Cape Fear Spirits & Beer — Restaurant in Wilmington

Let me just explain so Lecter gets who I am and why he gets a top notch bad review from me. I have vacationed in Wilmywood for a long time. Every year even, for a while. I’ve always gone to see Lecter and enjoyed fine beverages from his bar. Lecter is always there sitting in the same spot. I go over to talk with him every time and he is always cool… to an extent. I show up in his bar this past weekend for the first time in ten years. There’s Lecter in the same spot. I go over to see if he even has a clue to who I am anymore. I think he might have had brief blank but realized who I was. So I, using cash for the first couple of beers, because I’ve been burned too many times by bartenders. The last beer I paid cash for I gave Matt two five dollar bills expecting my change back for a $6 beer. No change. I drink my beer knowing that the bartender would just say I gave him a five and a one. I decide to overlook it and start a tab even though bars give the consumer no leg to stand on because the consumer is drinking. I also know that when the wrong people get in office… it gets to a point where people take advantage of their customers. Obama, etc. Lecter… I’ve been to bars, I’ve been overcharged by bars. They go out of business. Get rid of Matt. He heavily overcharged my card. Get ahold of your situation. You used to have good help. This is a reflection on you as a person when your business operates this way. My dad owned a business for 53 years. 20 of those years I worked there. I know how a good business operates. It only runs on honesty. This is my honest review and philosophy to give you. Cheers.

Edit: After the reply from the establishment: I would hope that they would want to help me after my review by offering a discount on a future purchase or some kind of peace offering. I see they just assume cut ties with me as a customer. No worries. I’ll have to be okay with that. You win some,...

This is quite simply my favorite place to drink in Wilmington.

The atmosphere is great: punk music from the jukebox, wood everywhere (cedar bar!), variety of beer related signage. Brings in a nice mixed crowd that tends to be mostly 20 somethings. Appropriate amount of lighting dim, but not seedy. There is a nice, but somewhat limited section of seating that includes bar-style outdoor seating on the entrance patio and booth-like table for larger groups. Only during peak hours in the summer will you find yourself standing.

Bartenders know what is on tap and in bottles and can make recommendations based on first hand knowledge. They are also friendly, never have I gotten the vibe of beer snobbery. In the summer it can get a bit busy but I've never had problems getting to bar or waiting longer than a few minutes to be served.

There are usually 19 beers on tap and hundreds of bottles in the coolers, did I mention that you can also buy beer to take-away? Selection of draft beer is highly seasonal and always rotating, often daily. Rarely will you see the same beer on draft twice, and I have yet to encounter a stinker. This is not a mega-bar with hundreds on tap and thousands of bottles: the difference is that Cape Fear only has good stuff.

Only negatives I can think of is that the price is a bit more (dollar or two) than other bars in town. I find that the selection, quality bartenders, and awesome atmosphere more than make up for the extra dollar or two you pay per pint. There are no other bars of this...

Came here with a friend we were visiting from out of state and I really liked it. The craft beers I sampled from my friends were great as well as the mead.

Bartender didn't know how to make my drink which was only 2 ingredients and charged me $15 for it which was a bit much and I didn't really know how to handle that. It wasn't complicated or top shelf ingredients. It was at most, very most, a $10 drink that I usually get at other places for $5-$7 but I was so caught off guard I just paid the $15.

The bathroom was clean. Loved that the they have pinball machines and are dog fiendly, not that I had my dog with me. Would go again for sure.

*edit The drink I ordered was a Godfather, scotch and amaretto over ice in a rocks glass. I can't figure out how to reply to replies. I don't expect every bartender to know every drink ever invented because that's impossible, I was just thrown by how much I was charged. I am from another state so that could...