Best of Wilmington -- Nightlife 2022

Bar

Seven Mile Post Pub

910-821-0036

sevenmilepost.com

Located seven miles from the heart of Wilmington, just outside the municipal limits, a new pub (in the former home of a longtime watering hole) has been welcoming neighbors for a drink since it opened in 2019. The bartenders are super friendly. Bring a dollar the first time you visit to pay the member fee (a small courtesy that helps them operate within the local ordinance guidelines). Drinks are cheaper here than in many bars in the area, so you get a good deal. Definitely packed on the weekend, it offers more than a lively scene. It’s your favorite bar.

Club

Pour Taproom

910-769 1980

pourtaproomilm.com

A fun and exciting beer garden with 70 rotating taps and good food for less than $10, Pour Taproom is a downtown Wilmington watering hole where you pay by the ounce. You can try a few ounces and then switch it up if you want a different sip. No regrets, no risk, just a new way to enjoy a variety of beer and wine while supporting local and regional innovative craft brewing. The mastermind behind all the signature cocktails and monthly drink specials is bar manager Charles Auten, who has been with Pour Taproom since the very beginning in 2017.

Cocktail

The Blind Elephant

910-833-7175

blindelephantspeakeasy.com

The Blind Elephant is a Prohibition era-style speakeasy that operates right in the middle of downtown Wilmington and serves 1920s spirits, bourbons, moonshine, and cocktails. It has a large selection of bourbons, and its creations rotate every two months. Enter the Smith Alley off Front Street, walk a few steps, and knock on the door with a sliding window — no password is needed. ​Live music is featured regularly with no cover. The Blind Elephant hosts monthly whiskey tastings, an annual Great Gatsby Bash, and an Oscar party.

Craft Brewer

Waterline Brewing Co.

910-777-5599

waterlinebrewing.com

Operating in a rehabilitated section of the old Jacobi Hardware warehouse on Surry Street just under the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge, Waterline Brewing Co. features a beautiful taproom, outdoor beer garden, and plenty of parking. Join tours where the staff explains the brewing process and describes the history and details of the historic structure built in the 1930s and 1940s with concrete block, cinder block, and rough-cut heart-pine timbers. Live music is featured outside when temperature and weather allow. For the latest on live music, food trucks, beer releases, and special events, check its Facebook or Instagram pages.

Late Night Menu

Block Taco

910-399-2796

facebook.com/BlockTaco

Block Taco is a neighborhood taco stand featuring a la carte tacos with a saucy flair that even your mother would be proud of. After you order at the window, find a seat nearby so you hear your name when your order is ready. You can put extra toppings like cilantro, pickled onions, radishes, and jalapeños on your food at the fresh condiment bar. The bar next door makes it easy to grab a beer. Block Taco is one of those hidden gems that only the cool kids know, so be cool and check it out.

Pub/Tavern

Tavern 14

910-769-2225

facebook.com/tavern14

Hell yeah! Tavern 14 is a repeat winner. It’s the bar whose welcome chant is “Hell yeah!” not “Hello.” With more than 20 flatscreen TVs and multiple pool tables, you’ll be more than entertained as you enjoy superior food and beverages. The 14 taps (coincidentally matching the tavern’s name) and more than 100 beer and liquor choices make you want to linger for a few extra moments after you have eaten your food. Open daily for lunch and serving a late-night menu too, Tavern 14 is just the casual home away from home that you’ve been looking for.

Specialty Drinks

Elijah’s

910-343-1448

elijahs.com

The specialty drinks at Elijah’s are as legendary as the downtown Riverwalk where this casual American grill and oyster bar is located. While you enjoy the superb outdoor seating and incredible scenery of the riverfront, let the Cape Fear Squall, one of the specialty drinks, help you tell a story or two. Another one, the Shark Bite, can be enjoyed with no fear or pain unlike if you were in the surf. You know that you are at Elijah’s when you can order a Dark and Storm and contemplate what the next gale will bring to the coast. 

Wine List

The Second Glass

910-399-7486

secondglasswinebar.com

The second glass is better than the last, especially at The Second Glass, a wine bar where culinary creations, great conversations, and memorable experiences bring out the nuances of each glass. Get ready to step into a different kind of evening. This seasonally driven, wine-focused restaurant with southern and French influences and an eclectic wine list always has a fresh, local seafood special. The cheese and charcuterie board is another popular favorite. The Second also loves good gnocchi and crafts the perfect pasta to pair superbly with the season’s freshest flavors.

Wine Store

Bridgewater Wines + Dines

910-408-1900

bridgewaterwines.com

Every bottle of wine has a story to tell. Imagine what you can learn from Doug and Susan Zucker, owners of Bridgewater Wines + Dines with locations in Leland and Porters Neck. Take advantage of the relationships he formed with many wineries around the world while working in the New York area at the wine mecca Stew Leonard’s. Her background in culinary education has been instrumental in crafting a menu that not only pairs with but enhances the wines. Browse the wines in an inviting, comfortable environment or relax at the wine bar with a glass of wine and a selection of appetizers.