Great patio on the water, nice staff large bar, good selection on the menu, something for everyone read more

Marina Joes - Seafood Near Me - Surf City, North Carolina

Food was delicious. Great atmosphere, we watched the sunset and had a great father's day.

Overall: killer location, great views, attentive servers, but a bit expensive for what you receive. The bartenders need to be a tad more generous with their pours and the kitchen needs to hone their seasoning skills, especially with their side dishes. Our two-top arrived at 5:30pm on a Wednesday evening and we were pleasantly greeted by the hostess, then quickly seated upstairs after a quick glimpse at the waterfront bar on the first floor. Obviously, the main dining room is great for large parties - we saw several eight, 10- and 12-top tables seated when we arrived. That said, the room itself was very (very) loud, but the view overlooking the waterway certainly made up for the noise. We kicked off our meal with a pair of cocktails and shared a salad; the Front Porch Swing ($14) came with well-worthy Jim Beam bourbon, watermelon puree, lemon juice and peach bitters. The Cucumber Paloma ($16) featured Hornitos tequila, "grapefruite and lime huice", and muddled cucumber. While quite refreshing, the drinks were certainly light on booze. The Roasted Beet salad ($14) arrived quite quickly with bright red beets, fresh spinach, candied pecans, a generous topping of goat cheese and apples wedges. Our dinners came out just as we were finishing our salad - the "Crispy Chicken" ($30) featured a half "flash fried" chicken on top of rather thick gouda grits and charred asparagus. The skin on the chicken was super crispy, but the meat was quite bit dry. My date's Glazed Salmon ($32) was a rather smallish 3-4oz salmon filet topped with a citrus-y soy sauce and microgreens over flavorless, gooey mashed potatoes (if I had to guess, the mash was made with dehydrated potato pearls). Instead of broccolini, she got the same charred asparagus as my dish. We hoped to save the evening by enjoying one of their signature desserts - the Homemade Banana Pudding ($12) arrived in a small Mason jar and tasted just like the pre-packaged puddin' mix Granny used to bring to the monthly church dinner. Sigh! We look forward to giving Marina Joe's another try - maybe the Tuna Poke Nachos and Dockside Steak Melt. read more

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We went to Marina Joes on 7/3 which was a crazy Friday night. Usually places on the island don't take reservations bc they know they'll be packed, but this night they did. We did not have a reservation but arrived early enough 6PM. The hostess was super accommodating by saying we could sit at the bar if there was room and eat off the limited menu. No problem! The place was slowly filling up but we had the (beautiful) bar to ourselves. I ordered a cocktail and he ordered a beer. We then got the picnic order which was a hamburger, hot dog, potato salad, baked beans, a bag of chips and a prepackaged cookie. Not bad for $20. I ordered the kids one which had the hot dog and the sides which was $10. They were smart to have someone grilling this outside to accommodate the ones without a reservation. The people with a reservation were able to pick off a pre made menu. Smart when you know you're going to get slammed! The staff seemed to be busy and the ambiance was pretty but LOUD. We had a nice shot of the inlet - to our backs, but one day we'll check out the outside deck and get the better view. Since we didn't try anything off their typical menu, we aren't able to make a great decision on their food. Will try again. read more

Marina Joes - Kids platter - Seafood Near Me - Surf City, North Carolina

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I so much wanted to like this restaurant. I am in Surf City year round and to have a restaurant this beautiful on the island itself almost within walking distance was huge. The two stars or for the atmosphere, staff and cocktails. I have gone twice figuring the first was so close to opening. They have very unique flavors. The Blistered Shishtos have like a Chinese 5 spice on them and are way over cooked. The "fried chicken" tastes just like duck you would get at your local Chinese restaurant and was very dry. We had the Crab Stuffed Mahi a few days ago and it was at least 10 minutes over cooked. The kitchen and menu really need help. Sadly it will make it through tourist season but will never survive the locals in off season. It is too bad, it is a beautiful place with a great view. read more

Place looked nice inside. It might be somewhat understaffed or alternately something is amiss. Went today at 2:00 with intent to sit at bar and order a beer and appetizer. Unfortunately, after 10 minutes I got up and left, telling hostess apparently no one is working the bar since no one there. One young lady, who I'm sure worked there, walked behind the bar and retrieved something and went and sat down at table with another young lady that also looked like an employee. Maybe shifts change at two? Nevertheless, lost my business. No comment on food since never served. read more

The absolute best vibes and food. If you are in the area don't miss this spot. We came in from a day on the boat and the owner was so welcoming! The sunset views are unmatched! read more

Marina Joes - Basil lemon spritz! - Seafood Near Me - Surf City, North Carolina

This restaurant delivered a truly memorable setting for the Fourth of July. The views alone made the experience--an incredible sunset over the sound followed by a perfect vantage point for the fireworks. It created a festive and scenic atmosphere that is hard to beat. The environment itself was clean, upbeat, and well-suited for a holiday crowd. There was a lively energy without feeling overwhelming, making it an enjoyable place to spend the evening. The food was good overall, with solid flavors and presentation. That said, the portion sizes were a bit smaller than expected based on the menu, which took away slightly from the overall value. Service was acceptable but not particularly standout. Given the holiday and the crowd, it was understandable, though there is room for improvement in attentiveness and pacing. With a few adjustments--particularly to portion consistency and service--this has the potential to become a go-to spot for both special occasions and regular visits. The location and atmosphere already set a strong foundation. read more

I understood that the place had recently opened, however how can the kitchen staff leave out the pickles from their Cubano Sandwich. (Cubano - Pulled pork, tasso ham, swiss, pickles, mustard, on a pressed hoagie roll) My sandwich was awful, it was dry, had a touch of mustard. It was ok that they didn't have scallops for the fried seafood plate that my husband ordered and substituted more shrimp. But to totally screwup a sandwich? They weren't even busy when we were there for lunch. Much better places to eat on the island we were not at all impressed and won't be back. read more

Came here for Father's Day absolutely horrible!!! Service was horrible !! Chicken salad is there some of the nasty chicken salad I've ever had did not eat it.. steak and cheese super dry fries totally burnt.. I crab dip fishy fishy, street corn fried to a crisp ridiculous!!! Just another crappy Surf City restaurant nobody has any passion in their food... if I could give them zero stars, I would don't waste your time. read more

I arrive at 7:15pm on Monday June 15th. My two young children and I walk up to the second floor and are immediately greeted by two lovely young ladies who promptly got us a table in the middle section on the far end next to wait station and kitchen. We were then approached by our server a few minutes later, she did not introduce herself by name but was friendly, asked for our drink order and told us the specials. She returned 5 minutes later with our drinks and as she proceeded to set one of the drinks down on the table the other two full drinks spilled all over my lap, my purse and some on the table and floor. My reaction was slow to get up, I did project any frustration or negative energy, I just proceeded to ask if the waitress was OK because of the glass, I wanted to make sure that she wasn't hurt. She did immediately step in and say I'm so sorry and proceeded to get things cleaned up, two other waitresses stepped in to help and get napkins but I couldn't help being a bartender and server 10 years of my life to help. We were then directed by our waitress to go sit in the booth table combo next to us, but I proceeded to help clean up a little bit and begin to dry my white cotton shorts off, which were completely soaked on the one side and my suede purse. Once we sat down are waitress came back and said I will go get you new drinks. Nobody else approached our table after that and It took another 5 minutes to get our second round of drinks and that's probably because she was bartending alone too. When she came back with our drinks and took our order, I asked for the muscles and the shrimp tempura as well a cheeseburger with just cheese nothing on it and ketchup on the side to split for my kids. She left and another five minutes maybe went by. And in passing she asked if everything was ok. I said yes but I should have mentioned my drink was all ice and 2 ounces of liquid. Then probably another 10 minutes passed by and we got our food served by a nice young man. But upon setting it down I noticed that the burger was fully loaded with all the toppings. They did manage to cut it in half and brought an extra plate. I begin to eat my muscles and noticed that they were not super clean, some sand grit were still present when biting into them and they were way overcooked. There was also at least five broken shells with pieces in the bowl and one empty shell. And I actually pulled shell out of a bite or two that I had and there was maybe a quarter cup of broth in my bowl. And on top of that, the shrimp was well over cooked in my tempura. I had to scrape off everything from the burger for my kids. My children then said that the burger was not good and they didn't care to finish it. My kids have never had a bad burger on the island in the 3 years we have lived here. I wasn't approached by a manager until the end of the meal and it had been 30 mins or more from sitting down at the new table. He also had walked past a minimum of five times I believe and made eye contact with our table a few of those. When the manager finally approached and asked how was everything this evening, I proceeded to say umm not good and explained what happened and told him that I felt that it was completely inappropriate how management didn't come over and address any of what had happened. The only thing the waitress offered was covering the two sprites I got for my kids and my drink, which was maybe 2 ounces of liquid and the rest ice. The manager responded and said I'm sorry, I had no idea that happened. No one approached him on it. But it didn't feel genuine at all. He did agree with me that he would take care of everything in regards to the dinner. Because I had said that I was not going to be paying for that quality of meal and the manner that the situation was handled by management. I also said I would not be coming back to this establishment and I would let my friends and family know about my experience as well. And it would not be a recommendation for my renters at my rental homes on the island. I then got up a moment later and walked out with my children. I personally have worked in the restaurant industry for over 10 years. I have served, and I have bartended, and expedited food. I have never seen a situation handled like that and I've never worked for a management staff that would handle a scenario like that. Nor would I let food leave the kitchen without quality check. I sat in that restaurant for over 40 minutes with soaking wet shorts, and on top of that it was one of the worst meals I've ever had on the island. Such a shame! Maybe this place will get bought out and have new owners and staff that know how to train and run a restaurant. Topsail island and its visitors and residents deserve better. Oh, and the best part is I still have yet to hear from the owner of Marina Joe's about this when I emailed a couple days after this incident. read more