Food and Drink: with a view
Dinner Just Tastes Better with a View
Good food is great. Good food with the Atlantic Ocean, Carolina Beach harbor or Cape Fear River in the background? Even better.
One of the perks of vacationing on Pleasure Island is being surrounded by water, and several local restaurants make the most of it. You can have breakfast near the beach, grab cocktails overlooking the ocean, watch boats come and go from the marina, or head toward Fort Fisher for dinner while the sun sets over the Cape Fear River.
If dining with a view is high on your vacation list, these are some of our favorite waterfront and water-view restaurants around Carolina Beach and Kure Beach.
Oceanfront & Ocean-View Dining
Ocean Grill & Tiki Bar
For the classic Carolina Beach oceanfront experience, Ocean Grill & Tiki Bar is hard to beat.
Located directly on the beachfront, Ocean Grill offers coastal dishes, seafood and drinks with panoramic shoreline views. Its separate tiki bar sits out over the beach on the remnants of the old Center Pier, making the setting every bit as memorable as the meal.
Why you'll love it:
Direct oceanfront location
Panoramic Atlantic views
Seafood and coastal favorites
Pier-style tiki bar
Great cocktails and beach atmosphere
Vesta Tip: Come in the late afternoon, grab a drink at the tiki bar and stay for dinner. This is one of those places where there's absolutely no reason to rush.
Hurricane Alley’s
Right on the Carolina Beach Boardwalk, Hurricane Alley's combines casual beach food, drinks and elevated views of the Atlantic.
The upper-deck setting is the real draw here. Grab a cold drink and something casual to eat while looking out over the beach and Boardwalk below.
Why you'll love it:
Ocean views
Boardwalk location
Rooftop and upper-deck atmosphere
Casual seafood and bar food
Great spot for drinks
Perfect for: An easy lunch or happy hour when you want the view without making dinner a whole production.
The Tropical
For a newer spin on the Carolina Beach Boardwalk experience, The Tropical brings a colorful, Miami-inspired atmosphere to the heart of the action.
The multi-level restaurant and bar sits beside the Boardwalk Ferris wheel, with its rooftop offering views toward the beach and over the Boardwalk.
Why you'll love it:
Rooftop beach views
Fun tropical atmosphere
Cocktails
Boardwalk location
Great people-watching
Vesta Tip: Head upstairs. This is definitely a the higher you go, the better it gets situation.
High Tide Lounge & Tiki Bar
At the north end of Carolina Beach, High Tide Lounge & Tiki Bar offers another chance to pair food and drinks with an Atlantic backdrop.
Located at the Carolina Beach Pier, it's an especially good option if you're staying toward the north end or spending the day around Freeman Park.
Why you'll love it:
Oceanfront pier setting
Beach views
Casual food
Cocktails and cold beer
Relaxed north-end atmosphere
Vesta Tip: Grab a drink, enjoy the ocean breeze and pair your visit with an evening walk on the beach.
Marina & Harbor Views
Stoked Restaurant
If watching boats is more your thing, Stoked Restaurant gives you a completely different waterfront experience.
Located directly along the Carolina Beach harbor and marina, Stoked overlooks the water and docks rather than the ocean. Outdoor seating makes it a great spot to watch boats come and go while enjoying seafood, oysters, drinks and other coastal favorites.
Why you'll love it:
Waterfront marina setting
Boat and harbor views
Outdoor seating
Seafood and oysters
Cocktails, wine and craft beer
Vesta Tip: This side of the island has a totally different feel from oceanfront dining. Come around late afternoon or evening when the marina starts settling down for the day.
Gulfstream Restaurant
Gulfstream Restaurant is a longtime Carolina Beach favorite overlooking the yacht basin and charter marina.
This one is more breakfast-and-lunch than sunset cocktails, making it a fun choice when you want to start the morning near the water.
Why you'll love it:
Yacht basin setting
Breakfast and lunch
Classic coastal diner atmosphere
Family-friendly
Great way to start a day on the island
Cape Fear River Views
Riverview Restaurant
This one is worth knowing about.
Located toward the southern end of Kure Beach near Fort Fisher, Riverview Restaurant sits directly along the Cape Fear River and offers one of the area's most beautiful, and completely different, waterfront dining experiences.
The seasonal restaurant has an indoor dining area, screened porch and multiple decks overlooking the river. The menu focuses on fresh seafood, sandwiches, tacos and salads, but the real star is the setting.
Because you're looking west over the Cape Fear River rather than east toward the Atlantic, this is where you go for sunset.
Why you'll love it:
Cape Fear River views
Fantastic sunset setting
Outdoor decks and screened porch
Fresh seafood and casual coastal food
Relaxed, hidden-gem atmosphere
Vesta Tip: If the weather cooperates, plan dinner around sunset and ask for outdoor seating. This is one of those spots visitors can easily miss — and one of the prettiest ways to end a day exploring Fort Fisher.
Ocean or River? Here's the Move
For classic Atlantic Ocean views, choose Ocean Grill & Tiki Bar.
For Boardwalk energy with an ocean backdrop, try Hurricane Alley's or The Tropical.
For boats, docks and marina views, Stoked gives you a completely different side of Carolina Beach.
For Kure Beach ocean and pier views, grab a patio table at Big Daddy's.
And for sunset over the Cape Fear River, make the drive south to Riverview.
Honestly? Do both sides of the island during your stay. Sunrise belongs to the ocean. Sunset belongs to the river.
Make a Waterfront Day of It
You don't need to save the views for dinner.
Start the morning near the Carolina Beach marina, spend the afternoon on the Atlantic, then drive south through Kure Beach and Fort Fisher before ending the day with dinner overlooking the Cape Fear River.
It's one of the easiest ways to see just how much variety is packed into one little island.
Dine with a View, Vesta Style
At Vesta Property Group, we think some of the best vacation moments happen when the plan is ridiculously simple:
Good food. A cold drink. People you actually want to be around. And a really damn good view.
From Atlantic sunrises and fishing piers to marina boats and Cape Fear River sunsets, Pleasure Island gives you plenty of opportunities to eat somewhere that's about much more than what's on the plate.
Explore Vesta vacation rentals and discover more of Carolina Beach, Kure Beach and Pleasure Island.
