Summer isn’t over yet, and even as the heat of August disappears (soon, we hope), the North Carolina Coast is still a fantastic place to visit.Even after six years of living in NC, we still have so much coastline to explore, which includes all of the restaurants along the way.
On a recent trip to celebrate our wedding anniversary, my husband and I spent a long weekend in the quaint coastal town of Beaufort, NC. Downtown is small and walkable. There are also ferry boat rides you can take to the nearby islands where you might spot wild horses.While there certainly are not as many and as diverse dining options as we are used to in Durham, we enjoyed trying out a mix of casual and upscale seafood dishes, and even found a new favorite dessert.
While we used Beaufort as our home base, the rest of the Crystal Coast is a short drive away, so we found ourselves driving over the bridge to the Morehead City area as well.
First, on the car ride down to Beaufort, we stopped for lunch at the Boiler Room in Kinston, NC. If you are familiar with Chef and The Farmer from Chef Vivian Howard’s TV show, you know that this is their sister restaurant located across the street, and it has a more casual menu focusing on oysters and burgers.We were happy to be seated right away and ordered Oyster Boilerfeller (their twist on Oyster Rockefeller), the Big Kahuna Burger (which has grilled pineapple and hoop cheese), a side of house-made salt and vinegar chips (sharable and a great deal for only $2), and the daily special: a BLP (local peach, lettuce, and bacon sandwich), which has become a new favorite sandwich concept for me. I don’t love tomatoes, but I never would have thought to replace it with peaches, and that sweet and salty combo is everything.Even though the restaurant is owned by a well-known chef, the prices were very reasonable and the meal was filling…so much so that we stopped there again for lunch on the way back to Durham!
At our destination, we of course, wanted to take advantage of being near the water and getting our fill of seafood.
A couple of popular joints we thought we’d try were located in Morehead City. Both the Red Fish Grill & Bar and The Ruddy Duck Tavern are large spaces with large menus that focus on seafood. As a party of two, our wait times were short, but if you are traveling with a larger group or family, factor in that you will likely have some time to kill while you wait for a large table to clear.
At Red Fish, we really enjoyed the bacon wrapped scallops glazed with a honey chipotle sauce. The fried soft shell crab sandwich and fries was also worth the calorie count. We also liked the smooth key lime pie here better than other places we tried in the area (but we’re open to suggestions for next time!)The Ruddy Duck Tavern has a sizable Jamaican spiced tuna steak sandwich that’s seared to perfection and topped with house slaw and Jerk sauce. If you happen to go on a day when the Thai chili duck wings are on special; get them as your starter!If you want to take a break from seafood while still keeping it casual, grab a sandwich (or Sunday brunch) at Beaufort Grocery Co., located downtown. In business for over 25 years, it’s a lively little spot with ten signature sandwiches, salads, and baked goods.For a more upscale evening out, we drove to City Kitchen, which was clearly a popular spot among the local yacht and boat owners who are able to dock and walk upstairs to the restaurant. The outdoor dining area and tiki bar overlooks the water, but on a rainy night, were were happy to find a seat at the bar and enjoyed the crab cake entree with latin-inspired flare along with the duck bolognese with house-made ricotta.In passing, another diner told us we had to order the sticky toffee pudding for dessert, and the bartender told us it was, “the best dessert in Beaufort.” Who are we to pass that up? And we’re glad we didn’t, because it was the best sticky toffee pudding we’ve ever had! Warm, soft, sweet, with what I think was condensed milk at the base.Another place with great ambiance and in walking distance to downtown Beaufort is the Front Street Grill at Stillwater. The back windows overlook the waterfront, and on the island across the way, you may even spot a wild horse grazing on the banks. Even dining inside, it was beautiful at sunset. I really enjoyed my shrimp and grits loaded with veggies and topped with crispy fried okra.
Feel free to leave comments and suggestions with your favorite restaurants in the area.
Inn On Turner says
Glad you loved our quaint seaside town; At the Inn On Turner we support local & sustainable ..next visit try La Perla for a Latin twist on coastal cuisine, Aqua for tapas style small plates, and Fishtowne for locally brewed beer! Heading home hit up Kinston again at Whiskey Pig fir a 10 generation homestyle deli farm family lunch experience 💙 why; because Fresh is BEST
Pat says
We are so glad you both enjoyed many of our restaurants. Next visit the Maritime Museum as this is the year of Blackbeard
And take a tour of the “old and new traditions of Beaufort with Beaufort Cart tours Great treat. Pat