Frying Pan — Restaurant in Southport

We visited this restaurant on our vacation to Oak Island and it was a disaster! First, I will point out this is definitely a management issue and absolutely no fault of the wait staff. Our waitress was amazing and we still tipped her good regardless of the issues. After reading mixed reviews and walking into a restaurant that had no A/C we should have just left. It was extremely hot a humid inside. We inquired about the A/C and were told the manager hasn't run it all summer and it is just always hot in there. They did have ceiling fans but that really made no difference. Walking up to the restaurant all you could smell was their dumpsters. The wait staff was all soaked with sweat on their faces and shirts but regardless they were working really hard; most appeared to be young maybe college students. We did feel really bad for them working in that heat/humidity. Our drinks were served in plastic cups that kept sweating and ice was melting. Our waitress kept bringing us extra cups of ice but they would melt just as quick. The food....not sure where to even start other than it was horrible! We had 5 people and not one person even finished half of the food and not because it was too much. It was disgusting! The chicken tenders were dry and hard, our child received a tender so hard and dry inside it knicked the inside of the cheek when they went to take a bite. Another individual ordered crab legs, the cracker was broken but it was all they had, they gave us a salad fork to try to get meat out because they don't have the tiny forks. The crab leg shell wouldn't even crack, they just bent and the meat was stuck inside. Our fries were cold and rubbery. We did mention the crab legs were overcooked so the waitress said she would mention it to a manager. The manager asked for the plate to "inspect it". Instead of coming over to the table to speak with us or see the plate, they had the server retrieve the plate from our table and carry it to where ever the manager was for "inspection". The plate was then returned to the table and I simply told them we didn't want the plate of food back and it needed to be trashed. As we had this conversation, I could see the cook in the kitchen and he was dripping sweat, no hair net, no gloves. He wiped his forehead of sweat and flung it off his hand everywhere. We did not request any compensation and willing was ready to pay the bill. We got the bill and were comped $25 dollars for the crab legs....which was about half of the price, we were charged $56 for them. We later learned the price should have been $35. So the crab legs were marked up before giving us a credit so they were still able to get regular price. We were so fed up and sweaty, we just paid and left. I am surprised the health dept has allowed this restaurant to remain open. As stated, the issues are definitely due to poor management and really no fault of the staff. It's sad to see these conditions b cause they are a hard working team making the best out of a horrible situation that shouldn't be this way. When I told the waitress none of this was any of her fault and we deeply appreciated her. She apologized several times throughout the night to us. It's not okay for a manager to sit behind close doors and allow a restaurant to go down hill while the employees take the hit from customers. When we left we passed two other tables having similar conversations about no A/C and watered down drinks. I would definitely consider other restaurants before this one and definitely turn away if the dumpster is sitting out front and/or you walk I'm and there is no A/C. We did here from several frequenters and locals that this place has taken a huge nose dive over the past several months and it appears the management/ow et could care less and had no desire to face the customers or take responsibility. I can only speak for our experience but it did seem to line up with what others were saying. We will not be returning to this restaurant. Unfortunately, I would not...

We were really excited to try the frying pan and were expecting a wait, but the experience we received was terrible and we did not even get to try food. We arrived at approximately 6pm on a Sunday evening and were told it would be about 30-45 minutes. We were completely fine with that and grabbed a drink at a local bar. After an hour and a half, we began to get questionable. We were finally seated by the hostess, both of which displayed terrible customer service. I received a text that our table was ready and went to the host stand, only to find no hostess as she had gone to put menus down, upon returning she pointed across the patio and said it’s over there. For a restaurant as such, this was already unacceptable customer service. We Sat at our table for about fifteen minutes with no server coming to greet us. At a restaurant with 1.5-2 hour waits, I would think there would be efforts to turn a table and greet us with drinks. After fifteen minutes a waitress said nothing and slammed a tray with three waters on the table saying nothing but “here” and walked away. We didn’t even order waters, but appreciated the gesture as it was the only thing we had gotten in twenty minutes. After waiting twenty minutes, the waitress( I did not get her name) came up to our table and very rudely said “ready to order?”.. we proceeded to attempt to order despite her poor attitude, only to find out they are out of shrimp- which is why we chose to go to a seafood restaurant in which a quarter of their menu options include shrimp. If she had been polite, and greeted us before making us wait twenty minutes- and had let us know kindly that they were out of shrimp, it wouldn’t have been a problem. She did not give us time to decide on something else after saying they were out. I let her know that the customer service was poor and that we would be dining somewhere else, after she never even asked what we wanted to drink. Upon leaving she stated to my husband who was behind me “ I did nothing wrong, im not sure why she is mad”… which is immature and not what I would expect at a fine dining establishment. I did not get our waitresses name, but overall the entire...

I made the hour drive from Wrightsville Beach to Southport recently to have lunch at The Frying Pan. I was familiar with the restaurant through close friends, but had never been there. I am now kicking myself for not having gone sooner.

Before I even had anything to eat from the Frying Pan, I could tell it was going to be a great experience. The exterior of the restaurant is classic NC coast style. The interior is a 21st century classic update, with polished wooden floors, exposed wooden beams, and large windows. Lots of large windows which offer a gorgeous view of the Southport waterfront as well as the islands beyond.

The food at the Frying pan is, in a word, excellent. I sampled the sweet potato biscuits, made in house from scratch, I think. The biscuits were fluffy, with just the right amount of sweet potato flavor. I also had some grouper nuggets and fried gator bites, both of which had a delectable combination of crunch and chew. The sweet chili sauce that came with the gator bites was the perfect touch.

I was so full from the wonderful appetizers that I had to throttle back on the food for my main course, so I ordered the spinach salad with chicken. The full size salad option was more than enough. The salad had plenty of tasty, fresh ingredients in it and was featured a wonderful coconut mango vinaigrette. Overall, I loved my food and appreciated that the options went beyond that of a typical seafood restaurant.

What was not to like about the Frying Pan? Absolutely nothing. The atmosphere was lively without being too loud. The service was outstanding-- all needs taken care of promptly. I even checked out the American Fish company bar next door, under the same ownership from what I was told, which was about the coolest waterfront bar I have ever seen.

So, I will be making the drive down to Southport again soon to dine at the Frying Pan. I cannot recommend it highly enough. If you're anywhere near the area, you need to give this place a try. You will be totally glad...