Rising Tide Coastal Fare & Surfside Bar

Reviews

• RY

  Rhiannan Young

  Jun 18, 2026
  5.0
  We throughly enjoyed the restaurant and bar this week. The peel and eat shrimp are amazing and you must get some tasty drinks from Kellie at the bar outside!
• CS

  Cole Stewart

  Jun 13, 2026
  5.0
  My girlfriend, Crystal, and I found the Crystal Coast Oceanfront Hotel completely by chance. We had nowhere to stay, stopped in on a whim, and were fortunate enough to find a queen room available. What started as a last-minute solution turned into one of the most memorable experiences we’ve ever had. While the hotel was great, the true highlight of our stay was the Rising Tide Restaurant. The hospitality, service, and food were simply outstanding. We have dined at many steakhouses over the years, and this was honestly one of the best dining experiences we’ve ever spent our money on. A special thank you to Bill, Sara, Andrew, and Christian. They made us feel like family from the moment we walked in. Their professionalism, friendliness, attention to detail, and genuine hospitality turned a good trip into an unforgettable one. Because of them, this is where we’ll stay every time we visit Atlantic Beach. In fact, if we ever return anywhere in North Carolina, we’ll make a point to come back to Rising Tide Restaurant just to see Bill, Sara, Andrew, and Christian again.My girlfriend, Crystal, and I found the Crystal Coast Oceanfront Hotel completely by chance. We had nowhere to stay, stopped in on a whim, and were fortunate enough to find a queen room available. What started as a last-minute solution turned into one of the most memorable experiences we’ve ever had. While the hotel was great, the true highlight of our stay was the Rising Tide Restaurant. The hospitality, service, and food were simply outstanding. We have dined at many steakhouses over the years, and this was honestly one of the best dining experiences we’ve ever spent our money on. A special thank you to Bill, Sara, Andrew, and Christian. They made us feel like family from the moment we walked in. Their professionalism, friendliness, attention to detail, and genuine hospitality turned a good trip into an unforgettable one. Because of them, this is where we’ll stay every time we visit Atlantic Beach. In fact, if we ever return anywhere in North Carolina, we’ll make a point to come back to Rising Tide Restaurant just to see Bill, Sara, Andrew, and Christian again.
• MM

  ME ME

  Jun 10, 2026
  2.0
  The overall experience by my family of three was one of frustration. From the moment we arrived we were met w/ a manager who seemed to care less. We had a reservation, and upon announcing the name and reservation we were told "okay it'll be a few minutes" which it was so no big deal- but everything only went downhill from there. Our waiter Logan was generally unfriendly and acted annoyed when we wanted to sit at a particular table- the one he began to seat us at-but then suddenly decided that it was dirty and he didn't want to bother to clean it so he wanted to put us at a different table which was right next to it. I saw nothing wrong with the table and didn't understand what the issue was and we said we would still like to sit here and so we did, upon which he pretty much tossed the menus down and left and said he'd be right back. When we ordered our drinks they took forever, only bringing my son's slushie which was completely void of flavor. When we brought it up and explained it was flavorless he said yeah because they're ready made. I commented they probably need to add a little bit more of the sugar syrup. Maybe 8 to 10 minutes later our two drinks arrived and mine was horrible. The waiter had told us earlier that he was waiting on the drinks and that they were backed up and short-staffed and that he isn't allowed to make them or he would, only to later tell us that he went ahead and made our drinks, which might explain why they were so terrible. Having been a waitress for many years in my younger days a smile and a personality and friendliness can go a long way to make up for the pitfalls of a restaurant but this young man did not seem to grasp that his general demeanor would reflect on his tip ultimately. When we had an issue with our drink it was 10-15 minutes of sitting there not able to tell anybody to get any help with it so my husband had to go in and talk to the manager to have him remove the drink and order me something else. The manager was extremely rude to my husband acting like he was so put out by the issue and told my husband he needed to "be more specific about the drink that was ordered" and despite my husband having given a perfectly fine description that should have been more than enough, the man seemed to want to know the specific menu title which my husband could not fully recall, leading to the manager being quite rude and demanding that he be more specific again when my husband then asked for a dirty Tito martini with olives. When the manager brought the martini out to us- despite the fact my husband told him it was mine he either clearly didn't listen to that element or was disregarding it and trying to make some sort of weird point by putting it down in front of my husband and saying "here you go boss how's that?" I slid the drink over to me tasted it and knowing how he'd treated my husband, then witnessing the tude myself, I simply responded, "It'll do, thanks". From there we waited quite a long time and eventually our crab Lobster Dip arrived. It was very yummy though at first I was concerned as it was quite soupy but it ended up being delicious. However one of my greatest pet peeves while dining out is the rest of our order came only a few min after receiving it, forcing us to pause our enjoyment of it to rearrange the table and make it possible for them to put down all the rest of the food as we tried to quickly then gulp down the appetizer in order to enjoy it before our mains got cold. The food overall - I would give a B+. The flavors were good, and the food was assembled for the most part in an appetizing way. The beach was right there and that was nice and we had a beautiful day weather wise. For reference we ordered the fried green tomatoes which was pretty good. A grouper sandwich which I enjoyed especially when adding the coleslaw to it for extra flavor. The shrimp tacos were a way overloaded and the shrimp was NOT grilled as ordered but seemed poached w/ no flavor. A shame- this place COULD be great with better management and staff. Look for alternatives.
• RP

  Richard Page

  Jun 4, 2026
  1.0
  Currently at dinner.. Ordered a burger.. was returned a cheeseburger.. asked for it to be replaced and after30 mins was returned the same burger less the cheese.. Scraped off .. maybe washed off but obviously same burger. Pretty disappointed and disgusted.. Laziness never wins…. Not even apology from management 👎👎👎
• SK

  Stephan Kaganzev

  May 25, 2026
  5.0
  I believe in giving credit where it is due, and in today’s world, finding not only quality service but also consistently exceptional food can be hard to come by. We found exactly that at Rising Tide Coastal Fare and Surfside Bar. From the moment we arrived, the staff—and Bill, the owner—made an outstanding first impression, and that level of hospitality remained consistent throughout our entire stay at the hotel. One staff member who truly stood out was Kellie, who not only provided exceptional service inside but also managed the outdoor bar with professionalism, friendliness, and a welcoming attitude that made our experience even better. It is important to note that Rising Tide is not operated by the hotel, but is a separate entity located within it—and they absolutely deserve recognition for what they do. From day one, Bill was attentive, friendly, and genuinely welcoming—not just to us, but to every single person who walked through the door. And the food? Absolutely incredible. Let me say it again—the food was incredible. Whether it was breakfast, lunch, or dinner, every meal exceeded expectations. Breakfast portions were just right, and honestly, no matter what you choose, you are likely to leave happy. I personally loved the Country Fried Steak—the country gravy was rich, flavorful, and delicious. One item I wish I had tried earlier in our stay was the Shrimp and Grits, because it was absolutely outstanding. For lunch and dinner, you truly cannot go wrong. The appetizers were excellent, and the Nacho Daddy was a standout favorite—we ordered it multiple times during our stay. In fact, over the week and a half we were there, we sampled just about everything on the menu, and there was not a single disappointment. The seafood was fresh and well-prepared, the fish specials were fantastic, and the portion sizes were consistently spot on. We would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone in the area—whether you are staying at the hotel, visiting from another local property, or even if you are a local resident looking for a great place to eat. Give them a try, and I am confident you will not be disappointed. We know for sure that we will be back—even if it is just to dine at the restaurant again. To Bill, Kellie, and the entire team: you absolutely knocked it out of the park. Keep up the amazing work! Stephan and Lisa K