Sanitary Fish Market and Restaurant — Restaurant in North Carolina

Lived here all my life and my family would frequent this restaurant among others that unfortunately not around anymore. Went after two years the other day for lunch with my mother & young daughter. We were seated after about five minutes of standing with no one up at the podium. Atmosphere was still the same which was nice, and everything was clean. We were seated in the back past the boat bar area. Obviously short staffed on waitresses, or something. There was a decent amount of customers and only one large party of 12+ in the back beside us. Waitress came along and passed menus and didn’t come back very late, but enough to let you know she had her hands full. We ordered food, and waited a very long time for it to come out. Waitress apologized for the inconvenience of the food and service. Good tea, but everything else was as cold as the tea. Crab cake and flounder with shrimp plate. Cold and over salted… The waitress apologized for the inconvenience of our meal and when we left to take the ticket to the counter the woman asked me about everything. Well, you got your honest opinion. I told you the food was late and the food was not good and the service was late and rushed. She had my ticket and she said well what are you expecting me to do and why didn’t you tell your waitress because you’re waitress supposed to make things correct for you? I expressed to her that we did tell the waitress and that we weren’t there to debate the bill, but I would like to pay my bill and exit her establishment. And she continue to act like she wanted to argue with me about the bill. Eventually another woman fixed our parking ticket and the other handed me back my ticket and told me to go and pay on the other side which I did. The food being awful was not the waitresses problem! I went to the next register on the other side per the instructions of that woman And That lady asked me if the woman offered me anything off and I said she didn’t offer me anything off the bill for the food and service I said, but I didn’t really ask, but she did ask me my opinion of how our food was and I gave her a honest opinion. I paid my bill, tipped my waitress and left. My family will not be coming back to this establishment. Things change, I’m cool with that. But if you ask the honest opinion of your patrons & you don’t like it then don’t ask. Also, it would be nice to loose the attitude once your patron gives you their honest opinion about your food and service. Maybe you were embarrassed because there was a whole lot of tourist that were standing in line behind me waiting to pay their bill as well while I answered your how was the food question? I don’t know?? To the waitress and cleaning staff who were present there you are awesome. To the managers: find out why your food sucks, And stop blaming the waitresses when you should be doing your due diligence to find out what’s going to make your patrons happy. Which is providing fresh seafood, not boxed options.. Please stop playing 90s playlist of Madonna’s bedtime secrets, Michael Jackson, and tell whoever has got the hold of the XM radio button for your radio to find something more suitable for the atmosphere and your...

As a child, I remember my grandfather talking my grandmother out of church to drive out to the Sanitary for Sunday lunch. It wasn’t that often and it was a drive from where we lived in the wilderness section of BFE NC…

Now, a lot of years later (more than I like), I find myself once again at this restaurant. The food is still delicious, the décor is the typical beach trophy vibe with a side of the long history of a local staple that has survived wars, economic downturns, and pandemics. The walls are covered with that history of memorable local catches and people who left a mark on this gorgeous place.

There was a bit of a snafu with the apps but the food was great all around. I got the shrimp, and The Man got the flounder/shrimp combo. The shrimp was spot on, and the Man agreed with me for his. He was not a fan of the flounder with its black skin. He was able to peel it off, but he just wasn’t a fan. Since I don’t eat fish, he explained that it was a regional preference. We are at the beach, so we had an expectation of fresh caught food and it doesn’t disappoint.

The closing hours are a little early, I guess, because it isn’t the tourist season down here yet? We were seated in a deserted section of the restaurant with fantastic views of the water. Just because we were alone in this great big room doesn't mean that the service was barren. The server was almost annoying with her constant “can I get you anything?” I say almost rather than really because we got service, but she was always there when I had my mouth full (not her fault, I doubt she was lying in wait around the corner posed to jet to our table once the fork left my mouth). Sometimes it’s better to have a wealth rather than a dearth.

This is a nostalgia place for me, and I will always go back. It is understandable if others do not find it as appealing when they may want the neon beach themed huts with 50 kinds of beer on tap. There isn’t anything wrong with that, but sometimes, old school can do it better.

Happy Eating & sign the book before...

Very few times a year can I afford to treat myself to a nice meal at a restaurant. It was my birthday weekend so I decided I would try the sanitary restaurant in Morehead City because it's nearby and I've been here over a year and a half now and I've been wanting to come here. I had a great server who was kind and attentive so this review has nothing to do with that; the service was excellent. I ordered the crab dip as an appetizer. I should never do this because I'm from Maryland and Maryland crab is just something that you can't beat. Nevertheless, the flavor of the crab mixture on the top was was very good but when I got to the stringy leafy stuff I was taken by surprise, and not in a very good way... I couldn't figure out why it belonged in a crab dip. It tasted like artichoke but I couldn't understand why anyone would include the leaves of the artichoke vice steaming and pulling the meat out of it which is very delicious and adds depth to a recipe. I proceeded along with my meal, putting aside the stringy leaves on the plate. I had shrimp and grits which was good as were the hush puppies. I requested a she crab soup to go because I wanted to have it over the weekend. Were it not for the leafy stringy artichoke leaves the meal would have been fine. I shared this with the owner And I feel confident he addressed it immediately. The front of house staff were very kind at the register and definitely made up for it when I explained what happened. I would definitely come back because I think it was an error or oversight on the part of the meal prep staff. Overall I'm giving three stars because The service was great, the food overall is good and the prices are reasonable. The view as...