After a 45+ minute wait (and no estimate given for when our table would be ready), my group was seated away from the main seating area in a small upstairs room. The ambiance was awful, with outdoor tables that may have been haphazardly brought in to make room for more customers. The fluorescent lighting and dingy carpet in itself made for a very uncomfortable dining experience. After another 45-50 minutes, our food came out. After eating a little of my food, I ate a piece of broccoli that was filled with sand. It was extremely uncomfortable and I had to spit it into a napkin and could not eat the rest of my meal. After gently letting the server know, the owner, Cindy, came up to our table. When I explained the situation, she was, to my surprise, incredibly rude. She rolled her eyes and scoffed multiple times, implied that I was lying, didn't know what I was talking about, and that it was impossible that sand or dirt would be in the food. My friend stepped in and asked what she was going to do to rectify the situation, and she continued to be extremely rude. Only after pushing did she take $7 off a $30+ meal. The attitude of the owner of this establishment was worse than the plethora of sand found in my food. I am not in the habit of fighting with staff at restaurants or even leaving one-star reviews, but I felt my experience was negative enough to justify it. read more

I was a big fan when it was Dead End Saloon.... the Rusty Hooks has a cleaner fresh look to the place which fits in well with the nice area and location of the restaurant... Great bar area to hang out or wait for you table... very fair prices on the drinks... Can't wait to come back and have more of the food. Check this place out!!! read more

Not sure if the lump crab cake is considered Maryland-style but it's one of the best ones I've had in the Wilmington area! The cowboy caviar and veggie medley went well with it too. Good draft beer selection too. Only complaint is no outside seating as far as I could tell. read more

used old corn tortillas upcharge of $3.00 for old stale corn tortillas. i contacted cindy @rustyhooksdockside.com as directed on website. this is third day waiting for a response. i have heard nothing so far. there is no excuse for this. ruined my whole meal. one question that was a red flag was when the waitress asked me if gluten free was a personal choice or if I had an allergy. you are charging extra for it, so why the question. I am celiac, so what. read more

Worst restaurant management I've ever experienced in my life. The owner was rude before even listening to our concerns about waiting for our food for 3 hours. When we politely asked to pay for our drinks and leave she said we were ridiculous and insinuated that we would be paying for food we no longer wanted. She told us to get the hell out but we were nothing but nice and simply wanted to leave rather than support this business after poor service and horrendous customer service. read more

Lived here for 12 years and this was our first time at Rusty Hooks. After reading the latest reviews we were skeptical. I'm not sure what restaurant they were trying to review, but it was no where close to our experience. The upstairs area was newly built and beautiful. The view was outstanding, but the service and food is what will bring us back! Our waiter, Kyle, was courteous and very knowledgeable of the menu. He made recommendations and they were all great. We will definitely ask for him on our next visit! Great food, great views, and a wonderful staff. read more

The wait for the dining room was short for a Saturday night but we decided to eat at the bar and the bartender Brian was great! He was incredibly busy but attentive. The shrimp tacos and wings were incredible. The slaw they use is so good. Would highly recommend this place and definitely will return in the future. read more

I had the Shrimp Po Boy for lunch and it was just delicious. The shrimp were very lightly battered and cooked perfectly. We will be going back in the very near future! read more

Went last night, told one hour wait time which was fine considering they can only operate at 50% capacity took 1 1/2 hours was seated in there newly renovated upstairs dining room the lighting was terrible way to bright old plastic patio tables for seating the view is very nice tho server was very good ordered our food a party of 4 it took 1 1/2 hours to be served our dinner so after being there for 3 hours before eating we we're a little irritable I'm not sure how this restaurant is going to be able to operate when that are actually busy. Food was decent just can't get past the amount of time it took to get. Don't know if I'll be giving them a 2nd chance. read more

My husband and I visited for the first time tonight and were very disappointed. The view was great, out waitress was good but the food was not very good at all. Definitely go to any of the other great restaurants on the island instead. read more

I'm a local. We were waiting and waiting for the new Rusty Hooks to open. Brilliant! Had a facelift, super clean and neat, food excellent. Have been here several times already..it's only a mile from home. Mussels are often iffy but these were exceptional! Peel n' eat shrimp was super jumbo, well-cleaned, yummy! But the staff! A+. For the staff! Overall, awesome experience. We'll all be back often!! read more

Went to lunch here today. Burger, fries, and fried pickles. Very good. Service was great and everyone was very friendly. Will be going back.

Wonderful lunch with a beautiful view. Shrimp po boy was perfect! Big beautiful fried shrimp! Grilled pineapple chicken sandwich was very tasty. Highly recommend this restaurant!! read more

I was upset when the previous restaurant left....by the end of meal i forgot what the name was lol... The staff was great(which let me say for as long as i can remember,that had not been the case in previous)...even with a "light" menu food was very good.. Will defiantly go back,and suggest as much as possible!!!!! read more

Food was good but not worth the wait. We were seated downstairs and on a chilly evening and with the windows open it was unpleasant. Arrived at 5:30, seated at 6:00 and food arrived at the table at 7:00. read more

The best crab cakes I've ever eaten out. Shrimp pie boy was overflowing with shrimp but the tacos were a little lacking. These are different times with everything being takeout is likely the issue. Can't wait to go back for another crab cake. read more

Waiter was slow even though she only had people drinking at the bar.. the jerked chicken was not edible. Way too much seasoning, if it wasn't for the texture you wouldn't be able to tell if you were eating mashed potatoes or chicken. Also the burger was cooked way to long and was so dry read more

Great meal at Rusty Hooks! Their food is always amazing. Get the Crab Dip! Mahi tacos and wrap are some of the best I've ever had. Views are great and the bar is well stocked. Do not hesitate to try this place out! read more

Have been to the Rusty Hook 2x. The menu is very limited. Pricey for the food you receive. Service was good, and looking at the intercoastal water was the highlight of the evening. $19.99 for fish n chips, andwhen the fish arrived it was 3 SQUARE pieces. Looked like it came out of a box and tasted like it. Disappointed as it's in a great location. No likely to return read more

This was a massive disappointment. Our food came out in phases, leaving half the table with meals completed while the other half still had not received their food. Communication was lacking completely between servers, food runners, and the owner. There was bad mouthing between employees in front of our table. Food was good but not good enough to make up for the experience. read more

Been to OKI about 7 times now and have never been to Rusty Hook before tonight, and I'm kicking myself. It was freakin delicious. We started with a good greeter and relatively short wait time. Followed up by our attentive and upbeat waiter. We started with the jerk chicken wings. They were awesome and came with an extra bowl of the jerk seasoning to dip in. Extras bro. My wife and I both had the Mahi tacos. Oh my to die for. They were awesome. The mahi was fresh and the jicama slaw on them was great. The portions were big enough that i only ate one taco and half of my Texas caviar. It was refreshing to find this little gem across the new East bridge from the island. And i didn't even mention it's on the canal front with a nice marina and canal views from upstairs, screened porch, outside and through the windows from the bar. Clean clean clean. Kiddos had chicken tenders and a grilled cheese. My daughter is a hard critic on grilled cheese and she liked this one. Great place. We will return.!! read more

Rusty Hooks Dockside Grill - Canal view from upstairs - Seafood Near Me - Southport, North Carolina

Seating six with reservations seemed like it was an issue. Was asked if I wanted my salad before dinner, I said yes. The salad came about a minute before my main course. Checks were given to us while we were still eating. No offer of drinks or dessert. Very strange service. Plus it's pricey. We won't be back. read more

My son and his girlfriend worked for them. When they went to get their paycheck the next day after they were no longer employed were told their paycheck was mailed. They never received their final hourly wage paycheck and I know of one other employee this happened to. I will never give Rusty hooks my business if they cannot pay their employees. It is against the law and unprofessional to treat employees past or present this way. I just wanted to share this experience so others people will know of the owners character or lack of. Pay your employees. They rely on the money they worked for to pay their living expenses. read more

Got to go this evening- not crowded. Actually worst experience I have had in Brunswick- beats Joey O's for worst experience- and that says a lot. Waited 50 mins from order time- no food- we ( a party of 4) watched larger parties and smaller ones come and go, yet we waited. Finally, I got up and found a waitress- so started right away with the excuses. Our food came out cold- Luke warm at best. My chicken tenders were sent back for being cold. Two others in the party ordered the shrimp basket-ask for cocktail sauce- we were actually brought out frozen cocktail sauce. Ask for it to be replaced.. it was replaced with more frozen cocktail sauce. Drinks were never refilled. Ask to speak to a manager- waited 20 mins on her- all she could say is I am sorry. When we told the waitress don't bring us a bill, the manger brought them out- gave us 2.00 off, and ran. Amazing- I will never go back and never recommend this place at all read more

If I could rate zero I would. Was told hour at most for seats. Hour goes by after seeing people that came after us seated. Was told another 4 ppl in front of us. So they said 20mins, went back after 20 then told 5 parties in front? How does that work? There were seats open at the bar so we sat down at then told can't order food at the bar though we watched everyone else order. The manager Cindy was telling them no and hiding behind doors not giving two craps about the customers. Another 20 go by no seats so as we were leaving 100+ mins into the wait they finally said yes to eating at the bar. Btw the bartenders were amazing but the manager or owner clearly can't run this place. And made the front people the shield of angry customers. Should have just left but we were in it so we ordered. Got there at 6:18 and didn't leave until 9pm. Food was fine but not that good for the wait or the price. I would have no issue if that's the wait but tell us versus lying as we could have just left at 6:18. The other issue is tables left open for 20-30mins then they would sit a bunch of people creating a huge backup for the kitchen. It was clear the manager didn't care when we brought up we were waiting double the time they told us. The staff said they were understaffed but manger said not to tell anyone. So they lie to get you hooked then create a terrible experience. Definitely will never return. read more

Wait staff great, food tastes great but their prices are off the chart ridiculous This is not a fine dining spot - it's a bar:restaurant - plastic tables and chairs ..... a martini is $14.50! Barely 3 oz cocktail house salad with "extra grilled shrimp" $27 ! Folks your locals would love to support you - especially in the off season and especially with covid but you make that almost impossible with the rates for your meals and drinks - sad ....... read more

this dining experience is something everyone should experience before they die.Carleton,our waiter,was so kind and delightful.He never let our drinks run dry and even had the initiative to freshen them up after our ice had melted,he really added a cherry to the top of this experience.The food is amazing!the prices are completely validated by the service and attentiveness of the staff.100% would recommend and i will make a point to visit every chance i get. read more

My husband and I get down here 5 or 6 times a year and this is our second time at this place. We were worried that being in between Christmas and New Year's, we probably wouldn't get good service or food anywhere. Wrong!! This place was packed on a Monday night, and what an amazing team! We had at least 3 people taking care of us for this or that - the wait staff helped each other and the bartender personally delivered our drinks. The food was amazing, and the owner herself checked on every table. Drinks were a little small, but the experience was positive. read more

Four of us enjoyed a delightful meal, great service, and a beautiful view. In addition, all COVID19 protocols appeared to be followed. This continues one of my favorite vacation stops! read more

Not much different than when it was the Dead End Saloon. Big parties beware as it could take an extra an hour and half to get a table. We were told several times it was only 10 mins only to wait an hour and half. We ordered food at the bar with no problem and ended up eating there due to member of our party getting hangry. Food is underwhelming. read more

Food was good,not great. Expensive for the quality and amount of food you get. The breaking point for us was when our daughters stayed up all night vomiting due to food poisoning (it was the only food they had all day that was different than what we had). read more

Went to Rusted Hook for first time while staying in Oak Island because I had heard great things about it and I was highly disappointed! Got seated around 8:30 after over an hour wait, and then didnt receive our food until an hour after being seated. We asked to see the manager, she came over and said it was busy that day and kinda brushed off the situation and didnt try to do anything to rectify it. As we were leaving after finally getting our food, which was by the way very bland tasting, there was a table of white patrons that we overheard the manager tell them she was going to rake off 20% on their bill for the wait. My friend confronted her and she said she didnt say it and he told her she did say it because he heard her. He told her we would never xome back to Rusted Hook to dine again because the poor management. The waiter we had Zach was great but the manager needs training or needs to be fired. First tome and last time here. read more

Mahi tacos, grilled mahi and shrimp was delish! The atmosphere was very laid back, clean place and open air dining area.

Great service on a very busy afternoon. I had shrimp tacos and they were great and plentiful. It also came with coleslaw which was excellent. We ate with 7 women, and no complaints. Also manager was very attentive. We will definitely return. water views are great and they cleaned up the place. read more

First time there since the much needed renovation. Need to bring in the exterminator for the visable palmetto bugs. Thought it was very pricey. Tacos ok, have had better. Needed seasoning. Mussels in white sauce didn't cut it. Bland. Would have been better served on pasta. Drinks pricey. Crab soup was good. Crab cakes very good. Undecided if I would return. read more

Really liked this venue when it was Dead End. The new owners have given it a much needed face lift and it has a fresher, cleaner appearance. The menu is a good bit smaller than before but there are still plenty of choices from land and sea. Service seems better than before. The quality and taste of the dishes we ordered, mussels, crab soup, fish and chips, and fish tacos were good but there is a little room for improvement as things were just a little bland. Portions are OK, but smaller than before. Prices have risen so if you're looking for cheap eats this might not be the place. The view is fantastic and even in early August with the windows open in the dining area it was quite comfortable early in the day. This was our "go to" place before the hurricane, and it has become our "go to" place again. Looking forward to our next visit to see they have continued to improve. read more

My friends and i were taken to the upstairs seating area and it felt like we were in some sort of confinement. Our waitress, Lyndsey, was extremely nice, but we did have to wait around 45 minutes to get into the restaurant and were there a total of two hours. My friend ate a piece of broccoli that had sand in it and had to spit it out. She told the waitress who then told us the manager (Cindy) would come up to help us. She claimed that the sand was just their garlic butter and rolled her eyes multiple times at my friend who was just letting her know that there was sand in her food so other customers wouldn't have the same problem. She was not going to give her a discount off of her food even though she was unable to finish it, but after a while she ended up getting a small discount (after my other friend suggested she do something about it). I've never had a more weird or uncomfortable experience in my life. Fries were good though. read more

We waited 45 minutes to get seated on the upper level of the "dockside" restaurant. The environment was extremely unpleasant and the ambiance was gut wrenching. We were served our meal 45 minutes later and my friend found a mound of sand in her broccoli and she had to spit it out. We called the owner, Cindy, to come and rectify the issue. She was extremely rude and dismissive of the problem and hesitant to give us a discount. I had to step in for my friend in order for her to take us seriously. We were met with eye rolls and indignant back-talk. She came back and had only discounted 1/3 of the meal. This is not how you run a business. I hate to be a "karen" but I think Cindy needs to work on her customer service skills if she wants to run a successful business. She tried to take advantage of a group of young women and it was extremely dehumanizing. Our server Lyndsey was very attentive and it was absolutely not her fault. I am very disappointed and I feel like we were taken advantage of because of our appearance. read more

After living here for 10+ years, I'd have to say this was honestly probably the best experience I've had at a restaurant in this area. Came here for a late lunch/ early dinner and my party was seated instantly. We were seated in the upstairs dining area, and after seeing some of these one star reviews, I think they might have been at a whole other restaurant. The upstairs dining area is brand new and was as clean as could be, while also offering a view that was to die for. Our server Kyle was genuinely nice, kind, and extremely knowledgeable about the menu. When I go back I will ask for him again and if it's your first time, I'd suggest the same. Now, let's get to the food. I got the blackened mahi tacos, per Kyle's recommendation, and was not disappointed. The fish was fresh, and you could tell. The mango salsa added a nice sweetness while the slaw added a little heat. It was the perfect blend and with the blackened mahi, it was the best fish taco I've ever had. While enjoying my food and the view of the inter-coastal it has been the most pleasant eating experience since covid has started. I can't recommend this place enough and will surely be back. read more

This place sucks. After waiting 45 minutes for a table on a Thursday night when they weren't that busy, we finally get to the table. We had called in and made sure they would still have crab legs. After waiting 30 more minutes for our food after we ordered it, the waitress comes back and says that they were sold out of crab legs. We changed our order. So then the owner comes out and kisses butt for the people behind us bc their food was so late. We ask how long our food will be and the owner said, ILL GO CHECK. She comes back and says they're packing it up now. We said we're ready to go and willing to pay for our drinks. She immediately brings them and sits them on the table and throws to go boxes on them and says here. Pack it up. So we say nope, we really don't want the food. We're ready to go and she starts yelling and saying we still owe them money for the food that they just cooked for us. We will NEVER be going back and the owner needs to learn how to run her damn restaurant. read more