Restaurants in Surf City

“How did we ever survive in on Topsail Island without Maine Lobstah Shack!!! Having spent years in the New England region, I know good from great when it comes to Lobster! The lobster rolls are to die for and the lobster bisk is the best I've ever had. On top of that, it is a wonderful family owned and family run business. At the end of the day, it is the quality of the food that keeps us coming back! Treat yourself!!! Definately a five star experience!!”

“The best meal of the week. Seasoned perfectly and great portions. We even have leftovers for our last night at the beach. Treat yo’self and get a Topsail Steamer bucket!”

“Always a favorite place to have a beer then in town from Pa! Great staff, good vibes and excellent beer!”

“The atmosphere is great and beers are cold.”

“Great food, even better people and atmosphere. As locals, we are weekly visitors. (well maybe more like three times a week on occasion.) We have NEVER not been satisfied. Ask my husband- it’s hard for ME to be satisfied. lol. But truthfully this is a gem of a spot, and consider yourself lucky if they get to know you and your order. Because this is “that kinda place””

“We dined at Shuckin’ Shack with a group of 10, and a puppy in tow. The waiter was absolutely phenomenal and the attentiveness to the puppy by bringing out a water bowl was top tier. This gave my family a last hoorah with Grandma, Uncle and Aunt! Phenomenal food to fit everyone’s appetite, excellent service and efficiency! Outdoor dining was completely covered and peaceful!”

“Great food!! We make it a point to eat there when in Surf City!”

“A great place to hang out and relax. The owners build a great sense of community!”

“Best bar around! If you can't have a good time here, it's probably your fault!”

“Some of the best brisket we’ve ever had!! Love the food, love the owners and staff! A Surf City staple!”

“Most excellent dinner and drinks! Highly recommended! Waiter was very helpful with food and drink selections.”

“I love ❤️ this place! Their food is so delicious and the chicken is always so tender! My son and I eat here almost weekly. Yummy!!!”

“Sushi was great! Came out fast and with awesome customer service!”

“Great customer service & always tasty mega teas for everyone on the go or on the beach! I absolutely love the cactus blossom 🌸”

“Fantastic place to eat ! I loved one of their cocktails so much I asked for the recipe and they gave it to me as well! Great ownership and delicious food !”

“We ♥️ Sundial! We have been visiting Topsail for years and it’s always a treat to stop into Sundial while we are there. Some of our favorite drinks are the bulletproof, The Sundial, and the Vanilla Rose cold brew… My kids always enjoy a cake pop or two! The fun sugar cookies are always a nice addition! I recently had a raspberry peach muffin that was absolutely divine! The staff is always friendly and efficient. The space is always bright, clean, and welcoming. 10/10! Can’t wait to visit again in a few months!”

“This place is the best ! They have such a great selection of food and drinks and the outside seating is perfect on a nice day ❤️”

“Best Ice Cream on the Island. Family owned and run. Love love love this place. Highly recommended.”

“delicious coffee and fantastic people. Definitely recommend”

“Super cute shop,we were excited to browse and purchase, while enjoying a nice cup of coffee. unfortunately, at 4:40 pm on a Friday, the barista was not making drinks for the rest of the evening. Understandable they close at at 5 pm, but why shutting down 20 minutes before? #disappointed”

“love the atmosphere, friendly service and food items. This place is a gem, kind of hidden.”

“Nice thin pizza, mouth watering.”

“Restaraunt across the street was hour and a half wait so we went in here. Definitely a dive bar with not much on the menu. Our server/bartender Lisa was super friendly and brought our little man some fries to keep him happy while we were figuring things out. Jalapeño poppers was what you'd expect from a dive bar, but cooked well. We all got burgers and they were pretty decent. Lisa can definitely mix up some drinks. Glad we stopped in and would love to come back without the kid to enjoy some live music”

“Just found this place and absolutely loved it. Light and refreshing meal before or after the beach. Service was fast and the people were incredibly nice. The food is great and exactly what I needed after spending time in the beach. Highly recommend!! Loved the outdoor seating and chill music.”

“Super cute shop,we were excited to browse and purchase, while enjoying a nice cup of coffee. unfortunately, at 4:40 pm on a Friday, the barista was not making drinks for the rest of the evening. Understandable they close at at 5 pm, but why shutting down 20 minutes before? #disappointed”

“My husband and son and I went Saturday for dinner and as always, it was delicious. The crab dip always spot on and the best around. A special Thank You to Tanner our server, he was awesome and did such a wonderful job and made sure everything was spot on for us to have a relaxing and enjoyable dinner. Tanner you were awesome and your personality and how you deal with your customers was great, please keep that up. My heart went out to you and I felt bad after the table next to us ran you and spent $200 if not more and left you such a crap tip, that was so wrong. But don't let people like that discourage you, keep doing you, because you were great!!!”

“Our first time dining here (wish we hadn’t waited so long) and we will definitely be back on a regular basis! Food was great and the service was the best! Our waiter Sam was awesome. We would return just for him! Looking forward to many more of our weekend meals from here.”

“When the owner asked how our food was, our vocal 4yr old said the fries had too much seasoning and made her cough 😂. A few minutes later we see him come back and they made her new fries without us asking and she was so thankful. Great service and food. Great people. 5 stars from Michigan!”

“friendly staff and great smoothies!”

“I purchased a large quantity and shared with my community and it was a hit. Everyone including myself enjoyed the texture and taste tremendously. I highly recommend Cafe Frutta Fresca Gelato. It's first class!!!”

“Always fresh. Great food. Quick service. Food is made to order but is always so good and worth the few minute wait. Love to come here each trip to topsail”

“After seeing this place many times we decided to try it today. We ordered the white cap pizza and it was delicious! We will definitely be back soon!”

“Coming from Nebraska and both my husband I being Boys Town Graduates, this taste like home. The service here is always great, pizza always comes out perfect, and really the only bad thing to say is we wish they were in Sneads Ferry where we live as we just don’t drive out to Surf City enough.”

“This place has great food! I tried the ribs tonight and so tender and good flavor! Also good service! Definitely recommend!!”

“We went for the first time during Christmas 2025 while it was decorated. It looked like a small Angus Barn. Every inch was decorated for Christmas. Wonderful atmosphere to sit in and enjoy the holidays. The food was excellent and the service was great! Highly recommend!”

“Food was so good & fresh. Definitely will be back. A must try mahi mahi, scallops, flounder oysters. Collard's cornbread yummy 😋 You get plenty for the price.”

“Everything!!! We love eating here when we’re on the island 🌭🥰”

“We just left and I couldn’t wait to recommend sweet alicious. We had an amazing experience from the moment we opened the door. We were greated as soon as we came in, the music was great, the customer service was even better, and the ice cream was amazing. The store was very clean and the prices are more than fair. I had the pleasure of chatting with the manager and her daughter, they were so kind. I would hands down recommend 10 out of 10.”

“I get the breakfast sandwich, eggs over easy, cheese and a sausage patty. I’ve ordered this before at other restaurants and NYCD is the only place that gets over easy right. Gooey and runny, just the way a perfect breakfast should be! Of all the places on and off island, this is the one to go to. Highly recommended! 💕”

“Cold beer and live music! Friendly staff too!”

“Fun spot to get ice cream and treats! Video games galore, they were playing Incredibles on their projector. T shirts, hoodies and sweatshirts at great prices, too.”

“The shrimp po boy, was delicious!! Service is quick!!”

“Stopped in for a sweet treat. The ice cream selection is amazing, you get big scoops too. The employees were friendly and professional. Will definitely stop back in on our next visit to the Island.”

“I love Tortugas. My friends and I go every weekend. The staff is fantastic. Daniel Blevins is the best! He is always looking out for me and my friends when we are there, never feel unsafe with him around. Chad and Ray are great too. Love seeing their faces walking up the stairs.”

“Awesome food and good prices”

“Great place to eat”

“We had never tried Max's Pizza until today. We arrived about 1145am, we were greeted immediately, seated at a booth as we requested, and we met Jessica our amazing waitress. Kind, courteous, and quick ! We ordered our drinks, and garlic cheese bread as a starter. It was 10/10 hot, fresh and delicious ! Our pies were cheese, and a pepperoni, we asked for light sauce, and a crispier crust. It was done perfectly 👌. Our pies were delicious, excellent sauce ! Jessica made sure we had everything we needed, during our visit, she was awesome. The bill was about $50, which I consider a bargain for good food and a family of four. I read the reviews for the restaurant before we came, and while everyone is entitled to their opinion, some of them are just malicious. A pizza place, at the beach, is going to be super busy, expect some wait time. An overwhelmed restaurant at peak time, might make a mistake, be patient and kind. This pizza parlor is a hit, and we highly recommend you give it a try !”

“Great service and atmosphere!”