Captain Nance's Seafood — Restaurant in Calabash

I LOVE Captain Nance's! The BEST Calabash Seafood of them ALL! I live about 45 min away in Murrells Inlet SC ( The Seafood Capital of South Carolina ) So I know Seafood and have so many options with-in 3 miles of my house but when I want my Calabash Shrimp and Clam Strips I head to Calabash! I have been eating Captain Nance's at lest half of not most of my life. Calabash NC has many options but Captain Nance's is always PERFECT! Has been PERFECT every time all the time! I order shrimp and clam strips and the slaw is the best slaw I have ever had. Just typing this review makes me want to drive up again for lunch. Fried seafood does not get any better. I find when I am served this food its always served right out of the fryer and hot, hot, hot, unlike any other places. The BBQ was tasty too the last time I visited! I will always be back as long as I can drive up.

After reading some of the few negative reviews and being from this area but understand many folks visiting Captain Nance's may not be local to the food or history of the low Country. I wanted to share a thought...

Understand Calabash NC is home to the term "Calabash" Shrimp or "Calabash Style Seafood" You may notice many, many restaurants in the greater Grand Strand area (Myrtle Beach), will advertise, "Calabash Shrimp" but Captain Nance's should be in the dictionary as THE meaning of Calabash Style Seafood.

With that in mind, understand what Calabash style is or is not. To prepare Calabash-style requires coating fresh shrimp, fish, oysters, clams or crabs with a light, flavorful batter, then giving them a dip in a searing hot fryer until they are lightly golden brown.

I have noticed that Captain Nance's has broiled options on the menu ( even BBQ and its great BBQ ) but may I suggest understand what Captain Nance's does. Captain Nance's does Calabash better than anyone does Calabash but "Calabash Shrimp" is fried shrimp! You do have other options but may I suggest...

A Fair Review. This was our second time eating here. The first time was in June. It was a very good experience, but when searching reviews, for this outing, I seriously considered eating elsewhere. The Trip Advisor reviews since we ate there last just killed this place. I am glad we took the chance. They were not full but they were busy, so we were seated immediately. My wife was not a great fan of the low ac temps so we opted to eat outside. The view out back is on the waterway, so that was cool. We were severed by Amanda. I ordered the Deluxe platter with baked potato and slaw, wife had hamburger steak, green beans, and baked potato. Granddaughter had chicken tenders, green beans and baked potato. I drank water, they had Pepsi. Bill total was around $75. The deluxe platter was $33. The time from ordering to food was served was 20 minutes or so. The good: The hush puppies here are excellent. The deluxe platter is a ton of food. I legit eat two meals off of it. The seafood appeared fresh and was definitely freshly made. I quizzed the others. They said their food was good as well. The quality was good and prices are fair. The not so good: The waitresses split time inside and outside. We had to wait a bit after eating to get our check. In their defense, the had gotten much busier inside since our arrival. You pay by the back door now, instead of the front register. They have their take out bags by a table near the front register, so if you are taking leftovers, you have to walk up there to get it. If you are dining with people who do not want to eat seafood the entrees are limited to hamburger steak and chicken tenders. The green beans are 100% canned, as stated in the negative reviews, and the rolls are just regular rolls out of the pack. They have not been heated. I am not a fan of their slaw, but to be fair, that is a totally subjective opinion. I would not hesitate to eat...

Since 1975, Capt. Nance's has been a stalwart for fried, Calabash-style seafood in Calabash, NC. After decades of being loyal Dockside Seafood fans, my family returned to try Capt. Nance's after Dockside shut it's doors for good this year. The food was comparable to other Calabash style seafood restaurants in town, including now defunct Dockside and Ella's, along with Beck's, Oyster Rock, and other restaurants serving Lowcountry fare in the Myrtle Beach Grand Strand area. IMO, the fried shrimp and scallops at Capt. Nance's were saltier and more oily than other places, so I didn't enjoy the food as much here as I usually do. That was the consensus for my whole family. 🍤👎 The hush puppies (still free, which is becoming rare!) were fairly good. We like honey 🍯 butter, but didn't care for the margerine-based product here. 🧈 Prices were steep 💲💲💲, particularly now that side dishes are served on the entree plates, which reduces the portion size of the seafood by about 1/3. #stingy #shrinkflation 😡 ⬇️ Finally, the atmosphere left something to be desired. The main indoor dining room smelled dank and the blue-white lighting 💡 was too bright and harsh. The outdoor patio seating where we ate has a nice view of the marsh and fishing boats ⛵...but, flocks of wild birds are constantly swooping in, landing on the dining tables, walking all over where food is served, and aggressively gobbling up leftovers. That cannot be sanitary, nor is it appetizing. 🐦‍⬛🤢 Service was fine. No complaints there. Aja did a good job. Overall, based on subpar food quality, high prices for what you get, plus the unappetizing atmosphere, we cannot in good faith recommend dining at Capt. Nance's, despite their long-standing presence on the Calabash...