Every Wilmington food list in one place: wings, pizza, Mexican, barbecue, breakfast, burgers, sushi, desserts, bakeries and patios inside the city limits.

Last checked Oct. 11, 2026. Refreshed every three months.

Wilmington’s restaurants cluster downtown, on and around Front, Market, Water and Princess streets near the Riverwalk, with newer groups in the Cargo District on South 16th and 17th streets and the Brooklyn Arts District on North Fourth Street. Away from the river, most restaurants line Oleander Drive, College Road and Market Street, with more at Mayfaire, Lumina Station and The Pointe at Barclay. Each list below covers one kind of food, with addresses, hours as each place publishes them and phone numbers.

How we make these lists. Each list starts from OpenStreetMap, the data behind our local directory, filtered to Wilmington’s city limits, plus the Downtown Wilmington dining directory and the chains’ own store lists. We check every place against its own website and every address against the city limits with the U.S. Census Bureau’s address lookup. Places in Porters Neck, Ogden and south of Monkey Junction often share the Wilmington mailing address but are in unincorporated New Hanover County, so they are not on these lists. The lists are alphabetical. They are not rankings or recommendations, and nobody pays to be on them. Run a restaurant? Write to us to correct an entry or to be added.

The lists

Where to get wings. Nine places, from downtown pubs and brewpubs to Hooters on Market Street, a wing chain on South College Road and a neighborhood pub in Masonboro and Midtown.

Where to get pizza. Fifteen places at 22 addresses: late-night slices and a brewery pizzeria downtown, wood-fired pies in the Cargo District and at Mayfaire, and the delivery chains on Oleander Drive and College Road.

Mexican and Tex-Mex restaurants. Eleven places, from downtown taco shops to a local burrito barn on Oleander Drive and a Wilmington fresh-Mex chain with four locations in the city.

Where to get barbecue. Four restaurants, including a family buffet and a smoked-meat restaurant on Oleander Drive.

Breakfast and coffee. Seventeen breakfast spots and coffee shops, most of them downtown on Front Street, with breakfast houses on College Road and at Lumina Station.

Where to get burgers. Nine places, from downtown pubs to a smash burger shop in the Cargo District.

Sushi and Asian restaurants. Eight sushi, hibachi, Thai and Vietnamese restaurants downtown and along Market Street and College Road.

Ice cream and desserts. Six shops, most near the Riverwalk, including a gelateria and a homemade ice cream maker.

Bakeries. Four bakeries and doughnut shops, downtown, near UNCW and near Mayfaire.

Patios and outdoor dining. Ten places whose own sites name a patio, garden or beer garden.

More food guides

Frequently asked questions

Where are most of Wilmington’s restaurants?

The biggest cluster is downtown, on and around Front, Market, Water and Princess streets near the Riverwalk, with more in the Cargo District and the Brooklyn Arts District. Away from the river, restaurants line Oleander Drive, College Road and Market Street, with more at Mayfaire, Lumina Station and The Pointe at Barclay.

How does Wilmington Daily choose which restaurants to list?

Every list starts from OpenStreetMap records inside the city limits and the Downtown Wilmington dining directory, and each place is checked against its own website. Lists are alphabetical. They are not rankings, and nobody pays to be listed.

Are Porters Neck, Ogden and Monkey Junction restaurants on these lists?

Only where the address is inside Wilmington’s city limits. Much of Porters Neck, Ogden and the area south of Monkey Junction has a Wilmington mailing address but is in unincorporated New Hanover County, so those places are left off.

How do I get a restaurant added or corrected?

Use our contact page. We refresh every list every three months and add places we can confirm from their own website or an official directory.