Ports of Call Bistro & Market

I Came in for brunch and got the SEA BLT and it was amazing! It came with a awesome spring mix salad with a light kinda sweet vinaigrette which was an awesome complement to the seafood. Our server Eddie was also great, very fast and attentive.

Delicious fresh food, amazing house made cocktails, and efficient and friendly service (Eddie is great). It is a must when visiting Southport.

Wonderful, consistent food and service! We go back again and again for the oysters and tapas. Their hand crafted cocktails are exceptional. Lots of tourist restaurants in Southport, but this is where the locals go for a night out.

Food was awesome and so was the service. Reminds of New Orleans atmosphere with the music and décor. We ate there twice now and had the sea Blt salad and the crab cake Benedict. Both were fantastic and will be back soon.

Brunch was wonderful. Cozy and inviting atmosphere and delicious food. Definitely a do again. The portions were just right. Flavors popped with every bite.

We used to go here every time we came to Southport. With the exception of our last experience we found the food and service to be good, maybe a bit pricey. Our last experience was for a special Valentines Day limited seating, they lost our reservation and the food was inedible We stopped patronizing this establishment when they banished all law abiding citizens who practice their second amendment rights under the US constitution. If you obey the law and practice your second amendment right, visit the other fine restaurants in Southport that respect you and welcome you in their establishments. Unilocal,this post specifically describes my experience as a customer of this business until they banished all who exercise their rights under the US Constitution.

By far the best restaurant in Southport! Amazing dinners and tapas, and the bartender/​mixologist scott makes the best drinks in town.

This place was a brunch time lifesaver this weekend. After departing the Bald Head ferry from a weekend of fun and sun, we wanted a quick and relativity healthy lunch before heading on our long drive to Charlotte. Meaning, I didn’t want fast food.
For a Summer Sunday, South Port was pretty empty. We tried a few places first trying to get a view of the water. Finding a bunch of restaurants closed, we came to Ports of Call and I’m glad we did.
The restaurant was busy and we had to wait about 15 minutes. After that, we were seated and quickly greeted by our server Cody, He was cheery and helpful. We ordered off the brunch menu. I settled on a fried egg BLT and Colin got the crab cake on the croissant. Both were delicious, a good amount of food, not too pricey (10 – 13 dollars) and came out of the kitchen in no time! If you’re looking for a fresh bite to eat while stopping in Southport, check this place out.

Service was very poor, food wasn’t bad just not my style. Staff seemed to disappear for extended periods of time. I watched one couple wait so long that they actually stood up as a group to get someone’s attention.

Service was pretty good considering that they were slammed! Food was really good for lunch, slightly pricey. Overall good flavor with the Cuban sandwich and the Greek salad.

Limited menu. Small, and Chef is very rude. Not my kind of food but some may like. Just too many other great restaurants in the area. Save your money for those with good views and better choices.

Reading the menu outside made my mouth water. So in I went for lunch and I wasn’t disappointed with my «Sea BLT». Not a sandwich, it was two large scoops of very good lobster-​shrimp-​crab (real crab) salad over a couple of delicious fried green tomatoes along with some fresh greens. Comes with salad or fries. I had the latter and I’m glad I did. Probably the best frites I’ve had in a long time. Nicely browned (probably twice fried) and likely made with russet potatoes. Service was very good. With tip, tax and a glass of Merlot ($ 7.50), the total came to $ 29 and well worth it!

My husband & I stopped here for brunch on Sunday. We read the reviews & looked through the pictures on Unilocal before we decided to eat here. I was a little bummed that the lunch menu wasn’t offered too. The corn cakes looked amazing! I ordered the Curry Chicken Salad, suggested by our waitress and my husband ordered the Shrimp & Grits. We were served warm muffins before our food came and they were delicious! My chicken salad was seasoned with yellow curry and was served in avocado halves alongside a house salad. My husband loved the creamy gravy on his Shrimp & Grits. Everything here was excellent! The service, nice atmosphere & the food. We will definitely stop in here next time we visit Southport!

This is one of our favorite Southport restaurants. The wine selection is excellent, the staff is attentive and knowledge and the food is always fresh and good. Nice tapas selection too.

We come to Oak Island a lot and get over to Southport for a meal often. We had never stopped at Ports of Call until today. Here is all you need to know, my wife said it was the best lunch she has had in quite a while. She had a chicken salad mixed in a light curry served in avocado. I tried it and it was great. I had the seafood BLT which is a crab, lobster and shrimp salad served over fried green tomatoes. The tomatoes were an excellent compliment to the salad. As a treat we had the owners red velvet cake bonbon. Yum.
Just an update from previous reviews the interior has evidently recently been updated. Fresh paint, tables and no booths.
We will be back.

We just stumbled upon Ports of Call today and was pleasantly surprised. They serve a nice Sunday brunch!
The staff was very friendly and attentive.
My son had «the best French toast ever» which was stuffed with salted caramel and banana. I enjoyed the shrimp and grits which was very tasty and filling and my husband really enjoyed the steak gyoza. We will def head back there and they do change the menu with the seasons. They do keep
Hours in the off season which is def a plus!
Look forward to our next visit there. The general menu looked tasty as well!

The first ‘5’ I’ve given in a while.
I was visiting Southport and ate at Ports of Call on a recommendation from a few of the locals I’d met. It is a small restaurant and when we walked in towards the end of dinner service on a Tuesday night, it was PACKED. There was 1 table available and we were promptly seated. The hostess was very friendly. The entire staff made us feel welcome and they worked very well together to give a cohesive, great dining experience. It certainly has a family-​restaurant vibe, I don’t know if it is.
We had a bunch of small plates instead of the entrees and the food was really great. I had bacon wrapped, Gorgonzola stuffed, beef tips… an item I’ve probably had 20 different variations on at different places, but theirs was the best I can recall.
I think what makes this a ‘5’ restaurant for me, was the total experience. Food, drink, service, atmosphere, feeling like you’re being taken care of… they hit the mark on every one. If I lived in NC, I’d be back.

I’m giving excellent review, as there are VERY few options in Southport, North Carolina for fresh, creative and/​or non-​fried food.
Beautiful exterior of restaurant. Locally sourced, when able, and not afraid to serve flavorful foods.
The inside décor is, well, ok. Shame they didn’t go with full bistro feel, tin ceiling, row of booth seating, etc.
It’s not your normal Calabash joint.. .and that’s good.
SUPER nice staff. Clearly someone in the kitchen knows what they’re doing.
Until both locals and visitors start supporting outside-​the-​Eastern-​NC-​box restaurants, we all will be relegated to mediocre food.
It’s not perfect; but I applaud POC on it’s gumption, especially in sometimes xenophobic Southport.

Review is for the restaurant only.
Service: Pushy, server with poor attitude lacked touch. He seemed more in love with himself than clearing our dirty plates. Given all the great service attitudes you get in Southport and Wilmington, this server stuck out like a sore thumb. There’s better service at the funky, local Italian joints. 2 stars
Ambiance: Did feel like a real bistro, surprising amount of space. Nothing wrong with the room, nice lighting, not too dark or light, but nothing that compelling about the décor either. A nice change from Southport kitsch though.
3 to 4 stars.
Food: Edible but not inspirational. Corn cakes too sweet with a strangely fishy aftertaste, salads just a handful of greens with everyday dressing, entrees were relatively small but well prepared. We all enjoyed the mashed potatoes, not gourmet, but tasty, not gluey. None of us hated our main dishes, but none of us would recommend any of them. Vegetarians beware, all the veggie sounding options are prepared with chicken stock. Our vegetarian friend was outta luck, and the ratatouille they prepared for him for lack of anything else, while a nice gesture, was a failure. 3 stars, and that is being generous.
Wine: Bizarre, not helpful wine list, or service, for a bistro trying to be cool and a little upscale. E.g. they had a Cotes du Rhone listed without the name of the provider (e.g. «Guigal Cotes du Rhone»). It was around $ 50. C’mon, they want you to buy a Cotes du Rhone for that price blind? VERY expensive wine list given the lack of quality, choice, explanation, and sophistication. Lack of wine by the glass choices, e.g., 1 chardonnay. Server said he had not yet tasted the Ferrari-​Carano chardonnay we picked out of the 3 Chardonnays bottles, a good wine, but at $ 47 versus as low as $ 18 retail, sheesh. The server knew zero about wine. For anyone with even a smattering of wine knowledge this place was an insult. If you are going to bludgeon customers with prices the service and knowledge should be spectacular. 0 stars.
Value: Can’t see how any of the expensive entrees (there were several in that $ 19 and up range) could possibly be worth it given the quality of what we were served. Have a few tapas, a drink, maybe sit at the bar, and get out of dodge. Place looks pretty cool from the outside look in, but that view is misleading from the restaurant floor out. It has a good location though. 2 stars.
Go to Loco Jo’s if you want to do the apps/​drinks thing, go to Live Oak or Mr. P’s if you want pricier, more sophisticated, foodie style food. A disappointment.

As new residents of nearby Oak Island my wife and I for the past year have been exploring the local establishments. We are especially fond of Southport and enjoy nights out there. We are not Big eaters and prefer drinks/​wine and appetizers most times which is what brought us to Ports of Call. I had read online that it had a tapas menu albeit not extensive.
It has a very inviting atmosphere. The hostess was pleasant and seated us promptly. Our waitress was very helpful when we had asked for suggestions. We told her we were there for tapas and that we would probably order a couple of small plates, enjoy our bottle of wine and then order a couple more after a while. She said «please take your time, enjoy and let me know when your ready». We split the southwestern clam chowder, beef brisket slider, lobster and crab salad and the corn cake with goat cheese and honey (the best) all complimented with a reasonably priced sauvignon blanc. Live entertainment was provided by a solo guitarist/​singer who did a great job setting the mood for a very relaxing and enjoyable night.
We really like Ports of Call for light fare.
I wish they would concentrate more on expanding the Tapas menu.