Stopped by Port Land Grille while visiting Wrightsville Beach and was able to get seated right away without reservations, which was a nice surprise. The atmosphere feels upscale yet relaxed, making it a great spot for a nice dinner without being overly formal. We started with two appetizers. The Spicy Tuna with crispy chips was fresh and flavorful with just the right amount of heat. We also tried the Liver & Cognac Pâté, a more adventurous choice for us. It came with toasted bread and classic garnishes like capers, onions, pickles, and peppers. The pâté was rich, smooth, and nicely balanced with the tangy accompaniments. For the main dish, we had the Korean short ribs over rice, topped with sesame seeds, scallions, and a bright mango salsa. The ribs were tender, well-glazed, and full of flavor, and the sweet-savory combination worked really well with the rice. Overall, a great dining experience with thoughtfully prepared dishes and bold flavors. Port Land Grille continues to be a solid dining option when visiting the Wrightsville Beach area. read more

First time trying a nice restaurant in Wilmington and I would 100% recommend this one every single time. Food and service were absolutely amazing. We came here for my birthday and they decorated the table with confetti and the surrounding area was beautiful. read more

Port Land Grille - American wagyu, New York strip, green beans, and a fried mac and cheese cake - New American Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

Just not it. Every aspect of it. Steak Tartare was alright and had plenty of side bits like onions, capers, mustard, etc. but the delivery method was just poorly executed. The crostini's are not it. Super hard crouton like. Also the tartare itself was overthought by a yard. Why have capers on the side if you have capers in it? Our waitress was great but this is fine dining. Why don't you have floating service? Waiting to pay with my "assigned" wait staff is silly when several other servers are checking on their tables. I had the steak and it was overcooked. "Oh, everyone says their meat is overcooked but don't know what their looking at!" No. I asked for medium and while mine did have a pink center it was only in the center. Like the middle middle quarter sized section. The rest was gray. It was seasoned really well though. The accompaniments were meh. The blue cheese vinaigrette was just vinaigrette. You could not taste anything else. The horseradish was alright. Only standout star for me was the twice baked potato. Excellent! Macallan 12 sherry cask was nice. Butterscotch creme brule was okay and the coconut cake was not at all what we hoped. The cake was really cold and hard and not very moist at all. I had almost the exact same meal at the steakhouse in Carolina Beach at half the price point and twice the attention to detail in service and taste. Very very disappointing. This felt more like a special occasion type restaurant than a quality fine dining experience. read more

The night was a series of ups and downs. First, you need a reservation. We ended up eating at the bar. The bar tenders were fabulous! Super helpful, attentive and conversationalist. The food was a mix. The crab cake was awesome, but I expected more than one on the plate. The dinner took a long time to be served. The steaks were cooked to order, but my beef tenderloin was coated in salt. I was not much of a fan of the sauces on the steaks ... a good steak needs no complements. The potatoes were very good .. fingerlings and mashed. The asparagus was over cooked but the garlic spinach was perfect. The desserts were awesome! While the restaurant does not mention a dress code, I felt anything under business casual was under dressed. read more

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On April 18th I hosted a celebration of life for my late wife at Port Land Grille in Wilmington, NC. This has been our favorite restaurant for 25+ years and they did an absolutely magnificent job for this private event of 75 guests! Every detail (seating, appetizers, entrees, wines, dessert, etc) was taken care of beautifully. Anne, Caitlin and Keith helped me plan and execute an event that exceeded my loftiest expectations! My guests raved about the quality of service from the waitstaff and the food & wine. If you are considering hosting a private event in the Wilmington/Wrightsville Beach area, you'll be doing yourself a disservice if you don't look at Port Land Grill. read more

We sat in a side room so the ambiance was average. Our waiter Brandon was excellent! Knowledgeable and very helpful. We both got mahi and it was very good. I went there for a steak but was told they stopped serving any type of bread 6 years ago. I've never been to a steak house that didn't serve bread which I happen to like with a steak. We split a wedge salad and noticed on the bill there was a $2 charge to split a salad. The shrimp cocktail sauce was really hot and didn't taste good. I gave it a 4 because what we ate was good but we just thought it was kind of cheap to not offer bread and to charge to split a salad. Not sure I will return. read more

This was our first time to Port Land Grille, and definitely not the last. The service was superb, our waiter Joe was excellent. Best meal we ever had in a restaurant. 10 out of 10 read more

We discovered this place last year on vacation and couldn't wait to come back this year. However, this year was a disappointment. We had great service. Rocky was attentive, friendly, and provided excellent service. I wish I could say the same thing about the food. My husband and I both had the catch of the day, grouper. Our only choice for how it could be prepared was pan seared. The fish came over cooked. The outside was hard and dark brown. The fish was dry and tough and we had to use a knife to cut it. Don't know what changed from last year. Rocky was kind when we explained our dissatisfaction and deducted the cost of the appetizer we had ordered. read more

We ended up at Port Land Grille in Wilmington since we were in town for the week. It's a really nice spot with excellent food and attentive service. While it wasn't overly crowded for a Wednesday, the restaurant had a decent number of people in there, especially as the evening progressed. Our reservation was at 6:30, and by the time we left, the place was busier. They have a lovely outdoor seating area that many people seemed to prefer, and I can't blame them as it was a beautiful evening weather wise. We indulged in the lamb, ribeye, and short ribs, all of which were delicious. The highlight was the coconut cake for dessert--the layers were impressive, and we enjoyed every bite. read more

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Amazing!!! Went on a Saturday night. We had reservations. Our waiter Calvin was awesome! We ordered ahi tuna w/wonton, crab cake, 16 oz Ribeye w/ garlic mash potatoes, spinach and horseradish crème, 8oz filet mignon w/ twice baked potatoes, green beens and a blue cheese vinaigrette. Louis Roederer Rose champagne and an old fashioned. The food was fresh, the steaks were cooked to the right temp, the crab cake did not have a lot of filler, everything was seasoned well and packed with flavor. The vibe was very intimate and the prices were not bad at all. We enjoyed this place!!! Definitely will go back. read more

Better than expected and we had high expectations. Excellent service. Would recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for a fine dining experience. Ahi tuna appetizer was great and Korean spare ribs were delicious. read more

Fantastic experience with the team at Port Land. We were looking for a great steak and it's exactly what It was and Micheal (the general manager) was an absolute joy to spend time with. The best chocolate chess pie! read more

If you're looking for a "white table cloth" dinner in Wilmington, this could be the place. The staff is well-trained and friendly. The drinks were good and the meals came out in a timely fashion. Our party had both the Mahi and the Scallops. Both were cooked properly and everyone enjoyed the food. However, the portions were on the small side and at the prices being charged, there should have been bread brought to the table and probably a salad as well. We also ordered the coconut cake which we had heard was the best in town. I hope it isn't because it seemed to have just come out of the fridge (or the freezer not too long before). It doesn't need to be warm but I can't think of a reason it should be cold unless it's being stored long-term and that does not lend itself to quality. It was just OK. Over all, our dining experience was a good one and I would go back again as there were many items on the menu that I would like to try. For quality: 8/10. For value: 4/10. read more

I had another perfect meal here tonight. We had a reservation for 2 at 7 and they were able to accommodate us outside instead of inside since the weather was perfect. Our server and hostess were great. I had a few questions and. They answered them perfectly. I stayed with the beef tenderloin tartare. I liked the accompaniments with it and the tartare was great. I do think a quail egg would have made it even better, though. This is a very filling appetizer. I had the monkfish (curry style) as my meal. It was always very good. The highlight of the meal was my friends steak. Omg! I had heard how wonderful their steak was but I am telling you- this is legit!! Foodgasmic. I would come here for a steak any day over other places. Highly recommend it! read more

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Such an amazing dinner! Came here for our 1 year anniversary and blown away by the ribeye steak and fish! And the coconut cake to top it off was so dense and filling. read more

Port Land Grille - Not your Ordinary Coconut Cake - New American Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

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My husband and I went to Port Land Grille for the first time last night. We kept asking ourselves why we had never come here before! It has catapulted to one of our new favorite places. The service was phenomenal and the food was amazing! We ordered the "red neck" egg rolls and the pimento cheese plate to share as our starter. I can see why everyone recommended the egg rolls. It's a simple name with some complex layers of flavor. Hubby loved the pimento cheese. The smoked ham, biscuit, bread and butter pickles and red pepper jelly all complemented the cheese wonderfully. After much indecision, I decided to go with the wood grilled duck breast. That orange and lemongrass glaze just elevates the dish. It came with grilled wild boar sausage, red cabbage, broccolini and coconut rice. Hubby went with the grilled mahi paired with the old bay fingerling potatoes over a corn-pork belly chowder. He absolutely loved the chowder. We made sure to leave room for dessert and after seeing all the pictures on Yelp. Although there were many yummy options, we decided to go with the coconut cake. It did NOT disappoint. Plates are generously portioned and you WILL NOT leave hungry. Cannot wait to come back! read more

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My husband and his business partner are planning to have their Christmas party here. We wanted to stop by and check it out to be sure it was as great as we've heard. Wow, we love this place!! My husband ordered the aged ribeye steak with roasted duck fat fingerling potatoes and blue cheese slaw. He said the steak was cooked to perfection and that the slaw was the best he's ever had! I ordered the monkfish with risotto and spinach. Everything was outstanding, including the service. We really enjoyed our server's (Brandon) input. His recommendations were all spot on! For dessert we had the cheesecake (Brandon's recommendation) and the coconut cake. They were amazing! I think the coconut cake was large enough for 4 people. The coffee is good, too! I'm looking forward to my husband's Christmas party! read more

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Excellent date night in Port City!! The food, service and ambiance were exactly what we craved. We were seated on the patio with heat lamps and live music (from another restaurant). From appetizer to dessert, we were very pleased. For dessert, they offered a sweet potato ice cream with bourbon caramel sauce...holy smokes!!! And, the coconut cake...awesome!!! P.S. Joe gave us top notch service!!! read more

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Yet another fun and delicious evening at this local gem of a restaurant. After a successful and relaxing anniversary dinner last year with Brandon, server extraordinaire, I decided to return for hubby's birthday dinner. There were six of us, and since one of us had concerns about eating indoors, Portland was a logical choice because unlike many restaurants, they accept outdoor reservations. Of course, we were at the mercy of Mother Nature, but she cooperated, and the heat lamps provided were a much appreciated and effective amenity. Now on to the food. We started off with red neck egg rolls which have received much deserved accolades. Full of flavor, they're a great dish to share to get your taste buds a poppin'. We also ordered the pimento cheese platter which I didn't sample, but amongst those who did based on the smiles on their faces, I think it's a worthwhile dish to try. Each of us ordered a seafood dish, and I'd be lying if I said I could remember each one, but the standouts were the sea bass and scallop dish, the latter enjoyed by the birthday boy himself. Each dish was perfectly cooked, seasoned, and expertly presented. But wait' it gets better!! We had coconut cake and mocha chocolate cake for dessert, and I have no words that can adequately describe the unbelievable, amazing flavors of the chocolate cake. Truly, a life altering experience for my tastebuds. To top off a perfect evening, we had Brandon again as our server! Life is good. read more

Port Land Grille - Coconut cake and chocolate mocha cake - New American Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

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I came here by chance with my friend and her date.. we were sat at the room immediately to the right of the entrance... it was a little too dim for my taste. The room was kinda dull and not interesting... the food was amazing though. The steak tartare was similar to the French way, except no cracked egg on top. Still, delish! We got a crab dip that was also very good. I ordered a quinoa salad with tuna that was pretty good. Overall, all the dishes were great. Service was on point, I just wish they had sat us in a better location. read more

Updated review, the owner wrote to me by apologizing and that was nice. We appreciate that. We never asked for free dessert! If we can pay $250 for food plus a nice tip for your server, we can certainly pay for dessert. It's about ruining our evening. No food or appetizers for 1,5hrs is not acceptable especially in an expensive restaurant like yours. Your server kept giving us hope food is on its way but after 1.5hrs realized he never put the order??? why did he come and tell us food is coming? Water was not refilled. My mahi mahi was overcooked. Yet, we still paid full price and a tip for server. That meal was the worst but we hadn't eaten the entire day, so ate it. We drove three hours to reach to your place. Also, hire some people with diversity. read more

The Port Land Grille is one of the best restaurants in Wilmington. I cannot recall having a better steak anywhere in town. They have managed to maintain their high standards, while other high end restaurants in the area have come and gone. The waitstaff at Port Land Grille is clearly the most professional in Wilmington. It is obvious that they really care about the product and service. They consistently go out of their way to ensure that your dining experience is special. The main dining room in the back of the restaurant and the patio are elegant. My only on-going complaint about the restaurant is the wine list. While it is certainly comprehensive and impressive from a quality point of view, having only American wine on the list is disappointing. I much prefer wines from France, Italy and Spain over California or Washington State. As a result I rarely order wine when I dine at Port Land Grill. I recognize that storage and inventory can be an issue with a more diverse wine list, however just a few options from Europe would be much appreciated and enhance the dining experience for those who do not care for American wines. read more

We had dinner last night at Port Land Grille. The food was excellent. (My ribeye steak was slightly overcooked.) The setting is inviting and has a light and airy feeling. Price is a little high to go too often. The service was friendly and attentive. read more

We had a very delicious meal tonight. The restaurant was beautiful and very clean. When we walked in it had the wood grill smell that reminded me of a nice fall evening. I wish I would have grabbed our waitress' name because she was excellent. She was attentive to us and answered all of our questions. I would have given this place 5 stars but our appetizer and my entree was a bit on the salty side and I'm not a huge fan of salt. However, I did finish my plate so it was still delicious. We started with the redneck egg rolls. They are such a unique menu item that I do recommend them. They were a bit salty and had a bit of heat to them. I also ordered the steak knife wedge salad. It was delicious. The Bleu cheese was subtle and not overwhelming so I would recommend it to someone who thinks they don't like bleu cheese. I had the mahi mahi with the stone ground grits, succotash and gravy. It was very good; it had a bit of a creole flavor to it. Just a bit salty for my taste. My husband had the pork chop with the root beer glaze. He loved his entree. We were too full for dessert. I will definitely be back to try some of the other menu items. read more

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Mark and Keith were fabulous!! Made our experience amazing!!! Made my night it was great

Third time here and once again we had an absolutely wonderful experience! We were served by Calvin who was the most kind, knowledgeable and welcoming server. He took amazing care of us and he took the time to explain all the wonderful choices in their menu as well as their specials for that evening. We chose to eat the same delicious entrees we got last time - the beef tenderloin with lobster sauce and the red grouper. These meals always leave us wanting more! My wife started with a wedge salad and I had a shrimp cocktail. Definitely a nice way to get the evening started along with a wonderful bottle of wine. We absolutely love the romantic, fairly quiet and upscale atmosphere. This remains our favorite restaurant in Wilmington for our lovely date nights, and we can't wait to be back! read more

best fish and steak ever and we keep returning here when in town!! had the tao fish blackened and a rare filet. Joe is a wonderful waiter that guided us through the menu, great conversation and very kind. the entire restaurant is beautiful and the best experience. don't forget coconut cake for dessert :) read more

I had high expectations, based on the menu and the prices. Drinks were well made. Wine list also a plus. Steak wedge salad was super. Ribeye steak was average, heavily salted and on the tough grainy side. Rib Eye?! Braised short ribs were good , but had better. Biggest negative, our server. Was not attentive at all. We had a long wait for our entrees. One would expect her to stop by, checking in, etc. Did not happen! read more

Best restaurant in Wilmington! High quality food with creative flare. Awesome staff and very comfortable Ambience. Perfect place for Valentine's Day, a wonderful birthday dinner or a beautiful date night. Highly recommend! read more

My family has dined at PG multiple times in the past with generally good results. Our party of 5 visited again last night and left very disappointed. We were seated outside and struggled to get any decent service from our server. I had to go inside and ask someone to come fill our water glasses. There were long periods where our server disappeared and we could not order our entries, ask for more wine, etc. after a very long wait for our entrees to be served, the Halibut arrived very undercooked and we had to wait 5 minutes for a server to come by and then another 10+ minutes for the dish to be returned after being microwaved instead of receiving a fresh dish. The server was very aware of our frustration with the service level and the undercooked dish. Based on the experience, we fully expected some form of compensation, credit, etc on our bill but this was not the case. After 15 years and multiple visits we likely will not return. Robert, Wrightsville Beach read more

Honestly one of the absolute best restaurant experiences in Wilmington! Excellent food, great ambiance, such great service too. Beautiful location as well. read more

I took my wife to Pirt Land Grill for dinner on 5.23.2023. This was our 2nd visit. Our 1st visit was for a group birthday party last year. The entrance to this restaurant (PLG) is clean and inviting. The hostess greeted us immediately. We were seated within minutes, although reservations are recommended. The interior has a very clean & warm setting. They have a beautiful sitting area outside but we chose to eat inside. The hostess was very welcoming as she sat us. Other employees actually said "Hello" as we were escorted to seats. Our waiter stopped by our table to let us know that he would be with us directly. That means a lot to us when dining at a top shelf restaurant. He came back within a few minutes, took our drinks & d'oeuvres order. We chose the "Red-neck" pulled pork egg rolls. They were absolutely Devine! Our main course was the Cowboy Ribeye and the Angus beef ribeye. Both our steaks were cooked to perfection! "Kudos" to the Chef ! The sides to our meals were delicious as well. Our entire dining experience was superb. Our waiter was the perfect accent to a "GREAT DINING EXPERIENCE " ! We both highly recommend trying the Port Land Grille in Wilmington NC as soon as possible. We cannot wait to go back. Thank you PLG ! Salim & Susan of Leland read more

Great place for dinner! We had a party of 12 and the service was excellent and everyone enjoyed their meal. Joe was our server and he did an amazing job taking care of all of us. Highly recommend this restaurant read more

Waiting an hour and twenty minutes for my food to come to table... the scallops were over cooked when I finally got them I had to flag someone down to ask because no one came to table to let us know they were working on order or reason for wait. She said, all the food coming out at once. Umm there was only two of us read more

Very very good restaurant. I guess the only things keeping it from a 5 are the weak drinks, and some of the staff. But the food is always good. The are one of the fewer places that consistently has exotic meats on the menu as well as really good steaks. Their appetizers are generally good....I like the Thai meatballs. They often have wild boar, antelope, bison filet, and other meats not usually found elsewhere. Seafood is always on point and their coconut cake is the best around. The menu changes often, while keeping its staple dishes, which is a good thing. It can get pricey but nothing crazy. One of the best restaurants in Wilmington? read more

By Far the worst restaurant experience ever. It was a graduation dinner for nine people, and it started ordering drinks. They were out of the three bourbons asked for, not wild choices, standards like Buffalo Trace and Woodford. How can you be out of all liquor like that, but it gets worse. We were seated and told 3 items on the main menu were unavailable: short ribs, lamb shank, and crab cakes. So we are forced to order what was left, essentially redneck pork rolls. We ordered our meals after that and had three orders of duck. Only two duck dinners were brought when the meals came, so our mother-in-law had no meal. The waiter said it was being cooked and would be out any minute. After almost everyone was done eating, they brought out a steak. When we said it was the wrong dish, he said he would check on the duck and came back and said they were out of that, too. My mother-in-law didn't want the steak, so she asked for another order of the redneck pork eggrolls, and they told us they just ran out of that as well, so she left without eating dinner. They tried to bring her a dessert she didn't want and told us to keep the steak. Never have I encountered such an experience with so many things on the menu that are out and unavailable in what is supposed to be a high-end restaurant. To top it off, the bill was still outrageous for the service and the food, what little we were able to get, and the few credits they added. For such a terrible experience, they should have given what was served for free. In response to your response. Apparently, your staff is not being honest with you. The one drink was ordered as you stated and then when we ask for a second, we were told you were out of it. Clearly, you didn't have more on hand. First mistaken claim. Next, no one berated your waiter nor threatened to post on social media, that is just not true. As stated above, I have been at many restaurants over the years, and never have they run out of so many things that someone left without eating what they ordered, twice because both were out. You claim to be a high-end steak house, I have never had issues, Mother's day, or any other holiday where this occurred. If you are going to try and berate your customer that had a terrible experience by making false claims in response, that really shows how your restaurant and the staff are not "Wilmington's finest". A true steakhouse would have apologized on here and stated things were being done to ensure it would never happen again. Funny how we had dinner another night at Del Frisco's and it was perfect. Your restaurant needs to learn from the real steak houses what high-end means. read more

Went for anniversary and it was phenomenal. I was able to book a reservation very last minute, which was nice. The service was superb and the food was to die for. I got the wood grilled Scottish salmon, and my boyfriend got balsamic espresso glazed short ribs. Safe to say we loved it. Also decided on chocolate chess pie for dessert. Totally recommend to anyone who lives locally or visiting! read more

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This is one of my favorite places in Wilmington. From the service, to the wine list, to the food to the atmosphere, everything is perfect. Went out with my sales team and we had a great meal. Appetizers, salads, main dishes and desserts, everyone loved every item. read more

While visiting Wilmington for our 25th Anniversary my husband made a reservation at PortLand Grille and it made our entire weekend trip WORTH IT! I'll start by saying we've eaten all over the map, NYC, Boston, Portland, Seattle, Vancouver, Vegas, Scottsdale, Austin, Atlanta, Napa:Sonoma, San Francisco, Hawaii, London.... the list goes on. And we both agreed this was hands down in our top 5 meals we've ever had! We were seated in a quiet corner (as requested) and had a GEM of a server in Tracy. If you don't request her, you are missing out. She was beyond helpful, fun, professional, and knowledgeable about every aspect of the menu and the perfect amount of attentive and such a delight! We started our meal with the U10 shrimp (you choose how many you'd like to order) and a glass of Brut Champagne. We then split the wedge salad which I will warn, even as a split, was almost a meal in and of itself but delicious nonetheless! Choosing our entree was not easy as the entire menu looked incredible, but Tracy helped again with that decision and I chose the beef tenderloin and my husband had the duck. I never ever eat duck (not a fan and often find them gamey) but had a bite of my husband's and it was superb! The sauce alone was out of this world. But my tenderloin filet was the winner here for me. Cooked to perfection at med-rare it literally melted in my mouth with flavor like a pat of butter . The green beans were perfect and the twice baked potato was also. And again our server paired the perfect wine with it for us after listening to our preferences. Full as we were, we couldn't resist the incredible dessert menu and opted for the coconut cake I'd read so much about. Be forewarned it is HUGE but just stunning to taste. Not too rich, not too dense, but just the right amount of coconut and sweetness and thank goodness it traveled well as we barely made a dent in it, but again, WORTH IT! Thank you Portland Grille for making our anniversary dinner one for the books read more

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Best all-around restaurant I've been to in Wilmington. So far there hasn't been one thing on the menu that has disappointed us. Highlights include the dry-aged steak, duck, fish with blue crab risotto, and most importantly the coconut cake. I'm not a dessert person, but the coconut cake is the best dessert I've ever had. Their drinks are also excellent, and they have a great wine selection. Highly recommend for date night or special occasions! read more