Surfer&#x27;s Cafe

I love love loveeee this spot just wish it was open longer and was open more days…read more The owner is soo soo sweet She needs help also !!!!

This is a small Mom & Pop type place. They have great burgers ( so good that I have yet to try…read moreanything different), highly recommend stopping in. Seating is limited so during peak season I go for takeout. Definitely worth giving them a try. Very friendly staff and very clean.

Kitchen and prep area

Newly renovated! And very clean!!!

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Menu. Only one for the entire restaurant, find it at the counter.

Salty Dogs Cafe and Bark Bar

4.0(83 reviews)

0.6 mi

We stopped in for breakfast and to check the place out. The breakfast was so good! The staff was…read morekind and friendly - prices were reasonable for the value of the food. Loved that they had a dog park area fenced in behind ! They even have little dog treats homemade as well!

So they were having a Sunday special of spaghetti, salad, garlic bread, tea, and Keylime pie for…read more$13.95! The spaghetti was very good, not overcooked. It is baked but with plenty of cheesy meat sauce, topping and delicious. The garlic bread was OK. The salad is a bagged salad and they give you a choice of dressings. Then, when you got to choose the pie, you could have Keylime or any of the other flavors which were pecan, chocolate, coconut, peanut butter, or pumpkin. Sorry, no pictures of the spaghetti. I guess I forgot that one. The owner and the girls behind the counter are super friendly & the service could not have been any better The only reason for four stars instead of five is it's on Styrofoam with plastic utensils which I do not care for. (full price for a dinner eating off of Styrofoam and plastic doesn't seem right.)

Salty Dog Cafe and Bark Bar

Peanut butter pie

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Silver Hill Grill

4.1(101 reviews)

2.0 mi

Great traditional calabash style seafood, we got ours to go, not much seating but a little. Very…read moregood fried seafood plates.

Best fried scallops we have had in a ling time! Good hush puppies and slaw. Plan on calling in…read moreyour order and pick up the food to go.

Shrimp and fish!!

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Favorite hidden spot!

Provision Company

3.6(392 reviews)

0.9 mi

Always go to Provision on vacation, love their laid back and friendly atmosphere. Great seafood or…read moreif that isn't your thing delicious hamburgers also. It gets busy,go early!

I've been coming here for 20 years -- from my 20s all the way into my 40s -- so I think I've earned…read morethe right to say: what happened? The atmosphere is still great, which is apparently where all the effort now goes, because the food has clearly been left unsupervised. We placed a to-go order because we had our dog with us and were sitting downstairs. Simple enough, right? Not exactly. We spent the next hour and a half playing a fun little game called "Where Is Our Food?" Downstairs told us to check upstairs. Upstairs told us to check downstairs. Very efficient system if the goal is confusion and hunger. When the food finally arrived, we had seafood chowder, onion rings, a hot dog, and hamburgers. The seafood chowder was still good, so congratulations to the chowder for surviving whatever has happened here. The onion rings were cold, the hot dog bun had a green mold spot on it -- always a nice surprise -- and the hamburger was honestly impressive in the worst possible way. I've had better burgers from fast-food chains that at least admit they're serving frozen patties. This used to be a staple. Now it feels like one of those places that got popular enough to stop trying. I won't be back for the food. Maybe drinks, because thankfully no one had to cook those.

Patio.

Classic lunch special

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Inside tables

The Cove Restaurant

3.8(117 reviews)

1.3 mi

Bottom line: I liked my first visit to The Cove Restaurant near Holden Beach. Their Fish & Chips…read morewas satisfying and just what I needed that night. Service was good as well. This farm-to-table restaurant supporting local farmers and fishermen is worth a try if in the area with a little something for everyone on their menu. The Deets: A friend of mine drove down from Wilmington while I was vacationing in Holden Beach recently and we decided to get dinner to catch up. Looking at options on the trusty Yelp app, we decided upon trying The Cove Restaurant for dining. It is located just a bit out from Holden Beach, along Hwy 130 going towards Shallotte. It has pretty good parking that was almost full when we arrived. When we went in to place our name on the waiting list, we were told it would be about 30 minutes wait (we were actually seated around 15-20 minutes) and so we used the table and chairs outside the door to relax and talk. When seated at a booth inside, we perused their menu and they have plenty of different selections (not just limited to seafood). The cover of the menu describes The Cove as a restaurant "...featuring all natural ingredients supporting local farmers and fishermen." This farm-to-table format is good to know going in and I'm glad they share that on the menu. We were given bread service to start with (loved the bread!) and my friend got their Homemade Crab Soup to start with, and he liked it a lot. I went for Fish & Chips for my dinner entree while my friend opted for their Chicken Marsala for his meal. I was satisfied with my meal, the beer battered deep fried cod fish tasted great here. I sampled my friend's Chicken Marsala and it was good but was hoping for more flavor to come through on the Marsala sauce. Service was acceptable from the host desk to our server, all went well. I enjoyed the first visit to The Cove Restaurant and would like to revisit them on future trips to the area.

My husband and I are new homeowners on Holden Beach. One of the first things we wanted to discover…read morewas a local place with great seafood. We were thrilled to find this place! My husband ordered the special Trio: grouper (blackened) with shrimp (fried) and scallops (blackened). It was served with mashed potatoes. The portion was huge! He said it was the best mashed potatoes he's ever had. I ordered the seafood linguini, scampi style - it was delicious with a generous amount of mussels, clams, shrimp, and scallops. There was an option to have the dish "fra diavolo" (spicy red sauce) which I may try next time. My husband shared his giant side-salad with me. It was an extra $2 for the salad that could have been a meal for me. Complimentary bread is served with olive oil and freshly cracked pepper and with single serving pats of butter. For dessert, we shared the housemade brownie with ice cream. It was recommended by our wonderful server, Bailey! It was a great first meal for us in Holden Beach as locals and no longer just visitors!

Menu 2 (April 2018)

Menu 3 (April 2018)

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Burg-Dog Grille

4.7(57 reviews)

6.7 mi

Great reasonably priced burgers and hot dogs and super fast friendly service. You won't be…read moredisappointed.

**CASH ONLY!** The…read moreBurg-Dog Grille of Shallotte is a great place to grab some good hotdogs, a solid burger, and great crinkle cut fries. The menu is limited, but that means that they have perfected everything!! If you're hungry, you may need to get two hot dogs. They are great, but aren't the biggest. The crinkle cut fries are standard hot dog establishment fries. Soft on the inside, crisp on the outside, you can't go wrong. The tea is weak and is a bit watery. The restrooms are clean but are old. When it's busy, you may have to wait for a table. You stand in line to order and then grab a table, so the line may be about 10 mins max. The service is great! They know what they're doing and are efficient. Just make the tea better!

Inside CASH ONLY!!

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Grill

Hwy 55 Burgers Shakes & Fries

3.8(52 reviews)

6.6 mi

It was ok. Waitress was super friendly. Food came out pretty quickly. It was warm but not hot. My…read morewife got large chicken Philly with tater tots. I got byo burger special with onion rings. Portions on the bigger side (note the large Philly is about 6" and supposedly small 3"). My burger tasted pretty good. The onion rings took on the flavor of whatever else had been cooked in the oil....we wouldn't recommend those, especially since they have an up charge. The tater tots were pretty good. The chicken Philly was pretty good except the bun seemed like they warmed it up in the microwave too long. It was a small but clean dining room with a diner feel to it. Bathroom was clean. All and all, it was ok. It wasn't a "ooo, you have to try it ". It also wasn't a "avoid at all cost" place either. If you go, burgers and tots were pretty decent

Always great food and service. Great value and a good selection. Ice cream is also delicious.read more

Tater tots with the larger chicken Philly.

Front

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Menu

Mermaid's Island Grill

3.7(220 reviews)

1.1 mi

After waiting over an hour at another local seafood restaurant only to leave following a rude…read moreinteraction with the owner/manager, our crew of 19 found ourselves unexpectedly looking for dinner at 8:15 p.m.--just 15 minutes before closing. I don't know many restaurants that would happily take a call saying, "Our night just went sideways and we have 19 people to feed." Honestly, I probably would have been a little annoyed myself. But from the moment we arrived at Mermaids Island Grill, we were met with nothing but kindness and hospitality. The young ladies taking our order were friendly and welcoming, the bartenders kept the drinks flowing, and the servers delivered piping hot food with smiles on their faces. Every single person in our group loved their meal. With 19 people ordering from all over the menu--calamari, fried pickles, crab legs, grouper, fried shrimp, hushpuppies, and more--that's no small feat. What stood out most wasn't just the food (which was excellent), but the service. We were never rushed, despite arriving so close to closing, and the staff continued chatting and smiling with us as we left. Mermaids Island Grill completely turned our evening around. 10/10 for both the food and the hospitality. We'll definitely be back.

Let's start 1 New England chowder 6 out of 10…read more Could have had a little bit more meat in it 2 Grouper bites 10 out of 10 Just perfect in every way 3 popcorn shrimp in firecracker sauce 10 out of 10 Fried just right and the right amount of sauce 4 cheeseburger 7 out of 10 Just a med burger but the fries 9 out of 10 Oysters Rockefeller 0 out of 10 They went bad look so good but from the moment they were put on the table we smelled like I took one for the team but had to spit it out right away they did refund me and were very apologetic, I know it's off season and the season is not as fresh as it can be but as a cook you should be able to tell when something is not right but either way we did enjoy everything else

Part of inside seating and order counter area, Aug 2024.

Lamb gyro

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Back area with outside seating levels, Aug 2024.

The Purple Onion Cafe

4.1(361 reviews)

7.1 mi

Cute little place! We all enjoyed our breakfast! The pancakes were really good and definitely try…read moresome of their pastries.

The place is nice and the staff are great! The food however is not. Went here based on reviews…read more It's just not good. We got the southern portobello which the picture in my mind vs what was on the plate could t be farther apart. And the crab cake sandwich. Both of us left feeling not good. I didn't mention any of this to our waitress because pretty sure there would be nothing for her to do. Everybody else's food looked about the same.

Cinnamon Buns fresh from the Bakery!

Purple Onion Club with Red Velvet Cake

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Boston Cream Pie

Cafe Ahora

4.3(31 reviews)

0.4 mi

Got an iced coffee. Quick service and nicely decorated inside. Great selection of sugar free syrups…read moreand milk alternatives. Pastries looked great but didn't get one.

Friendly baristas & amazing coffee! Love this spot! Enjoyed the variety of flavors and speciality…read morelattes.

Waffle with chocolate syrup

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Inside seating

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8 reviews that are not currently recommended

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Ricki H.

9

1

0

11 years ago

The seafood here is fantastic! They know how to cook it correctly. The shrimp & oysters are lightly battered and fried but wonderfully cooked just right. Not overcooked like many places. The hush puppies and coleslaw round out a great meal. Another unusual but good side order is the fried okra. Their seafood is fresh and they have local specials such as spots in season. read more

Sandee M.

0

2

0

7 years ago

Consistently good food, with a consistently friendly staff. Surfer's is a local favorite. Whether you're looking for a great burger or fresh fried seafood, they have got you covered. Surfers gets 5 stars from me for not only quantity, but quality. read more

Michael E.

378

1

0

9 years ago

It doesn't make sense how good these burgers are. People need to know about this place. It's a best kept secret hole in the wall and I have to go every time I make a trip to Holden beach read more

Tracey C.

51

6

1

6 years ago

This place was amazing. Excellent service and excellent food. We will definitely be back. The shrimp and fish were fresh and cooked perfectly. Their prices were very reasonable. read more

Jon T.

135

4

2

6 years ago

Love this place!!! Couldn't of had a better experience. We have 3 kids and there menu was amazing for kids!!! Thank you for that!! Again couldn't recommend it more read more

Willy S.

38

7

8

8 years ago

Really good shrimp burger ! Fries are good ! Enjoyed it very much! Staff was nice . Tea was good and sweet!

Harold P.

12

15

1

5 years ago

Great burger. Get it all the way! Friendly staff, great food at reasonable prices.

Charlie L.

0

1

0

7 years ago

Owner contact info? Today's issue needs to be discussed

Surfer's Cafe - cafes - Updated August 2026

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Mermaid's Island Grill

3.7

(220 reviews)

After waiting over an hour at another local seafood restaurant only to leave following a rude…read moreinteraction with the owner/manager, our crew of 19 found ourselves unexpectedly looking for dinner at 8:15 p.m.--just 15 minutes before closing. I don't know many restaurants that would happily take a call saying, "Our night just went sideways and we have 19 people to feed." Honestly, I probably would have been a little annoyed myself. But from the moment we arrived at Mermaids Island Grill, we were met with nothing but kindness and hospitality. The young ladies taking our order were friendly and welcoming, the bartenders kept the drinks flowing, and the servers delivered piping hot food with smiles on their faces. Every single person in our group loved their meal. With 19 people ordering from all over the menu--calamari, fried pickles, crab legs, grouper, fried shrimp, hushpuppies, and more--that's no small feat. What stood out most wasn't just the food (which was excellent), but the service. We were never rushed, despite arriving so close to closing, and the staff continued chatting and smiling with us as we left. Mermaids Island Grill completely turned our evening around. 10/10 for both the food and the hospitality. We'll definitely be back.

Let's start 1 New England chowder 6 out of 10…read more Could have had a little bit more meat in it 2 Grouper bites 10 out of 10 Just perfect in every way 3 popcorn shrimp in firecracker sauce 10 out of 10 Fried just right and the right amount of sauce 4 cheeseburger 7 out of 10 Just a med burger but the fries 9 out of 10 Oysters Rockefeller 0 out of 10 They went bad look so good but from the moment they were put on the table we smelled like I took one for the team but had to spit it out right away they did refund me and were very apologetic, I know it's off season and the season is not as fresh as it can be but as a cook you should be able to tell when something is not right but either way we did enjoy everything else

Silver Hill Grill

4.1

(101 reviews)

Great traditional calabash style seafood, we got ours to go, not much seating but a little. Very…read moregood fried seafood plates.

Best fried scallops we have had in a ling time! Good hush puppies and slaw. Plan on calling in…read moreyour order and pick up the food to go.

Provision Company

3.6

(392 reviews)

Always go to Provision on vacation, love their laid back and friendly atmosphere. Great seafood or…read moreif that isn't your thing delicious hamburgers also. It gets busy,go early!

I've been coming here for 20 years -- from my 20s all the way into my 40s -- so I think I've earned…read morethe right to say: what happened? The atmosphere is still great, which is apparently where all the effort now goes, because the food has clearly been left unsupervised. We placed a to-go order because we had our dog with us and were sitting downstairs. Simple enough, right? Not exactly. We spent the next hour and a half playing a fun little game called "Where Is Our Food?" Downstairs told us to check upstairs. Upstairs told us to check downstairs. Very efficient system if the goal is confusion and hunger. When the food finally arrived, we had seafood chowder, onion rings, a hot dog, and hamburgers. The seafood chowder was still good, so congratulations to the chowder for surviving whatever has happened here. The onion rings were cold, the hot dog bun had a green mold spot on it -- always a nice surprise -- and the hamburger was honestly impressive in the worst possible way. I've had better burgers from fast-food chains that at least admit they're serving frozen patties. This used to be a staple. Now it feels like one of those places that got popular enough to stop trying. I won't be back for the food. Maybe drinks, because thankfully no one had to cook those.

Castaways Raw Bar & Grill

3.4

(253 reviews)

Great food food and people! Ambience and music all wonderful!…read more*****************************************(****************!

Food was very tasty & favorable I had Cajun Shrimp tacos &…read moremy wife had the crab cake sandwich Location was good The highlight to us was the service, Layla the server was very efficient & personable She stopped by often to check on us & the food arrived quickly She provided to go cups as we left We will definitely come back & refer this restaurant to others

Mankins Causeway Cafe

4.1

(36 reviews)

I love love loveeee this spot just wish it was open longer and was open more days…read more The owner is soo soo sweet She needs help also !!!!

This is a small Mom & Pop type place. They have great burgers ( so good that I have yet to try…read moreanything different), highly recommend stopping in. Seating is limited so during peak season I go for takeout. Definitely worth giving them a try. Very friendly staff and very clean.

Dock House Seafood & More

3.9

(218 reviews)

Seafood was fresh & reasonably priced. Service was truly…read morefriendly. Drinks were cold & delicious. Very casual. We definitely liked the place, with nice views of the intercostal

Omg !! I was so excited for this place !! We stopped one afternoon and to say " what a…read moredisappointment " !! Save your dollars not worth the money !! Just saying and you're welcome!!

The Sea Biscuit Cafe

3.5

(58 reviews)

Excellent food and service. Enjoyed The Whole Farm breakfast. Steak was cooked just right. Nice…read moreportions. If you are looking for really good pizza this is the place for you.

Food??? What food!!! Waited over an hour with zero communication there were issues in the kitchen,…read moreyet watched several other tables come, get their food and pay their bill. We had a 2 year old who all she wanted was a pancake and they never offered to bring hers out. Was told our food was up next, saw two orders come out and we finally walked out. No, we did not have any special order-straight off menu items only.

Castaway Grill

3.4

(101 reviews)

Unpretentious place with great food. Obviously a favorite with locals, as many were greeted by name…read moreas they arrived. Very friendly and attentive staff. Would definitely eat there again. Be aware of their hours; they close before lunch on Mondays as of this review (Jan 2026).

Starting off let me just say my 4 stars are like a lot of people's 5 stars. I try to grade as…read morehonestly as possible. So I'm new to the area here and off the bat there isn't many breakfast spots. My first visit was for breakfast and I ordered the biscuits & gravy with a side of patty sausage. I'm not a huge fan of their biscuits personally but let me just add I am very picky when it comes to biscuits. To most people their biscuits are probably really really good. The gravy was decent white gravy and the patty sausage was to be expected. Service was good. They check on you often and throw in a lil small talk here and there. It was obvious they had normal reoccurring customers in which they staff carried on conversation and joked around a lil with those patrons. I went back another day for lunch. Service was the same. Very nice pleasant staff again. This time I ordered the flounder sandwich and fries. Honestly one of the best fish sandwiches I've had in a long time. Fries were nothing special. Crinkle fries from a freezer bag which hey.... Don't most places? But to keep in the critiquing mind set they were fried perfectly. Place is a lil dated but looks like it's kept clean and in order. Definitely a favored local spot. Many many locals recommended it to me. I would definitely recommend this place to others.

Salty Dogs Cafe and Bark Bar

4.0

(83 reviews)

We stopped in for breakfast and to check the place out. The breakfast was so good! The staff was…read morekind and friendly - prices were reasonable for the value of the food. Loved that they had a dog park area fenced in behind ! They even have little dog treats homemade as well!

So they were having a Sunday special of spaghetti, salad, garlic bread, tea, and Keylime pie for…read more$13.95! The spaghetti was very good, not overcooked. It is baked but with plenty of cheesy meat sauce, topping and delicious. The garlic bread was OK. The salad is a bagged salad and they give you a choice of dressings. Then, when you got to choose the pie, you could have Keylime or any of the other flavors which were pecan, chocolate, coconut, peanut butter, or pumpkin. Sorry, no pictures of the spaghetti. I guess I forgot that one. The owner and the girls behind the counter are super friendly & the service could not have been any better The only reason for four stars instead of five is it's on Styrofoam with plastic utensils which I do not care for. (full price for a dinner eating off of Styrofoam and plastic doesn't seem right.)

Swain's Seafood and Cut

4.4

(344 reviews)