The Best Restaurants in Carolina Beach

I had the pleasure of working with three outstanding restaurants in Carolina Beach recently. So I am excited to share these with you. Carolina Beach is my absolute favorite local beach. It is the perfect mixture of a small coastal area, but yet still has tons of great restaurants and things to do in the area. Basically, everything in the area is locally owned, and that really shows in the hospitality at each business. So with this said, here are what I consider to be the best restaurants in Carolina Beach

The Lazy Pirate

The Lazy Pirate is one of the most unique restaurants that I’ve ever been to. It is a huge establishment, yet it is completely owned and operated locally. The owner, Jamie, was very kind in hosting us. He has done a great job with the business and the atmosphere is outstanding. We sat outside under the large Tiki Hut – which is actually the largest tiki hut structure on the East Coast. Their menu is full of classic bar favorites – but with a unique twist. For example, read about the southwest chicken egg rolls below. Also, you should order a rum bucket and thank me later! 🙂

PS: please excuse the color distortion on the photos -this is due to it being dark with neon lights in the background.

Our Menu:

• CHIPOTLE SHRIMP*****
  Our take on a classic bang bang shrimp—succulent Calabash shrimp dressed with
  both scratch Buffalo sauce and chipotle aioli and finished with tuxedo sesame seeds
• SOUTHWEST CHICKEN EGG ROLLS*****
  Spicy aioli, charred chipotle salsa
• LOBSTER MAC*****
  Bubbly cheesy, decadent cauldron of lobster and pasta shells will change your world!
  Served with garlic bread.
• CHEF D’S STICKY FINGERED RIBS****
  Adobe BBQ spare ribs, crispy potato wedges and fried super sweet corn.
• DANNY JOE’S  PO’BOY*****
  Calabash style shrimp,  fresh greens, creamy coleslaw,
  firecracker sauce, tuxedo sesame seeds on a toasted hoagie

**Stars indicate my personal favorites on a scale from 1-5**

Havana’s

Havana’s has been one of my favorite Carolina Beach Restaurants for years now. It has a much more upscale vibe, as compared to other restaurants in the area. However, Havana’s has not lost its small-town charm. The food is delicious, my favorites are the firecracker shrimp and the scallops! There are several different seating options for guests to choose from – I always enjoy dining outside. Our entire experience was fabulous and it is quite easy to see why Havana’s is one of the best restaurants in Carolina Beach.

Our Menu:

• Crispy Calamari – lightly fried and served with a side of Thai Chili sauce*****
• Volcano Shrimp – lightly fried and tossed in our Thai Chili sauce*****
• Mediterranean Pasta – Elissa’s signature pasta tossed in sun-dried tomato & kalamata olive coral sauce. Served with shrimp or chicken****
• Scallops Casino – six Diver Sea Scallops topped with applewood bacon butter. served over rice pilaf & steamed asparagus *****
• Pleasure Island Filet – grilled beef tenderloin topped with our herb steak butter. served with smashed Yukon potatoes and sauteed green beans*****

**Stars indicate my personal favorites on a scale from 1-5**

Uncle Vinny’s Ristorante

Uncle Vinny’s Ristorante was a new find for me – but that didn’t make it any less delicious. Italian food is my absolute favorite style of food, and everything about Uncle Vinny’s was extremely authentic. It is a small, locally-owned restaurant – which in my opinion makes for the best kind of Italian dining. My favorite dish was the Penne Santa Lucia, which you can read about below.

Our Menu: