Great food! Great atmosphere! Great live band! We had a fabulous experience tonight at the Rusty Hook!! Ryan & Grant were great waiters- loved their energy-hardworking! read more

Wow! We found this gem of a restaurant on a road trip. Food was excellent and the service was even better. Kayla made us feel right at home. Great service and recommendations. read more

Amazing food with a great outdoor space. Good service. I highly recommend Rusty Hook.

Rusty Hooks is hard to beat when it comes to location--right on the Intracoastal, and it absolutely delivers on the view. Service was great. Friendly, attentive, and kept things moving without feeling rushed. The setup is a little wonky with the split entrance--restaurant on one side, bar on the other--but once you're in, it all comes together. Food was solid across the board. Nothing overcomplicated, just well-executed and consistent. Overall, a great spot near OKI. Definitely one we'll keep coming back to. read more

I had the crab soup. Coastal dreaming and tongue slapping is this cream of crab soup. This is why food memories marinate in your mind. One spoonful and you're engulfed with a bowl that feels like a warm seaside hug. Rich and silky texture that lets every drop (and crab pieces) cling to your spoon. The crab is generous, sweet, and unmistakably fresh, briny joy. What I loved most was how the seasoning danced with cream without being heavy. Flavorful with a whisper of the sea that never got fishy or overdone. Pair it with the side of bread that has to be ordered separately. Nathan is an amazing server and sometimes offer you some kitchen secrets aka (sweet butter). I would give it full stars if a lil heat had been added...but that's my palette. Awesome outdoor atmosphere with plenty of seating to look over the water and a tiki bar. Must visit!! read more

Rusty Hooks Dockside Grill - Cream of Crab Soup - Seafood Near Me - Southport, North Carolina

I'm updating my previous review after speaking with one one of with the owners regarding recipe, etc. about crab cakes, soup, rum pirate drinks with a party of 5. I appreciate his willingness to invite us back for a meal! Zachary was a great waiter who patiently answered all of our many questions. Also, enjoyed the live music on the deck. read more

Rusty Hooks Dockside Grill - Skippers punch - Seafood Near Me - Southport, North Carolina

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Awesome spot! Great food, Great atmosphere. Always a good time here. Had the fish tacos with the flounder and it was delicious...Will be back! read more

Rusty Hooks Dockside Grill - Seafood Near Me - Southport, North Carolina

The wait was long but worth it! Great atmosphere - there was an outside bar to get a drink a band playing to entertain you. The service was great - Lorelei! The food was fantastic! I got the fried shrimp platter with fries and a Caesar salad, my boyfriend got the filet and mashed potatoes. read more

Friendly staff, delicious food and beautiful outside deck!! Beautiful view of the intracoastal waterway and live music!!

A few years ago we tried this restaurant. It was awful service and food. We were told it was much better now. It was delicious!! Will be returning. read more

This place is fabulous! Coastal casual! Came in for a quick bite with a friend, ended up ordering 2 desserts. Key Lime was amazing as was the raspberry cheesecake. Aimee our server was full of sass and class! See you soon Aimee- thank you for the great experience! :) read more

We were a group of six seated upstairs and were told there would be great views, but unfortunately you really couldn't see anything unless you stood up while eating. The waitstaff was wonderful--friendly and attentive--but the crab cakes were disappointing. We were told they'd be made with no filler, yet they tasted fishy and seemed mostly filler with a few chunks of crab, especially surprising at nearly $40. Might be better not to set that expectation if it can't be delivered. read more

Excellent service, great view and all the food was excellent! From fried pickles, crab soup, salmon wrap, fish & chips, pick 2, mussels, blackened shrimp and OMG, the Key Lime Pie!! read more

Although I LOVE this place, I am beyond disappointed that we would be put on a waitlist when HALF or more of the place is EMPTY! Not even asking for deck seating to hear the music. The food s consistently good and the bar waitstaff is always phenomenal. Cannot say the same for their "seating" hosts and hostesses. read more

My wife and I have eaten here a dozen times or so over the last five years, always had a good experience. The food is high quality for casual dining. Tonight the initial dining was fine. Met a friend and his wife and enjoyed a nice sit down meal. When I went to the bar to order take out for the wife the problems started. I ordered the food and a beer. I asked for and paid the tab and left a generous tip of %25. For the next 30 minutes not only did I not see any food, but neither bartender offered to check or even made eye contact. The 18 year old who claimed to be the senior manager on site when I complained was no help at all. Won't be recommending this place to out of towners anymore! read more

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Our overall experience at Rusty Hooks was pretty good! The customer service was excellent & everyone was helpful. We had about 45 minute wait for our food, which wasn't too bad since everything came out fresh. Food could have been seasoned a little more but overall, the food was delish. The restaurant provided lots of seating both inside and out. read more

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Great location on the water. Friendly and helpful staff. Food was standard fare, nothing that stood out as exceptional. Prices on the high side. Inside space and outside deck are very nice. read more

Visited due to CVMA state meeting and husband selected this spot from online due to my extensive food allergies. Corn any derivative Gluten/wheat/barley/oat/rye Almond Soybean Eggs Milk /dairy Peanut They were extremely accommodating, working to insure that I was able to eat a delicious safe meal of Snow crab legs and asparagus. It was the absolute highlight of my weekend. Yes, it was more expensive than most places. However, often this is the case for fresh preparation nowadays. The view from the pier was so serene, truly melting my stress away. The staff was phenomenal, extremely kind, attentive and was definitely a plus for the visit. Highly recommend this local spot for a experience to remember. We look forward to returning when we are in the area. Thank you! read more

Rusty Hooks Dockside Grill - Seafood Near Me - Southport, North Carolina

Food was excellent service was good the atmosphere was relaxing and pleasant ,next time we will return

The food here is excellent. I ordered fish and chips. The fish was coated in a well-seasoned, very tasty batter and the fish inside was moist and flaked easily. When paired with an ice-cold draft beer (there are quite a few to choose from), I was in fishy heaven! read more

Cute waterside restaurant. Carissa was an excellent waitress....attentive and pleasant. Hubs and I both got the nightly special which was a lightly blackened red drum fresh catch. The meal was nothing short of outstanding! It was so good! We also had the crab dip which was delicious as well. I do think the dip was overpriced but it was still delicious. If vacationing here again, we would come back. read more

Rusty Hooks Dockside Grill - Blackened Red Drum - AMAZING! - Seafood Near Me - Southport, North Carolina

We waited over an hour for our food. The kitchen was behind. Crazy. The management had to come around and apologize. Disorganization

Came here for the first time and had a wonderful experience. Service was fast and staff was very friendly. Michael was our server and was fantastic, very attentive and knowledgeable of the menu! The food was delicious and you can't beat the view. We'll definitely be back! read more

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The crab cakes are still my favorite. The husband ordered the mahi special and it was bland. One of my kids ordered the chicken tenders and he ate all of them and said they were very good. read more

The food and service were both fantastic. Everyone did everything they could to make our meal and visit excellent!

Food is awful. Mushy fish. Frozen broccoli. Has gone downhill. Service is very poor. Unfriendly staff.

The food is fabulous. Best seafood in the county. Drinks and service always perfect. Love this place..beautiful view of the intracoastal.

All of the food was exceptionally delicious and Michael, our waiter, delivered excellent service! read more

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Amazing views, exceptional staff and really great food! One of our favorites places to eat when we are in town.

Every morsel of food on our table was absolutely delicious! Amazing service! High quality attention with either a bartender or manager coming to our table that was so personable, authentic and genuine that I wish I got his name because he exhibited perfect hospitality as did our waitress. She was awesome and honest telling us what dishes can be spicy and even gave some local recs for her favorite lunch places for the next day. It wasn't cheap but it was 1000% worth it! We will definitely be back! read more

Excellent service from Carissa & Cassie! The food was outstanding. Cream of crab soup, Oysters Rockefeller & whole Flounder were each perfectly hot, well seasoned & will certainly have us back for more. Highly recommend, even if it looks busy! read more

Great atmosphere, great service, great food. Located next to a marina full of sail boats and a view of the intercostal waterway. Perfect patio seating at sunset. Been eating here for years and it's not a beach trip without stopping at Rusty Hooks. read more

THEY DON'T SERVE HUSH PUPPIES!!!! What kind of beach seafood place doesn't serve them? That was upsetting to our whole group. Second, we ordered the crab dip (fantastic), but after eating half the dip, we ran out of bread. We asked for more and they charged $4 for it. This was for an appetizer that was already $20. Clearly, they weren't providing enough bread in relation to the amount of dip served, and charging for more is just cheap and crappy. Just give more bread for free if someone asks for it. This was mentioned in an older review too. Finally, we waited at least 45 minutes which I understand, but for at least the last 15 minutes of our wait, there were two tables in view that were empty. After those 15 min, we were seated at one of them. Why did we have to wait those extra 15 min? Although these things marred our experience, all else was good and we loved being on the water with all open/screened windows and breezes. If you add hush puppies (with no jalapeños please!!!!) we will be back! read more

Great service, great food and live music on a deck on the water, what more could you want?

The location is great. Open deck seating and airy indoor seating along the windows. Had the Key Lime Martini and it was amazing. I tried the shrimp burger and it was tasty. But better yet was the fish basket. The fish was lightly dusted and fried to perfection! Will definitely come back next time we are in Oak Island!! read more

Rusty Hooks Dockside Grill - Key Lime Martini - Seafood Near Me - Southport, North Carolina

Great food, service and with a view! Love it! The shrimp burger is delicious! I love their crab dip too. We continue to go back time and time again. read more

Our first time to Oak Island and we found this amazing gem! Food and service were stellar! We had the Filet and cream of crab soup, along with the black and blue salad. All were so good that we are going to make another trip back before we head back home! Highly recommend! read more

This place is great! Fresh and tasty seafood, great atmosphere, and a friendly staff. Mile, our server, was awesome and his recommendations were great. Definitely a great restaurant. read more

We had a fantastic experience at the Rusty Hook. Our waiter Micheal was extremely attentive and very helpful. The food was amazing. There were 6 of us dining and everyone of us had a meal we loved. From the crab soup to the mahi mahi to the filet mignon...everything was absolutely delicious. I would highly recommend this restaurant for your next dinner outing. read more

Food is very overpriced for lunch though tasty but not plated very nice. Wait staff was just ok. Table wasn't cleared by dessert. It was a birthday lunch with 6 close girlfriends. We always bring cake, plates, napkins and all we need from restaurant is a knife to cut the cake. After almost 10 years of celebrating our birthdays together not once have we had to pay a " plating charge for Lunch". The lady hostess/ ? Manager informed us we had to pay $2.00 per person for bringing our cake and using her knife and spoons?? The restaurant was not crowded, it was a wed. afternoon, and maybe 4 -5 tables filled. Noone was waiting. We had to pay an additional $12.00 on top of the expensive lunch prices! We are all seniors in our seventies on fixed incomes..you think she really needed to charge us for using her knife and spoons?? Give me a break! Needless to say, we won't be going back and we are telling everyone in Brunswick Forest, Wilmington and Carolina Beach about our experience at the Rusty Hook. read more