"Seafood Capital of the World"

After I had responded to ocdreamr regarding the "Bolivia & Holden Beach NC" topic, it occured to me that my Calabash, NC information should be in the Seafood forum (so I will write it up here since I don't know how to transfer).
Calabash is a tiny fishing village in coastal North Carolina just 1 mile north of the border with South Carolina, about 25 miles from Myrtle Beach and about 50 miles south of Wilmington, NC. They bill themselves as "Seafood Capital of the World" because of the concentration of seafood restaurants in the village. Calabash consists of 15 to 20 world class (mainly fried) seafood restaurants, some golf courses and little else. Visitors to the the beaches from Myrtle Beach to Wilmington find their way there to make up overflow crowds just about any summer night. I have eaten at most of the restaurants there at some time, and have never been disappointed. I usually just choose the restaurant with the shortest wait and dive in--but I will always stop at "Dockside" first.
Restaurants all over North Carolina from the Asheville and Boone mountains through Charlotte, Greensboro and Raleigh to the coast will have "Calabash Style Shrimp" on their menu--and the Calabash lightly breaded method of preparing small shrimp is unique. AND they all serve "hushpuppies".
Visit www.townofcalabashnc.com for some seafood recipes and to get some history of the Calabash area.
If you have never visited this section of the Carolinas, I would urge you to treat yourself to the beaches, seafood, golf courses and resort islands of Brunswick County, NC and Horry County, SC. You will remember your visit (but check to be sure that there are no hurricanes on the way, or you will REALLY remember it). I love the little town of Southport, NC, the Oak Island beaches just south of Southport and Baldhead and Figure 8 Islands.Is anyone else familiar with Calabash?

I used to eat at Calabash all the time ! Great food. But now I prefer Murrell's Inlet better. I go to Nance's for fresh Murrell's inlet steamed oysters and fresh shrimp.

I like Murrel's inlet, too. But I quit Myrtle Beach when it turned into Branson East and now limit myself to the North Carolina and to Georgia/Charleston coasts.

Yeah, Myrtle Beach has really gotten ridiculous ! Whenever my family goes, we always stay at either Garden City, Pawley's Island or Litchfield. We never even go up to MB ... too crowded and too COMMERCIAL !!!

Yup. Highly recommend Ella's seafood restaurant in Calabash. A family-owned seafood "dynasty" since the 1950s ! Yum !!!

I agree that Dockside is the best Seafood Place in Calabash. We also go to Murrels Inlet. Drunken Jacks is good, but Murrells Inlet is pricier than the places in Calabash. I don't even eat at the places right in Myrtle Beach. We try to stay away from that area. We prefer Garden City and just drive up to Calabash to eat

quote:

Originally posted by Hillbilly

After I had responded to ocdreamr regarding the "Bolivia & Holden Beach NC" topic, it occured to me that my Calabash, NC information should be in the Seafood forum (so I will write it up here since I don't know how to transfer).
Calabash is a tiny fishing village in coastal North Carolina just 1 mile north of the border with South Carolina, about 25 miles from Myrtle Beach and about 50 miles south of Wilmington, NC. They bill themselves as "Seafood Capital of the World" because of the concentration of seafood restaurants in the village. Calabash consists of 15 to 20 world class (mainly fried) seafood restaurants, some golf courses and little else. Visitors to the the beaches from Myrtle Beach to Wilmington find their way there to make up overflow crowds just about any summer night. I have eaten at most of the restaurants there at some time, and have never been disappointed. I usually just choose the restaurant with the shortest wait and dive in--but I will always stop at "Dockside" first.
Restaurants all over North Carolina from the Asheville and Boone mountains through Charlotte, Greensboro and Raleigh to the coast will have "Calabash Style Shrimp" on their menu--and the Calabash lightly breaded method of preparing small shrimp is unique. AND they all serve "hushpuppies".
Visit www.townofcalabashnc.com for some seafood recipes and to get some history of the Calabash area.
If you have never visited this section of the Carolinas, I would urge you to treat yourself to the beaches, seafood, golf courses and resort islands of Brunswick County, NC and Horry County, SC. You will remember your visit (but check to be sure that there are no hurricanes on the way, or you will REALLY remember it). I love the little town of Southport, NC, the Oak Island beaches just south of Southport and Baldhead and Figure 8 Islands.
Is anyone else familiar with Calabash?

yes, great seafood area. also, try crab catchers in little river, sc. i like sitting on the deck and watching the boats while dining.

As mentioned in my post on MB & NMB restaurants, the best value for lunch is Colemans in Calabash (next to the Dockside), served from 11 to 4 pm. Price $6.50. Best bang for the buck up and down the Strand. It is in my opinion what Calabash style sea food is all about.