Man this place has such a great atmosphere and location. The sunsets are amazing, the vibe of the outdoor patio is perfect. With all of this going for them, they are completely ruining it with mediocre (at best) food which is seriously over priced. Now put on top of that incredibly slow service (both wait staff + bar). This is not from a 1 time visit that I have formed this opinion. Why have I been back 3x? Because of the view and the location, I have returned hoping it gets better but it never does. I will still come here for drinks as long as I have the patience to wait but just be realistic about what you're getting when you come here.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 2
Jim Schaner
Great service, PHENOMENAL food. Super views, great place, super highly recommended!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Quinne Vulakovich
Okay, so, I'm probably being generous because I'm just a Saint, but I think this place has potential if you're coming here to drink, and you're doing outdoor seating. Unfortunately, I'm underage so that was not my purpose. It has a nice atmosphere OTHER THAN IT BEING SUPER [redacted ?] LOUD. The inside looked nice, and I'm sure that sitting outside would've been beautiful, but DAMN we had to yell at each other sitting at the same table, and I thought my ear drums were gonna explode. The music did sound good though, just way too loud. And the food was doo doo, to put it bluntly. I got the ribs, they were undersalted, and the other people I was dining with were also quite disappointed with the seasoning. Things we're either under or over salted. And dry. It was a fine experience because the people I was with but yikes. Also the service was fine but it would've been better if I could hear our server . Anyways, probably wouldn't recommend, but if you're going there to drink or for the views, why not try it once? After all I'm literally just a tourist.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 4
Ashlee Roberts-Houck
Wonderful food selection everything tasted great ! Will definitely be going back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lisa Murray
Great location and vibe. Food good...
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Anna Wiesemann
Amazing outdoor space with comfortable seating and beautiful views of the Cape Fear River. Sydney was off the charts - the food was incredible and drinks superb. Had the absolute best time. Thank you Smoke!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Gary Zibelin
Limited menu options. Fish was over cooked and tasted like oil was old.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Kori Davis
Had a party for one of our friends here this past weekend and it was so great. Sydney went above and beyond with the party details and making sure the whole setup was special. The food was phenomenal and the drinks were so fresh and delicious. Great atmosphere with an awesome view and great people!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Seth Langston
Good vibes, food, and drinks.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Annette Ebert
After celebrating my birthday 2 and 1/2 years ago with excellent service and delicious food, we are back in Wilmington and our first action was to make a reservation at SOTW. We arrived in time, asked for having a sundowner outside before having dinner. The hostess told us that we in that case have to change the reservation to an hour later. So we did, went out waiting for getting the drink menu. We waited and my husband asked for service, the manger came told us to see the hostess :)) we told him, we did. Next answer by manager: in this area - it still was a part of the patio- we don’t serve. But he will send the hostess. After 30 minutes nobody showed up so we went to the hostess and canceled our reservation and are now in a nice restaurant with friendly and polite staff. Got our drink in 5 minutes. In between I’m reading the reviews and luckily we canceled. It’s not worth throwing money out for bad service. The 1 star is only because otherwise it’s impossible to write the review.
As many many others have written, this is a fabulous location and atmosphere. Sunset on the river is just beautiful. However... the service at the restaurant (particularly the bar) is extremely lacking. It really made my dining experience less enjoyable. The food was pretty good. The BBQ and homemade salad dressings were great. Prices are fair. As many locals i've spoken to said, this place sadly went downhill after the original owner passed. It's a shame, because it has so much potential to be great!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 2
Recommended dishes: Smoked Chicken Wings
Beach Sand
Food was incredible. Wait staff and hostess was phenomenal. Thank you for allowing us to enjoy such a wonderful evening with food, drinks and the view. Definitely will be back when the weather gets warmer. Also, thank you for making us feel welcomed and not rushing us. Thank you once again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mark Elliott
Was trying to make reservations for a special occasion but I guess the staff don't have the energy or the desire to take the reservation they just hang up the phone I guess they don't want my business
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 1
Greg Mintel
Food was good, Band was very good, sunset was spectacular.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Seafood
Johnathan Vaughan
We had a delicious meal at Smoke on the Water. I love the beautiful sunset views and the open air concept when the weather is nice. The specialty drinks were also amazing!
Man this place has such a great atmosphere and location. The sunsets are amazing, the vibe of the outdoor patio is perfect. With all of this going for them, they are completely ruining it with mediocre (at best) food which is seriously over priced. Now put on top of that incredibly slow service (both wait staff + bar). This is not from a 1 time visit that I have formed this opinion. Why have I been back 3x? Because of the view and the location, I have returned hoping it gets better but it never does. I will still come here for drinks as long as I have the patience to wait but just be realistic about what you're getting when you come here.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 2
Great service, PHENOMENAL food. Super views, great place, super highly recommended!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Okay, so, I'm probably being generous because I'm just a Saint, but I think this place has potential if you're coming here to drink, and you're doing outdoor seating. Unfortunately, I'm underage so that was not my purpose. It has a nice atmosphere OTHER THAN IT BEING SUPER [redacted ?] LOUD. The inside looked nice, and I'm sure that sitting outside would've been beautiful, but DAMN we had to yell at each other sitting at the same table, and I thought my ear drums were gonna explode. The music did sound good though, just way too loud. And the food was doo doo, to put it bluntly. I got the ribs, they were undersalted, and the other people I was dining with were also quite disappointed with the seasoning. Things we're either under or over salted. And dry. It was a fine experience because the people I was with but yikes. Also the service was fine but it would've been better if I could hear our server . Anyways, probably wouldn't recommend, but if you're going there to drink or for the views, why not try it once? After all I'm literally just a tourist.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 4
Wonderful food selection everything tasted great ! Will definitely be going back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great location and vibe. Food good...
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Amazing outdoor space with comfortable seating and beautiful views of the Cape Fear River. Sydney was off the charts - the food was incredible and drinks superb. Had the absolute best time. Thank you Smoke!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Limited menu options. Fish was over cooked and tasted like oil was old.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Had a party for one of our friends here this past weekend and it was so great. Sydney went above and beyond with the party details and making sure the whole setup was special. The food was phenomenal and the drinks were so fresh and delicious. Great atmosphere with an awesome view and great people!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Good vibes, food, and drinks.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
After celebrating my birthday 2 and 1/2 years ago with excellent service and delicious food, we are back in Wilmington and our first action was to make a reservation at SOTW. We arrived in time, asked for having a sundowner outside before having dinner. The hostess told us that we in that case have to change the reservation to an hour later. So we did, went out waiting for getting the drink menu. We waited and my husband asked for service, the manger came told us to see the hostess :)) we told him, we did. Next answer by manager: in this area - it still was a part of the patio- we don’t serve. But he will send the hostess. After 30 minutes nobody showed up so we went to the hostess and canceled our reservation and are now in a nice restaurant with friendly and polite staff. Got our drink in 5 minutes. In between I’m reading the reviews and luckily we canceled. It’s not worth throwing money out for bad service. The 1 star is only because otherwise it’s impossible to write the review.
Restaurantji Recommends
As many many others have written, this is a fabulous location and atmosphere. Sunset on the river is just beautiful. However... the service at the restaurant (particularly the bar) is extremely lacking. It really made my dining experience less enjoyable. The food was pretty good. The BBQ and homemade salad dressings were great. Prices are fair. As many locals i've spoken to said, this place sadly went downhill after the original owner passed. It's a shame, because it has so much potential to be great!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 2
Recommended dishes: Smoked Chicken Wings
Food was incredible. Wait staff and hostess was phenomenal. Thank you for allowing us to enjoy such a wonderful evening with food, drinks and the view. Definitely will be back when the weather gets warmer. Also, thank you for making us feel welcomed and not rushing us. Thank you once again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Was trying to make reservations for a special occasion but I guess the staff don't have the energy or the desire to take the reservation they just hang up the phone I guess they don't want my business
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 1
Food was good, Band was very good, sunset was spectacular.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Seafood
We had a delicious meal at Smoke on the Water. I love the beautiful sunset views and the open air concept when the weather is nice. The specialty drinks were also amazing!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Blackened Shrimp Tacos