South Beach Grill

South Beach Grill
http://southbeachgrillwb.com/
100 S. Lumina Ave.
Wrightsville Beach, NC
28480(910) 256-4646

South Beach Grill is on the sound side of Wrightsville Beach, overlooking mostly Lumina Ave., but you can also see Banks Channel. The lack of a pristine beach view doesn't detract from the experience, though. I have to say here that yes, I have eaten at most of the restaurants in Wrightsville Beach and I have been consistently disappointed. I'm not naming names, but there's a reason I haven't mentioned other places on Wrightsville Beach or near there. Not the case with South Beach Grill. I'm always pleased with dinner or lunch there.

Lunch: Phillip likes to have lunch there before kayaking in the channel. They serve a good rueben (my personal favorite) and their homemade chips are good. Phillip likes their burgers, including the Cuban buger, which he had the other day. The BLT is also good, with thick tasty bacon and good tomato. I can't say that eating outside this time of year is terribly pleasant, given the August heat, but if you're damp and sandy, it's just fine.

Dinner: The boursin chicken rocks. It's one of my favorites. The shrimp and grits are also good, with plump, fresh shrimp and grits prepared RIGHT (meaning not runny - yuck). I do always wonder why shrimp and grits seems to mostly appear on the Starters list, though. It's a heavy dish to me and it always seems it should be a main course. But I digress. Phillip has sampled most of their fish dishes and pronounces all of the ones he's eaten as fresh and clean. It's not a fish shack, where you can order it broiled or fried. They prepare it elegantly and creatively, but don't smother the fish flavor out of the food.

The atmosphere is pretty casual, especially for lunch, given that there are a lot of folks taking a break from kayaking or beach-going. But you can also be comfortable dressing a little for dinner and enjoying a nice evening out.