely worth the trip. read more

We came here a few times as it was steps from our rented beach house. The atmosphere is really nice, just wish it was bigger. They had live music which we sat on our front steps and listened to and clapped after every song. We ate here a few times and had drinks serveral times. The staff is really super nice and accomodating. The drinks were all great and the food was good too! I woud definitely recommend going here if you are in town. Pretzels and cheese were good, burgers were good, salad was good. Painkillers and Margaritas were good! read more

This place was hopping and the staff was stressed but they treated me with kindness and helped me when I was trying to make a togo order. The food was good and the sauce that came with the onion stings was amazing. Definitely going to go back read more