These 10 seafood restaurants are loved by locals on the coast. Find out why

All the tears shed when El’s Drive-In closed for the summer could cut a new bay through Carteret County.

Owners promised the beloved Morehead City landmark would reopen in the fall after renovations. They also opened a location up the coast in Smyrna. Still, a hole remains in the hearts of locals who remember when El Franks opened this go-to spot for North Carolina’s famous shrimp burger in 1959.

El’s is one of the locally-loved seafood restaurants on the North Carolina coast that not only serves delicious food, but also provides a sense of joy and connection that keeps repeat customers coming back.

The staff are just so friendly and you’re bound to meet someone you know. And even if you don’t, the people at the next table or in line behind you will strike up a conversation. And maybe the owner will chime in soon enough, telling family stories, favorite recipes passed down through generations and the names of the professional fishermen who caught the fresh catch.

Of course, the aroma of fried seafood wafts from the kitchen into the cozy dining rooms – another reason why locals keep coming back.

618 Harbor Road, Wanchese

At the L-shaped counter, a cashier takes lunch orders at one end and a second cashier checks out fresh seafood at the other. Fish and shellfish glisten on ice in between, while seafood is sliced ​​behind them. Customers who fill the unassuming dining room enjoy fried smallmouth bass, sheepshead, goldfish – whatever they like. The daily specials might be scallop po’boys, grilled mahi tacos or baked potatoes with black shrimp and asiago cheese. If you refuse a side, expect the chef at the pickup counter to change your mind: “Are you sure I can’t make you something else?”

7623 S. Virginia Dare Trail, Nags Head

The hard-working Basnight family, including crab fisherman Vicki Basnight, opened the restaurant in 1996 to boost the region’s seafood industry during a difficult time when high fuel prices and rising imports were undercutting domestic fish supplies. The local catch remains a central part of dishes like Wanchese Clam Chowder and seasonal lump crab cakes, as well as on an “Outer Banks Traditions” menu that keeps repeat customers year-round, even during peak season.

100 Jean St., Plymouth

Bay Brothers’ simple red brick building could be mistaken for an industrial plant rather than a seafood restaurant. Locals come for the live hard and soft NC blue crabs (there’s a factory out back that raises soft-shell crabs), crab meat and various fish and shellfish. At tables in the middle of the pristine market, neighbors feast on straightforward seafood specialties like crab soup, tuna salad and grilled Old Bay garlic butter shrimp.

101 Core Sound Loop Road Ext., Atlantic

This tiny gray cottage in a residential neighborhood has a single takeout window serving fried seafood like shrimp burgers and soft-shell crab sandwiches with curly fries. Eat at picnic tables beneath twisting, old Virginia oak trees. Hours vary, but the owner reports that in summer 2024, the window will open at 11 a.m. Monday through Thursday and close at 6 p.m., and Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m.

1015 Morris Marina Road, Atlantic

The hashtag #coresounders and family photos of commercial fishing on Wild Will’s Instagram show that the trip to the distant Atlantic is worth it. The grandchildren of the late Billy Smith, a respected community and fishing leader, have Down East roots that go back to the 18th century. They named the restaurant after their late father, William Ellis Smith, who ran the original Wild Will’s 20 years ago on nearby Harkers Island. The kitchen serves everything fresh, like jumbo lump cakes with blue crab. Specialties focus on traditional recipes, like corned spots in the fall and fluffy Down East Light rolls. Hours are limited, usually Fridays and Saturdays from 5 p.m.

202 Wellons Drive, Beaufort

You’ll leave the pine-paneled dining room with the delicious aroma of fried mahi, soft-shell crab, flounder or whatever is fresh (sometimes clam stew) even if you’re not sitting at the counter, which is conveniently located in the sprawling galley kitchen. The lingering aroma is a pleasant memory of seafood cooked to order with a side order of overheard conversations about all things important in the community. Lunch only and cash only, but there is an ATM inside.

1644 Live Oak St., Beaufort

The commercial fishing family Rose runs Blackbeard’s right next to their fish market. Fingers crossed the menu includes North River mussels harvested nearby and sautéed in garlic butter, white wine and Parmesan. Also pray for the Local’s Supper, featuring fresh shrimp and speckled trout with crispy okra and sweet potato casserole and a plate of Harkers Island soft-shell crab fried using Aunt Dora’s recipe.

129 Phillips Loop Road, Swansboro

You know the fried mullet is fresh when you ask if it’s local and the server replies, “I caught it myself last night.” Come early to sit among the regulars who don’t mind traveling from the other side of Onslow County to experience the old-fashioned atmosphere of an oyster bar. Forget shyness. Everyone talks to everyone like they’ve known each other their whole lives. In many cases, they have.

119 Hall Point Road, Sneads Ferry

Sneads Ferry is no longer a small fishing village, but it still feels that way at this waterfront restaurant owned by the same family since 1946. Riverview began as an oyster bar behind a single-pump store. All that has changed, but the fresh seafood has stayed the same, including shrimp caught on the family trawler. The white board lists so many specialties you have to walk up to read them. Fantail shrimp, bang-bang shrimp, peel-and-eat, whole flounder, stuffed crab, steamed mussels and homemade pie made from cherished family recipes.

1515 Marstellar St, Wilmington

Lunchtime is rush hour, but neighborhood moms, workers in uniform, and the guy who just needs a break from his to-do list wait patiently for orders. They quickly share seats at the picnic table, just steps away from frozen seafood. Steamed blue crab and overloaded fried fish sandwiches are legendary. No matter what you choose, expect your fellow diners to rave about your plate. “I almost made that,” they’ll lament. Thankfully, there’s always a next time to try to decide between specialties like freshly shucked clam soup and fried tuna bao buns with gochujang mayo.