SOUTHEASTERN N.C. — A popular review site that has more than 200 million users has put out its top 100 seafood restaurants nationwide.
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Yelp looked at volume and review ratings in the last two decades, from Jan. 1, 2001 to Dec. 13, 2023, to rank the list and considered large concentration of reviews mentioning the word “seafood.”
Coming in the 48th spot is Waterfront Seafood Shack in Calabash, followed by Topsail Steamer in Surf City in 49th place. Fish Bites Seafood Restaurant ranked number 58th, located on Carolina Beach Road in Wilmington.
According to Yelp, seafood falls in the top three most recognized categories, right behind brunch and sandwiches. Its rubric included reviewers choosing eateries that focus on freshness, ceviche and shellfish.
Fish Bites opened in the area in 2009 and has live Maine lobsters in its tank, serves seafood platters both fried or steamed, and runs an adjoining fish market for diners to take fresh seafood home to cook. It’s become popular among diners, with its lobster bisque and clam chowder ket takeaways, as well as its grouper cheek bites.
Topsail Steamer has become a popular local franchise, with locations in Wrightsville Beach, though the flagship is in Surf City. The restaurant focuses on build-your-own steam pots, consisting of littleneck clams, shrimp, snow crab legs, kielbasa sausage, corn and potatoes, packed into one pot for customers to take home, add water — or beer — and steam 40 minutes on the stove top. There are additional add-ons to enhance the experience, such as pies and cornbread.
Having opened in 2017, Topsail Steamer now has seven storefronts along the East Coast, reaching as far north as Long Island, New Jersey.
Focusing on wild-caught seafood, fresh and local, Waterford Seafood Shack in Calabash is an open-air experience, with both a restaurant and market providing fresh catch from its fleet of fishing boats. It delivers fresh seafood on orders $50 and more to clients.
The restaurant will open for the season come March 13; diners order from a walk-up window and then take a seat outdoors. It serves a bevy of sandwiches — soft shell crab, mahi and grouper — baskets, and plates, including shrimp, scallops, oysters and catch of the day. It also has homemade desserts, including Key lime pie and its famous grilled pound cake.
Neighboring states contain the top five, with the number one spot on Yelp’s list, Blue Seafood and Spirits, located in Virginia Beach. Coming in fifth is 167 Raw Oyster Bar in Charleston, South Carolina.
Other North Carolina eateries to top the Yelp Seafood 100 list include:
- #52: I Got Your Crabs, Kitty Hawk
- #64: Mama Easley’s, Corolla
- #76: Fin & Fino, Charlotte
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