Worst restaurant I've been to in a long time! Went with family on vacation. Had to wait an hour and 30 minutes just for the food to taste microwaved. When we finally got seated, we were outside with a band playing and the radio blasting. Had to ask two waiters for them to stop the radio, so we could hear the band. Very rude to the band playing to have other music playing during their performance. My kid got chicken tenders and it tasted like you could get them in the frozen dinner section at Walmart. On top of that, when she received her order it was wrong. In addition, my husband got a burger that was cooked wrong. The only positive of this place was the hush puppies. read more

Love love love this place! Can't say enough... you won't be disappointed- southern food done right with southern hospitality!

Based on a local recommendation we had the expectation that this was the go-to-spot for chicken. Yet, we were disappointed. The chicken was overpriced which would have been fine if the quality of the food was above average. The fried chicken lacked a well-seasoned crust, it was not crispy and we were given only two pieces of chicken. Collard greens were bland and overcooked. Mashed potatoes were pasty, stiff and inedible. The servers were attentive and polite. We had to wait a while for the check to be brought to our table. Our dining experience was, in a word, "meh." read more

I had such high expectations based on the reviews, the website and the decor of the restaurant! Unfortunately for us, the food just didn't deliver as much as we had hoped and it was also very loud. We had the fried green tomatoes to start which were great. My main was the flounder reuben with mac and cheese. The mac and cheese was bland and the sandwich could have also used more seasoning. My wife had the shrimp sandwich which she said was just ok, no big flavors. On the plus side, the service was great and the prices were absolutely reasonable. read more

The food was very tasty and the service was friendly but the food was over-priced. No complimentary hush puppies but some came with the seafood plate I ordered so I thought that was fine. I choose pick two seafood: shrimp and crab cake - didn't come with a choice of side but rather cole slaw and hush puppies...I thought ok I like both of those foods so should be fine. I got my plate and was very surprised (not in a good way). After giving my two girls two small shrimp each I had 7 small shrimp left and the crab cake patty was the size of a McDonald's happy meal burger. The reason I was shocked was because the plate cost $16. I just expected a moderate size portion since small shrimp is not as costly as most fresh fish. The cole slaw seemed more like a garnish and was bland so I didn't finish it. And I got 3 hush puppies and after sharing with my girls was left with 1 hush puppy and was told I had to order more (again not complimentary). Thank goodness I ordered my 2yo and 5yo a Hot Dog with sweet pot mash to share because I couldn't share much of my plate. I'm encouraged to try other places before a repeat appearance at the Trading Post. Appreciate the response comment by Brynn. I did leave my feedback with the manager. And I wholeheartedly agree the food tastes delicious which is perhaps why a more reasonable portion would have been satisfying. Thank you, Brynn! read more

First of all and with no hesitation, I recommend this new eating house. The staff is super friendly and accomodating. There was a small, and I mean small, communication issue with our table that meant we had to wait a few moments for a seat. And for that they covered our beverage. Big ups for the customer service on that one to the manager. Very well handled. Well what about the food, say you? Some items were 5-star, some 4 and some 1. On average I would say 4-stars would be fair. My wife had the meatloaf special and let me tell you the size of her slice of meat loaf was very nice, indeed. I tasted it and it had a nice tomato sauce/bbq glaze. There wasn't much sauce so it was important that the meat was moist--and it was. She got a bunch of sides and liked the baked apples slices, green beans, and mac and cheese. The hush puppies were good--not great. My meal had some flaws and some hits. First the flaws: the cucumber salad was in a bland cream sauce and would never make it to my plate again. That said, the cucumber salad was light years better than the soggy, over-cooked, and partially spoiled half piece of corn on the cob. Now for the hits: again the scalloped sweet apples were tasty (I think I detected a hint of cardamom married to the cinnamon), the fresh multi-green salad and dressing was very nice. I, also, got the fried chicken. The lightly-breaded thigh and drumstick were juicy and seasoned well. The only problem with the chicken lies in the fact that the entire serving consisted of a drumstick that was not much bigger than those served on wing night. And the thigh? Not much bigger than the leg. If I scraped all the protein together it may have been less than a quarter pounder with cheese. That was disappointing. The best part of the meal was the 5-star plus fried green tomatoes. Served with melted pimento cheese and hot pepper jelly. That was a winner. Big time. We will definitely go back here the next time we're in town and you should try it too. read more

Dawn was the worst server I've experienced in a long time. We waited forever & her grating booming loud voice nearly deafened me. We waited 40 minutes for peel & eat shrimp. We won't be back... read more

The trading post is amazing, I have a house down here and always go get food and drinks here while I am visiting my second home. The shrimp never disappoints! read more

Phenomenal!! Shrimp and grits, so creamy and delicious... LOVE, love the pimento cheese and fried green tomato sandwich OMG to die for!!! Southern menu with a Twist and with a pallet little blow your socks off!! ENJOY read more

This place is so cute and the wait staff was SO friendly. All the seafood was delicious. The flounder was fresh and the hit of the night. The shrimp had a Smokey flavor but were still delicious. My father got the shrimp & grits and loved it. We were visiting and are always looking for seafood! Would definitely go again. read more

Bar person was more interested in conversation with friend than me. Do not bring me my food half way through my salad. Mashed Potato's were dry and just warm. On a high note the fish and oysters were cooked to perfection so if you are a person that does not care about service the food is ok. For me service and hospitality is very important especially when I am paying 25 plus dollars for a meal. read more

I wrote a sub par review for this place a few months ago. They responded that they were sorry and wanted to do better so I took it down. We gave it another try this weekend and the service was horrible. Like other complaints up here, they were very unattentive. I had to ask for drinks numerous times and napkins multiple times. It was not like they were short staffed. I saw plenty of young wait staff standing around talking. It took a little over 30 minutes to get our low country boil, and when we did get it the shrimp had been cooked way too long and the shells were infused to the shrimp. Someone needs to tell them the shrimp go in last. I'm all about second chances but they failed to deliver again. The food here is pricy and if ur gonna pay high prices you should get a good meal. Sorry but this time the review will stay. read more

We decided to stop here for a spontaneous dinner night. The food was okay but definitely not worth the price. We got the BBQ pork skin nachos. It said it came with salsa and it had huge pieces of tomato and cut up lettuce lol so it wasn't what I was expecting when it said "salsa". Not worth $10 but maybe $7 of it had more pork on it then it be worth $10. My husband got the bologna burger which was 3 slices of bologna on toast. I think that was $10 (not sure) but not worth the price again. You can buy a whole pack of Bologna and a whole loaf of bread for cheaper than that. My son got two chicken strips with fries and it was $10 I think. I got the low country oil for $25 and all you got was 1 cluster of crab legs, cold piece of corn, huge not well cut sausage and potatoes. Along with the clams but I hated them. That's my fault for not reading what all came with it. For all that plus drinks it was almost $60 with a military discount. I hope they can really reconsider their pricing. I'd like to come back and try something else. The atmosphere was nice. As soon as 5 o'clock hit they started getting super busy. It looked like they had cornhole outside which was cool. read more

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We are in town for the weekend for a wedding and were told to check this place out for good seafood.. I do NOT recommend eating here. Our entire experience was horrible from the get go. We got to the restaurant and it was a 30 min wait so went to the bar for a drink. Ordered 2 vodka cocktails and they were both so bad we were unable to drink any of it. They were absolutely disgusting. We then sat for dinner and ordered the collard green dip which was decent. Our waitress then informed us that they were out of pretty much all seafood on the back of the menu.. the reason we went to eat there in the first place. We decided to just stay and eat anyways. I ordered the flounder which came out cold and had the consistency of a wet newspaper. It was terrible. My friend ordered a spinach salad with fresh bacon, egg, poppyseed dressing and shrimp. It came out with bacon bits and no dressing and no shrimp. They then took it back and added on some frozen shrimp and brought it back to her. It was unappetizing to say the least. I would not recommend this place to anyone. We did have a very nice server and they did end up comping our "meal". But the food is just not worth it. I would try anywhere else in Emerald Isle. read more

What a great find for breakfast at EI. The staff was friendly and courteous, the decor was trendy and the restaurant was super clean. My husband had the chicken n biscuit bowl, curiously not served in a bowl. Fresh biscuit, with house made scrumptious chicken filets covered in sausage gravy. The poached egg was served to the side on the plate. He quickly piled it on top and enjoyed his meal. I had the veggie omelette with hash browns and toast. Very tasty with a little salsa. We both had a mimosa to start. Prices very reasonable. We didn't have to wait but the outdoor space out back looked like a perfect spot to relax if you had to wait. We highly recommend and will be back. read more

This place has the best shrimp and grits in the world! Seriously, we have tried them at many locations and TP has nailed it. We were in EI for a week and visited twice, and were planning to try something else on the menu, but when we went the second time, had to get them again! They are that good! Service is awesome--servers are great and manager usually comes by and asks if the quality is up-to-par. We really are going to try something new next time...maybe. read more

This place is PHENOMENAL. We love everything about it. The outdoor area in the back is so inviting we spent more time out there after our meal than we did inside at dinner! It is set up with mini bars and eclectic decor and seating areas, corn hole boards, and hula hoops galore for the kids. It has something for everyone. We ate here several times while on vacation and never had a bad meal. Their mac and cheese is super good and cheesy with some crushed crackers thrown in the mix. The pork rind nachos were topped with shredded pork, cheddar, lettuce, & tomatoes and served with sour cream and salsa and they were DELICIOUS!! The butterfinger cheesecake was to die for. 3 of us, including one of the kids, ordered a shrimp burger and we all loved them. The ribs were good, the shrimp and grits with tomato, onion, & mushrooms was sooo good. The fried green tomato BLT was good. Only thing we wouldn't get again was the mashed sweet potato. The sweet tea was perfect as well. The wait staff was all very friendly and great in general. We will be back again! read more

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We went because they have outside seating that is supposedly dog friendly. The hostess told us there were no "tables" as the big one was about to be seated. We tried sitting at the bar. First we tried sitting in the shade, the bartender told us not to sit there as we would be obstructing customers ordering drinks. ‍ okay. I used to be a bartender, understandable. We sat down at the other end of the whopping 8 seat bar. He ignored us. We waited, menus in hand. We didn't see any great options and when inquiring about the "catch of the day" for the meat and 2 option the bartender (rather rudely) told us that he would have to check before ordering any food for us. We left. Now down the street at the fish hut grill with a much more relaxed atmosphere, amazing drinks like a blueberry jalapeño margarita, and amazing grilled yellow fin tuna and mani magi on salads. Simple and satisfying. Glad we switched, fate. read more

I ate here almost everyday that I was on vacation and I wish I could go back now. The food is delicious and tastes super fresh. Also, it was inexpensive in comparison to the quality unlike some of the restaurants in the area. read more

Popped in for lunch and was very pleasantly surprised. First of all, the staff is pleasant! I had the Crab Rolls which were delicious on a bed of slaw that may be the best slaw I've ever had. It had pineapple and cranberries in it which gave it a hint of sweetness... nice compliment to the crab. Plenty for me for lunch. My husband had a delicious shrimp burger.... LOCAL shrimp on a soft bun... the only way to go. They have live music on their lovely back lawn a couple nights a week. We would like to venture in for that soon. read more

The food was fabulous....the shrimp and grits was the best I ever had...the fried flounder was the best I ever had...the crab balls were delicious. The only thing that is keeping me from rating it a 5 Star is the fried chicken and Mac and Cheese. To carry the title as a Southern Restaurant...it must not go wrong with its southern fried chicken. The fried chicken had no coating on it. It appeared to be just deep fried. House-Autry Chicken Season Batter would of fixed that problem..... The Mac and cheese taste like krafts....it was processed and did not have that authentic southern taste. Homemade Mac and cheese is not difficult to make...I was very disappointed with the two...but the other foods outweighed those inconsistencies...almost forgot to talk about the fried green tomatoes....DELICIOUSSSSSSSSSSS!!!! read more

Server (Bill) was extremely pleasant and very nice. Greeted us with the specials and constantly ensured we were taken care of. The food was amazing. My wife had chicken with macaroni. Probably the best macaroni I've had. I had the Clam Chowder for a starter. Very hearty and rich with excellent flavor. The. I had the seafood. Clam and crab cake. Both were amazing. Hands down one of the best places I've eaten at in Eastern NC. Highly recommend. read more

Stopped by because it was at the top of Yelp suggestions and my friends and I got hungry at the beach. We loved the rustic decor and atmosphere, it truly embodies the homey southern feel that its history boasts. Too bad I'm leaving NC soon but the next time I'm here I'd love to come back, bring more people and use the spacious backyard area. The prices were quite reasonable for the quality of the food. I was impressed by the abundance of shrimp in my shrimp and grits (I was actually surprised by the lack of grits but that's a better problem to have!) Thanks Trading Post! read more

My first time here. I ordered a shrimp scampi without the shrimp cause i'm allergic. I asked to substitute it with flounder which they graciously did. This has got to be the most delicious meal I've had for a while. I love the rocking chair upfront. Their bathroom decor is adorable. Service was southern sweet. I'll definitely come back. read more

Shrimp N grits was BOMB! Best I've had! Fried chicken was super juicy and not dry. Oh and ribs!!! Wow! Love love love! Why haven't I been here yet!!! read more

It seems that I have been forgotten. I was told to sit anywhere. Then everyone that came in behind me got a menu. Finally the bartender came over, calling me sweetie and honey, and gave me a menu. Food was okay. Price a bit high for shrimp and grits. They never refilled my drink nor even asked. Then the long wait for my check. I had such high hopes for this restaurant. Hopefully they will get their act together or we'll see another closed restaurant on the island. read more

Man I'm so glad my wife and I found this little spot, great service, even better food. Do yourself a favor, go for breakfast and order the shrimp and grits and a mimosa, you will not be sorry. I would leave this place six stars if that was an option. (My wife says I need to add that the biscuits and gravy was incredible too) read more

The appetizer was overcooked, almost burnt. The shrimp and grits had 3 pieces of spinach and some burnt hash browns. The salad was left off our order so we had to go back to get it. It was wilted. Not a good first impression. Don't think we'll go back. read more

I don't know, the food is ok. It's not worth the money that's for sure. It's "meh" at best.

Beautiful place! Great waitresses! I believe my waitress name is Megan! Ask for her! She's very polite and well mannered! Highly recommend her! read more

If you're looking for a quiet place, this probly isn't it, but it is a lively atmosphere. They have live music most nights out back where you can order drinks and apps. We stayed inside and I ordered a Bold Rock cider, shrimp and corn chowder (YUMMMM), a side salad (very small), and the crab cakes which came with hush puppies and slaw. The crab cakes were really good, the hush puppies were just ok. My bf got Blue Moon, the Caesar salad, and pork chop (he said it was dry). We had come looking for crab dip which they did not have, they do have some other dip which is a mockery of crab dip! Lol. read more

Breakfast was just ok...eggs a bit rubbery (scrambled), sausage pattie & potatoes probably frozen, needed a knife to cut thin sausage patty.....miss Mike's....other local places better for the $$.... Please don't review this business if you received a freebie for writing this review, or if you're connected in any way to the owner or employees. read more

Food is fantastic - but the GM Jessie made the experience top notch! Best on Emerald Isle!!

Fabulous experience at The Trading Post of Emerald Isle. My sister, mom and my two wild nephews tried this spot out on a Friday evening, and although the wait was an hour the outside back patio was perfect to have a drink and let the kids run around. We ordered the fried pickles and peppers to start- and yum! I naturally had to indulge in the snow crab legs and they were huge, warm and the meat was delicious. Our waitress was truly great with perfect service and overall nice conversation as she waited on us and crazy requests of the kids. Would recommend for any large group, party, or families with kids! read more

Stopped for lunch while on vacation. The fried tomato, bacon & pimento cheese sandwich is delicious and huge! I had the 2nd half for dinner. My husband had the fried chicken and he said it was the best he's had in a long time. Perfectly cooked and tender chicken. Our waitress was wonderful and helpful with the menu. Would definitely recommend this place. read more

Been here twice. Had the grilled chicken and at the 2nd visit had the shrimp and grits. Wasn't impressed - we make better food at home. The backyard was fun and I'll go again to hang out in the back to have drinks and apps. The fried pickles/jalapeños were good. read more

We had breakfast here yesterday and loved it so much we came back for lunch today. For breakfast I had shrimp and grits. They were amazing fancy grits with a perfectly poached egg on top. My DH had steak and eggs; the steak was cooked correctly and tasted wonderful. My son had chicken and waffles, which was probably the least interesting of the three, but still very good. We had about a 20 minute wait today but were able to get drinks from the bar and wait outside until we were called. My shrimp and grits were such a hit yesterday, my son had them for lunch. DH had yummy fried chicken and I had a cool, Southern take on a BLT; a fried green tomato, crispy bacon, and pimento cheese on sourdough bread. Overall, probably our favorite place on Emerald Isle. We'll be back for this great Southern food. read more

I had the pork chop and my girlfriend had the crab cakes. Both were delicious meals, but the chop was a little dry. The salads were good too, but the best part of the whole meal was the shrimp chowder. Next time I go, I'm getting a giant bowl of that. It was sooo good. read more

Food was average at best. Staff was slow. Do not get the Mac and cheese unless you are in love with an over abundance of garlic. Overpriced like most everything here. Will not be back. read more

Saw some great reviews for Trading Post and the menu offered something that even my picky kids would eat, so we took a chance. The food was amazing, the service was top notch! We will be making this a regular spot during vacation in the coming years. read more