This year, Wilmington’s culinary talent took center stage at the North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association’s 2026 Chef Showdown grand finale at Durham’s Bay 7, where the competition marked its 10th anniversary. Among the evening’s top honors was a double win for Sugo Italian Steakhouse’s Charmaine Devine, who was named NCRLA Pastry Chef of the Year and also took home People’s Choice Best Dessert—a fitting recognition for a chef whose culinary journey has been anything

Sixteen years after opening its doors—celebrating the milestone on 3 November—William Mellon's downtown Wilmington restaurant remains one of the city's constants. Helmed in the kitchen by Carson Jewell, it continues to serve thoughtful, beautiful food without chasing trends or shouting for attention. While louder restaurants come and go, manna has mastered something far rarer: staying power.

For Nick Lini, a career in restaurants started at an early age. Growing up on the North Carolina coast, he often accompanied his father, a food representative, getting a behind-the-scenes look at professional kitchens. He started in the dish pit at 16 and has been in the industry ever since. A 2015 graduate of Cape Fear Community College’s culinary program, Lini now brings his coastal roots and steakhouse experience together as Executive Chef at G PRIME Steak & Cellar.

For this feature, Cape Fear Living has hand-selected six restaurants that we believe represent some of the very best steak experiences in the Wilmington area. This is not an open directory or a list of every restaurant serving steak. Each destination was chosen for its quality, craftsmanship, hospitality and the overall dining experience it delivers.

A great wine list should do more than impress. It should tell a story—of place, of food, and of the people behind the bottle. At Sugo Italian Steakhouse, that philosophy has earned national recognition with the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence 2026, honoring a thoughtfully curated wine program that brings together the depth and diversity of Italy with the richness and structure needed to complement the restaurant’s steakhouse experience.

Great cooking starts with knowing your ingredients—and when it comes to meat, there’s no better place to start than with your butcher. In From the Butcher’s Block, Cape Fear Living partners with The Butcher’s Market to explore a different cut of meat each month, taking readers from the butcher’s counter to the dinner table. With expert guidance from owner Smith Prevost, each installment offers a closer look at the cut itself, along with tips for selecting, preparing and cooki

Some restaurants are built around a menu. Others are built around a philosophy. At Salita, every pizza begins with a simple belief: if you care deeply about your people, your ingredients, and your community, everything else falls into place.

This summer, Cape Fear Living presents The Cape Fear Beer Trail: 6 Breweries Worth Visiting This Summer—a curated lineup of standout destinations across the region, chosen for the way they define the local brewing experience rather than the size of the list.

Two hundred and fifty years deserves more than fireworks. It calls for a table filled with good food, great company, and recipes that celebrate the flavours of an American summer. Brought to you by Cape Fear Living, this America 250 celebration menu features a vibrant heirloom tomato and burrata salad, bourbon-glazed ribeye, sweet corn kissed by the grill, and a berry shortcake worthy of the occasion.

Summer on the Cape Fear Coast is made for slow evenings, good company, and a perfectly crafted drink in hand. From rooftop lounges and waterfront patios to hidden gems serving up creative seasonal pours, the region’s cocktail scene continues to bring fresh flavors, local ingredients, and unforgettable experiences to the table. In The Summer Sip List: Who’s Shaking the Best Summer Cocktails?, Cape Fear Living uncovers the destinations raising the bar on summer sipping—highligh

May is #burgermonth, and while burger love is truly a subjective thing, we've selected our 5 favorite burgers done brilliantly.

Meet the Chef Olivero, Sunny Gerhart

Indulge in the marriage of breakfast and lunch, here are the best brunch eateries in Wilmington, NC

Spring doesn’t arrive all at once—it stretches the days, softens the evenings, and invites you to slow down with something refreshing in hand. At Dram & Draught Wilmington, that seasonal shift is captured not just in a glass, but in an entire experience.

For Executive Chef Jon Mitchell, the path to Perla Raw Bar feels both intentional and serendipitous. A Chapel Hill native with deep ties to Coastal North Carolina, Mitchell returned to the region after honing his craft in New York City, drawn by both a personal pull toward the coast and the opportunity to help shape something new.

At Tomiko-San, Executive Chefs James Nash and Bobby Watkins embrace Japanese cuisine with reverence and innovation. The veteran collaborators share a mission to introduce Wilmington diners to an authentic, nuanced presentation of Japanese food, grounded in tradition, precision, and deep respect for ingredients.

Looking for beautiful latte art, ethically sourced beans, or fun, one-of-a-kind beverages? Here are our top picks.

With a career rooted in Maine and shaped by two decades of experience across a wide range of kitchens, the Executive Chef at The Sounder brings a thoughtful, globally influenced approach to Coastal American cuisine.

Rooted in memory, water, and community, The Sounder is more than Wilmington’s newest coastal restaurant—it’s a love letter to the Cape Fear way of life.

As icy winter weather sweeps over the Cape Fear region, cocktails turn inward. Brightness gives way to depth. Citrus softens, bitterness deepens, and drinks slow down—meant to be held, not rushed. This is the season of stirred spirits, fortified wines, smoke, fat-washing, and quiet complexity. Cocktails that feel intentional. Protective. Built for long nights and cold air.