Oliver's on the Cape Fear — Restaurant in Southport

I lived in the area for a number of years and still consider myself a local in that I have eaten at every restaurant in the area worth mentioning. Oliver's combines upscale food and excellent service on par with Live Oak Cafe, Ports of Call and the now defunct Pharmacy Restaurant. Oliver's is unique in that it has the option of waterfront dining. I can only think of a few other restaurants in the area that have all three: Joseph's Italian Bistro, The Flying Fish, and Island Way. Out of all of these options, atmosphere could be the determining factor when selecting a restaurant. It is in this attribute that Oliver's is singularly unique. I view service as a critical component in the atmosphere of a restaurant as all the nice environmental treatments are for nought if the service is poor. It has been quite a while since experiencing service on this level. Everyone we encountered from the moment we stepped through the door was professional, efficient​ and appeared genuinely happy. I witnessed the 'beer kiosk' guy help bus tables when he had nothing to do and multiple staff were attentive to our table's needs (and were pleasant in doing so). I can only surmise that the owner and management have created a an environment in which their employees genuinely enjoy working in (a minor miracle in the food service industry!) The inside of the restaurant has a more formal feel, with attire most often matching other upscale eateries at the coast. Additionally, there is an outside deck that offers a more casual feel and even a table on the lawn close to the water (and the "beer kiosk"). I can think of no other restaurant in the area that can check off so many boxes for so many people. Great food check. Good draft and beer list check. Great cocktails check. Exceptional service check. As a bonus, the location in Southport means you can largely miss the traffic and parking headaches associated with the experience of dining at the other fish houses in 'the corner'. The prices may seem a little steep but are on par with quality food in the area, and Oliver's features both quality and a generous portion size (I always have enough to enjoy a fantastic lunch the next day). I have not had wine at Oliver's yet but the list seems adequate for most tastes. I don't often take the time to review places I love (I selfishly want them to remain a secret) but Oliver's is simply too good to...

Great spot and tasty food. We have dined twice and both visits were worth it! Their lobster bisque is very rich and we have found a small bowl is plenty for us. It is some of the best we have ever sampled! I love dipping chunks of their fresh bread in it! And the bread... paired with the seasoned butter compound is excellent! My wife has had their crab cakes both times, try them with the cheese grits for a tasty delight! Our first visit I had a grouper dish and it was just okay, but this second time I had their ribeye and it was most definitely memorable! Our server on the first visit was amazing! The second visit out waitress was sub par. When you are spending $100 for a party of two you expect a certain level of service and what we got on our visit yesterday was less than what you get at Chick-fil-A.

The only reason i held back on the fifth star was for the poor service on the second trip and the unremarkable grouper on our first visit.

All that being said, we will be back! The food is seasoned/cooked well and plentiful!

Update from 3/11/24 We have had the pleasure of dining here on many occasions and overall it is a good restaurant! The view is great during the daytime and we like the feel. There are a few things that could be improved on and some things to stay away from if it irks you.

We had dinner there again last night and I typically will get the ribeye with chefs potatoes, it was excellent as always! The steak was a good portion and cooked well! The compound butter is very tasty as well! My wife usually likes the crab cakes but was swayed into trying the bolognese- the sauce itself was pretty good, however the noodles were cooked into oblivion… mushier than baby food. We also love their bread and the lobster bisque! Their tea is also very tasty!

We have tried several dishes and for the most part have ben satisfied! I will say that last night our server was pretty terrible. Kept forgetting things, I had to ask for refills even though my glass was empty, not very professional and kind of annoying. He probably needs to get out of the service industry and maybe try something else.

Overall we like Olivers and will return, but we may try to request a different server next time if the same gentlemen happens to be there. Stay away from overcooked pasta dishes. Go for steak and fish!

To those about to dine, I...

We ate at this restaurant in June 2025. The food was very high caliber; unfortunately, other aspects of this restaurant are lacking. It is not suitable for a romantic or intimate dinner, nor for a quiet dinner. I ordered Fettuccine Alfredo with Grilled Shrimp; excellent entree. The pasta was cooked slightly beyond al dente, but still firm. The alfredo sauce was light and very tasty. The shrimp were grilled ideally, and while there were a limited number of shrimp, the entire entree was filling and satisfying. My wife ordered the Maple Pecan Salmon; excellent entree. The salmon was grilled exactly as requested, and was very tender and flavorful. It was topped with a tasty maple glaze, very thin and it fully covered the salmon. Candied pecans were uniformly distributed across the top, and it was served over a bed of risotto. The portion size was moderate, but sufficient and filling. The entree made a excellent dinner. Our entrees came out within a fairly short time period, and we didn't have to wait long for our meal. Our table was located adjacent a very large party, consisting of a few adults, some teenagers, and many children, having a special occasion dinner. They were very social, and enjoyed their gathering. For adjacent tables, it was very difficult to engage in conversation because the noise level made it difficult to hear your dinner partner. The restaurant has many windows with nice views of the Cape Fear River, but echoes noise. There are many "noise absorbing panels" in the ceiling, about 1-1/2 feet x 4 feet; however, they had very no effect in lowering the noise level. For a southern town, one would expect restaurant staff to be pleasant and sociable. However, the person taking our reservation made me feel as if she was doing us a favor by taking our reservation. Further, our server "H", was efficient, but very impersonal and unsociable. When entrees typically cost from $30 to over $45, one would expect personable, friendly engagement by a server instead of cool and...