Tower 7 Baja Mexican Grill — Restaurant in Wrightsville Beach

I’ve been visiting Tower 7 since my college days—basically since right after it opened. I bought my first surfboard, a beautiful WRV from Sweet Water surf shop in 01. Over the years, I’ve watched this little spot grow and change. Every summer, without fail, I visit the beach—and I always come to Tower 7. It’s become an icon of my summers; a tradition. I've introduced it to my children who now know what Tower 7 is and ask for it. I’m 42 now, so we’re talking about 20 years of memories. If I weren't 2 hours away, I'd come to eat more often!

Tower 7 has always felt like my special little hole-in-the-wall. The chips and salsa? My favorite. And the margaritas? Also my favorite!

Over the last few years, I’ll admit, I noticed a slight decline—nothing major, but enough to dim the magic a little. I chalked it up to the pandemic. Outdated. The bathrooms and hallway needed renovating, the ventilation wasn’t great, the front felt cramped with all the extra seating crammed in, and the menus were outdated. Presentation of food was different. Even the vibe from the staff seemed off. But I kept coming back—because this place means something to me. I never felt it was worth not visiting, though.

Yesterday was my first visit of the summer, and I was so happy to see changes. The hostess stand has been updated and is way more functional and welcoming, pushed back and kind of separates the kitchen hustle & bustle from the seating area. That crowded seating area to the right when you walk in? Gone. The hallway and bathrooms have been completely renovated, now featuring beautiful tiling and a much fresher atmosphere. I don't feel like I'm going to collide with staff going in or out of the kitchen (lol). Best of all—the energy is back.

A quick tip: aim to visit around 5 p.m.—it gets packed after that, and parking along Breeza and the surrounding strip can be tough.

And a word to the wise: if you’re expecting authentic, traditional Mexican food—don’t. This is Tex-Mex, and it’s good. If you’re from California, remember—you’re on the East Coast. That authentic Cali flavor you’re used to just isn’t going to be here. So please don’t come with that expectation. What you will find is good food in a surfy beach spot, with the spirit of beach life infused throughout. Surf videos play on the TVs, surfboards and logos line the walls—Tower 7 lives and breathes its location.

I also have Celiac Disease, and I’ve always felt safe here. Their corn tortillas are handmade, and I’ve never had an issue/gotten sick. The staff are knowledgeable and never make me feel like a burden when I have questions or want to try something new. That matters. A lot! Just ask - there's a few sauces that aren't safe.

I cherish this place. I’m genuinely glad it’s still here, still evolving, and still delivering those summer memories for me...

I lived on Wrightsville Beach for years and this was a go-to. Never once had a bad experience and recommended it to everyone. I visited Wilmington again for the first time in a few years and was very excited to show the group I brought from out of town one of my favorite restaurants. It’s completely changed and I couldn’t be more bummed.

Beyond the loss of charm with the new renovations and now weird vibe with harsh overhead lighting (feels much more “corporate” like they sold out to some company), the chips were cold, salsa wasn’t the same, fish burrito is off the menu, prices went up, our margaritas were served separated - like they waited too long to bring them to us and couldn’t be bothered to pour them from the frozen machine again. Most importantly, we ordered the tuna fajitas which came out lukewarm and all 3 of us who tried them got the same weird painful feeling in our mouths (similar to an allergic reaction) like the tuna wasn’t served or prepared properly. We immediately stopped eating them or I’m sure we would’ve gotten sick.

I’ve worked in the service industry for years and never left a google review but this experience was so unfortunate from a place that was once so incredible. I understand the need for updates but not drastically losing quality or care for food that people know and love. I miss the...

This was a super disappointing experience, given the ratings. We started with Queso Blanco and it was dropped on our table without a word. It had a thick skin on it, so I knew before we actually tasted it that it had been sitting out for a long time and that was true. It was room temp. Not even warm. I got the K38 fish taco with black beans. The tortilla tasted like they'd just pulled it out of the Mission Tortilla packet right from the store and the beans were clearly canned beans that were just warmed up. You know that canned flavor? That's what these tasted like.

My partner got the Island Tuna tacos, which didn't taste like they had any jerk seasoning at all. The tuna itself was a sad, muted, almost brown color instead of the pink it should have been. And his refried beans had that canned flavor, too.

The service was ok, but everything took ages longer than it should have. It was pretty busy when we got there, so we were prepared for service to be a little slow, but probably 20 minutes after we ordered (and another 10 or 15 before we actually got our food, I think), my partner made a comment about how he didn't remember ever waiting this long for tacos before.

We won't go back, which is a bummer because it's so convenient...