My friends and I were so excited to finally try Manna after hearing alot about it. It was very disappointing. We were all in a little in shock to be honest. Our drinks were great, the atmosphere is great and the service was very good. The food just wasn't great. The homemade foccachi bread came out cold and with no flavor. It needed salt sooooo badly. The dipping "relish" was a great idea but again, needed seasoning. The eggplant dish was a waiter recommendation and it lacked flavor on every level. The pasta was good but not a lot of meat in it:( After raeding the other reviews, not sure we will give it a second try. Don't mind spending money on yummy food, but this just didn't meet our expectations. read more

Ambiance is beautiful, and our server was friendly, but for being "fine-dining", and voted one of the best in Wilmington, the food was mediocre at best. I'm unfortunately not surprised --- Wilmington NC as a whole and its restaurant industry are nothing to write home about. I enjoyed the farm to table vibe with limited but creative menu options. I'd recommend giving it a try but if you're wanting to drop some cash for solid fine dining, you're better off taking a trip to Raleigh or Charlotte for the weekend. read more

The ambience is inviting and warm. Sam was my server and she was so delightful and knowledgeable about the menu. This was my first time trying a lobster butter and it was the perfect amount of lobster flavor to go with my filet. It was accompanied by roasted potatoes that I could have eaten all day. There's a creative cocktail menu and I liked the combination of mezcal and scotch in my cocktail. It was fun to sit by the bar area and watch the creation of other craft cocktails. A pleasant dining experience and a beautiful area to walk around. The prices are a bit on the higher side for the area. Glad I found this gem! read more

manna - a drink in a glass on a table - New American Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

See all

Manna has amazing food. Period. Definitely the best place in town, everything is next level.

What a wonderful dining experience start to finish. Called last minute for a reservation for a birthday dinner and was super surprised they had spots open same day. Started the meal off with six oysters on the half shell. While I prefer mine plain with just a tiny amount of condiments added these were super tasty even if there was too much pickled onions for our taste. I want to enjoy the flavor of the oysters but I digress. We decided on another appetizer of the sausage and sauerkraut that was so good we ended up getting two. All the smells and flavor or Eastern European comfort food. We haven't had sausage that good since our last Poland Trip. Their bourbon selection was way better than I anticipated and chose a Starlight Bottled in Bond during the appetizers and a George T Stagg 2017 for dinner. Our dinner consisted of the Seabass and Pork dishes and they both were amazing. We definitely appreciate the generous portions and everything tasted wonderful. The Seabass was cooked perfectly and fully of flavor. Topped the night off with a couple desert and a after dinner drink and left more than satisfied. read more

Perfect spot for our anniversary dinner. The food was original, oyster special that night was amazing.

My first date night kid free and Manna made the night everything I could imagine and more. We called at around 4 to make a reservation and they stated that they wouldn't be able to get us in until 9pm! Perfect, it gave us time to go downtown and get a few drinks beforehand. Luckily, at around 7:30 we got a call that they had a few cancellations and would be able to get in sooner! It was awesome that they went out of their way to let us know they could get us in at an earlier hour. We finished our drink and walked right over. The hostess was amazing and took us right over to our table where the waitress was already waiting to get our water selection. We started with the cocktail list and the black and decker was EXCELLENT.. I had 2 maybe 3. It was like a light strawberry margarita flavor. We decided on getting the ribeye for two as a main course and the chefs choice sides (at first we were skeptical because the chef cooks the meat at medium and we usually like our meat on the more medium rare side). However, we were blown away! Serious real deal melt in your mouth ribeye with perfect marbling throughout cooked to an actual medium rare perfection. The sides were potatoes cooked in duck fat, a squash medley, and beans blasting with flavor. The dessert was the only disappointing part of this meal. We misunderstood the menu but glanced it quick since the waitress recommended it and we thought we would give it a try. It was a 14$ coke float with cheesecake ice cream but it tasted like straight bourbon. No matter how much coke we added it was STRAIGHT BURBON. We took one bite each and we were done. I honestly cringed while taking the bite. If someone ate that for themselves and got pulled over they would be headed to jail. I was a little upset that they saw the dessert untouched and didn't mention anything or ask questions. Oh well. The customer service is unbeatable and the main course was excellent. You will be spending some money here so come prepared... but it's worth it. I hope my next dessert experience here it better. Perfect date night for anyone who likes perfectly cooked high end foods. read more

See all

Today is our second there. The atmosphere is great. The decor is what you would expect in a high end restaurant downtown. Service is excellent. Both times we have wonderful servers who are attentive, friendly, knowledgeable and proud of the restaurant. Food is always great. My family enjoyed it very much both times. Special shout out to the duck. It's the best I've had. It's nice and tender, cooked to perfection. The sweet potato confi purée and gnocchi (with the duck) are so good. From my two visits, I've tried their tuna, the "board game" New York strip and Bobby filet, the lamb shank and etc. The duck is no doubt the best. I would reorder it in a heartbeat. If I had to say one thing of improvement, I would be for them to have better steak knife. Especially when the meat is tougher to cut, a sharper, better steak knife is going to save a whole-meal arm workout. read more

See all

Absolutely one of the best restaurants we've tried in Wilmington since our arrival in May. Every morsel you put in your mouth is phenomenal, whether a cocktail, appetizer or entrée. I simply can't say enough good things about it, but I'll try. For people who may be afraid to venture out during this time of Covid, please know that their beautiful dining room has seven lovely tables all distanced from each other as recommended by the CDC. All employees are wearing a mask. We both felt very safe. My new favorite cocktail is the Aviation, topped with champagne. I wanted to order something other than wine, so the bartender asked me a few questions and then put this in front of me. It was unbelievably delicious. Our entrées were equally fabulous. My husband ordered the pork chop and I had the yellowfin tuna. It's so exciting to go to a restaurant where every single thing is even better than you anticipate. To round out the whole experience was our lovely server, Stephanie. If you haven't been to Manna, I hope you'll give it a try very soon. You will not be disappointed. read more

See all

We had a great experience here! The staff was great and attentive. I have been wanting to try this place. My husband and I decided to go here after our wedding ceremony for a romantic dinner since covid killed any kind of reception. We had a nice table by the window, champagne, and an excellent meal. Great atmosphere for a date night! read more

manna - New American Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

Amazing atmosphere, service and food! Manna makes some of the best cocktails in town. Have not had a single thing I didn't like! My super power coy husband enjoyed everything too! We can't wait to go again! read more

Wilmington has come a long way in the area of cuisine in recent years - and I'm proud to bear witness of that fact - but I have also long held the opinion that the only real chef in this town belongs to a restaurant called Manna. I was overwhelmingly reminded of that fact last night during a casual early dinner with my fiancée...I had the beef tenderloin medium rare atop a layer of warm cheese grits overlayed by spinach with caramelized onions and mushrooms, she had a small homemade spaghetti plate with arugula herbs and the most perfected blend of salt within each pasta noodle. The beef was absolute pure grade A, melt in your mouth, savor every bite, moan under your breath deliciousness. The grits might have sung Dixie, had they gotten a fighting chance prior to my devour-ment. The bread - of course an ode to the blessed establishment's title - could have very well raised the dead, and kept the Israelites another 40 years in the desert due to it's sustenance alone, to say nothing of its taste, which I'm sure by now the reader can certainly imagine. I consider myself truly reminded of the only real gourmet experience in Wilmington, North Carolina, and my Dallas based fiancée finally had her 5 star Michelin taste buds not only satisfied but admittedly blown away. We will be back. read more

On the advice of a Wilmington colleague, I tried Manna last week. Sat at the bar and had an amazing gimlet. Perfectly prepared, icy cold! Started with local oysters with pickled onion sorbet. The oysters were incredible and the sorbet was fantastic. For an entree I had local corn with blue crab. One of the best meals I've had in a while. I'll be back! read more

My husband and I have been looking for a good occasion to check out manna for a while, and decided to make reservations for our anniversary. It turns out we share an anniversary with manna! They were hosting a special 11-course meal in honor of their 11th anniversary so we decided it was fate and booked our spot. I'm honestly having a hard time picking a favorite course; everything was so good! read more

See all

I normally would tip 5 stars because I enjoy the food and service the many times I've been here. But the last Sunday beggars night I ordered 4 plates off the mystery menu and received 3 plates of the same dish. I only come Sunday's because I enjoy the diversity of the dishes and was left disappointed. The waiter said it's hows the kitchen does it and still charged me for the missing order dish we didn't get because one dish was combined for 2 people? Yet the others were not? I guess beggars can't be choosers so I won't be back to support something I used to hold dear to my heart and will order off the regular menu instead. read more

manna - Beggars can't be choosers menu only on sundays, gotta make a reservation between 5 and 7 to enjoy it! - New American Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

See all

Best food best drinks and amazing wait staff. Must try the oysters on the half shell my so good!!!

Fred is the best bartender in the area. And the food is delicious! Might seem silly, but the bread . It's also amazing that they make sure their menus are centered around ingredients that will work for the seasons you're in. Always been a go to date night/celebration spot read more

We had an amazing time, great food & service! The atmosphere was romantic as well, perfect for date night.

Went there with out of town friends and are so glad we did. The food was absolutely amazing and so was Stephanie our server. Everything was perfect. The timing of the food to the speed and attentiveness of the service. The flavor profiles were amazing and unique with every dish we sampled. It was very interesting and great to hear that the restaurant is trying to limit its environmental foot print by sourcing all ingredients local, changing the menu every day and composting left overs to give back to the farmers they source from. This will definitely be a regular spot for us, even without out of town friends. read more

I went on a Friday night on my own. The food with cocktails were interesting and incredible. I went back a few days later with 5 friends expecting a drop off on the experience. The follow up visit did not disappoint. Come here if you're looking for delicious and interesting food. Holding them to a high standard some of the servers, not all, are robotic. Our main server was great! read more

I have had meals at "nicer" restaurants, and have been to more specialty places, but I have never had an experience like I have here. This was the single best meal I have ever had - and it all started with our bartender. From the moment we sat down we were treated like royalty and met with unparalleled service and expertise. We picked a flavor and style, and he met us with a drink out of this world. We wanted to tweak, and we got something better. And when we felt like we were wearing out our welcome, we were made to feel like family with yet another hand crafted, unique cocktail. Cannot recommend enough coming here. - The food = incredible - The service = amazing - The drinks = better than anything I've ever had. 11/10 recommend. read more

Given the owner's response, I'm deleting my original review and changing it from one to three stars. I'm pleased to get their attention with regard to communication and voicemail. I strongly think that the restaurants that come out of the pandemic even stronger are the ones that adapt to the circumstances by offering takeout for customers who do not want to jeopardize their health, their family's health, and frankly the staff's health. Many people use Yelp as their app of choice for local dining and restaurants who ignore it do so at their long-term peril. read more

The service was impeccable! Very attentive to every detail and the superb venue to enjoy a meal. I had the duck which was very moist and a great flavor. The accompanying sides were so-so. My daughter had the lamb and was flavorful and a good portion. Loved the pickled oysters! Iced pickled toping was a nice touch and would order those again! Now the 4 is because my daughter ordered the ninety-five dollar steak and it was not cooked medium rare and did not have much flavor. We we're in shock thinking a $95 steak would be perfect. Sent it back to cook it a little more and it came back the exact same. We just decided not to say any thing a second time. Loved the staff they were great. read more

Fantastic experience! Wonderful food and wine and service! We especially loved the cocktails!

Best cocktails in Wilmington! We love going to Manna for drinks and apps. We always sit at the bar or in the bar area. We took some friends, who had never been, for cocktails a few weeks ago. We asked the bar for a seasonal cocktail with bourbon. Grace accepted our challenge and created two different cocktails for the four of us. One was stirred with rye and the other shaken with bourbon. Both had a variety of spices and bitters. Both were incredible! I'm telling you, if you want to have a very special cocktail Manna is the place to go. On Sunday from 5-6:30 they have a menu called beggars can't be choosers. The kitchen has a preset menu. You will be served whatever they are cooking that night. You can pick from meat, seafood or veg. $8 per plate. Cocktails $9. I have never been to beggars can't be choosers night but you can bet I will be going soon. PS-the pork belly is very, very good read more

Manna was amazing! From the creativity, flavor, service and ambience to the incredible service, this place is a gem! I highly recommend you visit and taste True farm to table dining! Highly recommend! read more

This farm to table restaurant is quickly becoming one of my favorite restaurants to eat. They change the menu daily so all kinds of new fusions are rotating throughout the menu. The ingredients are extremely fresh! read more

Great food, service, and atmosphere. We split several plates and everything was delicious. The perfect wine pairing recommendation from the house sommelier, Jeremy, was the icing on the cake! read more

Intimate restaurant perfect for a date night. High quality, fresh ingredients and attentive service. Highly recommend as a place to celebrate a special occasion or to impress your date :) read more

AMAZING! Quality, fresh, innovative, farm to table with a rotating menu. Amazing cocktails. 10/10 recommend read more

See all

Hands down our favorite restaurant in Wilmington! It has become our date night spot! We feel like family when we step in the door. We've come to know most of the staff and everyone is so friendly. We usually choose to sit at the bar because we love the casual yet sophisticated atmosphere and talking to the bartenders. Name your preferred spirit and if you like refreshing or booze forward drinks and they will create a custom cocktail for you! It's always on point! We love how the menu changes daily. The chef uses all fresh local ingredients. We ordered the baked oysters and mussels as our appetizers. For entrees we had the filet and spring salad. As always, everything was delicious! The dessert was a parfait with butterscotch pudding and dark chocolate cake. Perfect way to end the meal! From the food, drinks, and service it's a always a fabulous night out and worth every penny! If you're in Wilmington, you must dine at Manna! read more

See all

Had been wanting to try Manna for a while and a surprise visit by one of my mom's granddaughters was the perfect time. We arranged a total surprise and then our server, Fred, offered to curate the meal for us - family style. He made fantastic choices, paired the wine perfectly and made it a very special evening for us all! Elevated cuisine but not stuffy. Can't wait to go back. read more

Exceptional dining in a casual atmosphere. Chef Jewel prepares outstanding flavorful farm to table dishes. We have not had such wonderful dining in a long time! read more

See all

We dined at Manna for the first time in a few years last week. I was told they changed chefs a few years ago and the difference is striking. The food was mediocre at best and seemingly an experimental sort of vegan cuisine. Like every eatery in the last year Brussell sprouts made the menu. Under cooked and smothered in mayonaise. Lamb sausage over cooked. Duck I needed a chainsaw. The only redeeming value I found was the bread. But at $8.00 it better be. Bar was hopping as usual. The staff was as terrific as I remember. Drinks were generous as usual. But the food! It had too many experimental dishes. They explain all is fresh and farm to table ingredients. May have been fresh but the preparation and food leaves a lot to be desired. read more

Great food, great staff (really) and the oysters....great! Pricey but worth it. I'll be back for a special occasion. Perfect downtown location read more

Called and left message for a reservation several days in advance of the Saturday I wanted to dine. Got a call back to ask me to call them back. I called back, left the message again and included that any time near the time frame I was requesting would work. I also asked to leave me a detailed message on my VM if needed. I then assumed all was set since there was no VM regarding the res. Got there to see a spiral bound notebook with scribbles all over for their reservation system. And no finalized reservation. Was told they could serve us in an hour. No thanks. Reservations should be better organized. After reading the restaurant's response, I will say again, simply, that the reservation system needs to be improved. Offer online reservations if no one is able to answer the phone. I left a very specific message asking to leave me a detailed VM message as to whether or not we could be seated but that didn't happen. Yes, I did turn around and walked out after being told we couldn't be seated for more than an hour. read more

Fabulous! Wonderful! Spectacular! Fresh! Mouthwatering! Welcoming! Phenomenal! This review will become too long if I go on! This was our first time to Manna, and we will DEFINITELY BE BACK! Every Dish just got better and better! The service was outstanding! We had the Bread with Ricotta and Olive Oil, Raw Oysters, yellowfin tuna, the fair or fowl pole, and the Sea Bass. The drinks were very good too! Thank you for a wonderful night Manna! Hope to see you soon! read more

The staff are so educated and down to earth at the same time. It's a great experience. We celebrated our anniversary and felt really special. The wine list is huge and the food is so particular but also filling. I love the cozy bar area and the dining room is beautiful. read more

We chose to try "Manna" for our 15th anniversary dinner and we were THRILLED with the experience. I got the flounder over grits and my husband ordered the Bobby Filet. Our server was wonderful and very attentive. When our dinner came, it was plated beautifully but more importantly, it was all DELICIOUS! We even had dessert, which was also fantastic. It's our new "special occasion" place, I think! read more

manna - Bobby Filet - New American Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

See all

Everything was delicious. Cocktails, appetizers, wine and dinner, and of course service was excellent. Sat at the bar, some patrons were pretty rowdy, but other than that, one of the best dining experiences we have had in awhile! read more

manna - Apps - peppers and whipped ricotta with greasy bread - New American Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

See all