Stoked Restaurant — Restaurant in Carolina Beach

Took my wife for the evening of Good Friday….we lived at CB for years and Gibby’s, which became stoked has always been our favorite place to go on the island. We live by the airport now but still love to hangout in CB.

Finish our food and drinks…on the way out I asked the hostess if we could stay parked for 30 min to walk to the beach. She said no, I said ok no worries, then she said wait how long, ok that’s fine!

Ok cool thank you! Proceeded to walk across the street. The GM stopped us and aggressively, and says no no you’re not parking at my restaurant we are way too busy for that! I said we just asked the lady inside and she said it was cool but it’s all good! GM yells and says well I’m the GM and you didn’t ask me, among some other power trippy aggressive words.

We pull out to go the gas station, but it didn’t set well with the way we were talked to, mainly the way he talked to my wife. So…I came back, parked across the street in public, walked back over asked for GM to speak to. GM comes out of his office, angry faced, fidgeting his hands on the hostess stand out of frustration and anger. I said dude what was that? That approach and conversation you had with us was really aggressive and uncalled for…I’m a local, have probably spent $5k over the years at your restaurant, just didn’t appreciate that, especially since I asked inside if it was cool….GM proceeds to say I’ve never seen you before and we hear the local claim all the time. I said are you serious? I’ve never seen you either…how are you going to try to tell me I’m not a local lol..hostess lady who told me it was cool, goes well why don’t you get a local pass then?

At that point I’m like ok, I’m not going to sit here and prove to these angry workers I’m a local so I just walked out.

I’ve been there when Fran was bartender, hot sauce Conner, Jennifer/Jessica who I believe is or was bar manager (forgive me i couldn’t remember which one)….

Just overall a saddening experience because we love that place, has the best spot on the water and you can dock your boat, but I don’t believe we will ever be back because I don’t want that GM to bonus a cent off of me.

Cannot believe they couldn’t just own up, or speak in a remotely nice manner. A simple I’m sorry I should’ve asked my manager first before telling you to park, or an I’m sorry I shouldn’t have been that aggressive we are just busy and I’m stressed would have been the right thing to do. Not making a customer who has been there probably 50 times feel like a nuisance, and telling me I’m not a local and they’ve head that claim before….and if the GM talks to us like that, good lord I feel bad for the employees not to mention his wife if he has one…owners I would probably do some surveying with staff to make sure they aren’t mistreated….

Ps: I get it’s busy, I run 5 QSR’s in town. I have never and will never talk to a paying customer in that manner, especially over a simple...

A faint smell of fish filled the air on a beautiful Monday evening. An evening which sent our family summer vacation over to Stoked Restaurant, which may consider changing it's name to "Stumped", because I'm not quite sure what to say about this one.

Not necessarily in the worst way, the restaurant seemed to carry the theme "Convenient for you when it's convenient for us". I'll explain... Upon walking in, and asking for a table outside, we were told it would be a wait of 45 minutes. After adding our name to the list, we decided we'd walk around the town for a little while - perhaps even sit down for a beverage. However, just before we strolled away, the hostess grabbed us, stating that a table might be ready for us immediately. It was. We celebrated.

Perhaps they decided after some deliberation, that us Ohioan tourists were just worthy enough for their best table.

Our jubilation turned to eagerness as we sat for 15 minutes without introduction to a waiter. Approaching our beautifully placed corner table right along the harbor he offered us a round of waters, one food menu, and no drink menu. The latter came a few minutes later. The waters came after a little while. The beers after longer, and mine after even longer than that, following my second request to receive it. It was as if I never ordered it in the first place. He brought only the beer, and left his apology inside. The menu sounded delicious and affordable, and it was. But we had no idea what would come next.

All my mother wanted out of our beach vacation - aside from a couple of days away from the rigors of the current landscape of the world - was a taste of authentic shrimp, in any form. My sister even decided on the shrimp scampi herself. A few minutes after ordering, our apologetic and sorrowful waiter trudged toward our table, head down. "I am so sorry to inform you, we are all out of prepared shrimp. We have some thawing now, but it'll be a while before it is ready. I am upset with the kitchen staff as well, and have let them know."

My devastated mother wore a strong face. "I am fine with the crab dip as an appetizer, and can share meals with my family." Her top 4 menu items contained shrimp anyway, and she didn't want to settle. My sister substituted her shrimp for chicken.

I'll fast forward about 20 minutes. The waiter had offered us plates to help share food, which never arrived. The crab dip did, and was quite enjoyable. As did the food, with a surprise. Apparently, there was just enough shrimp available for a full order of shrimp scampi. My sister generously shared with my mother. Pretty convenient for Stumped... I mean Stoked... All of a sudden, the waiter is the hero.

My father and I enjoy a hefty club sandwich and fries that hit all the right spots. A great meal, for a good price, with inconsistent, haphazard service. What do I say about this? Stumped.

Overall, not...

Finally, this is one of the fabulous restaurants Carolina Beach has been waiting for! A great little place with good food, outdoor/water views, a family-friendly atmosphere, and stellar service! I'm definitely impressed!

A few observations.

MENU: The menu is very typical of what you'd expect to find on the island - seafood and comfort/bar-food heavy with typical but yummy options like nachos and potato skins, wings, clam chowder, fish tacos, and shrimp scampi and less-common items like maple chicken and grouper fingers. The portions are huge! We didn't get the nachos, but the table next to us did - three people and there were still leftovers because there was just so much (and they didn't skimp on the guac!). We split the deviled eggs (super yummy!) and I got the grouper fingers which were absolute perfection. There's a full bar, beer/wine list, coke products, and Heinz condiments.

AMBIANCE: The restaurant is large with a bar/dining area and a separate dining room that is quieter and more secluded. The outdoor patio is definitely a favorite, with tons of seating all around the perimeter and 6 or so tables with comfy chairs that are accessible to all bodies. There's a large boat dock attached to the restaurant - I assume you can attach your boat if you have one. Lots of birds and wildlife to see (there were some kids and they were having a blast looking at the pelicans) as-well-as a front row view of the big boats docked in the marina entering and exiting. It was very breezy, but it didn't detract from the experience. Also, there's enough shade from the wood lattice so you're never completely in direct sunlight.

SERVICE: This is a brand new restaurant and, as such, there was a bit of confusion but nothing major. The most important thing is that someone was always checking on us and we got everything (menus, drinks, food) in a timely manner. Our waitress was so sweet and really made our experience laid back and pleasant.

PARKING: This is the only not great thing and I remember it being an issue in the past when this restaurant was under different ownership. The parking lot is very small and there is no street parking the vicinity. If you cannot find parking in the lot, there is a pay lot directly across the street - of course, it's $2.50 an hour which is not always ideal. The waitress told us that, at some point (she thought after 6pm), the parking across the street becomes free but no one is really 100% sure what time that happens. From past experience, I can guarantee that they do tow cars from the lot. If I owned this restaurant, I would be sure to educate the staff about parking options, days/times the lot is free and when it is not (it changes, based on the season), and where to tell customers to park at every time of the day.

I'm so excited to come back to Stoked the next time I visit the...