WILMINGTON — A fine-dining restaurant in downtown Wilmington is closing after serving downtown diners for a decade.
Pinpoint, which opened at 114 Market St., will end service after New Year’s Eve. Owner Jeff Duckworth informed the public about its closing on Christmas Day on social media. He couldn’t be reached by press for comment, but noted in the announcement it was a difficult decision after enduring a year of personal health hardships.
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“This year has been the most challenging of my life,” he wrote. “I spent most of the year coping with back injuries … My family has been through so much this year. When the time came to renew our lease, I couldn’t commit to five more years.”
Taking over the reins will be Chef Tan Uckan, originally from Istanbul, Turkey, opening his third Nils Mediterranean Cuisine hopefully by March.
Uckan operates Nils in both Fuquay-Varina and Angier, the latter of which opened four months ago. He took over the Fuquay-Varina location in 2022, formerly a cafe and bakery that operated for 26 years. When he and his wife, Semra, purchased it, they focused on Mediterranean cuisine, featuring a fusion of flavors, such as Turkish, Greek and Spanish.
Mainstays include Taco Turco, a lemon beef taco served with turco de gallo, and the Gambas Al Ajillo — a Spanish garlic shrimp cooked with white wine butter, olive oil and spicy garlic tomato sauce. The sauce harkens back to Uckan’s mother, with the restaurant name “Nils” also being her name.
Ddespite having authentic items like Shakshuka — tomato, braised pepper and onion, feta, eggs, parsley, paprika, chili oil and pita — or Turkish dolma, Uckan said the Gyorrito (yes, a cross between a gyro and burrito) and the pita burger remain popular.
Accoutrements, like pickled cabbage, yogurt sauce, tzatziki, hummus, tabbouleh and baba ghanoush, are made in house.
They also serve all diets — vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free included.
Opening a third restaurant in Wilmington was an easy choice, Uckan said, as his family already owns a home in Leland. Uckan’s son is enrolled at UNCW — and another will apply to the college after high-school graduation. The family began toying with the idea to open another establishment in town over the summer but couldn’t find the right location until a broker pointed them to Pinpoint.
Duckworth opened Pinpoint with James Beard Award nominee Chef Dean Neff in 2015, though Neff exited in 2019 and opened Seabird a few doors down in 2021. Duckworth mentioned in his closing announcement he hoped Pinpoint would continue in its current form but couldn’t make it happen.
“And Jeff was comfortable with what we were doing,” Uckan said, noting it’s different from the current offerings of burgers, pizza, and wings served in restaurants downtown. “It happened very quick in how it came together … I wasn’t aggressively seeking out a location, just browsing from window to window downtown. But it’s hard to find a decent location downtown — I think this was meant to be.”
Little upfit will be needed at the restaurant, except for cosmetic changes — such as a coat of paint to match the restaurant brand’s blue and white color scheme and a few changes in lighting. Otherwise, the kitchen remains intact and the restaurant will continue to operate with upward of 100 seats, including the full bar.
The menu will feature 85% of what’s offered at all Nils restaurants, with the other 25% changing according to what tracks high with Wilmington diners.
“We pride ourselves on serving healthy, simple, fresh food — not too complicated,” he said, with a focus on quality, with high-end olive oil, not butter or margarine.
The food is elevated but remains approachable, to keep prices affordable. Menu items from the Raleigh area restaurants range from $13 to $23.
Uckan entered the industry in 1994 in Istanbul, attending culinary school and opening his own catering company before eventually immigrating to New Orleans in 2011 to work for the Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group. Serving classic Creole cuisine, the brand operates eight restaurants, such as Brennan’s, Red Fish Grill, Ralph’s on the Park, and Jazz Kitchen.
In 2019, Uckan moved his family to North Carolina for better education opportunities for his children and fell in love with the state due to its mild climate. He began working at Little Italy Maggiano’s but during Covid-19 lost his job and vowed to only work for himself moving forward. He started Medi-Bites food truck and operated for almost a year before purchasing Nils Mediterranean Cuisine.
“We’re a family-owned business,” Uckan explained, noting his wife and children help operate the restaurants and together they create “a good rhythm.”
He said he offered Pinpoint staff the opportunity to stay on with Nils as well and plans on hiring more than a dozen front-of-house staff and back-of-house personnel.
“I’m the chef at all of my restaurants,” Uckan added, noting he isn’t necessarily interested in franchising the restaurants but isn’t ruling out opportunities to launch more Nils after settling into the three operations.
Working as a chef is a passion, wherein his love language is connecting through food: “After 30 years in the industry, I like to see the smile on people’s face, you know?”
Though Uckan aspires to open by Feb. 1 to catch the Valentine’s Day crowd, realistically he said it may be March. The opening depends on permitting needs and how quickly they come through.
Once open, hours at Nils Mediterranean Cuisine will be Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Friday and Saturday until 10 p.m., and on Sunday until 3 p.m. or 4 p.m. There also will be special brunch items available on Sunday. The full service restaurant will close Monday.
“They will be a great [addition] to downtown offering lunch and dinner,” Duckworth wrote in his post. “I cannot express in words my appreciation for Chef Cameron Garvey and the crew that have carried the load [at Pinpoint]. Thank you to all our crew, friends, farmers, and guests that have passed through the doors in the last ten years.”
Pinpoint’s final New Year’s Eve menu can be found here.
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