A great little hole in the wall, tucked in the Citgo gas station/convenience store. Good home…read morecooking and friendly, kind folk. Introduce yourself! It's a place where everyone knows your name!

This is a hidden (literally) gem...service was fabulous and food was so delicious....pancakes…read moresausage BLT and eggs, all done to perfection!! Highly recommend!!!

What a fantastic evening at Dram Yard…read more We were a little concerned we might miss our 5:30 reservation after getting delayed by a seven-car accident on the bridge, but we arrived just a couple of minutes late and it wasn't an issue at all. From the moment we arrived, the experience was relaxed, welcoming, and exactly what we needed. We chose to sit in the beautiful courtyard, and with temperatures in the 70s, sunshine overhead, and a gentle breeze, it couldn't have been a more perfect setting. The outdoor gazebo bar creates a wonderful atmosphere for enjoying a cocktail before dinner, and if the weather isn't cooperating, the indoor dining space is equally inviting. A special thank you to Sarah, whose service was outstanding. She was cheerful, attentive, and genuinely seemed happy to be there. The restaurant wasn't crowded, which made for a peaceful and unhurried dining experience. For drinks, I ordered the Ghost Town, while my wife enjoyed the Venus Flytrap. Both were beautifully prepared and easy to see why they're among the restaurant's popular cocktails. The food was equally impressive. I had the Spaghetti Carbonara, and it was exceptional. The kitchen even accommodated my request for extra freshly cracked black pepper, which took an already excellent dish to another level. My wife ordered the Little Gem Salad with shrimp, and it was fresh, flavorful, and perfectly prepared. We also shared the Tuna Tartare Tostada, which was outstanding--beautiful presentation, fresh tuna, and a great balance of textures and flavors. Adding to the experience was a bottle of Albariño that paired wonderfully with the meal. What stands out most about Dram Yard is its atmosphere. It's the kind of place where you can settle in, slow down, enjoy a handcrafted cocktail, and forget about the stresses of the day. Whether you're looking for a date night, an evening with friends, or simply a quiet place to relax, Dram Yard delivers. Excellent service, creative cocktails, outstanding food, and one of the most relaxing outdoor dining spaces in Wilmington. We'll definitely be back.

This was the 3rd time we've been here. The first two times we did not make it to the table because…read moreof the service. They generally do not care about the customer at all. The star of the show is definitely the food. The chef is super proud of his food, and he should be. The only reason I'm giving this a 4 on food instead of a 5 is because there was no iced tea (in the summer in the carolinas - not really forgivable) the water was nasty and the biscuits on my Benedict were towards the burnt side on the bottom. Honestly, everything otherwise was amazing. What was really great: The restaurant itself is AMAZING! It's like being transported to a Parisian cafe. I love that when you walk in, you immediately see the fully in view kitchen. I'm assuming a chef owns the restaurant and designed the layout. The patio is quaint and delightful and surprisingly private for a downtown sidewalk restaurant. The eggs on my Eggs Benedict could not have been more perfect. I'm not a fried potato person; however, the pan fried potatoes here are mostly whole and they are out of this world. They were exceedingly crispy on the outside and completely soft on the inside. My son ordered the dutch baby. It was delicious. The accompanied fruit was perfect and truly ripe. I feel like they would have to toss a lot of fruit to get the ones that were truly that perfect. What did not work: The water - it was about 85 degrees out and humid. There is nothing here refreshing. Water is served European style meaning no ice and out of the tap. Warm tap water on a hot day in South Carolina is just nasty. It's ironic that while Europeans visiting the US for the World Cup are posting social media reels raving about ice in drinks in the United States, meanwhile The Dram Yard is insisting on pulling all of the worst parts of eating out in Europe into their restaurant. I truly dislike restaurants that serve canned and bottled beverages. It screams, "nickel and dime". If you bought your cans of soda at Costco and charged $4.00 for a can, I'd have to drink 9 cans before you're losing money. There is literally no reason to limit beverages other than driving higher profits. I hate price gouging. At the very least get a fountain and serve iced tea. SERVICE - the service staff simply makes you feel like they're doing you a favor by being open. Don't expect anything after that. When we arrived, the restaurant was at about 25% capacity with 2 food servers, who also double as the hostess. After waiting 10 minutes to be seated (yes...even at 25% capacity), service truly went downhill from there. It wasn't that the staff was rude. They were just not present and extremely slow. It honestly seemed like they were doing everything they could to not be seen. We needed salt, a refill of the water carafe and our check. That was it. The staff would come to our part of the dining room but then not even glance around or come by to see if we needed anything. I'm giving them a 2 because they were exceedingly slow and not present. When we did chase them down, I felt rude asking for help. The chef delivered our food. He was very proud and should be. However, here's the rub. The chef needs to learn that being in the restaurant business is not only about creating great food. It also requires front of house service and an overall dining experience that people are happy with. Right now, I'm walking away feeling: 1. great food and great atmosphere 2. terrible service 3. nickle and dimed me on drinks 4. doesn't have the sense to serve iced tea in the Caronlinas So - as much as I loved the food - there are too many restaurants in Wilmington that are good enough to overcome 2, 3 and 4 above. The Dram could be fixed so easily: 1. hire servers who want to be there and smile a little 2. put ice in your water 3. serve iced tea - at least in the summer months 4. get a soda fountain - it's 2026 Unfortunately, we won't be back because there are simply other options that, at the very least, hit 1, 2 and 3 with good food.

This place is great they have a beer garden multipe places to sit and have a great meal they have…read morelive music great place

Tl;dr - If you come here for their main event - chicken and fries - it's very good. Anything else,…read moredon't waste your time. Vegetarians need not bother. 3.5? I was not in love but I think there are some caveats there because I am not the typical customer. First, we appear to have come right at the height of their dinner rush. It took a while to get seated. The hosts told us to sit at the bar and then the bartender kicked us out of our stools because we were waiting for a table and apparently the bar stools were only for people who were eating, so we had to go find a bench. When we did get seated they put us at a really weird high top in a separate room when there was a much nicer low top available in the main room that we switched to. I got the sense both that this place was kind of hectic and that they didn't think they needed our service. But then as we were eating it cleared out all of a sudden and we were the only people left at like...8 pm. Our server was...accetptable. Not rude, but kind of short. Compared to the lovely personable service we got at other places in Wilmington it felt...I dunno, New Yorky? Then there was the food. And here comes my biggest caveat. I am pescstarian and do not eat chicken. So I ordered a shrimp po boy. It was not good. Not bad. But not good. Especially for the price which, honestly, competed with the prices where I live in DC. Every other person around me ordered chicken. My husband ordered chicken. He really liked his chicken. So obviously, this is a place where you get chicken (if the name didn't make it obvious). Had I ordered chicken I likely would have enjoyed my meal a lot more. But if you have shrimp po boys on the menu, endeavor to make them decent or take them off. Also I subbed a side cesar instead of fries and it was an afterthought. The fries themselves were excellent. If I ate chicken and came back to Wilmington I would maybe give this place another shot but as it stands, nah.

Stopped in for brunch with my aunt and uncle and tried a little bit of everything: the Chicken &…read moreWaffles with bacon, a Spinach and Swiss omelette with home fries and an English muffin, and a Chicken & Brie sandwich on a brioche bun with home fries. The Chicken & Waffles were the standout. The chicken was crispy on the outside, juicy inside, and paired perfectly with the sweet syrup and smoky bacon. A great balance of sweet and savory flavors. The Spinach & Swiss omelette was light, fluffy, and packed with flavor. The spinach and melted Swiss worked well together, and the home fries were nicely seasoned with peppers and onions. The English muffin was a simple but welcome addition. The bird & Brie sandwich was another winner. The brioche bun was soft and buttery, while the brie added a creamy richness that elevated the sandwich. The arugula brought a fresh peppery bite that kept everything balanced. Overall, the food was fresh, portions were generous, and everything was cooked well. The home fries were crispy and flavorful across all the plates. Definitely a solid breakfast/brunch spot that I'd visit again.

This place has such yummy food wow…read more.. I ordered just a plain chicken sandwich (not on the menu) [$11] it was sooooo good and MASIVE... also got a side of candied bacon. Came with two pieces of bacon and it was delicious! Also got the country ham and it was sooo salty and savory! The mimosas were huge! Like two mimosas in one glass. Will def be coming back!!

A Legend, in Leland, a town located right where the Cape Fear river meets the sea. Shirley's is a…read moretiny local spot in a strip mall, but they know local seafood really well. Prices are extremely reasonable, and the service is timely, friendly, and attentive. But let's get to the food. Fried Oysters are plump, juicy, with a classical crust of seasoned cornmeal perfectly fried to a turn. Excellent as a platter, or available as a po' boy style sandwich. They often feature fresh Carolina fish in season, flounder, catfish, and Spots, which are small but delicious white-flesh fish that are native to the Carolinas, and near impossible to find elesewhere. Their platters come with fresh classic Carolina Cole-slaw and perfectly fried hush puppies. Flounder fillets thick and perfectly tender. Chef knows his business, everything I've ever ordered here has always been first-class, coming here for years now. Thank you for an excellent experience, each and every time. My friends tell me their pork chops are very, very good too, down home country flavor. But I dream about their fresh seafood.

Shirley's was very clean and everyone was friendly. We enjoyed our meals. Service was good. Hope to…read morego back.

Tanner .. Piping Plover Pilsner...made here in Wilmington…read moreNC!! Wife had Red Oak Bavarian Amber Lager I ordered the Meatloaf, with asparagus and mashed potato's My wife had her usual chicken sandwich which I've forgotten the name but she did enjoy and the portion was large enough for me to get a few bites lol All was very good and we went be back

We had a larger party, so waited for some time but this was expected on a Saturday. Sat outside,…read moreshaded at high tops. Mixture of food from shrimp and grits to salads to blts. I had a Bloody Mary, well made. Some sodas and beers for all as well. I had the Cobb salad with a blue cheese vinaigrette- good, fresh veggies (great cucumbers). I do wish there was more roasted chicken/protein. Had a deviled egg on it, but flavor was a bit off on that so didn't eat it. Shrimp and grits x4 were good- grits a little thin, but flavor good. Only turn off was the tails being left on. On grits (and pasta) that is a pet peeve for me as you lose some of the shrimp and t makes it difficult to eat. BLT- good, fresh veggies and thick bread. French toast x2 - really good with a great variety of fresh fruit. Service was good.

This was our first time here and it didn't disappoint! Word to the wise- be ready to wait 1.5 hours…read morefor a table. We came yesterday and didn't want to wait but then came back today and got our group on the list and waited. Note that the parking close by is expensive and they won't seat you if your whole party isn't there within 5 minutes of texting that your table is ready. So yep- plan to wait and sit around. Inside it's pub style, bar available and good music, but not much seating which explains the wait ;) We ordered the 109 Chestnut Chicken Sandwich, the Hot Roasted Pork Sandwich and the Reuben. Our waitress recommended not getting the onion rings app and to do it as sides to save money, and man, we had SO MANY leftovers. The pork sandwich is super good but so filling. I could only eat half with all the onion rings! The Reuben was absolutely delicious and I would 1000% get that again. The best thing on the menu in our opinion: the Cheese Steak Egg Rolls with chipotle mayo- OMG. We will DREAM about these!!! I haven't seen these talked about much- TRY THEM, they were literally mouth watering and I would have eaten them as an entree and not an app! Overall we would come back again, just be prepared to wait forever for a table and you won't be disappointed!

Good service but the food was so so. Figured we would try the Guy Fieri recommendations. Nice…read morelittle spot in an old building. Only like 9 tables so plan accordingly or you will have to wait awhile. Go during off peak hours to ensure a short wait time. Now the food...... 1. Cheese Steak Egg Rolls served w/chipotle ranch......Amazing!!!! Best we have ever had. 2. 109 Chestnut Chicken Sandwich had an amazing balance of ingredients that would make your mouth water. Very good and the fries as well. 3. Hot Roasted Pork Sandwich was very bland and had an excessive amount of spinach. Even the Au Jus couldn't rescue this sandwich. 4. The famous onion rings. Well they must of ran out of seasoning because these were more flour than flavor. Very doughy with no spices. Not worth the $9 * The alcohol mix drinks are pretty good. Definitely taste the flavor of each. Will give you a good kick.

Food was great and the service couldn't have been better! The atmosphere was casual and inviting…read more Get in there........

I can't believe this was my first time to the Fork and Cork after living in Wilmington for 7 years!…read moreThey had a full house on a late Saturday afternoon, so we sat at the bar where I had a delicious bloody Mary and the 'brisket biscuit' from the brunch menu.OMG, it was a perfect pairing with the cocktail. The bbq pulled beef over homemade biscuits was topped with a spectacular mustard sauce with two perfect eggs and a side of sweet potato waffle-fries sprinkled with cinnamon, cayenne, and sugar... You guessed it, I ate the whole thing! My husband had the beet salad topped with blackened chicken, which he raved about the whole time we were there. I highly recommend this restaurant, it is small and cozy with a unique ambience, great service with a smile, quite loud, but worth the wait!