Marina Joe’s is officially beginning its soft opening in Surf City today.
The new waterfront restaurant announced on Facebook that its soft opening starts Thursday from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m., with the restaurant saying, “The tables are set” and “today is the start of something we’ve been working toward for a long time.”
Located at 209 N. New River Drive, Marina Joe’s describes itself as a waterfront restaurant and bar built around fresh coastal food, cold drinks, and dockside views. The restaurant’s own website leans into the tagline “Savor the Sunset,” which fits the soundside location and the images the restaurant has been sharing across its social accounts.
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About Marina Joe’s
Marina Joe’s is opening in one of Surf City’s most visible waterfront corridors, close to the bridge and along the soundside stretch of N. New River Drive.
The restaurant has been sharing buildout updates, sunset views, interior photos, deck seating, menu previews, hiring posts, and opening updates through its social channels. Recent photos show a bright dining room, waterfront deck seating, marina views, and branded opening graphics announcing the soft opening.
Earlier this spring, Port City Daily reported that Marina Joe’s was being developed as a two-story waterfront restaurant with indoor and outdoor dining, roughly 170 seats, and deck space facing the Intracoastal Waterway.
Menu Highlights
The Marina Joe’s menu includes lunch, dinner, drinks, kids options, desserts, cocktails, mocktails, beer, and wine.
Seafood is a major part of the menu, with options such as local oysters on the half shell, jumbo roasted shrimp cocktail, tuna poke nachos, roasted oysters, mussels, seafood chowder, shrimp and grits, cioppino, fresh catch, glazed salmon, grilled swordfish, and fried seafood platters.
The menu also includes handhelds and casual options, including a crispy fish sandwich, seared ahi sandwich, Marina Burger, Dockside Steak Melt, fried green tomato sandwich, Cubano, Banh Mi, and Joe’s Chicken Sandwich.
For families, the kids menu lists fried shrimp, mac and cheese, chicken tenders, and grilled cheese, all served with fries.
Drinks
The drinks menu includes cocktails, mocktails, draft beer, bottles and cans, wines by the glass, and wine bottles.
Cocktails listed on the website include Mezcal Punch, Basil Lemon Spritz, Tropical Tide, Savor The Sunset, Marina Cantina, and Summer Smash. Mocktails include Dockside Lemonade, Coconut Current, Marina Mist, Captain Joe’s Cooler, and Harbor Breeze Mule.
The draft beer list includes names from Wilmington Brewery, Salty Turtle Beer Co., Surf City Brewing, and Topsail Island Brewing.
Hours of Operation
For Thursday’s soft opening, Marina Joe’s announced hours of 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. The restaurant’s website currently lists regular hours as:
- Monday: 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
- Tuesday – Thursday: 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Friday: 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Saturday: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Sunday: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Because the restaurant is just entering its soft opening period, visitors should check Marina Joe’s website or social accounts before making firm plans.
Location
Marina Joe’s
209 N. New River Drive
Surf City, NC 28445
The restaurant is located on the sound side of Surf City, with waterfront views and deck seating shown in recent photos shared by the business.
Private Parties & Events
Marina Joe’s website includes pages for events and private parties.
The events page currently tells visitors to stay tuned for upcoming events. The private parties page promotes the restaurant for birthdays, cocktail parties, corporate events, engagements, showers, themed events, and other gatherings.
Why This Opening Matters
Marina Joe’s arrives just as Memorial Day weekend and the summer season begin to ramp up around Topsail Island.
New waterfront restaurants tend to draw quick local interest in Surf City, especially when they combine soundside views, outdoor seating, seafood, cocktails, and a location close to the island’s main traffic flow. Marina Joe’s appears to be entering that lane with a broad menu and a setting built around the water.
The next few days will give locals and visitors their first chance to see how the new restaurant settles in.
Quick Details
- Restaurant: Marina Joe’s
- Address: 209 N. New River Drive, Surf City, NC 28445
- Soft opening: Begins Thursday from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m.
- Website: MarinaJoes.com
- Facebook: Marina Joe’s on Facebook
- Instagram: @marina_joes
