Service was great, food was great, the restaurant is upscale and it's food matches it. I surely will be back, very unique and tasty food!

Loved everything about this place. Food was excellent, service perfect. A little pricy but that's ok everything was just wonderful.

This was our first visit. Food presentation was lacking. We make better nachos at home. Restaurant seemed 'basic' from its decor to its food. While the food was 'ok' there are much better places in the area. The rolls were amazing--I will give them credit there. read more

We eat here often when we are in EI. The downside is the menu doesn't change but that can be a plus for some people. The food is consistently good and good value, in my opinion. They refurbished this year which took away some of the character of the place but it is a lot cleaner :-) read more

It's applebees with a more intimate setting. The food is just ok, but it is consistent, service is usually pretty good. I had the BBQ chicken pizza last time I went and it was actually quite good. Full bar and a few tv's if you are looking to catch a game while you eat. read more

They have unbelievable crossaints, they alone are worth the trip! I come here every year and am never dissapointed! Just get there early and be prepared for a long wait. read more

We've stayed at AB several times in the last few years but this was our first visit to Ruckers. We had four adults and two elementary age kids for late dinner on Sunday. It was a little tricky to find. GPS brought us to the shopping center but we had to drive around to find the restaurant. It's inside the little mall behind Michelangelo's pizza. All our food was very good and pretty reasonable for a beach town. We had pork chops, crab cakes, grilled chicken salad, fresh mahi sandwich and kids shrimp. Side salads and chicken salad were fresh and plentiful. Crab cakes were good and generous. Pork chops were grilled to order and just right. Mixed drinks were well made and reasonable. IMO, the star was my daughter's fried shrimp. Next time I'm getting that for myself. Or a burger. Or the nachos. Or Santa Fe chicken. Anyway, we will definitely be back. read more

Honestly on of the best places I've ever eaten. The facility was incredible, and the service was quick. Not a very wide selection of food. I had the chicken tenders, since I'm not a seafood fan. THE BEST TENDERS I HAVE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE! Everyone at my table loved their meal. In my dads words, "I've never had a steak so good it didn't need steak sauce, but here we are!" I highly recommend, especially if you are on vacation (like I was). read more

One of my favorite restaurants. I love the Cajun chicken pasta and their croissants!

Really want to be able to give 5 stars as I love coming here every year we take a trip down to EI. But unfortunately while the food is great the service isn't anything but about average. We arrived for an early dinner so there was no wait and a few empty tables in the room we were in. They stuck us in a dark corner under a tv and we asked to sit at a table in the adjacent corner only a table away and next to a table with guests, they claimed our waitress did not work that table. Only 5 minutes later a family was seated there and sure enough our waitress, whom was maybe the only person on the island lacking any semblance of southern hospitality, was their waitress as well. As always the food is excellent. My burger was cooked perfectly and my SO's salad was a very good size and fresh. read more

RuckerJohn's is a great restaurant at Emerald Isle. I did work there years ago during summer breaks in college and can vouch for the quality of their food. I still come to EI regularly and always try to get one meal in while here. I just ate there again last night and had a house salad with the kicked up shrimp, both of which are amazing! Other menu items worth checking out include their Cajun chicken salad, fried shrimp and crab dip. read more

This place has been one of my favorites since my childhood. The croissants are the best. The nachos are great, the cajun grilled chicken salad is great as well! My husband got a steak this weekend and it was over cooked, as was my grandmothers, but no big deal. They ate it. My husband went back another night and ordered a rare steak and it came out just like he likes it medium-rare. But over all it's a must have stop while back home. read more

The worst! First time here staff was super annoyed with my questions about times, food etc. Didn't come with the family because the hostess was so annoyed...like I was ruining her day(summer 2017). Despite my 1st bad experience I came back for a girls trip. We ran the Emerald Isle half marathon and loved it! Decided to go to Rucker Johns for lunch. Horrible idea! NEVER AGAIN WILL I GO! super rude management. We were asked to leave after spending over $100 bucks. I don't recommend this place...ever! Unless you want to be treated like trash. read more

I went to this restaurant for years when my family had a vacation home here. We decided to take my mom today for her birthday and the food was decent but the kitchen got almost 1/2 the people in our party's orders wrong (around 5). The GM, Mr. Meadows, was rude, arrogant and very uninterested in the fact that most of our table had to send their food back. Apparently, tuna can't made rare without being frozen in the middle. My heart was broken that a place I once loved has turned into somewhere I'll never go again. They did offer to replace the food but after waiting almost an hour we were all over it and had no interest in waiting in any longer. There was no sympathy or offer to discount our meal for inconvenience if nothing else. I'm really hoping Mr. John's reevaluates his management at this location because even tourist will give up on a place if the incidents that happened today continue. read more

The only reason they get even one star is because our server was truly lovely. Talk about grace under fire. Other than that, this place, the food and our general dining experience was poor at best. As I say, our server was lovely. We were seated in an area where there were few patrons. As we waited, others were seated and then orders were taken and some even received their food before we were even greeted. (Now granted, we had to change seating as we were placed initially at an inaccessible table for my husband- he walks with a cane and cannot sit at high tables) so we excused that part. Finally our server arrived and was very good and attentive. When my food finally arrived, the shrimp skewers, the potato was cold and the bacon was raw. We spoke to the server and she suggested the manager come and speak with us as she could clearly see that it was not cooked properly. When the manager arrived, a Mark Shepherd, he seemed very nonchalant and said that I didn't understand that it wasn't supposed to be crispy bacon. It's grilled he said Basically he thought I was stupid. I told him that I understood that, as I held up a raw piece of bacon to show him. "This is raw" He then offered me a hotter potato!!! My husbands food was also cold which he just nodded to So the raw bacon I had on my plate seemed to be a moot point I suppose I mean raw pork doesn't do anybody any harm does it? I was expecting at least a sincere apology, a complimentary drink or dessert. Something. Maybe some bacon that was actually cooked to temperature! Nothing, absolutely nothing. Well if you include a new potato that I didn't want For two meals, one of which remained uneaten, the check was almost $70! I am a self employed tattoo artist, on a one time vacation from another State. I understand that my outward appearance may differ slightly from the regular clientele. Yes, I can get over the stares from people. Yes I can get over the obvious reasons why our table was ignored for so long while others were served before us who arrived later than us. What I cannot get over was the poor, poor management. The absolute zero customer service from the manager and the overall nonchalant attitude he had I was absolutely disgusted My money is as good as the next persons My custom should be appreciated Maybe he treats every dissatisfied customer this way, I don't know Clearly they need to concentrate on their managerial skills and their training of their kitchen staff. Probably a food safety standard training class wouldn't be a bad idea!! All that being said, Our servers name was Tracy. She was wonderful. She was also obviously rushed off her feet and she felt so bad for us Tracy and Tracy alone gets a 5 star rating!!! read more

Love Rucker Johns , I have been there many times over the years, great food great service, I would definitely go back there again!

You can do better than this place. It was probably in its hey-day in the early 90s is my guess. Tired decor and food. We waited 40 minutes for our meals and they were lukewarm. The "catch of the day", supposedly swordfish, was some type of processed fish patty for $22. read more

Deffinitly go! Even after waiting an hour, we had amazing service and the food was fabulous. I mean seriously! All 4 steaks were cooked perfectly, all sides were hot and large portions, the salad was average but the croissants are amazingly light. The waitress offered ideas and specials for food and drinks and everything was perfect. Didn't go back a second time during the week becuase we didn't want to give the chance for the service or food not to be just as perfect becuase it was! read more

The water was funky tasting but besides that this place was fantastic. There's a deck to eat outside and the service was awesome. The Carolina burger was so good and the shrimp pasta was delicious! Thank you for a great experience!! read more

Although I'm a local, I find myself coming back to RJ's fairly often, simply because the Island has few decent choices. I do have to say the food is usually pretty good, the service always outstanding ! My biggest issue is the menu and the smell and decor. It seems that they have had the same menu forever ! I've lived here ten years now, not much has changed. I have noticed that there is this heavy odor in the building, and the furnishings are so outdated ! I did give it a four star rating, because they always stay consistent and the servers are long time employees, who give great service ! Now if they just update everything they could be the number one place to eat at ! read more

3 Stars, quality of the food is unbelievable! Great crab dip! Deep fried crab cakes.. awesome! RJ fries were cut potatoes deep fried..not a fan of those. I was expecting cut fries of some sort. The salad comes with a crescent roll...wow so tasty! The waitress was very nice, polite however not as attentive as she could have been. Forgot the fries, had to ask for them. Finished my drink..never asked if I wanted more? read more

Came here in the off season with a party of four--there was no wait time. Our waitress was bubbly, friendly, and checked on us several times to make sure everything was OK. The shrimp and grits were fantastic and full of flavor and texture. Our other dinner companions had the ribeye steak and raved about how good it was. Good service and fresh delicious food in a casual atmosphere. read more

Had the Grilled Pork Chops, with Mac and cheese and flavored rice. My fiancée had chicken tenders with the same as I. Entrees where superb. Try the nachos with everything on them as a starter. read more

Rucker Johns, I love you! I had lunch here today with my Jenny girl and we were seated on the beautiful patio with a lovely breeze coming across the water. I will say the inside section smelled a little interesting, so I was really glad we could sit outside. Our server, Sam, was fabulous. She was so nice and accommodating to our lunch selections. We started with a cold, crisp glass of white wine that was brought out right away. The absolute best thing to get there is the house salad with the kicked up shrimp added. Hello, it comes with the amazing, delicious, buttery, sweet, croissant that everyone raves about, so to me, there is nothing better. Sam checked on us continuously and even brought us extra ice since it was a bit warm outside. Make sure you donate .25 cents to the water fund project because, why not? I wish I could eat here everyday, don't miss out. read more

It pains me to give Rucker John's such a poor review, since we've been coming here almost every year since 2000 and have loved this place. It was my wife and my first trip to Emerald Isle w/o our (now grown) kids and they would never consider a trip to EI complete w/o a trip to RJ's. However, we won't be coming back again. First thing that hit me was the remodel. The bright lighting and hard seats in the booths were NOT an improvement. Why did you do this and kill the ambience? Then there was the service. The young waitress was about as distracted (and distracting) as you could get, and she could hardly remember whether she had taken our order or the next table's. She was happy we ordered wine because "that's a lot easier to remember than a cocktail." Then after we'd ordered, she brought out our salad and within 2 minutes showed up with my soup AND our entrees. Obviously, pacing and timing are not taught to the wait staff here anymore. All of this wouldn't completely make me swear off coming back to such an old favorite, but the food finally tore it. I got the Shrimp Buerre Blanc, which we've ordered many times over the past 17 years because it was SO good. Well, it's not anymore. It was bland and we could've made it better at home. My New England Clam Chowder could've come from a can of Progresso from Food Lion, and my wife's Shrimp & Grits was so uninteresting that she didn't even take a box to take home her leftovers. I'm not one to spend a lot of time writing reviews on restaurants, but I'm very disappointed that such a great restaurant has obviously fallen into the trap of taking their guests for granted and I hope the management wakes up. read more

I have been going to and ordering take out from this place for over a decade and it has always been great. The last two times I have placed to go food the experience has been absolutely terrible. I was kept on hold for over eight minutes before I could even ask to place a to go order. Then placed on another hold, asked again and was met with "they aren't picking up I'll try again" so apparently only one person is capable of taking the order? After 12 minutes I reach the correct person. I ask if I can place the order and I'm met with an attitude and a remark of " yeah but you'll be waiting for like an hour and twenty minutes" I replied "oh wow really?" To which I got *click* hung up on. Honestly I've never been hung up on after such poor customer service and no matter how good the food is. These experiences have completely deterred me from wanting to go there again. read more

Not a fan since the remodel. Some menu items were dropped and the restaurant has a weird feel. However they still have the best salad you will find anywhere! Do yourself a favor and get the hot bacon honey mustard dressing. You will not be disappointed! Also get a basket of croissants! They are fantastic! read more

We had our office Christmas Party here and it was outstanding. We had our own private area. They had appetizers waiting upon our arrival and the service was prompt and friendly. Every single person enjoyed their food. Salads and wraps are amazing. Will definitely do this again next year. read more

Ate here for lunch. No problems with the service. I order Cajun Chicken Salad, liked it. My husband order the steak and cheese. He liked it, but I didn't think it look very appetizing. Restaurant had a bad smell, probably from the carpet. read more

Went 2 years ago. Service was very slow. Waited over an hour for table of 5 adults and 1 child. Food was ok but nothing to write home about. I wouldn't go back unless I heard service was better. read more

We had a party of 16 and has to wait just over an hour as you do with a part of 16 at 6:45pm on Emerald Isle in July. That said the food was definitely worth the wait. Specifically the ribeye was a solid notch above what I was expecting and worthy of a higher end steak house. The fries as other have mentioned are great and unusual and the chicken fingers were also very good with a almost fish and chips type of breading. Price is about what you would expect, but from a value perspective I had no problem at all read more

Love the Croissant Rolls that you get before your meal comes out. The food is good and the service is good. Nothing really special, or that sets apart Rutger Johns from other places to eat. read more

Ridiculously small portions of the crab cake (flat as a pancake) and five shrimp for a $20 seafood platter. Took 45 minutes to get food. It's a tourist place and they charge that way. read more

The Applebees of the beach. Always consistent and a good value. Packed in the summer. read more

Great food, good service and decent prices. We go here at least once when we are in town. It's not a trip to EI without a stop at Rucker Johns. read more

The food was good until I bit down on a hard piece of plastic in the cheese grits... mmm... yum!

Do not go to this place! You have been warned. After waiting for a table the hostess came and apologized and said they would not be able to accommodate our party because they were too busy. This was after 8 pm. We even offered to split up. It's a shame this place turns away paying customers. read more

We usually stop here at least once on every trip to the island. Try to get here early because they get packed with hour long waits pretty quickly. Their cocktails are great and food is made very well with good flavors. The patio and indoor seating is nice. Family friendly restaurant. read more

I never leave reviews but feel I need to after the excellent experience we had while dining there last evening. The service was amazing! Every single item we ordered was unbelievably delicious! I will definitely be eating at Rucker Johns many more times! I can't wait to introduce this restaurant to my family when they come to visit. read more

Everyone at our table loved what we ordered here. Ordered crab dip for the table and it was great! Also the buttered croissants were an awesome addition to their salads or as a side. I had the tuna steak and it was extremely well prepared and the side of honey baked apples was some of the best I've ever had. Service was really good and attentive. I would highly recommend a visit here! read more