My family gifted me with a special 87th birthday trip to Wilmington to traipse old familiar places and eat some fabulous foods. Experiencing this with family was a special treat. The culmination was a lovely sun kissed luncheon on the Crystal Pier seated where we could catch the breezes and see the rolling surf. Having grown up in Wilmington, I was blessed to have the delightful experience of enjoying freshly caught fish lovingly and skillfully prepared by my mother. It has been years since I've truly enjoyed fish. On Saturday, my lunch choice was the Fresh Catch which was locally caught Sea Bass, hand cut and pan seared. It was seasoned to perfection with just the briefest dash of salt and spices and lightly browned by the pan searing. It was served with grilled asparagus and a bed of rice with an elegant white sauce. I don't know when I've enjoyed a meal so much. The lovely end to the meal came with a tempting and delicious slice of Key Lime Pie. Vera G. read more

Ambiance: beautiful seaside restaurant with plenty of seating inside and outside on the peer. Sat on the pier around noon on a weekday. Since it was so hot, the outdoor seating wasn't very busy at the time. There were a lot of birds and flies swarming the pier. I wish they had some fly fans at each table on the pier to deter flies from landing on your food! The restaurant's bathroom was a bit stinky and off putting for a restaurant of this ambiance. Food: The tuna nachos were alright. I was disappointed with how soggy and stale the chips tasted when they were first delivered. Service: Our server was very friendly! read more

Oceanic - Tuna Poke Nachos - Seafood Near Me - Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina

Disappointing experience. Came here to celebrate my partner and his mother's bday. Our food took over 1.5 hours to get to us, tables came and ate and left and we were still there...waiting. I Talked to the manager and he said he would "take care of us". Then to add insult to injury, they charged us for the birthday desserts. The food was not good at all. Don't waste your money. read more

Great customer service but the food just wasn't seasoned that well. The ceviche...I would not get again. There was no flavor. Not even salt. The Caesar salad dressing was also very bland. The seafood seem to be fresh; it had a little more seasoning the the rest of the food, likely due to the batter however the lack of seasoning was a damper. I got the spicy margarita was which flavorful. read more

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Let me paint you a picture. It's a Saturday night, the day of the St. Patrick's day parade in downtown Wilmington. Clear skies and 80 degree weather it's an early glimpse of summer in Wrightsville beach and the area is buzzing. Needless to say Oceanic was the perfect spot to bring our parents for dinner that night. I got the Sage-roasted chicken with potatoes and asparagus and I ate every bite of it. I eat chicken almost everyday at home and am shocked at how good this tasted, the sauce was delectable even the asparagus was admittedly delicious. Aside from the food, our view from the corner table was so incredible it bumped my review from a 4 to 5 stars! The whole experience came as a complete shock to me as I had long been told that you pay for the view at Oceanic while the food was mediocre at best, which I can honestly say is simply not the case. I loved every second of my time at Oceanic and highly suggest a visit when you're in the area! read more

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We came here on a Saturday afternoon, the day had relatively good weather but sitting outside was too chilly unless you were in the sun. So we sat inside but got a spot near the window. The menu looked good but we weren't too hungry so we got drinks and an appetizer. The crab dip was an excellent choice. Plenty of buttered toast and the smell was amazing. Our service was exceptional. I wouldn't hesitate to vibe back on a day when I'm super hungry and try other things read more

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Wrightsville Beach, NC - on a Girls Valentine's weekend celebration and needed a restaurant with a beach view and brunch. The view here is spectacular! We started with cocktails- I had a coconut martini mocktail which was honestly one of the best mocktails I'd ever had! Delicious! The glass was rimmed with toasted coconut and the drink was smooth and creamy. The food was good. Portions a bit small for the price. My bread pudding French toast didn't include real maple syrup and honestly could have used one more piece on the plate. My friend noted the fish sandwich didn't include tartar sauce. Server was warm and friendly. Gave us plenty of time to make our selections and kept our table clean as we lingered a bit. I would return when in town. read more

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Disappointing. Great ambience. Friendly staff. But!!! Our food arrived before glasses of water and cocktails--and lukewarm at that. Tasty enough but a pretty ruined evening. Saddest Old Fashioned in a long time arrived half way through dinner. Happily we walked out onto the pier to the end, watched various water-sports below, etc. Would not return except perhaps try it for lunch. read more

Oceanic - From Crystal Pier and Oceanic Restaurant this evening. Island Shrimp Tacos - Seafood Near Me - Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina

Food: meh. We got the shrimp scampi, and we got about 5 shrimp. We also got the crabcakes. The highlight was the asparagus. We were seated right away, but It took about 20 minutes to get water. Once we got it, there were floaties and dried food in the water. It took about 10 minutes to get new water. While we were there, at least two tables were delivered the wrong food. The bussers were working their tails off, but when my husband went to use the restroom (no paper towels), he said there were 4 waiters just chilling and talking. We sat outdoors and it was nice to be able to people watch on the beach and birdwatch. That was the highlight of the meal. read more

We went about 5:30 and were seated immediately. Outdoor dining with the ocean right there, or indoor dining with the same stunning views. Our waitstaff, Caleb, was phenomenal! He knew everything on the menu and was able to recommend the best food! We had the she crab soup- so creamy and delicious. If you want a little kick, ask for some old bay on the side. We also had (thank you Caleb) the shrimp cocktail with the MOST delicious cocktail sauce! So so good! We both got the crab stuffed salmon- wow! I have never had asparagus cooked so perfectly- it was exceptional. And the crab stuffed salmon was so delicious! Thank you Caleb for excellent service and to the chef for an exceptional meal. read more

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Okay for ambiance and views and cleanliness, I would give it five stars. But the food, just wasn't up to par. I ordered grilled mahi-mahi tacos and as you can see from the picture, it was barely anything in my taco, they could have really done something with it but it was just sad. My husband's Burger came pretty raw. In our calamari was not very good, the batter made you sick after a few bites. But the views are beautiful, service was really good and the beer was cold. I probably would look for another Ocean view restaurant next time. But you can always come here and get beers and appetizers. I would still tell people to do so if they want an amazing view in this area. read more

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So we wanted it to be good, we came here thinking it would be good, but in the end...not so good. We started with calamari which was mixed in with pepperoncini, interesting but mostly you got peppers and not calamari. The batter was a bit over as well, but not greasy. My burger was WAY under and I thought, well maybe I should eat it since I like rare, but this was too rare and I didn't finish it. I should have sent it back, but in the end after finishing half that is a rude thing to do or ask for a comp. I finished half and then just enjoyed the view of the water. I would not recommend though. read more

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The food, definitely something different. I'd never had onions on chicken and waffles, but the red onion added a nice flavor. The potato's also great, not special. The live music really set the bar for the ambiance and the vibe. However the service was top tier. Ryan was amazing! He was very attentive and knowledgeable in his recommendations also. We loved it. Thank you. Will definitely be back. read more

Oceanic - Mimosa flight - Seafood Near Me - Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina

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We ate here while visiting Wrightsville Beach and had a great experience. The food was excellent, and the views were even better. I would highly recommend it to anyone in the area! read more

Oceanic - Seafood Near Me - Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina

My husband has been coming here since the 90s apparently it was good back then. On our most recent visit it was beyond NOT GOOD. Our waiter was terrible, can't tell you his name because he never gave it to us lol . First my husband ordered she crab soup, who knew it was now served cold and eaten with a fork lol yes that bad, I ordered the crab stuffed salmon, maybe two bites of crab full of shell, and practically raw. When we mentioned it to the waiter , he could have cared less. Oh and the flies.. 1 or 2 no biggie but 17 (yes I counted). If you want to spend $70 on lunch (no drinks) have at it. We're done read more

Server LOST our card and BAD service from management & staff. It took at least 20 minutes for a server to greet us. Our drink order was incorrect and took a long time to receive the correct drink. After long wait times for service, we gave our card to pay and then waited another 15 minutes. Our server then comes back and tells us he lost our card, it had apparently fell through the crack on the pier onto the beach. He said it'll just be a longer wait for them to find it but we were also paying for parking which was about to run out so I gave him another because we didn't have time to wait. He said they would continue to try to find our card but at this point we were so ready to leave and our parking was running out. I asked to speak to a manager before leaving because I felt that we deserved some compensation for them messing up our drink order, long wait times, and then completely losing my card. The first thing the manager said to us when I explain the situation was "so you can't pay for your meal just because you lost your card?" WE DIDNT LOSE OUR CARD, YOU DID!! Apparently it's an ongoing issue of them losing cards there (he showed us all the cards they had lost). He then went on to gaslight us and say that they did nothing wrong so he was confused why we were upset. He turned things around on us saying "well didn't they fix the drink order?" And we kept explaining that the whole situation was a major inconvenience especially now that I have to replace my card. What if I wouldn't have had another card? We felt we deserved some type of compensation, service, and customer service especially from a MANAGER!! He was rude and unkind, and completely talked down to us. This is not the way paying customers at your restaurant should be treated for things that were not our fault. We will NOT be back. read more

Hadn't been to the Oceanic in years, as our last experience saw a high decline in quality of food served. We decided to give it another try on an April Wednesday night. Asked to sit upstairs, as it was too cold and windy to sit outside. We were seated right away at 6:30pm, but all the window tables are reserved for parties of 5 or more, so our group of four had to take an 'interior' seat. When we left there were several of the window tables which never had customers the whole time we were there! To our surprise our dinners were well prepared and very tasty - an improvement over our last experience a few years ago - and we were glad we gave this longtime Wrightsville Beach pier restaurant another try. I had the appetizer tuna poke nachos as a main. Crispy hot flour tortillas, plenty of tuna and seaweed salad and tasty dressing. One friend chose the Carolina Classic salad with grilled chicken and loved the mixture of greens, dried cranberries, nuts and blue cheese topped with sliced grilled chicken. Another friend had the Calabash platter, consisting of fried flounder, oysters and shrimp on a mound of fries. He pronounced the fish to be hot, overly battered, and crisp :) the fries underwhelming and reheated. The fourth friend loved his crab cakes with sides of rice and asparagus to be perfect. All in all 3 out out of 4 thought that the food was a home run. The downside to the evening is the noise level. The 'new' Oceanic features lots of hard surfaces, with nothing to absorb sound. The noise of clanking dishes, talking patrons plus blaring music made it nearly impossible for our fourtop to have a conversation during dinner. Might suggest you consider an outside pier table if it isn't too hot, read more

Oceanic - Calabash seafood platter - Seafood Near Me - Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina

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Loved e atmosphere, it was off season so not crowded at all. View from the top deck was incredible. The waiter staff was very helpful and assisted us with a smile. We ordered a number of apps and dishes all delicious The fried calamari was very good and the fried jalapeños on top were a nice touch compared to the typical banana peppers tossed about. The truffle fries were out of this world delicious. I had the fisherman's platter or as the call it the NC calabash platter... very well put together. Fish was fried to perfection flounder was tender and the shrimp were perfect. A couple of the other dishes needed some work on the presentation but the strip steak and mahi were both cooked perfect. Enjoyed our time and would love to return again. read more

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Delicious and flavorful food. The fried calamari and shrimp & grits yummy!!! Wonderful service and the location is spectacular. A must stop in Wrightsville Beach! read more

Great views! and plenty of outdoor seating. We enjoy coming for Sunday brunch or lunch on the weekends.

I'm not sure why this restaurant does not have a higher rating. We absolutely LOVED it!!! From the appetizers to entrees every single bite was delicious! We tried the sun-kissed shrimp and crab dip both were fantastic! Entrees we had the NC platter, she crab soup, mahi-mahi tacos , and shrimp tacos all these were wonderful! The service was good and the top floor was stunning . Finally the cocktails were perfect ! read more

The bar overlooking the water is beautiful! The bar tenders are all friendly and helpful. The meals are very good and great presentation. It's a wonderful place. read more

Definitely gone down hill. A seafood restaurant with cocktail sauce and no shrimp cocktail. Very strange. Fried calamari with more hot peppers than calamari and no marinara sauce. Shrimp scampi is really shrimp skimpy. Tiny shrimp in a reasonable but not great pasta presentation. Service was slow and inattentive. The outside is beautiful but the music was too loud even outside We will not be going back read more

What's not to like about an oceanfront restaurant with a pier? We stopped by here during the Christmas week, and it was not too crowded. There's a gorgeous covered seating area on the 2nd floor with beautiful views of the beach. The pier and outdoor seating by the pier are on the 1st floor. We ordered a seafood gumbo bowl along with mahi-mahi and island shrimp taco plates. The food was pretty good; especially the gumbo was great. Friendly staff and good service. read more

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Sat outside in sunshine on beautiful Sunday. Wait staff prompt and friendly. Flounder was perfect. read more

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Dirty and gross!!! The menu's were all wet weren't dried off gross. The woman bathroom was not flushing and rusted garbage cans. I expected that from a dive bar on the beach but certainly not a pricey restaurant. Food took 40 minutes to come out. If you get the shrimp scampi watch out you only get 3 shrimp!!!! I gave this place a second try and I was still disappointed. Only thing they have going for them is the view. read more

Oceanic - Woman bathroom - Seafood Near Me - Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina

The view from the deck is worth everything. The fried seafood platter was excellent. The she crab soup was good but not very hot and not very much for a $9 bowl. More like a cup. Service was good. Lucky to find an empty spot on their lot to park. We went around 3:30 pm. read more

We come here every year and it never fails to be amazing. The food is always delicious. The service is top tier and personal. The views from inside or on the pier make this the best place to go for any occasion. read more

Oceanic - Ny ribeye. Sooooo good! - Seafood Near Me - Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina

We held our daughter's wedding April 24th at this venue, which made for a very celebratory event! Meredith - the Oceanic event co-ordinator and all Oceanic staff provided an exceptional experience and a job very well done. The food was delicious and perfectly served. The view was picturesque and the pier was beautifully decorated making for a great party atmosphere. We highly recommend this venue. read more

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We got there and were informed that it would be 45 minutes to get a table anywhere. Honestly that was expected so we walked out onto the pier and waited around by the bar to see if there were any spots to open up. Ultimately we did end up at the bar which was immediately met by a young man who disrupted my question about seating to say "no man I'll be with you in a few minutes." Cool, I get being busy that's never an issue, but he was very rude to me and my future step son about whether it was ok if we sat down at the open seats. I opened my tab by getting a glass of wine for my fiancé and a Buffalo trace on the rocks for myself. I attached the Buffalo trace I received, basically a watered down shot of bourbon. I can't begin to describe the abysmal nature of our food that we ordered. I ordered the mahi tacos, which included a portion of mahi fish that was so dry it could have been used as kindling for a campfire. The tortilla chips that were a "side" were the most stale thing I've seen in years. I wouldn't feed that to a stray dog. My fiancé got chicken tenders that seemed like they could have been air fried at my house. The only saving grace of it was the massive pile of fries that were "Cajun" but in reality someone just sprinkled old bay over them. My future step son ordered a salmon filet with a side of applesauce, which shockingly seemed to be the best thing that we ordered. I wanted to show my fiancé and future step son a cool experience on Wrightsville Beach because I grew up here. Good to know that the oceanic is still mediocre after all these years. If the oceanic was not a staple of Wrightsville Beach then it would not be open. Go anywhere else. read more

Oceanic - "Buffalo Trace on the rocks" - Seafood Near Me - Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina

My girlfriends and I came here on a Saturday night excited for dinner and drinks. We got sat at a table outside and waited around 10 minutes until even greeted or given water. We then ordered an appetizer asking for chips instead of bread due to a gluten preference and were told they were out of chips? We then received a small Togo cup of small cucumbers which seemed to not be the right recommendation for the thing we ordered. We then were asked for entrees immediately after placing our appetizer order which made us feel rushed. I proceeded to order a chicken Caesar salad and my friend the "CHICKEN O" which when it came to our table we received a small side salad no chicken and the chicken entree with something completely different from the menu. It had no capers and was served with rice. We then told the waiter the order was wrong and I got two slices of chicken to go with my "entree" and ate what I was given obviously not happy with what was served. 10 -15 minutes later I received a full Caesar salad which I didn't ask for a replacement rather needed an understanding for the mistake made. My friend had no acknowledgment for the wrong chicken entree but was told "it was 86 and I forgot".At the very end where we asked for a manager was told she was pumping and then practically begged for some sort of compensation for the service and food received. In the future please understand that hospitality is always expected from a restaurant like this and the service that night made us not want to return or recommend this place to anyone coming to wrightsville. read more

Friendly service, great drinks, and great food! Highly recommend the outdoor seating in the evening after a beach day. Well worth the wait for a table! This will be a go to spot for my family in the years to come. read more

We only go here in the "off season" aka- the winter months. During the winter? It is on POINT! Service, meat temps, crispy fried treats, seasoned, thought after..... it seems as though during the summertime when the tourists are swarming it's hard for the quality to keep up with. I look forward to going here in the fall and winter but stay away during tourist season. It's got good bones. A wonderful bike ride day date for locals in the off season. Thankful it's around. No matter what it's always clean and I believe the prices are very fair/reasonable for the view/vibes that surround all the guests. Drink prices are great. read more

Beautiful restaurant, good service, friendly and courteous, but the food is so below average it surprised me. Fish tacos had fishy mahi slathered in some white sauce with a few mango pieces encased in a cheap flour tortilla. My daughter had grouper which wasn't bad but again slathered in sauce. This place could be epic if the chef cared. read more

This restaurant has really stepped up their game. Their food used to be okay but the last few times I have been the food has been amazing. I watched the NCAA tournament at the bar with a nice ocean view and was able to take a walk out on the pier with my beer to blow off some anxiety during the game haha. The pier bar opens in the summer as well. I love this restaurant read more

As we went here for a work social gathering, it was not exactly what I thought. It is more like a tourist destination as part of their facility is a pier that extends into the Atlantic Ocean. They have live music and that person was taking requests so it was fun. From what I could tell they also do private affairs, but only if you can blend into the pier crowd. The ambiance is great, especially at dusk. A full bar and lots of tasty food make it a good time for all. read more

Oceanic - Main Bar - Seafood Near Me - Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina

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Gorgeous restaurant and view! Seafood centric so keep that in mind. They do have a tempura battered chicken strip meal that was actually very decent however only one choice for sauce ginger mustard and that's not everyone's choice.. Other than that everyone else white their food and service. read more

Oceanic - Seafood Near Me - Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina

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The best view for miles, right along the beach and on the pier. If you're waiting for an open table, go to the pier! Look on the ocean, catch a fish, or take photos! Some food i would recommend-the shrimps and grits and the Cajun chicken pasta. It is a great experience, and I recommend it for everyone. read more

Beautiful location with wonderful food and drinks. Variety to choose from, the tacos were fantastic!! Service is extremely quick even when business is at high volume. Sat outside on the pier and it was a beautiful day with a wonderful view read more

Oceanic - Shrimp tacos with a side of chips and salsa - Seafood Near Me - Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina

My wife has been after me for over a year to have dinner here. I have to say, I'm glad we went. This is a big edit for me. I was 10 paragraphs in and still at drinks and appetizers. Parking is free and right at the shore. We were seated quickly by a pleasant hostess. Ocean front dining on the first warm, sunny day of winter. Our waitress, was very quick, courteous and enthusiastic. Wine and appetizer arrived at the same time as we put in our dinner order. My wife had the catch of the day, grouper. I had the shrimp and grits. Both were excellent. I've been in the seafood business for 45 years and can be overly critical but not here. Loved every bite. It's not a white tablecloth restaurant, but the meal certainly was. Good job Oceanic. read more