3 Best Restaurants in Wrightsville Beach, The North Carolina Coast

Panamanian-inspired food is the focus of this lively rum bar and restaurant just across the bridge from the beach. The eponymous ceviches—traditional Panamanian corvina, lobster, and tuna "cooked" in lime juice—are all wonderful, but ropa vieja (flank steak served over coconut rice) and blackened tuna are tasty, too. Outdoor seating includes a pleasant interior atrium, and tables on the patio by the road.

At Crystal Pier, this casual fine-dining destination lets you indulge in entrées like crab-stuffed salmon or a platter of Calabash seafood while sitting directly over the sand and surf. Sunday brunch—when specialties like crab and wild mushroom hash make their appearance—is particularly popular.

The owner of this coffee, smoothie, and sandwich shop is a scuba diver and fossil hunter, and the bustling counter-service operation doubles as a gallery for her shark and megalodon jewelry and art. Most of the seating is outside at picnic tables.