Frying Pan

I have been a devout Fishy Fishy Café visitor for years and, until my most recent trip to Southport, swore off any other place because I just couldn’t imagine they’d be as good as Fishy Fishy (yes, I know that’s ridiculous). Well, I was wrong! Frying Pan is just as great and has amazing views to boot!
My boyfriend and I ate here on 6÷20÷16 and were incredibly pleased! We were greeted by several employees as soon as we entered the restaurant and were seated by the huge windows that overlook the water. The view was amazing and I couldn’t help but sneak pictures while we sat there.
We were given yummy little hush puppies with butter upon being seated. Our waitress was bubbly and attentive. I ordered the shrimp wrap and was really enjoyed it. The wrap came with fries and slaw — the fries were good, but the slaw was a little dry for me. A table next to us ordered bread pudding for dessert and it looked amazing! We were so stuffed, though, that we didn’t order anything sweet. I kind of wish we had, though!
Overall, I think the food was really great and you just can’t beat the view.
I will definitely go here again!

In a sea of seafood restaurants, Frying Pan does well to hold their own! Yes there are so many seafood spots from which to choose in a locals seaport town like Southport. So I turn to my trusty friend Unilocal!
A large building on stilts makes Frying Pan stand out amongst the other smaller restaurants nearby.
Of course seafood is on my mind, so I started with apps of Fried Grouper and Calamari! The grouper was outstandingly fresh and tender! The calamari, which can be a risky choice in a beach town, was spot on with their batter and spices!
Of course I had to go with their Fried Shrimp for my entrée, and might I say I wasn’t disappointed! Fried golden brown, nice size, nice quantity, and served with excellent fries! I added a large looking Crab Cake that didn’t disappoint either, as it was crispy on the exterior and flaky on the interior!
The service could certainly be better, as at times they slow to a crawl. The drinks are wildly inconsistent as some are weak with no alcohol, and my Long Island was just straight alcohol. All said, Frying Pan does extremely well to hold their own in a sea of choices!

So I gave the frying pan a second chance and I am glad that I did. The stake medallions are to die for. Cooked and seasoned perfectly. Still a bit expensive however the view is to die for. And if you go make sure that you try the salad the dressings are made fresh and the vegetables taste like they were picked straight from a garden put back. And if there is a problem go to management they really do go out of their way to make their guests happy.

The Fish Platter was delicious! Best fish I’ve ever had! The sweet potato biscuits are awesome and the shrimp too. Friendly servers (thanks Thomas) and a great view! I highly recommend The Frying Pan — just don’t go far when waiting for a table, they don’t yell your name very loudly.

Based on other reviews we headed to The Frying Pan for dinner. The view was great, there was a breeze blowing throughout the restaurant. The atmosphere is casual and family friendly. Being vegetarian I didn’t expect many options. I ordered the Big Island Salad and wasn’t disappointed. The ginger dressing was sweet, without an overwhelming ginger taste. My husband ordered the ribs and shrimp. He was able to cut the ribs with a fork, which was impressive. We were pleased with the service. We were seated immediately and were checked on several times. We were told our server was in training, and he did a great job. We will definitely recommend this restaurant.

What a great place to get good, local seafood with a killer view! Frying Pan is right on the river and I loved how the windows opened for the river breeze and fresh air while enjoying dinner! Dinner was great, service wasn’t over the top.
Would definitely go back; however, maybe not a peak time and not such a large group!

Save your money and use elsewhere. Take it from someone who frequents Southport many times a year. The view is the best thing they have going on here and you can get that for free by walking up the outside stairs. The shrimp and corn chowder is okay with a Cajun base. Not your usual white cream base. It’s loose and not creamy but is palatable.
For my entrée I choose the small spinach salad and bacon wrapped scallops. The salad was great with fresh blueberries, strawberries, pineapple, sliced almonds and coconut-​mango vinaigrette. This is a perfect salad for a hot day. However do you really go to a seafood restaurant for a salad? The bacon wrapped scallops were a bit over cooked but still tasty. Be warned you get 4 scallops for the full size entrée.
From there it really goes down hill. A person in my party ordered the Safe Haven which is grouper (1 small piece), bacon wrapped scallops (2), grilled shrimp (3) and a crab cake. Served with green beans, potatoes and sweet potato biscuit. Everything was over cooked to the point that the grilled grouper filet was crunchy. Scallops rubbery. Shrimp loaded with seasoning. Crab cake… more like a crab patty. It was flat and tasted like canned crab. I can make better at home. Definitely did not use lump crab to make. Sides are an after thought. Sweet potato biscuit is bland and didn’t even finish which says a lot for us southern people.
As a lover of all types of seafood this place is not the place to go even with the fried seafood they offer.

We choose this restaurant for my last dinner of my Southport vacation. We arrived shortly after opening and were quickly seated and waited on. I loved the back line dinner, blackened fish and shrimp with fresh green beans and roasted potatoes. Bbq pork was ordered by another, he kept repeating how much he liked it too! Oysters and shrimp were the third entrée and she was very happy with her choice. Good food, good service, beautiful view… Couldn’t ask for more!

Marvelous view. The entire restaurant is elevated and has a lovely view of the water.
Food was very good. The hush puppies were very good, the chowder was a bit on the spicy side and totally delicious. Apparently, it won some competition. The crab cakes were flavorful, though the sauce it came with didn’t seem to complement the crab cakes well. The crab cakes seemed to overpower the sauce.
Service was friendly and efficient. They handled my large group’s request for separate checks without batting an eyelash.
Bathrooms: Spacious and clean; however, only one for each sex and single-​occupancy. The other annoying thing is that the paper towel dispenser is way far from the door knob so you can’t do that thing where you open the door with the paper towel and toss in trash. The trash can has a lid so you can’t throw it across the room.

Have a place on OKI but had not been to this place. Gave it a try this past weekend and I hate I waited so long. Our table had the crab cakes and back line (blackened flounder and shrimp). It was all fantastic and I loved the openness of the place and the view. I will definitely be back.

This place has wonderful food and great water views. The deserts are amazing. Prices are good and portion are nice. Great family place.

This is the best seafood restaurant in southport
Great atmosphere and the staff is very friendly. Had the blackened fish and scrimp

If you want fried food you can’t go wrong with a Frying Pan. They serve hush puppies as an appetizer which are delicious! For dinner we ordered the fried fish basket, fried shrimp & oyster basket, crab cakes and the big island salad with blackened shrimp. All were really good. The menu is also very reasonably priced. All seating is inside, with screen windows to catch a breeze off the river. They also have nice waiting areas outside in the front and back of the restaurant. If you’re looking fried seafood for a reasonably price, you should definitely check out this place!

Excellent experience. You can not beat the views whatsoever. Service was also fantastic. I was a little disappointed with the shrimp cocktail though – it was good, just expected more shrimp than just 6 for the price was all. The food was also excellent. The fried shrimp and pulled pork were terrific! The food, service, and location was great. I do not eat cole slaw but two others in my party do – and they did not like the cole slaw at all. Sweet potato biscuits were also good. Oh – wife said these were THE best crab cakes she has ever had. And she is a bit of a crab cake connoisseur.

Our food was delicious (pleasing 2 adults and 2 children). The wait was shorter than the 30 minutes we were told.
Fresh seafood, crisp green beans, house made salad dressing, fluffy sweet potato biscuits.

My expectations may have been a little too high for the Frying Pan. The view is amazing, but the deck where you wait for a table was probably the nicest part. When other reviewers said that the kitchen is open to the dining area, I was not expecting it to be the fry kitchen, which just made the bar and entire restaurant hot. Not to mention there is little skill in throwing food in a fryer. The prep kitchen and grill would have been better placed there.
The food was just okay. My friend and I both got the Safe Haven, so we could sample all the different seafood offerings. The filet mignon and shrimp were the best parts of the dish, my friend said the crab cakes were okay. The grouper and scallops were over cooked and dry while the green beans were a little under cooked and cold in spots.
We weren’t even offered dessert and it was clear they were ready to go home as it was close to 10 pm. There were several families still eating.
Also if you have serious food allergies, this is not a place for you. I have a mild wheat allergy and asked to either substitute the crab cakes for another non-​wheat item or omit it. They would do neither and they plopped a sweet potato biscuit right on top.

Oh my goodness. The sweet potato biscuits are amazing. I was here with a party of nine, and the service was top notch. I got the ravioli special, which had spinach, olive oil, pecorino and bacon. A little salty from the bacon and cheese, but oh so good. It seemed sacrilege not to order seafood, but I have no regrets on my choice. I also had the opportunity to sample the pork, which was served with a vinegar bbq sauce. Also quite good. For dessert we ordered the sweet potato bread pudding. It was good, but I think it could be moister/​needs more custard. Overall, I will definitely return. The view is great, the service was fantastic, and the food was delicious.

Wow I just had the best fried shrimp platter here EVER the view was great and the Cajun seasoned shrimp are the best just a small amount of heat like I like them!!!

I like to update my review on this place as we come once or twice a year on vacation. We visited twice this year and I’m happy to say it has maintained quality and maybe gotten a bit better.
The pan-​seared grouper continues to be my favorite. Light, fluffy and perfect. They have included a new side on the specialty plates, wedge-​cut seasoned potatoes. They were good one trip, but slightly overcooked on the second. Still, that was a minor quibble.
We had a flourless chocolate torte for dessert that was very good.
Service was excellent one night and pretty good the other.
The view is as spectacular as ever. This year we got to watch dolphins frolicking in the waterway as we ate. Seriously.

Absolutely wonderful food! Very quick service and a friendly atmosphere. The view overlooking Cape Fear River is amazing. Will definitely visit again!