Simply the Best: Dock Street Oyster Bar

Co-owner Steve Maillard
Dock Street Oyster Bar

I've been to some great oyster bars tucked into alleyways or in small alcoves in seaside towns up and down the East Coast. It's hard to say which one I liked best, they each bring a little somethin' to the party. But high on the list is a funky, Caribbean-inspired oyster bar right in my backyard. Dock Street Oyster Bar is nestled along the cobblestoned streets of downtown Wilmington, North Carolina - the kind of place you hope to stumble upon during a wanderlust afternoon.

Stump Sound Singles
Topsail, North Carolina

The restaurant - voted "Best Oysters" by a local lifestyle magazine for 13 years in a row! - only serves two oysters on the half shell. During the traditional "R" season, it's Stump Sounds from Southeastern North Carolina. During the summer, it's Apalachicolas from Florida. That's it. Both oysters are large, plump, super briny oysters that could stand up to almost any beverage but beg for the coldest beer in the place.

Juxtaposed with the simple oysters and the 150-year-old cobblestones outside is an elaborate explosion of color everywhere you look at Dock Street Oyster Bar.  Murals that slurped up the rainbow cover every surface and reflect the owners love of the Caribbean. Every chair, every table is inscribed, doodled, painted or otherwise customized to fit right in. The entire canvas is a work in progress.  The owners, Louise Forbes and Steve Maillard, search the Caribbean annually for new ideas to bring home to the restaurant.

Click here to check out the menu.  I usually skip it.  The daily specials are amazing. On a recent day, Oysters Alexander were an "appeteazer."  Many of the dishes pack some Caribbean-style heat.

And there's always a simple plate of oysters. Best in town.

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Dock Street Oyster Bar

12 Dock Street

Wilmington, NC 28401

910-762-2827

www.dockstreetoysterbar.net