Pilot House

I’ll start with the positive, the food was delicious.
Now the negative, we were there yesterday Father’s Day for dinner only 4 of us. The hostess was extremely inefficient, when we arrived noone was at the desk even though the front area was full of people. She finally arrived then checked the name of the first party who said they had reservations she said I’ll be right back I need to see if your table is ready. It took forever to finally get our names on the list with her running back and forth, we did not have a reservation. They said an hour wait for a table, we decided to stick it out. Luckily a few minutes later my husband found an open table at the bar when he went to the restroom so we grabbed it.
It took forever for a waitress to arrive, we quickly ordered drinks and appetizers, my elderly father-​in-​law was getting very tired at this point. Slow service for all the food and drinks. It took and hour and a half after we sat down. They kept making excuses we’re backed up in the kitchen, overwhelmed etc. No excuse you should have been prepared for a large crowd on Father’s Day.
The food when it arrived was hot and very good. I would try the Pilot House again but not on a holiday!

While the food was great and the atmosphere was awesome, we waited almost 15 minutes to be acknowledged (or noticed) by a host. And it looked like they only had one host staffed on Father’s Day! Our server was frantic and looked extremely overwhelmed (however he was very polite) and it took such a long time to even receive our waters. We noticed he had tables all the way across the restaurant which by the way is a HUGE restaurant. That system makes no sense considering the size of this place– no human is capable of spreading them self that thin. I think they need to develop a better way to keep their employees organized it was a very stressful situation for everyone.

Do not waste your money at this restaurant. We decided after receiving our drinks and appetizer that it wasn’t even worth eating in this establishment.
We order a margarita and the Carolina tea. The Rita had 0 tequila in it, well if it did you couldn’t taste it. The Carolina tea however was decent.
We ordered an appetizer of fried green tomatoes… Disgusting. Even after having them re-​made.
We will not be returning to this restaurant. As a local there are other restaurants that are way better.

We are here currently, have been waiting for an hour and a half– our drinks have come and bread. If took 30 minutes to get those. Hoping that the food is good– but we are here with 3 kids who are reaching their limit.
So– about 15 minutes after I wrote that, our apps came– and then 5 minutes later our main course came. So all of our food came at once. I do want to note that I am not usually a complainer– but the tables around us were getting their food and the situation was ridiculous. Thankfully, the food was good– however, we were given refills on our drinks once. Our waiter was very nice… but the service wasn’t so great. We won’t be coming back anytime soon.

Really amazing food. I had the Catch of the Day and I want to go back already so I can order it again! The staff were friendly and the view is just beautiful. The only thing that bothered me were the flies, but it didn’t ruin the experience, just annoying.

French dip tasted like left over meat… shaved meat. not fresh pieces of beef. juicy and delicious as it should be
House salad served with wilted lettuce, 3 cherry tomatoes, 4 pieces of cucumber.$ 5.95 for that?.. Come On Guys!!!
French fries good. au jus sauce good, sherry vinagarette dressing good, server friendly and attentive.

A great night to sit outside, which I NEVER do at restaurants. Glad I did here. Started with the hot crab dip (highly recommend), entrée was the shrimp and scallop scampi and loved it. Everything I ate was great! To top it off, a random person decided to buy me and my friends a round of martinis (totally by surprise and without any strings attached… still don’t know who did it but it was very kind!). No worries the waitress assured me no one other than the bartender touched the drinks :) Wonderful place, wonderful service, I would go back again and again.

This was an upscale place to eat. It overlooks a marina which was a nice water view. The food is very good. I had the risotto, fish tacos, and she crab soup. The risotto was very good. The fish tacos need work. the whole thing fell apart on a crisp tortilla which was the bad part of the fish taco. I had to eat it with a fork and knife. The she crab soup was amazing! it was a very fresh tasting soup. I recommend this is you like she crab soup. It was the best I have had. The wait staff dress in formal black and white uniforms that you find in upscale restaurants. Some people were in work clothes having lunch, I wore shorts and a t-​shirt. It is in a tourist area so don’t worry about your entire. A little expensive, but a very nice establishment. I cant decide on a 4 or 5 star? The taco wasn’t great so I say it in between a 4 and 5 star.

Everything that I ordered was delicious and the outside view was so beautiful. My only complaint was that the service was a little slow. Our food took an hour to come out and the waiter did not visit our table very many times.

We were in a bit of a rush and just had a fried shrimp basket. It was good though I hesitate to judge the chefs talents in just this rather simple item. The service was good… Water glass never down by half. The view of the river was of the sun setting over the opposite bank and the lined up going home traffic on the bridge.

This place gets a solid 5-​stars being located right on the Riverwalk. Don’t judge this place by its looks. The inside is very quaint with fine dining. The staff is very friendly and the food is extraordinary!
We started with the crab stuffed mushrooms. As delicious as they were, it only got better. The crab melt was amazing. The crab melted together with the cheese is so great. As great as it was, it only got better with the dessert! We shared a New York Cheesecake with pecans, caramel, and a chocolate ganache.
We also had wine with our meal and most people say this place is expensive, but we had all of the above for $ 60. For the view and the quality of food, I don’t think it can be beat.

Local fried flounder basket, I get the «double portion», always perfection. Never greasy, light breading, whitest moistest flounder you’ll ever have. Add collards, fries, and enjoy paradise.

Came in for lunch after a wedding rehearsal. Our party got a large deck on the back overlooking the water.
The place is pretty nice, pea gravel lot that can get rutted up. I parked next to a planter and had to crawl out the passenger side! Parking lot was pretty full for a Thursday. I found out why.
We had a set menu. My wife and I decided to divide and conquer. I got the crisp pork sandwich, she the pimento cheese burger. For a party of 40+, they managed to get the food out pretty quickly and dang it was good. Bread baskets came out first, good assortment of warm rolls and conbread muffins.
My crisp pork sandwich was great. Panko crust almost held a nice contrast to the super juicy meat. Beautifully cooked and tender. It was easy to eat as a burger, no knife needed. Side of chips was interesting with lots of different shapes and potato types. Can’t think of a better pork sandwich I’ve had.
Burger was solid with the pimento cheese. Cooked to order, juicy and flavorful. Up to the burger standard, inside the bell curve. Would get it if I couldn’t get the pork sandwich.
Service was extremely friendly and helpful. We had a bridal request for a picture slideshow and they made a projector screen and two extension cords appear. Very professional.
I’d definitely come back and wouldn’t hesitate to bring a large crowd there.

Visit on 10÷17÷15
What a great anniversary dinner! We ended up at the Pilot House after leaving the restaurant we had made reservations at due to the noise level. We waited at the host stand for a few minutes but was quickly seated after someone noticed we were there. We asked to sit in the heated outdoor area but it was a little too warm for us so we were seated right next to it — perfect. It was quiet and romantic since that part of the restaurant had very few people in it. Our waitress was wonderful, I wish I remembered her name! She offered suggestions and tips but didn’t ever push.
We ended up eating:
Seafood Chowder — absolutely delicious. I wish there was a little bit more fish in it.
Cioppino — the sauce was good, the seafood cooked well. I really enjoyed the Grouper that was set on top of the dish, what a great addition. The crispiness of the outside of the fish was a great surprise.
Mixed Grill — that night the mixed grill was tuna, salmon and shrimp. We asked for the tuna to be just seared, not cooked. It was cooked a little longer than we had hoped but was still delicious, the seasoning was amazing. The salmon and shrimp were delicious.
Pilot House was a fantastic restaurant to end up at to celebrate our 5^th anniversary. We will definitely try to come back to try a different meal another time.

I only get to go to Pilot House once a year… twice if I am super lucky. But I look forward to it each and every year. Its been our annual stop on our way to Holden Beach for 10+ years, and it will continue to be. Its has gorgeous views of the cape, wonderful waitstaff, and the single best crab melt sandwich you will EVER HAVE. I’m not exaggerating, I look forward to this sandwich for 364 days until I can have it again, its just that good. Do yourself a favor and try it out for lunch!

Not bad. My Cioppino was ok. The lobster mac and cheese is some of the best I have had and my strawberry and peach cobble was delicious.

I’ve never had a restaurant so quickly and warmly take a reservation 30 minutes from the time we called. When all 22 of us arrived, our table was set in the corner with a view of the river. The team was quick to get our drink order while we settled in and never dropped a beat through the entire meal.
I’m so impressed with the service, the food, the prices and the atmosphere. I would recommend this to anyone who visits Wilmington and we look forward to returning. Thank you!
Wes was our server, if you have the opportunity to be waited on by Wes, take it!

Amazing! The service was excellent! The compliments to the chef! I’d give them six stars if I could!

Very nice view from the restaurant: waterfront. It is just so lovely. However, I was disappointed about the staff not very friendly and my meal. My meal was not very tasty and the shrimps were not fresh I think…

We vacation in NC every year and we always go to The Pilot House after we visit the Fort Fisher Aquarium. Last year we had our 15 month old with us and it was just as much as it always was. The food is great, the view is amazing and I love the atmosphere! The River Walk is so fun any time of day. Definitely stop into the pilot house for a tasty meal!