Elijah's Oyster & Fish Camp — Restaurant in Wilmington

I wish I had something better to say but unfortunately, that is not the case. We’ve been customers at Elijah’s for some time now and have more often than not had pleasant experiences, until recently. This past weekend, we had been excited to go to all of our usual places and try some new ones. On Saturday, we had lunch at Elijah’s and overall had a good experience. It seems there was a brief miscommunication between hostesses, as one hostess told us it was a 30 minute wait for outdoor seating and sent us to another hostess who sat us immediately. Other than that, the food and service was just fine. We left Elijah’s after our meal and went out around town, later that night we decided to try a different restaurant just across the street from Elijah’s for dinner. As we were enjoying our meal, we happened to glance out the window that was diagonally across from Elijah’s and saw a tow truck towing a truck. It took us a minute to actually realize they were towing our truck. We rushed outside just before they were going to take it off to the lot. As it turns out, we had mistakenly parked in the lot right across the street from the restaurant we were dining at that was supposedly reserved for Elijah’s and some other places. When we had parked there, there was absolutely no parking anywhere else and it was late so it was dark and we did not at all see the sign about the parking. The hostess at the restaurant we were having dinner at then told us that their parking lot was next to the building, which we had no idea at the time and that lot also happened to be full. After we had stopped them from taking our truck away and having to pay a hefty fee, we were told by various staff at the restaurant we were dining at that Elijah’s does that all the time. Evidently they have cameras and they watch that lot like a hawk. As soon as we had parked there, they recorded our license plate and watched us walk across the street. The staff told us that it irritates the hell out of them because they will have people towed even when the lot is mostly empty, and when their restaurant is slammed during dinner hours, and Elijah’s is practically abandoned, they still have people towed. After our incident, many other guests at the restaurant with us noticed what happened, and about 6 other people rushed out of the restaurant to move their cars out of that lot. So, evidently it’s a mistake many others make as well. But of course, ours was the only one that was towed and fined. What was honestly just an innocent mistake, turned into a big fiasco that effectively ruined our evening. After discovering what Elijah’s does to people who often make this mistake, even to regular customers who literally dined at their restaurant that very day, it’s safe to say we will not be going back. After reading other people reviews and discovering that they’ve had negative experiences with rather rude staff at Elijah’s, it comes to no surprise to me that they would be callous enough to tow their own customers. So, I hope they are happy, they have effectively lost 4...

This was our last visit. As a family we have been to Elijah's over 30 times. In fact when family visits from other states we always have to visit Elijah's at least once during their stay. We would always get the Shrimp & Cheese bread, and the Shrimp Salad. They were always well done. They are no longer on the menu.

Elijah's recently did a rebranding, they have a new logo and a new menu. And most of our favorite dishes are no longer on the menu. In spite of this, we visited this past Sunday. It was the worst dining experience we've had in Wilmington.

The waitress did her best, and she explained they had a new menu and were getting used to it. We ordered four entrees and two appetizers. The appetizers were served without an issue, but after that things fell apart. After about 15 minutes my father's meal arrived. It was broiled flounder, a tail piece that was broken in four pieces. All told the portion looked to be less than 3oz.

We then proceeded to wait 20 minutes without any other food arriving before being forced to find a manager. During this time a young couple was seated near us, they waited 15 minutes for a waitress to stop at the table. They proceeded to leave. A second group was seated there, a mother and a daughter. And after 10 minutes with no staff visiting the table, I went to find a manager.

I told the manager about the table near us being ignored. He went and apologized, and then came to our table. I explained our issues. He said he would get it fixed. After he left, we waited 10 more minutes at which point a second manager arrived. He apologized, and said he would get it fixed. After 10 minutes the second manager returned to our table, apologized again and asked what we had ordered. After we relayed our order, we waited 5 more minutes before food finally arrived.

My father did not receive another meal, my Shrimp Tacos were missing 3 of the toppings on the menu. They were also doused in tarter sauce instead of the Cilantro lime crema. The manager never returned to the table after the food arrived. I have to assume he knew the order was still incorrect when it finally landed. We were comped our meal. We gave the waitress a large tip as it was not her fault. As we were leaving the table behind us were requesting all of the missing components of their Shrimp Tacos.

All told it was roughly 55 minutes from the time of order to the time the food arrived. And the food was incorrect when finally served. I heard 4 seperate tables complain or leave during our visit. Neither manager came back to the table after food was served to check on us. It is very sad this Wilmington institution is no longer a place we can recommend. Moreover we would now caution anyone we know...

I have lived in Wilmington for 20 years and been going to Elijah's for a long time. Lately I have to say it is not been that great. Last night was probably the worst. My wife and I went to the bar around 5:00 PM to enjoy a couple dozen oysters, some shrimp and a couple of drinks. As we sat down we got to hear Myley Cyrus being played so loud it was hard to have a converstaion with anyone. I love music, but restaurants should have music as background for atmosphere keeping the volume set accordingly. When we sat down we were immediately asked if we wanted to start off with a drink. I ordered a beer and the bartender went over to get it. About halfway through the pour the keg emptied. .She asked for it to be changed and I said no problem waiting. She then left serving to go count out the money in the cash drawer. Upon finishing about ten minutes later she came over to continue with my beer. She then did something I have never seen any bartender do. Instead of pouring me a fresh beer, she mixed the fresh beer with the warm beer that been sitting in the glass for all that time. I didn't say anything, but in hindsight should have. However, isn't that common sense? My wife and I both bartended and were dumbfounded with that move. Anyway.....the oysters came out and were delicious. The peel and eat shrimp were not. Correctly steamed FRESH shrimp will separate very easily from the shell. The steam creates moisture which separates the shell from the meat. However, when overcooked or re-cooked that moisture disappears and the shells will be like glue to remove. Our shrimp were dry and like glue. All that means is they are laying around pre-cooked and if you want them hot you get them steamed again which of course drys them out even more. Fresh shrimp take 3-5 minutes to cook. There is no excuse for them not to be fresh. In addition, we asked for Old Bay and had a sprinkle at best. You could hardly taste it. Upon finishing we had to ask a passing busboy/server for wipes for our hands. Again a common sense miss. I hope management reads this and at least tries to fix what I see as issues tht should be fixed. Elijahs has a great location and has been there forever. I will return and am hoping to have a much better...