We really enjoyed our experience with Topsail Steamer. Everything is prepared and provided (pots to…read moresteam, butter, cooking instructions, seasoning, cocktail sauce, and paper for the table) which makes cooking and cleanup super easy. The inside was very clean and the workers nice. We will be back again!

Topsail Steamers was such a great experience! The customer service was excellent, and everything…read morewas so easy from cooking to cleanup. The seafood was incredibly fresh and perfectly seasoned. Definitely a must-try if you're in the area!

Good options for bait, but very poor attitude from lady up front. She tried insisting that we get…read morethe most expensive thing to carry our bait in that we were buying. She got annoyed that we instead purchased a simple styrofoam container. Snarky attitude that put a bad taste in our mouth for what we thought would be a nice ma and pa style shop.

I get to the Carolina's coast with friends many times a year. Surf City is a favorite. The One Stop…read morefishing store is not modern, that is what makes it the place do go. Needed some hooks and live shrimp for bait. The prices are fair. While there, the owner, Jeff was helpful. Shared some secrets on places to fish. And the store had plenty of ice too. The only downside, small staff. Had to wait a few minutes. Outside of that, they had quite a bit of fishing reels, nets, buckets, and gear. Another customer wanted a fishing license. It is pretty much done online. The owner provided details to him on how to do it. I never met a grumpy old guy other reviews talked about. I did hear a man in his eighties who worked there part-time for years, passed away. Jeff was great!

I was absolutely thrilled that my entire family carved out time to explore this place with me…read more After reading countless raving reviews, I was eagerly anticipating some fresh LOBSTAH overnighted all the way from Maine. WAIT TIME/LINES We got there 1.5 hour till closing (7:30PM) and there was a decent line. We waited in line for about 25 minutes until we got to the registrar to order. Apparently, the staff member informed us the line was wrapped around the shack earlier in the day so I'd say we got lucky with our timing. SERVICE Customer service was excellent. There was a staff member consistently handing out samples of the Clam Chowder and Lobster Bisque while we waited in line. During our dining experience, the staff member came around with various samples of Whoopie Pies. DINING AREA There are a decent amount of picnic style dining tables around the back of the shack. All outdoor seating. I wish there was more shade as the sun was setting and it gets pretty hot with the humidity. FOOD - Maine LobSTAH Roll:I ordered this along with a few others in my party. It comes with your choice of Plugra melted butter, mayo, or both! The mayo was a packet, in case you were wondering. I thought it was a house-made mayo with herbs infused, which would be a great idea for them to add some freshness to the dish. The lobster was the star of the show -- fresh, large chunks, and a plentiful portion. The bun was toasted. It came with a lemon wedge, half a pickle spear, cole slaw, and a bag of Cape Cod potato chips. The cole slaw was tasty -- I appreciate the chopped approach. - Maine Lobstah Bowl: A few family members ordered this. It mainly consisted of lobster, slaw, and lettuce. Delicious. Overall, cute Main LobSTAH Shack with good Maine lobSTAH!

Stopped by for a quick lunch. Amazing lobster rolls! My wife loved the clam chowder. The…read morecoleslaw that comes with the lobster rolls was fantastic as well. Definitely worth a stop!

we had the best time at the outside bar. Morgan was awesome! it was swamped and she was handling…read morethe whole area. we got our drinks quick and the steamed shrimp were great! the peached whale is so good.

We had a really disappointing experience here tonight. We…read moreput our name in at 7:00 PM for a party of 6 and were told the wait would be about 45 minutes. That would've been fine -- but we ended up waiting an hour and 20 minutes with absolutely no updates or communication from staff. No check-ins, no revised estimate, nothing. By the time we were finally seated, we were starving and ready to order immediately. We came specifically for the crab legs, and as soon as my sister ordered them, our waiter casually mentioned he "thought" they might be out. He went to check... and confirmed they were completely out. To make it worse, the table next to us -- who checked in after us and were seated before us -- had just gotten the last of the crab legs. So after waiting far longer than promised, with zero communication, the one thing we came for wasn't even available. And the cherry on top was the fact that our waiter kept forgetting about us and we had to wait so long for the check. That's not just frustrating -- it's poor management. If you're running out of a key menu item, especially something as central as crab legs, that needs to be communicated to waiting guests. And seating later arrivals before earlier ones just adds insult to injury. We left extremely disappointed and won't be coming back.

I was expecting high prices at a grocery store on the beach, but was surprised by this little IGA…read more They had everything I needed and the prices were reasonable. I even found Southern specialties that I love and had been craving including stone ground grits and pimento cheese. The store is neat, tidy and well-organized. They carry all meats except fresh seafood. Most of the vegetables looked very fresh (except the cucumbers). The clerk was jovial and efficient. A second clerk was proactively helpful. 5 Star service. There seems to be plenty of parking. I'll be back.

Surf City IGA comes in clutch for anything you need (basics) while in Topsail. This was my first…read moretime in Topsail, and being a newbie and quite midwestern, there were a few things I left behind. I ended up grabbing some beach essentials here, snacks, and some drinks. They have truly anything you need for a successful beach visit. We went twice during our visit. Special shout out for the coozie wall!

Savanna our watress was outstanding and very kind and courteous and very attentive to our needs.read more

First time in town, we stopped into JM's on the Water for dinner. Compared to other beach town…read morespots, it was fairly average overall. The staff was semi-welcoming, though it seemed like they were a bit overwhelmed during our visit. I ordered the crab cakes, and they did have good flavor, but they were very shell-heavy and a bit bready, which took away from the overall texture. The food was okay for the price point, but nothing particularly stood out or felt memorable. The highlight of the experience was definitely the drinks, which were great and fairly priced. It's worth checking out if you're in the area, but not necessarily a place I'd go out of my way for. Solid 3/5.

We've lived in the area for about 6 years. Eat out fairly often. This restaurant by far has been…read morethe most consistent in the quality of the food, which is the best of all the restaurants in the topsail area. It is not fine dining and has the sports bar vibe. It is a relatively small place and I recommend going on non peak hours in season. If you are into oysters, they have a great selection of both local and regional on the half shell. If you prefer cooked, chargrilled or steamed is a good choice. While the menu has a great selection of seafood, the chalkboard specials features extremely fresh local catches which change daily. While there are several restaurants in and around the topsail area this is the only one where I have never been disappointed. If you go at peak hours during the vacation season expect to wait but it is worth it. You can't miss with any of the steamed shellfish offerings and if you prefer fried there batter is light and not overpowering. As a sports bar, they have a large selection of tap and bottled beers and a good mixology of liquor options which is only outdone in my opinion by Rick's in Sneads Ferry

Whenever a restaurant puts "market price" next to an item, I'm worried. But Dear Wife and I were in…read morethe low country and we wanted a low country boil. So that's what we got. I could've asked the price upfront (and usually do) but what the heck... we're on vacation. The server suggested we get a "double" and share it. OK. Sounds good. It came out quick. There was a TON of food for two of us. Shrimp, sausage, potatoes, corn. It didn't have a lot of seasoning also on it, but - no problem - there was a rack with every hot sauce you'd ever need, plus salt, pepper and old bay. We both ate our fill and even left a few potatoes. The bill comes and it's less than $40. It might be the cheapest great meal I've had in a long time. Or maybe it's the "greatest cheap meal" I've had in a long time... I don't know. Bar ambiance, but pleasant enough for families. Mostly high tables. It all seemed very nice.

Incredibly slow to seat, be greated, have our waitress hit our table…read more... I'm all for a leisurely Sunday, but when hangry mode kicks in; you're locked in. NOW ON TO THE GOOD When drinks need to be refilled, they were rapidly delivered. The fritters alongside the four sauce pairing *chefs kiss.* Scallops could have been slightly more seared but the fried green tomatoes made up for it!

We ate here two nights in a row. Great food and drinks, waterfront dining and there was live music,…read moretoo. There was a bit of a wait for outdoor dining but it was well worth it.