Persimmons Waterfront Restaurant

One of the best date nights we've had, ever. Skewered shrimp, shrimp and grits, crab cakes, and a fantastic wine selection set the evening up for us, but our server, Emily, brought it home. What a great person she is. She's born and raised here and transmits the hospitality of the region and a great restaurant!
Absolutely fantastic!

Bella was amazing! This restaurant only a few years ago is a place too couldn't see wanting to go back to now we love going any chance we can. Bella is our go too waitress!

This was a beautiful restaurant on the waterfront

Lovely place on the water in New Bern. The appetizers and main course were delicious.

The shrimp burger was delicious!!

Fresh food and variety. Great to dock n dine. Outdoor patio on a nice day amazing!

My other half and I have visited this restaurant multiple times, first for drinks, then an appetizer, and finally for a full dine-in experience. While the staff and atmosphere consistently deliver a 10/10, the food, unfortunately, rates a disappointing 2/10. Our first foray into their food offerings was the fried green tomatoes. They offered a creative twist, but the tomatoes were undercooked and the accompanying pork was tough to eat. This initial disappointment was echoed during our recent dine-in visit. On a busy Saturday night at 7:30 PM, we anticipated a wait and indeed had one for 45 minutes, spending it at the outdoor seating with a beer before being seated on the outdoor patio. We decided to give the fried green tomatoes another try, hoping for an improvement. Sadly, they were again a disappointment: undercooked tomatoes, overcooked pork, and pineapple that was barely seared. Our drinks also left much to be desired. My other half's sweet tea was overly sweet, far from a classic southern sweet tea. My water had a distinct, unpleasant metallic tap water taste, leading me to switch to a glass of Pinot. To my dismay, the Pinot was not chilled, making it a $10 waste. I also noted that the waiter, under scrutiny from his manager, refilled my unappetizing water despite my polite refusal. It seems management's focus might be better placed on kitchen efficiency rather than drink refills when the kitchen is clearly struggling. Our dinner finally arrived at 9:20 PM, almost an hour after ordering, and neither dish was served fresh and hot. My other half ordered the special, a fish dish with corn salsa and jasmine rice, which he did not enjoy. At $29, a significant portion remained uneaten. The image I provided in the comments. I ordered the seafood Alfredo, which arrived lukewarm. It contained only three shrimp, no scallops, and a single chunk of lobster. The next day, I made the mistake of eating the leftovers and felt nauseous again, reinforcing my initial reaction. The overall experience felt rushed by the kitchen, despite the long wait times. It seems a focus on making the food "right" rather than just "fast" would greatly improve the customer experience. Our total bill for two entrees, one appetizer, two beers, one sweet tea, and one glass of Pinot came to $126. As residents of New Bern who dock our boat at the restaurant, we appreciate the good vibes and convenient location. However, the food truly needs a thorough re-evaluation. The presentation in the photos attached, which I would describe as looking like something an inexperienced home cook would present, perfectly encapsulates the lack of flavor and overall quality. I am hopeful that a visit during a less busy time might yield a better culinary experience. Consistency is paramount, especially when customers are willing to wait.

My husband and I dined at Persimmons last night for our anniversary. My husband went safe with the ribeye and I have the stuffed mahi. His ribeye was cold so we let the server know and she took it back. The manager brought it back out and it was slightly warmer. After waiting 10-15 minutes for them to do this you would think it would have either been a fresh steak or definitely better than Luke-warm. It definitely was not a juicy tender ribeye but more like a New York strip. It was very disappointing to say the least especially since we didn’t get to eat together. Lastly the manager didn’t even offer a discount or desert. So we paid full price for a reheated tough New York strip that was supposed to be a ribeye.

Came to town with a group to bury a friend , Googled this restaurant , called to see if they could accommodate a party of 14, they said yes. Once we arrived, we immediately got drinks from the bar while they put tables together. As we are enjoying our drinks, we were told that if our party reached 17, we could not be served. It was also explained to us that there were several reservations later on and only one line cook. I don't know a business in AMERICA that would turn down a group of SEVENTEEN people who want to drink and eat .And we are DRINKERS. All she had to say was that the food will be will be a little slow to come out, but we would love for you to dine with us. Instead, we were given every scenario to convince us to leave. To solve the problem, several in our party decided to drink their dinner at the bar while the rest of us were waiting for a server. We watched server after server after server walk past us numerous times. Not one brought us a menu or asked if we needed nonalcoholic drinks or appetizers. The only thing that was said to us was what we could not do or have. The message was clear, and we left, went to MJ's Bar and Grill, and were treated like kings and queens. Persimmons , you sent a message, and it was well received. We will never return. We will take out black dollars elsewhere.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

Our food wasn't great but the service and atmosphere was wonderful!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 3

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Lava Cake, Fries

The food was lack luster and bland, my mahi was cooked like ahi tuna, the waitress was extremely rude and condescending. If I could leave 0 stars I would.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

I would give 0 stars for the service if I could, our waitress was rude and inattentive, the prices are astronomical for sub par bland food. The literal only thing that’s redeemable about this place is there’s a cool view, but honestly you’d be better off getting fast food and hanging out on the pier.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 1

Service: 1

The food is overpriced for extremely underwhelming bland food. My friend’s girlfriend started having an allergic reaction to something in her food and the waitress was not concerned, she only cared about if she was finished with her dish. Do not go here. Hate to bash a local business but I was very disappointed.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 2

Service: 1

Food was not as advertised and very bland. To make matters worse, when addressing to our waitress of the possibility that my girlfriend is possibly have an allergic reaction to an unknown food, the staff cared more about the food than her.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 2

Service: 1

Cool location, with awesome scenery! The staff was very friendly. Good blend of surf, turf, and drink options. Everything tasted great!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Shrimp and Grits