Diners' Choice: Best Overall restaurants in Wilmington

OpenTable

Updated April 05, 2025

Looking for the best overall restaurants in Wilmington? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyzes nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favorite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Farfalla

5.0

5 (51)

$31 to $50

Italian

Wilmington

About the restaurant

Farfalla, offers a rich celebration of Italian flavors tailored to each season. Featuring comforting dishes like handmade pastas, fresh meats, and seasonal vegetables, each plate embodies the warmth and soul of traditional Italian cuisine. Indulge in bold flavors with our curated selection of wines, perfect for pairing with these seasonal delights.

Known for its inspired Italian cuisine, We Are True Blue invites you to try Farfalla, an intimate dining experience in the heart of downtown Wilmington, NC. The restaurant sits on the corner of the South Front District, featuring an inviting outdoor porch under string lights and a charming side garden that complement its cozy, inviting interior and exterior, perfect for any occasion.

Top review

Alex

Dined 5 days ago

The food is next level amazing. Would go back again

Seabird

4.9

4.9 (1589)

$50 and over

Seafood

Wilmington

About the restaurant

Mindfully sourced and thoughtfully prepared ingredients highlight the landscape of the food in our coastal community. Menu subject to change daily with local availability of seafood and produce. James Beard nominated chef and owner, Dean Neff.

Reservations available for dinner Wednesday through Monday. Closed Tuesdays.

Brunch now served Saturday & Sunday!

Top review

MikeVIP

Dined 2 days ago

Excellent presentation of very tasty plates. We thoroughly enjoyed the evening and service staff.

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Experience

New Years Eve Prix Fixe Menu Only

The Melting Pot - Wilmington(NC)

4.9

4.9 (734)

$31 to $50

Fondue

Wilmington

About the restaurant

Welcome and thank you for choosing The Melting Pot of Wilmington. We offer a very unique and interactive dining experience, with a heavy focus on personal service. Our Wait staff has been hand picked and extensively trained to have the ability to provide you, our guest, with nothing less than a "Perfect Night Out." Every visit will be hand tailored to fit your wants and needs during your fondue experience. We are a four-course full service restaurant. We offer a stunning variety of creamy, perfectly balanced cheeses that our servers hand craft table side for your dining pleasure. We have a selection of cold, crisp and fresh salads, paired with house made dressings. Our entrées are as beautiful as they are delicious. We offer a wide range of premium meats and seafoods with a variety of sophisticated marinades and sauces for dipping.

Top review

Len

Dined on Apr 18, 2025

We enjoyed ourselves for real. We celebrated our 23rd anniversary and received a package with roses, balloons, and happy anniversary chocolate. Our waitress was terrific and very attentive. She explained everything and explained how everything worked. The food was great, we had a secluded seat, it was quiet, and it was probably our best dinner during our trip.

Port Land Grille

4.9

4.9 (2160)

$31 to $50

American

Wilmington

About the restaurant

Port Land Grille has progressive American regional cuisine masterfully executed in a casually elegant coastal setting since November 2000. We have both indoor and outdoor dining and private rooms are available. Thank you for dining with us!

COVID-19 updates: Masks are no longer required to be worn indoors but they are still recommended if you are not vaccinated. Our staff is fully vaccinated and ready to serve you!

We have suspended the ability to bring in outside food or beverage (ex. cakes or wine) while we continue to recover from the devastating affects of COVID-19. Thank you in advance for your understanding and continued support.

Top review

Frank

Dined on Apr 19, 2025

Great experience; steaks cooked to perfection and the drinks were on point. Always a solid spot to celebrate - would definitely recommend.

G Prime

4.8

4.8 (288)

$50 and over

Steakhouse

Wrightsville Beach

About the restaurant

G Prime offers the highest level of service and ingredients for the entire community to enjoy – from beautifully curated and customizable prime cuts, locally sourced fish and fresh seasonal produce, a classic craft cocktail and mixology program, to one of the largest, most prolific wine cellars in the area.

Top review

Erin

Dined 1 day ago

Excellent service, phenomenal meals. We loved our entire experience at GPrime, especially our server, Jeremie.

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Popular dish

Beef Tenderloin

Genki Sushi Bar and Japanese Restaurant

4.9

4.9 (648)

$31 to $50

Sushi

Wilmington

About the restaurant

We look forward to welcoming you into our warm environment, with food so good you will swear you just stepped off of the train in Tokyo.

If you are reading this description, please take note that:
* Starting October 1st 2024: We will no longer be able to seat you unless your entire party has arrived and ready to sit ON TIME.
We will hold your Table/Seats for ONLY 10 minutes past the reservation time.
*After 10 minutes, you will lose your reservation to someone who is on the waiting list.
*Please take this serious as, it will allow us to provide better customer service to our guests as we increase in volume, and allow the evening to flow better with timing for our reservations through out the evening.
Thank you for your cooperation and understanding! Our customers mean the world to us!

*Also, please remember to count small children and babies as a person for seating. Thank you for your participation and understanding in this.
Thank you for your business! See you soon!

Top review

Nicolle

Dined 4 days ago

Took my family back to Genki Sushi because the food was so so good the last time we went. Love hot towels you get the minute you sit down. Just an added special touch. We started with the Gyoza appetizer which is delicious and the portion is generous. We selected a few rolls to share, a teriyaki chicken dinner, and a chicken fried rice to share. All wonderful. The prices are great too for the quality of food. It’s a neighborhood staple for us. Always a great dinner.

Brent's Bistro

4.8

4.8 (669)

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

Wrightsville Beach

About the restaurant

Upscale yet casual restaurant located in Wilmington, NC. Located near Wrightsville Beach. Menu changes weekly to highlight the freshest seafood and land dishes. Enjoy flavorful dinners and extensive wine selection in our welcoming atmosphere. When weather permits, book a seat outdoors on our covered patio. For reservations, please utilize Opentable or call us directly. However, reservations for Fridays and Saturdays can ONLY be booked by calling us directly. 910-839-3131.

Top review

KathyVIP

Dined 6 days ago

Consistently delicious. My family came down from Ma. we always go to Brent’s. They never disappoint.

Main & Mill Oyster Bar & Tavern

4.9

4.9 (288)

$30 and under

Seafood

Wilmington

About the restaurant

Seafood Restaurant in Winterville, North Carolina. Main & Mill Oyster Bar & Tavern offers an amazing menu with the service to match. We hope you join us soon.

Top review

Jay

Dined on Apr 19, 2025

The service at this restaurant was impeccable. The staff never rushed us, yet they were always attentive and ready when needed. The food was absolutely delicious! We are eagerly looking forward to many more visits to sample more of their menu.

Jerry's Food, Wine and Spirits

4.7

4.7 (454)

$30 and under

Contemporary Southern

Wilmington

About the restaurant

Serving the best from North Carolina's land and sea in a warm, casual setting since 1992. Contemporary American dishes lined with classic flavors of the South. Couple your meal with a glass/bottle from our hand picked wine list featuring many Napa, Sonoma, and Oregon options, or go with a delicious hand crafted cocktail like the Hellcat Holler. Jerry's has been featured on PBS' "NC Weekend" with Bob Garner, Wilmington Today, the Wilmington Star News, and has had the pleasure of serving a sitting Vice President, Hollywood actors, pro athletes, tourists and the wonderful Wilmington community for 30 years. We look forward to serving you soon!

Top review

Grace

Dined 4 days ago

Jerry's has consistently been our favorite Wilmington restaurant for decades....my bf says the filet mignon is better here than in any steakhouse. I always order the horseradish crabmeat tuna steak and it is AMAZING! The quality of food is matched only by the service and Julia has been such an asset to making an evening fun and perfectly timed. The atmosphere is cozy and always had fantastic artwork on the walls. You'd never believe such a stellar establishment would be in a strip mall next to a Dominos Pizza, but as they say, "if you build it, he/they will come"

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Catch - Modern Seafood Cuisine

4.7

4.7 (2112)

$30 and under

Seafood

Wilmington

About the restaurant

Serving the Best Seafood in North Carolina. James Beard Semi-Finalist and Bravo Tv's "Top Chef"contestant, Chef Keith Rhodes and his team, explore the Cape Fear Coast,for the best it has to offer. We feature Wild Caught & sustainably raised Seafood. Organic and locally sourced Produce.Providing the perfect compliment to our fresh Catch. Consecutively Voted Wilmington's Best Chef Dubbed by NYT's,"Modern Seafood Cuisine” we offer an array Fresh Seafood and Vegetarian options. We offer our Signature NC Sweet Potato Salad. Appetizers include our “Fire Cracker” Shrimp, NC Oysters on the 1/2 Shell, Seafood Ceviche & Conch Fritters . Larger Plates include our "Angry" Maine Lobster, Prime Steaks, Blackend Mahi Mahi & our Award winning Charleston Crab Cakes, Seared OBX Scallops, Flounder Escovitch & Pan roasted Black Grouper. Full ABC Permits.Large selection of boutique Wines by the Glass, Hand crafted Cocktails And over a half a dozen rotating local beer offerings.

Top review

peter

Dined 4 days ago

It has the best seafood in Wilmington. I have been in Wilmington for 7 years and this is the only restaurant that matches the quality of the establishments in the Washington/Northern Virginia area.

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