Dockside Restaurant & Bar

Worst Food Ever, Drinks Are To Expensive, Will Not Be Back, Waist Of Time And Money, Service Sucks, Not Much More To Say, Bad Experience All Around.

Great place to eat and watch the yachts come in. Soft shell crab sandwich was a hit, crabby patty burger was not (a little bland, great for kids though which is probably the target audience), homemade chips were best I had in area

I read some reviews on other sites and it looked amazing and a perfect place to eat, but to my surprise is was horrible. the waiters were all teenagers, unpleasant ones at that. I’m giving this a 1 out of 5.

We went to Dock Side for a nice seafood meal by the water, and, while we did get a table on their patio that had an admittedly nice view, the food and service was abysmal. First, we arrived and were told that it would be a 45 min-1.5 hour wait, so we sat in the bar and had a drink and an appetizer while we waited. We waited at least 15 minutes for our drink order to be taken, and when we ordered the crab dip we watched it sit on the counter for several minutes before it was served. When we were finally seated we found the restaurant half empty, leaving me unsure why we had waited so long. When our food came, one of the sandwiches was cold (again, clearly leaving food sitting too long) and had to be sent back. The other order had the wrong side and also had to go back. Not worth the money or the wait.

Solid vibe, but the food and drinks were mediocre. We will most likely return for the view and the ocean vibe, but maybe next time just for drinks.

I like coming here for the beautiful view and yummy cocktails but it seems like every time I go the service and the food gets worse and worse. We walked in for lunch around 11:30. We were greeted and sat quickly on the patio as requested. The patio didn’t have umbrellas up, because it was too windy, so we asked to move inside. I felt like the waitress was annoyed, but she did accommodate us. I ordered crab dip app and also a $ 17 «pick two» meal which includes two seafood items and two sides. I got flounder and scallops with slaw and potato salad (two out of three sides that do not have an up charge) – the flounder piece was TINY and the scallops were beyond salty and some may find them to be a little too spicy. The two sides – delicious slaw and potato salad– the portions were enormous BUT I came here for the seafood and reasonable prices, not for the $ 1 piece of flounder and $ 16 sides.
To top everything off… as I was leaving I had two boxes of leftovers and I asked the hostess for a bag, she said she didn’t have one and she directed me to another server station where I could ask. Instead of helping me to get one, she wanted me to go searching all over the restaurant for a bag. I politely declined and left. She wasn’t busy.
I have been coming to Dockside for close to 10 years and with sadness I may have to say that it may be my last option of seafood restaurants in the future.

OH MY GOSH. Still raving about the meal I had here. Got the fresh catch sandwich — blackened ahi tuna — and it was amazing. Not to expensive either. My favorite meal while in Wrightsville Beach!

The service is poor. When asked where we wanted to sit, we were told that they «were not responsible» if it rained on us, and that they «couldn’t guarantee a seat inside» if it started raining. We were seated at a wet table, which I had to ask to be wiped down; we had already sat down on the wet seats. The broiled shrimp on one of the entrees were cold, and the waitress seemed irritated that I asked for salt and pepper, and for the given chips to be exchanged for the requested/​ordered French fries. There was also a HORRIBLE live singer that I thought was a karaōke singer, but is apparently hired.
Will certainly NOT return, nor suggest this restaurant.

Had lunch here on Sunday. Location is very nice. We had a new server and she was very nice but a little to helpful. Had the fish and chips for starter very very good! The cucumber pico was excellent. Entrée not so much. The special was lobster rolls. I specifically asked were these New Englad style the answer was yes. Obviously they have never been to New England! They did have the correct rolls but that’s irrelevant! The filling was ground up and mushy and off color. Way to many onions.

Really nothing special about this place except the location. We had a big group, but that did not affect our service due to the time we were there. The service was poor just because they didn’t really pay attention to anyone in the dining room it seemed. Waitresses were rarely seen going to tables except to deliver the food. I had to go hunt down tartar and cocktail sauce as none was brought to the tables.
We got one round of drinks and would have ordered more, but nobody ever offered to serve us another. Some of the seafood itself was good and the hushpuppies brought out before we ordered were good. The plating and sides were underwhelming.
I had the oyster «burger» for $ 15. This consisted of some fried oysters on a hamburger bun that was a reasonable facsimile of your standard fast food joint bun, minus the sesame seeds. The oysters themselves were good, but the crappy bun and the cole slaw were subpar.

Below average food. Incompetent wait staff. Manager has anger issues and was quite confrontational after we returned food. I would not recommend this place to anyone.

For years I used to love this place, I returned today to find a big change. Be prepared for the creation of an artificial demand. There will be multiple tables open on the dock, yet if you dare say first available you will be seated upstairs without a view. As we left, those tables were still open. Their best sandwich has been removed, the soft shell crab sandwich. I would not have known it was a «special only» had I not asked. It did not compare to the previous sandwiches I have had.

Food was wonderful. Service was extremely slow. Example: multiple request for items, took drink order but did not return to take food order for 15 minutes.
In the future we will look for a different option.

Nice outdoor environment with lots of different age groups of people. The bar area was much busier than the dining area. Enjoyed the atmosphere but the food was less than satisfying. Flounder sandwich was very small but good. Brunswick stew was very dry and not tasty. Hot dogs were ok but the chili was not good. Hush puppies were hard and stale. However, the Dockside burger and fries were very good, but do not get the potato salad!

Went to have dinner here Tuesday night.
The good: clam chowder, location
The mediocre– salad
The bad– the soda machine (soda was not carbonated at all). The crabby patty burger had zero flavor. The burger meat basically just fell apart. Bun was all mushy. I did mention it wasn’t wonderful so the waitress took it off the bill which was nice. The whole place needs a GI cleaning party
Bottom line: Chef Robert Irvine would have a hay day with this place.

Service outside is notoriously slow. Best to order from a bar. Also, no more draft beer is a bummer. Otherwise, delightful view, most of the staff are nice & the food is good too!

Dockside allowed us to host our engagement party in the upstairs dining room this past Saturday. After searching all over town for a venue that could provide space, food and drinks for a reasonable price (and without an absurd minimum) for 50 guests, Kris (banquet manager) came through and made a party possible for my fiancé and I to throw. They stopped seating the upstairs dining room at 2:30 on an unusually gorgeous Saturday for our 4pm party. The dining room had chiavari chairs, which was a surprise bonus! They had a spare table set up for is to use for photos and gifts. We also had our own bathroom and plenty of privacy with quick access to the patio. Kris was flexible with our needs and our budget, and even when we were concerned about not having enough food, he never oversold us-​and he was right on point! We didn’t need anymore than we ordered and we’re still eating leftovers. We were able to add to our drink budget and have more than enough to go around. He was patient, accommodating, prompt and worked with us to keep it affordable-​and the servers were fantastic as well! I can’t say enough about how pleasant this experience was. If you’re looking for a venue for an event of around 50 people, give this place a call! The bang-​for-​your-​buck is outstanding, you can’t beat it! We will definitely visit the restaurant more frequently because of this experience.

I wish I could really write this well enough to tell you how horrible this staff is but no matter the words, I probably won’t be able to convey it.
Although this was a while back it’s worth sharing, maybe they have changed but proceed with caution.
Short story, we waited over an hour, as they had said it would be, had checked back several times just to see if it was sooner since we all had children and were hungry. When we came back after 1 hour and 15 min they said they thought we had left. It was a blatant lie. When we got upset about it, they actually asked us to leave. They were the rudest staff I have ever seen. The hostess’ were more concerned with playing on their phones than cleaning tables and making sure people were sat in a timely manner. I have no idea if the food is good but the staff isn’t worth the trouble. We ate at a place down the road that was extremely friendly and the food was great.

Came here on a rainy depressing Sunday, but still had a fun time.
Best part of the meal was the $ 6 mimosas and bloody Mary’s. I asked for it spicy and it was actually well made!
For food we split a bunch of appetizers—
Recommend: crab dip and the tsunami fish. Huge fan of those.
Cajun shrimp was also good but not all of them were cleaned (most were).
Musses were just okay. The free hush puppies that came out first were below average.
Service was great, and I’m sure the view would be better on sunnier days!
Overall had a good experience but would try some other places on the street before rushing back!

Really this should receive a 2.5, however out of four of us none thought it deserved a 3. Service was slow, beers were on the menu that were out, and the food was mediocre at best. Fish and chips is more of an seared ahi tuna, which is great if you like that. Actually while this wasn’t what we were expecting it was the best thing we had. Don’t get the tomato and cucumber side, it isn’t fresh. The fish tacos had hardly any fish in them. I only had enough fish for half of each taco. I had high hopes for this place and the view is good, but the food isn’t great.