Downtown’s new burger joint serves specialty burgers, sandwiches, and craft beer in a casual, Wilmington-themed atmosphere.
WILMINGTON — When you walk into Port City Burgers and Brews, downtown’s new burger joint, the first thing that grabs your attention is a wall mural depicting Battleship North Carolina ensnared by a giant squid-like sea monster.
It’s actually a Kraken, a mythical creature given new fame as it antagonized ships in the Pirates of the Carribean series. Owner Dennis Mancinelli said it was part of the general concept of keeping everything Wilmington-themed: burgers with names like Bellamy and Black Beard’s Booty, a future wall of shame with framed mugshots of celebrities who have been arrested in Wilmington, and a mural painted by a local artist that captures the lore of a legendary sea monster of the pirate era.
He said the artist will soon add a film crew to the upper-right of the battleship, as if it is capturing the scene on a giant film set. On the opposite counter sits a framed double-mug shot — one standard portrait, one side profile — of actor Vince Vaughn.
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“He was arrested at Firebelly’s with Steve Buscemi,” Mancinelli said. “They got in a big bar fight and I think Steve Buscemi got stabbed in the neck.”
He said actor Christopher McDonald (commonly known as Shooter McGavin from Happy Gilmore) will soon be added to the wall, as well as Nelly. Although he was arrested upon arrival in Tennessee, Mancinelli said it came after an incident that occurred during the rapper’s performance during an Azalea Festival concert.
‘Not too fancy, not too greasy’
Mancinelli opened Port City Burgers and Brews last week with partner Dustin Anderson, next to their other downtown establishment, Bar Local.
“I had this concept in my head,” Mancinelli said. “We’re a port city, we’re right near the water, and we need a good burger joint — not too fancy, not super greasy, something in the middle — that’s creative and makes things fresh. The opportunity came up and we just took it.”
He said all the burgers are made from scratch using premium beef blends and creative toppings, served with hand-cut fries, sweet potato fries, or onion straws.
He slid a plate of the Venus Flytrap across the counter — a house-blend burger with cheese, candied pork belly, cheddar cheese, onion straw, and chow-chow pickled relish.
“It’s a killer, it’s rare,” Mancinelli said. “Just like the Venus Flytrap: it sucks you in.”
Server and bartender Sabrey Ball was also behind the counter during a break before customers began coming in during the late Friday afternoon rush.
While she said there were some “dress up and get a burger” places, Port City is more like a “just got off the beach and I’m heading downtown to meet some friends” type of place, enhanced by a collection of craft beers like Sweet Josie Brown Ale from Raleigh’s Lone Rider Brewing Company. She hopes to get the Tropical Lightning IPA from Wilmington Brewing Company soon.
After living in Asheville for years, what she called “Beer City”, she said she was pleasantly surprised to return to Wilmington and find a thriving food and beer scene.
“I’m excited to see Wilmington kind of blossoming and realizing it’s potential for good food,” Ball said.
She said more and more restaurants were serving things like conch fritters, Brussel sprouts, and crawfish, all of which are on their menu.
James Reimen was sitting down with a group of friends; he had just taken his first bite of the Blackbeard’s Booty with gorgonzola-stuffed mushrooms.
“This is our first time here,” Reimen said. “The Brussel sprouts are to die for, absolutely amazing, and the burger was cooked to perfection. It’s hard to find a good burger down here.”
“I think the atmosphere makes it too,” Mike Charest said, sitting across from Reimen. “It’s not like a crowded burger place. It’s a very chill place to eat at.”
Mancinelli said he will soon announce a grand opening event on the restaurant’s Facebook page. Port City Burgers and Brews is located in downtown Wilmington between Front and Water Streets on 11 Market Street.
To view the menu, click to enlarge the image below:
Mark Darrough can be reached at Mark@Localvoicemedia.com
