Dock Street Oyster Bar

OVERRATED - FOOD NOT WORTH THE PRICE TAG! I am a true food enthusiast and take many aspects into account. If the overall Google reviews were more realistic, I would have given Dock Street a max 3.0 rating for my specific meal. Dock Street is a quaint little place in the heart of Downtown Wilmington, N.C., just off the River Walk. At first glance, it was a bit disturbing to see the closeness of tables during this time of COVID. However, it was off-peak hours, so social distancing was easily observed. The "$$" cost is on point, but the food doesn't warrant the price. My particular meal consisted of an appetizer, entree and a cocktail: The Oysters Rockefeller ($13.99) were small, two still had grit (either sand or shell bits), most of the muscles were improperly severed, and all were overly salty. Skip the saltines...they're from the 19th century. Catch of the Day ($18.49) was a SINGLE catfish FILLET with a choice of an abundance of two sides. The catfish was grilled to perfection, but that's it. I ordered it blackened, yet had little flavor. The saving grace was their freshly made tartar sauce. Bottle that up and I would consider buying it at a reasonable price. I chose seasoned potatoes & steamed broccoli with sesame sauce. Virtually nothing could salvage the potatoes. They were boiled in unsalted water which makes any topical seasoning senseless. The broccoli was bland, approximately 2-minutes underdone to reach al-dente, and not completely strained of excess water. We asked for more of the sesame sauce on the side, dipped some of the softer pieces of broccoli in...tasty. Martinis - we each had a different martini. If nothing else, they are made really well and appropriately priced. Mine was $10.50. Service was ok, not bad, but not stellar. We had to ask for everything - her name, water refills, salt & pepper, sauces, extra napkins... Dock Street Oyster Bar - NOT WORTH THE PRICE TAG UPDATE: In response to the owner, I gave credit where warranted (grilling, sauces, cocktails). May I suggest that rather than taking a defensive position, seek to elevate on-point seasoning and train servers to anticipate and observe.
Sep 18th, 2020

Heard about this place from a friend so we thought we’d try it out. First, all their covid-19 cleaning materials are on the first table you see as you enter. It looked like they had just opened after years of being shut down, the inside was cramped and stuffy with things scattered everywhere. We both ordered the shrimp with bay seasoning, came with potatoes and corn. The potatoes and corn had 0 seasoning, not even a lick of butter or bay seasoning, it looked like they just sprinkled it on the shrimp. Also, why would you serve a butter flavored oil in a ramekin along with cocktail sauce? The oysters Rockefeller were really the only thing good. $100 early dinner I feel could have been better all around.
Aug 29th, 2020

Food was good, customer service was not.
Jun 29th, 2020

Jun 20th, 2020

Dock Street Oyster bar has been one of the very best places to dine in Wilmington. We have been coming to this place for the last two decades and it never disappoints. Even during these hard times, Dock Street has done everything possible to accommodate their customers. Please continue to support this local business, the fibers in the thread of Wilmington! (Also has the best Manhattan Clam chowder in town!)
Jun 17th, 2020