N.C. Seafood Restaurant at the Farmers Market — Restaurant in Raleigh

If you’re searching for the quintessential North Carolina seafood experience – without leaving the Piedmont - look no further than NC Seafood Restaurant in Raleigh.

Nestled beside the bustling State Farmers Market, this unpretentious eatery has become a beloved local institution for a reason: the fried Calabash-style seafood is simply delicious, and the portions are as generous as the Southern hospitality.

The heart of NC Seafood Restaurant’s appeal is its mastery of Calabash-style frying—a method that lightly breads seafood, allowing the freshness and flavor of the fish, shrimp, scallops, or oysters to shine through rather than being overwhelmed by heavy batter.

Whether you’re partial to shrimp, flounder, catfish, or oysters, the kitchen delivers each order piping hot and perfectly cooked—never greasy or overdone. The fried oysters and scallops are particular standouts, praised for their juiciness and mild, fresh taste.

One of the most talked-about features of NC Seafood Restaurant is the sheer quantity of food you receive. Even a regular-sized platter can easily feed two hungry adults, while the large combo platters are often shared among three or more diners, with leftovers to spare. Each meal comes with a mountain of golden hush puppies—slightly sweet and oniony—plus thick-cut fries and a side of crisp coleslaw.

Don’t expect white tablecloths or fine dining at NC Seafood Restaurant. The atmosphere is laid-back and rustic, with cement floors and picnic table seating, both indoors and outside. Many guests enjoy the communal tables, which foster a friendly, down-home vibe and sometimes lead to meeting new people over a shared love of seafood.

The service is fast and efficient: order at the counter, grab a number, and your food will be ready before you know it—even when there’s a line out the door, which is a common sight during peak hours.

For many families and visitors, a trip to NC Seafood Restaurant is a must whenever they’re in Raleigh. It’s become a tradition for locals and out-of-towners alike, especially after a stroll through the Farmers Market.

The restaurant’s commitment to quality, value, and that unmistakable Calabash flavor has earned it a loyal following and high praise as one of the best spots for fried seafood in the region.

If you’re craving fried seafood done right—light, crispy, and flavorful—NC Seafood Restaurant is a can’t-miss destination. The portions are huge, the prices are fair, and the food is consistently fresh and satisfying.

Whether you’re a lifelong fan of Calabash-style cooking or trying it for the first time, you’ll leave full, happy, and already planning your next visit. Highly recommended for anyone seeking a true taste of North Carolina’s coastal...

This used to be our go to place for seafood. We used to highly recommend it to everyone we know and would drive across town to eat here. But it has gone downhill over the last few years. They used to have a nice outdoor seating area and they removed that. We like a good bit of condiments with our plates, and they used to have squeeze bottles of condiments available for you to get however much you wanted, but they removed those. At first they at least had packets of ketchup and salt out where you could get them, but now you have to ask for any condiments, and when you do, if you ask for more than one, they act like there must be something wrong with you to ask for it. We really dislike having to open up 10 of those ridiculously small ketchup packets to get a small amount of ketchup on fries. We like our cocktail sauce very spicy, and they used to have small containers of horseradish we could get to spice it up, but they no longer offer that. We were fine with the price having gone up to $23.00 for a shrimp and oyster plate even though that is really ridiculously expensive for food in a Styrofoam box served in a warehouse. We kept noticing the price going up and our enjoyment of eating here going down until our last visit. We were ordering two lunches and since they no longer offer decalf tea, all we wanted was a glass of water with our meal. Well, the guy at the register told us he would not give us a cup for water, we could buy a bottle of water if we wanted water. I kinda looked at him funny and he essentially said if he gave me a cup for water, I would steal a real drink and that was costing him lots of money. Somehow that was a last straw and I cancelled our order over two cups that would have cost him ~$0.20 on a $43.00 bill. If he had said that he had to charge us $0.10 per cup, I think I could have been OK with that, but the implication I would steal a drink if he gave me a cup just turned me off. It's really sad that this place has changed so much over the last few years. On a good note, this led us over to the State Farmers Market Restaurant that we have been wanting to try for a while. (but we always went here) It was a really good home cookin meal with biscuits and hush puppies, meat and 2 sides and a desert for $13. And they didn't have any issue giving us a...

UPDATED REVIEW on July 16, 2022 About a month ago I ate at this place and the shrimp made me sick for two days. The batter seemed to be under-cooked. I wrote it off as a bad day for them. I ate there again yesterday. I ordered only the flounder platter and when I got home, they had given me the shrimp and flounder plate. I tossed the shrimp out and started on the flounder. The flounder was good until I took a bite at the narrow portion of it and it had a very strong flavor to it, a sign of not being fresh or improperly refrigerated. I ended up tossing it all out, wasting $24 again. This will be the last time I eat at this restaurant as the quality had gone downhill tremendously. On the brighter side the hush puppies, fries, and slaw were delicious. But the fish was not good.

Here is my review of them back in 2019. This no longer applies to my most recent visits with this restaurant: FOOD: You will not find fresher seafood in the Triangle area. Period. I had their 2-combo meat plate (fried jumbo shrimp & fried flounder) and it was the best fish I have ever had, even compared to restaurants on the coast. It's so good because their fish is never frozen but fresh from their boat suppliers. You can taste the freshness. The hushpuppies were almost as good. Their French fries were outstanding. The cole slaw was good. Sweet tea was fresh.

SERVICE: You order similar to a fast food restaurant but they cook your food fresh as you wait. Takes about 8 minutes depending on how busy they are. Served on a foam plate w/lid which came in handy because I couldn't eat all of their portions so I took leftovers home.

ATMOSPHERE: This is in a farmers market setting so don't go expecting a Red Lobster setting. The dining room is clean. Seating is limited so claim a table or bench with table when one becomes available as you wait for your food.

OVERALL: If you want good (perhaps the best seafood in Raleigh) this place is for you.

PRICE: Moderate, but worth every penny. My meal was $16.95 (2-meat combo, slaw, fries, hush puppies, tea). Less than the fancy fish houses and much better food.

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