Best Restaurants in Beaufort, NC (Top Local Places to Eat)

Beaufort Grocery Co

Beaufort Grocery Co is a cute little bistro in the historic district. It is perfect for a fun lunch, brunch on Sundays, or date night.

For lunch, Beaufort Grocery Company offers homemade soups, fresh made salads, deli sandwiches, fresh baked bread, and INCREDIBLE handmade desserts.

For dinner, the menu changes to a more sophisticated selection featuring heavier entrees such as fresh seafood, steak, thick cut pork chops, and lamb. The menu changes seasonally.

Our favorite item on the appetizer menu is the Carolina Crab Dip. It is loaded with huge chunks of crab meat in a thick creamy cheese sauce.

For lunch, we love the Gougeres. They are handmade parmesan pastries filled with your choice of filling-chicken salad, shrimp salad, pimento cheese or egg and bacon salad.

I am also a huge fan of the Sonnamabeach. It is a large sandwich filled with Capicola, Polish ham, and salami with provolone and mozzarella cheese, served on crusty garlic bread with herb aioli, grilled onions and peppers and greens.

For dinner, a favorite is their thick cut pork chop. It is stuffed with cheese and topped with a Marsala Demiglaze.

Save room for dessert. They are wicked good. A personal favorite of mine is a gigantic slice of their chocolate covered peanut butter pie. It is rich, decadent, sweet, and creamy and perfect for sharing. However, Beaufort Grocery is famous for their cheesecakes, so you may want a slice of that as well.

The Beaufort Grocery offers a full bar menu. You can enjoy mimosas or a bloody Mary with your brunch. Or drink a glass of wine with dinner.

Address: 117 Queen St, Beaufort, NC 28516

Fishtowne Brew House

Fishtowne Brew House has been a favorite local spot for a cold beer, but now there's even more reason to stop by. They've expanded their menu and are serving some seriously good food, including artisanal thin crust pizzas, smash burgers, wings, handmade mozzarella sticks, and loaded tater tot bowls. (I'm a tater tot girl, so this makes me soooo happy!)

The pizzas have a nice crisp crust with plenty of choices for toppings, and the smash burgers are everything you want them to be- crispy around the edges, cheesy, and piled onto a soft, fluffy bun. The crispy tater tots and house-made sauces, especially the jalapeno ranch, are worth ordering every time.

With a great selection of beer on tap, affordable prices, and a casual atmosphere for both kids and dogs, Fishtowne Brew House is a fun spot that is easy to love!

Address: 133 B Turner St, Beaufort, NC 28516

The Rhum Bar at Front Street Grill

The Rhum Bar at Front Street Grill is the best place to catch the sunset in Beaufort, NC. Their outdoor seating on the back deck overlooks the waterway for amazing views. If you are lucky, the dolphins will swim by to entertain.

In addition to the beautiful views, The Rhum Bar is famous for their fantastic drinks. One of my personal favorites is their Painkiller. It is the best in town, and maybe in North Carolina. The Painkiller is made with Cruzan Dark Rum, orange juice, pineapple juice, creme de coconut, and topped with nutmeg. If you want to feel really good, make it a Level 2 with a shot of Goslings.

The food at the Rhum Bar is excellent also. They are known for their killer pimento cheese with their homemade crackers, jerk wings, and truffle fries. Some other suggestions are the burger, fried grouper bites, fresh salads, crab cakes, shrimp and grits, or the steak.

They also serve a delicious brunch. Don't miss out on the Bloody Mary topped with a fried soft shelled crab or the French Toast. They are incredible!

Address: 300 Front Street, Beaufort, NC 28516

Black Sheep

The Black Sheep is one of the best restaurants in Beaufort for their amazing made from scratch, gourmet brick oven pizzas.

All pizzas are created with high quality ingredients. Choose from any of their specialty pizzas such as the "Speckenwolf-topped with topped with Speck prosciutto, red onion, mushrooms and mozzarella, and finished with garlic, parsley and oregano. It is incredible!

Or try the Sausage and Pepper made with San Marzano red sauce, fennel sausage, caramelized onions, roasted poblano peppers, Ovalini, mozzarella, finished with Parmesan and Pecorino- So good!

Thursday night is their "Hot Dog Night." They serve a tasty hot dog in a house-made bun topped with house-made toppings. They are a local favorite and I highly recommend!

They also offer fantastic gourmet sandwiches, delicious salads, and made from scratch desserts.

They have a full bar menu and a great wine selection.

Address: 510 Front Street, Beaufort, NC

No Name Pizza and Subs

No Name Pizza and Subs is a favorite restaurant to the locals in Beaufort, NC for the casual setting and great food that won't hurt your wallet.

They are known for their incredible pizza and juicy burgers. The pizza dough is made fresh daily creating a crust that is crispy and light. The burgers are large and made fresh.

They also have large selection of appetizers, subs, salads, Italian dishes, and Greek dishes.

Some additional order suggestions include: meatballs with cheese, homemade chips, Greek gyro, lasagna, baked spaghetti, eggplant parmesan, and limoncello cake.

You can also pre-order take-out and pick up your meal through their drive-thru.

Address: 408 Live Oak St, Beaufort, NC 

Blue Moon Bistro

Looking for the perfect date night restaurant? Try the the Blue Moon Bistro. It is a cute little French restaurant with a seasonal menu sourcing local ingredients.

You can expect friendly, inviting, informative staff. The service is excellent.

The cocktails are creative and tasty. We enjoyed a black cherry margarita. The winter menu also offered an Apple Butter Old Fashioned and Cinnamon Pear Paloma that looked intriguing.

Their delicious dishes are made with quality ingredients and beautifully plated. I highly recommend the Lobster Bisque. It was creamy, rich, and full of chunks of lobster.

The Heirloom Tomato Tart was incredible. The pastry shell was buttery and flaky. The flavorful tomato chutney paired perfectly with the sharp cheddar cheese. It was a nice size for sharing between two people as a starter.

We also enjoyed the scallops and the fresh fish of the day. They also offer lamb, duck, beef, and pasta. All of these selections sounded amazing. We look forward to trying the other selections in the future.

Save room for dessert! The made from scratch desserts are worth the calories. The chocolate tart is incredible!

The Blue Moon is a smaller restaurant. I recommend making reservations.

Address: 119 Queen St, Beaufort, NC 28516

City Kitchen

City Kitchen is the perfect spot for a date night or special night out. They are tucked away in the Town Creek Marina offering beautiful views of the water for a romantic coastal atmosphere.

Their locally sourced food is prepared fresh and plated beautiful.

The menu offers selections such as fresh seafood, steak, shrimp and grits, a gourmet burger, and duck bolognese. We were huge fans of the hamburger steak with its delicious bourbon brown sauce.

The filet was cooked to perfection and did not disappoint. The daily fresh caught fish specials are always a fantastic option.

Address: 114 A Town Creek Dr, Beaufort, NC 28516

34° North Restaurant

For a date night, try the 34° North Restaurant. It is located on the waterfront, at the Beaufort Hotel. Their menu features fresh seafood, hand cut steaks, and local ingredients in a beautiful contemporary setting.

They offer breakfast, lunch, brunch, and dinner.

In addition, they have a fantastic craft cocktail menu. They have an extensive collection of Whiskeys if you are a Whiskey lover.

The menu changes seasonally. We enjoyed the French Onion Soup, scallops, and crab cakes. Their Painkiller was delicious. My husband enjoyed the Irish Coffee.

The lunch menu is great. They have a great burger as well as gourmet sandwiches and delicious salads.

They usually have live music on Friday evenings in the bar area. I recommend reservations.

Address: 2440 Lennoxville Road, Beaufort, NC 28516

CRU Coffee Shop/ Cru Wine Bar

CRU Coffee Shop / Cru Wine Baris a cute little place great for coffee, food, beer, wine, and cocktails.

CRU coffee serves all of your coffee specialties from cold brew, lattes, espressos, smoothies, and slushies.

They serve a delicious breakfast menu featuring breakfast bowls, breakfast burritos, bagels, and my favoritei-the lox bagel with cream cheese, smoked salmon, capers, red onion, and olive oil.

For lunch and dinner they offer a variety of handmade sandwiches such as pimento and cheese, tuna melt, or the Italian. CRU also offers gluten free pizza, salads, and artisanal cheese platters.

You can purchase wine bottles to go from CRU's wine store or hang out at their bar and drink a glass of wine, cocktail, or draft beer.

They often have live music Friday and Saturday evenings.

Address:120 Turner St, Beaufort, NC 28516

Mezcalito Grill

If you like Mexican food, you have to try Mezcalito Grill. This restaurant serves fresh, made from scratch Tex-Mex.

Start with one of their giant margaritas. They have several to choose from and everyone is incredible!

They feature traditional dishes such as quesadillas, enchiladas, tacos, and fajitas. However they have some other special dishes such as fresh seafood, ceviche, and molcajete.

The street corn is FANTASTIC! I highly recommend the Birra Tacos, Gringa Birra, and the King Burrito. The Mexican cheesesteak was fun too. It had loads of toppings and was so big!

Some other suggestions are the chimichangas, diablo shrimp, and carnitas skillet.

Address: 521 Front St, Beaufort, NC 28516

Aqua Restaurant

Aqua Restaurant makes the list for one of the best restaurants in Beaufort, NC for upscale menu featuring fresh local ingredients and seaonal seafood. They offer tapas, small plates, or entrees for the bigger individual appetite with a gourmet twist. The menu changes seasonally.

Their tapas menu is perfect for date night. You can order several of the tapas and small dishes to share for an intimate dining experience.

We enjoyed the stuffed jalapeno poppers, lamb chops, and crab cakes.

However, what really stole the show was their bananas fosters they made table-side. The presentation was beautiful. The bananas and sauce caramelized perfectly and the portion size was big enough for sharing. Every bite was incredible. I highly recommend if you see it on the menu.

Aqua also has a full bar menu with signature craft cocktails in addition to a large wine selection.

Address:114 Middle Ln, Beaufort, NC 28516

Beaufort Cafe

The Beaufort Cafe is the local mom and pop's breakfast diner of Beaufort, NC.

They serve a made from scratch breakfast at a fair price in a timely manner. The the service is great. The food comes out hot, cooked to order, tasty, and comforting.

The pancakes are fluffy, French toast nice and crispy, and grits are creamy and buttery.

The sausage is delicious, but on the spicy side.

For a local specialty, try their shrimp and grits. You won't be disappointed.

Address: 817 Cedar St, Beaufort, NC 28516

Blackbeard's Grill

Blackbeard's Grill is a great local spot off of Live Oak Street. The serve fresh local seafood and offer daily seafood specials. The food is delicious. The staff is warm and inviting. The menu has a wide variety serving a little something for everyone from appetizers, salads, seafood, chicken, pasta, and beef. They also serve a full bar. They can accommodate large parties and reservations are recommended.

Some favorites include the Oysters Rockefeller and Parmesan crusted oysters appetizers. They are great for sharing and very tasty. The fried shrimp and scallops were a nice size, not overly breaded, crispy, and delicious. The fish and chips are INCREDIBLE and big enough to share.

The ahi tuna was absolutely incredible and definitely a favorite. If it is on special, I recommend ordering it.

The seafood bisque is creamy, rich, and flavorful. Not pictured is the ribeye. It was seasoned, cooked, and seared perfect.

Save room for one of their homemade desserts!

Address: 1646 Live Oak St, Beaufort, NC 28516

Mark's Place

If you love hole-in-the-wall diners and no-nonsense Southern cooking, Mark's Place is your kind of spot. Yes, it's tucked inside a gas station.No, that should not scare you off. The food is made from scratch and done right.

Don't skip the cheddar cheese biscuits. The cheddar is baked right into the dough, not sprinkled on top, not hiding- cooked right in the biscuit. Fill it with country ham and cheese or sausage, egg, and cheese and you have one heck of a delicious breakfast!

They also are known for their fried pork chops and fried chicken, and for good reason. The pork chops are HUGE. Crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside. The chicken has a beautiful crispy crust and juicy on the inside also. Come hungry. You won't leave disappointed.

Address: 7752, 2559 NC-101, Beaufort, NC 28516

Moonrakers

Moonrakers is a ater front restaurant with a great atmosphere for date night or girls night out. The inside of the restaurant is beautiful with dark wood floors, white table linnens. high ceilings, open views to the kitchen, and displays of stunning artwork. They also have a fun rooftop bar that overlooks Taylor's Creek for a cold beer or before-and-after dinner drinks.

The menu changes seasonally creatively incorporating fresh, local ingredients. The kitchen holds a large brick oven used to cook specialty dishes.

We enjoyed the scallops and grits, brussels sprouts with bacon jam, and the oyster gratin. When featured on the menu, the clam chowder is highly recommended.

They offer a signature fresh catch dish daily.

They have an extensive wine list and have won "The Award of Excellence" in Wine Spectator. Their craft cocktails are fun and inventive. I highly recommend the pineapple coconut mojito.

This waterfront restaurant has a spectacular rooftop bar with incredible views overlooking Taylor's Creek.. I highly recommend a cocktail to watch the sunset! In the summertime, I highly recommend the frozen painkiller or the frozen espresso martini. They are amazing. While it doesn't make sense- they only serve them in the inside bar. I recommend ordering them and walking up with your drink to the rooftop bar to watch the sunset. There is nothing better than their rooftop view while sipping on their delicious frozen cocktails!

If you have a large rooms and space available for private parties and special events.

Address: 326 Front St, Beaufort, NC 28516

Dock House Restaurant

The Dock House Restaurant is located on the waterfront with on Front Street next to the Town Square Park. The outdoor patio seating has beautiful views of Taylor's Creek and it is popular among the locals and boaters. If you are lucky, you might spot the wild horses grazing on grass across the waterway.

The menu is simple to include fried seafood platters, burgers, shrimp burgers, oyster burgers, flounder sandwich, and scallops all served on paper plates or in baskets.

The seafood is fresh and local. The shrimp and scallops are large sized. The fried seafood breading is light and crispy. It is a great spot for shrimp burgers and oyster burgers. My personal favorite is the fried flounder sandwich. The flounder piece is large, fried perfectly topped with cheese, lettuce, and tomato. It is a huge sandwich for a big appetite!

Address: 500 Front St, Beaufort, NC 28516

Honorable Mention: Wild Will's Revenge Restaurant- Worth the Drive

If you are staying in Beaufort and don't mind taking a scenic drive off the beaten path, Wild Will's Revenge in Atlantic, NC is absolutely worth the trip. Atlantic is a small Down East community with very few restaurants, but this one is a hidden gem.

Wild Will's makes their food from scratch and sources local ingredients whenever possible. We had one of the best prime ribs I've ever eaten. The certified Angus prime rib was perfectly seasoned, cooked just right, and the portion was HUGE! Even better, the recipe came from the beloved Spouter Inn Restaurant & Bakery, a longtime Beaufort restaurant that was destroyed by fire in 2019.

The menu has something for every budget, from shrimp burgers, soft crab burgers, and flounder sandwiches to chef specials featuring prime rib, jumbo lump crab, sea scallops, and grilled tuna. They also offer handcrafted cocktails.

Don't leave without trying one of their homemade desserts. We tried the fig cheesecake special made with figs hand-picked right there in Atlantic and it was incredible. Janice's Pineapple Coconut Cake and Wild Will's Chocolate Cake are also local favorites.

Wild Will's is definitely out of the way, but that's part of the fun. If you're visiting Beaufort and want to explore a little farther Down East, I highly recommend adding it to your foodie bucket list.

Address: 1015 Morris Marina Rd, Atlantic, NC 28511