I have never been to a place where you have to season your own food. Potatoes, crab legs, shrimp. None of it was seasoned. The Shrimp smells putrid. I think an employee on their break served me my macaroni from their personal bowl from home. We waited an hour for our cold food. It’s so bad, I’m sitting here writing this instead of eating my food. The only thing that could offend me more will be the check should we ever receive it. Everything was bad with the exception of the view. We should have just went home and made our hello fresh meal.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$30–50
Food: 1
Service: 1
Atmosphere: 1
At the recommendation of a very good friend, we ate at Buddy’s on our last night in Surf City. Talk about saving the best for last! First, they don’t take reservations so get there early. Second, the parking can be tight but it’s worth the walk. We sat on the deck and the view was spectacular. Once seated our server took our drink orders and appetizers. The fried calamari and crabby shrimp dip were perfection. My two favorite beach soups are she crab soup and clam chowder. The clam
chowder at Buddy’s did not disappoint. It was chunky with clams, potatoes, and celery. We all ordered the blackened grouper with various sides. I opted for salad and mac ‘n’ cheese. The portions were so huge, I seriously had to take most of it to go but what I ate was absolutely the best meal I had at Surf City. If you want a great ocean view, wonderful service, delicious food, and laidback beach vibe then make sure to try Buddy’s. You’ll thank me later.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$20–30
Recommended dishes
Grouper
Great selection of seafood, and their brunch menu is just perfect for a fall Sunday , they have these special Apple flavoured mimosas and margaritas, these are fantastic … go check them out
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Brunch
Price per person
$10–20
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Recommended dishes
Fried Shrimp
I’m normally a huge fan of Buddy’s. I was thrilled for them to finally be open again for the season, but when I went I was shocked at how poorly the (new?) manager was treating her employees. She yelled at them in front of customers numerous times. She then proceeded to fill water guns and spray her workers, and encouraged them to spray each other. While customers were there, in the line of fire, eating and drinking. I’m all for people having fun at work, but this was extreme. They also changed their mozzarella sticks, which was fine…until about an hour later. Not sure if it was bad grease or mishandling of food. Hopefully as the season picks up things will go back to the normal Buddy’s we know and love.
Service
Dine in
This is definitely a great place to eat. We were in town visiting friends and they said we must take y’all here. I opted for the fried fish tacos and boy was I pleased. I knew it was good when our daughter who is a picky eater praised the food. We will definitely be back for more.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Lunch
Price per person
$10–20
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Recommended dishes
Fish & Chips
Very friendly bartender! She was friendly, intuitive, and suggestive. Took care of all of her patrons well. Food was great! Taylor was our bartender and she was bubbly and friendly. A great personality behind the bar. Blown away by the bar and grill. So much so that we came back 4 nights in a row because we felt very at home here!
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$100+
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Recommended dishes
Fries
Food was good, drinks were cold, and service was awesome. The view from my table was worthy of being in the movies. Absolutely beautiful!
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Had the fish tacos and fish and chips... Both were good.. our waitress was very young but very knowledgeable about the menu and local area. The food was served quickly and we ate outdoors right on the beach. What a wonderful way to spend part of an afternoon.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Lunch
Price per person
$20–30
Food: 4
Service: 4
Atmosphere: 5
Recommended dishes
Fish & Chips
I can't speak highly enough about my experiences at Buddy's. I've eaten here for lunch and dinner and the food and drinks are just what you want while sitting inches from the sand.
Once I foolishly lost my wallet on the premises (too many drinks maybe) and it was returned to me fully intact (including a significant amount of cash).
Matt is a class act and the staff are top notch.
The pirate decor is the cherry on top.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$20–30
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Service is friendly. Bartenders are fun. You go here for a drink and the atmosphere. Beach view is amazing. Food is not their strong suit. It looks good. It's not.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$10–20
Food: 2
Service: 4
Atmosphere: 5
Recommended dishes
Crab Dip
