Harbor One — Restaurant in High Point

(4.5 stars)

Enticed by Facebook photos of their shrimp and grits, I had Harbor One on my to-try list for quite a while before finally paying them a visit. Unfortunately, the shrimp and grits were a Friday/Saturday only item, and my wife and I stopped by on a Thursday. Fortunately, it was far from a disappointing experience.

Harbor One is a small, unpretentious (think Styrofoam containers and plasticware) place with an equally small menu, but this belies how good the food truly is. While the Sunday selections add soul food staples such as smoked ribs, mac and cheese, and yams, the weekday offerings are mostly fried fish/seafood platters or sandwiches as well as wings and a few apps/sides. Wanting to try a little bit of everything, my wife and I split an Ultimate Feast and added zucchini fries.

The platter certainly lived up to its name as it included croaker, whiting, popcorn shrimp, jumbo shrimp, oysters, baked beans, fries, slaw, and a few hushpuppies. We were able to get four fairly filling meals out of it, and it offered quality as well as quantity. The hushpuppies are addictive and will leave you craving more. The tender oysters are the antithesis of every tough and chewy fried oyster or clam strip you've ever regretted and may even make converts of shellfish skeptics. The chip-style zucchini fries are housemade and generously breaded. Even the crinkle-cut fries (in most cases, a frozen product) were surprisingly tasty and well-seasoned. While croaker is something I might steer clear of in the future (lots and lots of bones), it too had a nice black pepper flavor.

The price paid for the feast ($24) was a steal given the quantity and quality, and the proprietor was friendly and welcoming.

Call it the paradox of success, but Harbor One does what it does so well that it can't help but leave you wanting more (more days open, more sure-to-be delicious menu offerings, etc.). In the meantime, take what you can get: you'll be...

This was a birthday meal but it took so long to get our food that we decided to get it to go. We were told a 25 minute wait but it was actually over an hour. I went in a half hour later and was told they were bagging my food now. 45 minutes later I get my food after already waiting the half hour. I saw a bunch of to go containers so I thought that was the tartar sauce, cocktail sauce and coleslaw. No it was all tartar sauce and there were also Tartar sauce packets. The food was disgusting ! Fried in old grease and everything was super greasy even the french fries tasted like fish! Hush puppies there was 1 hush puppy I saw. No cocktail sauce because they don’t even know what cocktail sauce is!!! Two lunch special plates inedible cost $35 I ordered whiting with jumbo shrimp that were so salty I could feel my blood pressure rising. My daughter ordered Croaker that tasted like it croaked months ago! Their policy is to check your food before you leave the restaurant for any refunds! Thry neef to have TASTE THE FOOD BEFORE YOU LEAVE THE RESTAURANT FOR A REFUND! Also they have a sign that says: THIS IS NOT FAST FOOD ITS GOOD FOOD! IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO WAIT GO SOMEWHERE ELSE! That should have been my warning sign but I went by the DISHONEST REVIEWS! THIS IS A TRUTHFUL REVIEW:IT IS NOT WORTH THE TIME OR MONEY! FIND A REAL SEAFOOD RESTAURANT WHERE THEY KNOW WHAT COCKTAIL SAUCE IS!!! I would have given it no stars because I was lied to from the cashier saying when she went in the back that they were bagging up my food then… LIES! Save yourself the aggravation and an upset stomach from nasty, old, food and go somewhere else! This BUSINESS DOES NOT CARE ABOUT QUALITY FOOD JUST ABOUT MONEY, WHICH SHOWS THEY DO NOT CARE...

Harbor One is hands down, the best restaurant I have ever visited. First, the staff are so friendly, and they have created a very nice, friendly atmosphere in the restaurant. The manager and waitress are both warm and friendly people.

Second, the restaurant is beautiful. The different textures, hardwood floor, brick walls are beautiful. The restaurant is quite small, but dosent feel small due to its high ceilings and large windows.

Third, the place is clean. It’s looks and smells great, and,

Four. The food is stupendous, unbelievable delicious. Easy the best restaurant food I have ever had, and I’ve been to Ruth Cris’s Steakhouse, and other highly touted restaurants. Everything was delicious. Fried fish, whiting, was excellent, thin coating and mild flavor. Potato Salad, one of the best, I have ever tasted. Corn bread, the absolute best, bar none.

Fifth, unbelievably reasonable prices. The portion sizes are great and the, taste and quality is number one. You could tell the fish was fresh.

The menu is quite small, but that’s not a problem. It’s better to do a few things well, then a lot of things so-so.

My wife and I have been so disappointed by the so called good restaurants, that we really didn’t go out to eat very often. But that has changed, we will be going to Harbor One at least once a week.

Last thought. Fish was never a favorite of mine, but it is now.

Try it, and tell the Manager Leroy, that Tall Tom sent you. Try it, you’ll like it, you...