Front Street Brewery

Front Street Brewery must be a priority on your list of places to wine and dine. Or should I say: beer and dine. Wilmington's very own local brewery, and yes, we're proud. Brewmaster, Kevin Kozak, says he's a "sucker for wellmade German beer." Aren't we all? The best part is that FSB has a daily pint special for $1.99. That's right, $1.99. Whether you are craving something light or dark, you won't be disappointed. So, needless to say, it's a brewery, and their brew gets a five star rating. You might be asking, what about the food? So glad you asked. Don't expect typical subpar pub food. Do expect excellent food, great variety, at even better prices! A perk is that it's located convieneintly across from the parking deck and in the middle of all that's happening downtown. Regardless of the day or night of the week, Front Street Brewery is a local favorite!

Some personal favorites at FSB:

Brew - Lumina Lager, Kolsch, Amber Ale

Wine - Pomelo Sauvignon Blanc (citrus grapefruit - perfect summer choice!)

Food - Homemade Crab-cake sandwich, ribs, cajun chicken entree, chips and salsa, buffalo blue sticks, buffalo blue chicken tenders

Bonus Secrets...

• Free Wine Tastings: Tuesdays 6-8pm
• Free Beer Tastings and Brewery Tour: Wednesdays 6-8pm
• Live music every Thursday, Friday, Saturday nights (starting around 10:30pm)
• Half Price Appetizers: EVERYDAY 4-7pm and again after 9pm
• $5.99 lunch menu
• $6.99 dinner menu
• Eat for Two: $12.99

Front Street Brewery

9 North Front Street

Wilmington, NC 28401

(910) 251-1935

Islands Fresh Mex Grill

Islands. Why go to Moe's, Chipotle, or Qdoba when you can go to Islands? Islands is like one of these chains, but with a few unique twists. One, the menu is fun, fresh, and unique. Two, the ambiance: surfing, beachy, laid back, tropical decor done RIGHT! Located near the university, you're bound to be in line with college students just trying to escape the UNCW dining halls. Islands is most famous around UNCW for their TUESDAY DOLLAR TACO NIGHT. That's right, ONE DOLLAR. (Do expect a pretty serious line if class is in session on Tuesday nights.) Islands does have great drink specials with a full bar right across from their taco bar.

My personal favorite: The BLT Quesadilla. (The island sauce just makes it!) My husbands personal fav: The Jerk Chicken Quesadilla.

Again, support the local tex mex when craving tacos and burritos!

Islands Fresh Mex Grill

260 Racine Drive

Wilmington, NC 28403

(910) 799-2109

The Salt Shaker Cafe'

Here's a cozy cafe' tucked away off of Kerr Avenue, near UNCW. The Salt Shaker is a hidden treasure as it's located inside the Christian bookstore. The ambiance is quite peaceful. They offer an assortment of homemade pastas, sandwiches, and salads. They have a great loose tea selection as well as well priced coffee! A regular (size of Starbucks medium size drink) is a steal at $3.

If you are a local who is sad The Connection Cafe' closed down - you might look here for a similar feel.

The Salt Shaker Bookstore and Cafe'

705 South Kerr Avenue

Wilmington, NC 28403

(910) 350-1753

Chris' Cosmic Kitchen

Don't judge a book by it's cover when stepping foot into Chris' Cosmic Kitchen. Located off of Eastwood near UNCW, this spot is very simple on the outside but has exquisite food on the inside! Chris Lubben's resume alone should spark a desire to check this place out. He graduated from the Culinary Institute of America up in New York. Not to mention has formerly cooked for Port City Chop House, executive chef for Reel Cafe', as well as Bon Appetite's catering service. THE BEST part of Chris' Cosmic Kitchen is that you get top notch food for LESS THAN TEN DOLLARS! Not to mention breakfast is served all day. That's right, twelve omelets to choose from! EVERYTHING on the menu is made from scratch daily, from the Shrimp Bisque to the Cheesecakes!

Must try: Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Shrimp Bisque. This is no ordinary Grilled Cheese!

Looking for a deal - search for Chris' Cosmic Kitchen on Twitter and find some daily bargains!

Chris' Cosmic Kitchen

420 Eastwood Road

Wilmington, NC 28403

(910) 792-6720

PT's Old Fashioned Grille

Craving a delicious burger? Times are never tough enough to stoop to a fast food "burger." Yes, in Wilmington, we have MUCH better options! PT's Old Fashioned Grille is a local joint that's been around for over 20 years. They pride themselves in their fresh burgers, made from scratch fries, veggies chopped daily. The ONLY thing that comes from a "bag" or prepackaged is the lettuce. Just when you thought you were impressed, the fries are made in no trans fat free oil! Less guilty fries to please the health conscious! For $8, you are getting one fresh burger. Aside from burgers, the grilled turkey or roast beef sandwich is a win win! Their meat is sliced to order and grilled perfectly! To top it off, even the greatest of sweet tea snobs will find themselves approving their brew! In need of a beer to go with the burger? PT's has Shock Top on draft for $1.88. Though none of the restaurants are particularly flashy, their fresh food makes up for it!

There are currently 7 PT's locations, five in Wilmington (17th Street, Military Cut Off, Monkey Junction, Fountain Drive near UNCW, and Porter's Neck), one in Leland, and one inland downtown Chapel Hill, NC.

Nikki's Restaurant and Sushi Bar

Feeling adventurous and want to go out for sushi? Nikki's is your place to go! As a sushi virgin - my experience with Nikki's sushi couldn't have been better. The downtown location (Front Street) appears to be a whole in the wall, but do not be fooled! On a Tuesday night, there was a wait to be seated! There are also multiple locations scattered throughout Wilmington making Nikki's convenient. Let's say that you LOVE sushi, but the others in your party aren't so much a fan...Nikki's has quite the assortment of dishes to choose from including everything from tacos, wraps, sandwiches, and simple teriyaki chicken! The price point here is also worthy of being noted! You can easily eat under $10, sushi or not!

The Spicy Tuna with Avocado Sushi Roll was excellent with a perfect kick to it! I got suckered into the tempura banana dessert - basically a fried banana with choice of green tea or red bean ice cream...looks better than it tastes. Not nearly as sweet as I wanted it to be - not bad, just different. Last but not least, Nikki's seems to have pretty sweet drink specials. Tuesdays are 1/2 price imports...which are priced starting at $2.50 which is really not bad!

Rucker John's

Located in the heart of Monkey Junction, Rucker John's provides a great family environment if you are looking to "sit down" eat quick. Now, it does border line a chain, as it originally sprouted from Emerald Isle, then to Wilmington, and their most recent location in Greenville, NC. The restaurant is huge inside, with rarely ever a wait. If you are looking for somewhere to take a big party (especially with kids) Rucker John's would be a great pick! The ambiance must be noted too. It's a tropical thing, but not done up wrong. A classy tropical theme that's not overdone. Very nice! Prices range from $8-$20.

Hands down, the food is great. Large menu selection to pick from. Even a "Lighter Alternatives" with $8 portions. This might sound silly, but they have a chicken tender platter that is just fab! The batter is different, not like O'Charly's (though I am a fan of), but more of a light, fluffy batter. My newest favorite here is the RJ's Pasta, which is actually NOT on the menu anymore...but you CAN ask for it:) RJ's pasta is a wine sauce with artichokes, mushrooms, red peppers, and cajun chicken...sooo good! Lots of times pasta's don't wow me, but this one earns wow factor! Another highlight is their really great salad topped with a honey brushed crescent! It's not the average side salad as it screams fresh and crispy. (Again, salads are normally just yeah...it's a salad...NOT this one!)

Main Street Sports Cafe'

Do not be fooled. Main Street Sports Cafe', located in Mayfaire Town Center, is NO LONGER Main Street Brewing Company. I was confused. Obviously the sign doesn't say BREWING COMPANY...but thought maybe I just had the name wrong. I had very high expectations going in, Front Street Brewery expectations. Turns out this was the former location of Main Street Brewing Company which happens to be the daughter of FSB! (FSB being one of my favorites.)

Long story short, my posse did what I call, "The Walk of Shame" and left before even ordering drinks. This is such a low.

So what exactly is Main Street Sports Cafe'? Well, it's just a sports bar, nothing fancy. Reminds me of a Carolina Ale House type atmosphere. With no football or basketball games, this place was dead empty! As a die-hard NC State fan, I'm not sure this would be my venue pic to cheer the Wolfpack on.

To be fair, I can't say anything about the food. Looked like standard bar food and clearly not FSB- so we simply left in search of somewhere else. On a random note: I'm guessing based on their website that the Sports Cafe' has the same owners as The Bridge Tender and Fishhouse Grill located at Wrightsville Beach.

Main Street Sports Cafe'

1055 International Way

Wilmington, NC 28405

(910) 256-4170

Jack Mackerel's Island Grill

Need a break from sunbathing at Carolina or Kure Beach? Jack Mackerel's menu and ambiance is pretty fun. If it's beautiful and breezy, you can sit up on the top deck with an ocean view. Jack Mackerel's has a Jimmy Buffet feel with a large menu to choose from: seafood to chicken - they seem to have everything. A+ for presentation of food, very well done! The current special is 20% of all dinner entrees, which range from $15-$30. Lunch menu is less than $10.

Personal experience - Our waitress was ticked that we wanted to sit on the top deck...because she didn't want to walk up the steps to get to it. We wouldn't let her spoil our beautiful day! Coconut shrimp = AMAZING. And I'm a coconut shrimp snob! My mom ordered fried shrimp - which looked pretty normal, like fried shrimp should look. I ordered the blackened shrimp mango quesadilla which was really tasty! I would def order it again!

Overall I would recommend it if you are in the area of CB or KB, otherwise might not be worth the haul south.

Jack Mackeral's Island Grill

113 K Avenue

Kure Beach, NC 28449

(910) 458-7668