I went to went to Steve's almost a week after it opened (this last Thursday night) with my children and boyfriend and had a wonderful time. The waitress was attentive, the food was OUTSTANDING. I have eaten in restaurants all over in Spring Lake, Fayetteville and Sanford in the past 8 years and the variety on the menu was refreshing and different. Even the items that are similar to other surrounding restaurants had a twist that made them stand out. You could taste the difference with all of the meals being made from scratch down to the honey butter served with hoe cakes (fried cornbread kinda flat like a pancake). The waitstaff is inexperienced but tried hard to meet our needs and never was short on politeness or smiles. They are eager to make your experience pleasant and if there is any issues Steve himself or Yanci (the talent behind the dessert treats) will come out and do whatever is necessary to make it better for you. That night my boys ate from the "For the Little Ones" menu, they had things like ground turkey with gravy and rice and chicken pot pie complimented with sides like yogurt and broccoli. My children (ages 4 and 5) enjoyed the chicken tenders with fries and macaroni and cheese with broccoli which was enough that I divided between them. My boyfriend had the smothered porkchops which came in serving sizes of one or two, he chose fried okra and mash potatoes and gravy as his sides from choices like collard greens, wild rice pilaf, and sweet potato souffle. Finally I had the Seafood Platter with the fillet Flounder and fried shrimp sided by mashed potatoes and green beans. The green beans are seasoned with pork that gives them a unique taste and fish was breaded with a special blend of seasons and spices. Delicious! Pricing was appropriate for the amount of food and the quality of the meals. We had so much food we needed to go plates but we couldn't leave until we tried one of the many tempting desserts offered. The Pumpkin Squares and Banana Pudding looked great but the Chocolate Caramel Brownie won us over. The boys were given little bowls of ice cream while we tried this treat. It was absolutely delicious and I personally don't eat tend to eat sweet things, but this was definitely worth it. The restaurant is new, the people are new, and the system is unfamiliar but with the way things are going in this place it is definitely going to be a success. Everyone there shows common goals: customer service being their top priority, delicious cuisine, success of the restaurant, and accuracy. Speed will come with time but I have no doubt that it will be accomplished soon to accommodating the surrounding patrons (i.e. soldiers and contractors at lunch on time crunches) and if your first visit was not pleasant, I would recommend going back before making up your mind. Speed isn't everything in a restaurant and this place definitely has everything you could ask for in a fine dining establishment. They do offer to go if you are in a crunch and don't have time to dine in and want some great food on the go. read more

We stopped by as we were always disappointed with Ruby Tuesdays and all the other places to eat in Spring Lake. It was certainly less crowded and we were seated quickly. We were brought hocakes, which are basically cornbread pancakes and our drinks very fast. We ordered our food and due to a slight delay (very slight, we usually wait much longer at restaurants) the owner gave us a discount for being patient. The delay was for the fried chicken - they fry it fresh and they were changing fryers or something. We were given the option of wanting to wait or order something else - but we chose to wait. There were four in our party and we ordered, the Mahi Mahi, the Stuffed Meatloaf, Fried Chicken, and the Angus Burger. Everything was really good - we were so impressed with the level of cooking. We even decided to get desert and had the "Spoonful of sugar" which is a sampler deal of Banana Pudding (AMAZING!), Bread Pudding (REALLY REALLY GOOD) and the Blueberry Cobbler (WOW!), and the Caramel Chocolate Brownie, all I can say is decadent! The Owner stopped over to say hello and apologize for the delay in the chicken and even took a percentage off our bill because we had to wait a bit. Overall the service was really good, the food was excellent, and we will be back. The only con I would say would be it is slower than some chain restaurants because they cook everything fresh - and time is taken with every dish - and this truly shows! read more

My honey and I have been going to Steve's since he was on Grove Street and every time... every time we've eaten at Steve's he always comes out to see if everything was to our liking and to swap a smile and the time of day. Breakfast is the best in town, bar none, but it doesn't stop there... the new restaurant in Spring Lake is clean, beautiful and Steve's staff is always friendly and responsive. All of that is nice, and you can get nice at a lot of places, but at Steve's I'm all about his food. Every meal has been good and I'd be willing to bet, if something wasn't right, and Steve knew about it, he'd take care of it. Holidays, forget about it... why cook up a huge meal for just a couple or a bunch of company when Steve will have it going on. We went for dinner last Thanksgiving and Steve outdid himself. Everything was on the menu and it was great. Do yourself a favor and try Steve's. There are a plethora of places to eat in this area, but few offer the comfort, personal service, great food and value for your money that Steve's is known for. read more

I took my girlfriend here for a date along with some friends of ours the other Friday night. We were dressed kinda up in semi formal attire and the atmosphere seemed to support it. There was soft jazz music playing in the background, made it very relaxed and eased. To start we had the Catfish Sliders for an appetizer, it was interesting with the catfish in between two fried cornbread made like pancakes and a really good sauce. Then we had the Southern Fried Chicken with fried okra, Stuffed Meatloaf with fried okra and macaroni and cheese, two stuffed spinach stuffed chicken and noodles with macaroni and cheese, fries, and mashed potatoes. The food was brought out hot and timely, our waitress watched and made sure our drinks were filled and refreshed. The owner, Steve, and the dessert talent, Yanci, came to meet our group that added to the ambiance of the place. It made us feel like we were important. I would definitely recommend this place to other people :) read more

My husband and I have been waiting for this restaurant to open. We went there when they were training the staff in October. They finally opened!! We are both southerners, Alabama and the low country of South Carolina. It was a treat to see the menu!!! Shrimp and grits, cabbage, fried okra, succatosh(if you don't know what this is, you are not from the South). We thought this was one of those regular restaurants where you have to order appetizers, but it is not, my husband got the flank steak bruschetta (meal by itself) and I got the fried mushrooms, we were already asking for a too go box. Oh by they way my husband had the fried catfish (melt in your mouth) . Crystal (sorry if I spelled it wrong) was trruly an outstanding hostess! My husband asked to speak to Steve and he came out and greeted us (love him)! Keepup the outstanding service and we will definitely be back (we already recommended our friends and family). read more

I have been a huge fan of Steve's cooking for a good while now. I am very picky about southern cooking because I've had really good and really bad examples of it all over Fayetteville. Steve has consistently plated amazing good food, and in my opinion his grits are hands down the best best best in town. In North Carolina. In the Universe! But seriously, his breakfasts have been a favorite of mine and my honey, but now he serves lunch and dinner too! Tonight I had the smothered pork chops....I kept my head down and my fork moving. To top it off, the blueberry crumble was obscene....ly good. I'm not much of a desert eater, but wow-wee it was good. I will keep going back again and again. read more

Oh my God! I am visiting from Oklahoma and stopped by Steve's on the way back to the hotel. Steve's "Shrimp and Grits" were amazing! My family is originally from Louisiana(legendary for southern cuisine) and Steve's southern cooking rates amongst the Elite. I even went as far as locating Steve's business phone number via the internet after finishing my meal (ordered to go) to personally share my gratification with the meal he had prepared. I recommend that not anyone, but everyone should enjoy this experience. He is truly a "Chef" amongst "Chefs"! Do not sell yourself short, order the "Whole" and not the "petite" portion. Trust me read more

i honestly dont like shrimp or grits. but when i heard about the place, i had to check it out. and i heard that the shrimp and grits where to die for.. so i tried it! and boy let me tell you, the stevies shrimp and grits that they sell is phenomenal! it is such a great combation! definately will be going back! read more

The atmosphere at Steve's is great! The food is awesome, the owner Steve great guy down to earth and he mingles with his customers! Steve's Southern Gourmet you have to try it! read more