Salt, sand and ice cream can be essential ingredients for the perfect beach vacation, and local ice cream shops have been supplying that experience for decades.  Squigley’s Ice Cream & Treats, opened by Ann and Joe Coen in 1995 in Carolina Beach, offers 24 flavors of ice cream and thousands of flavor possibilities with its Squigley ice ...

There’s no shortage of places to go in the Wilmington area for a cup of coffee, including dozens of locally owned shops. “More people caring about quality coffee is ultimately a good thing for all of us,” said Kevin Welch, vice president of operations and marketing at Port City Java. “We’re super excited about what’s happening in our ...

The owners of Drift Coffee & Kitchen have grounds to celebrate. They’ve opened a coffee roastery in Monkey Junction, along with another coffee shop and company headquarters, at 5315 South College Road.  “We’ve always been interested in the whole process of coffee, from the actual agricultural side to the roasting distribution,” said M ...

Stepping into Monaco Market feels at first like going into any other convenience store in the area, but in a shopping center. A quick look around reveals that Monaco Market is nothing like any other store in town.   The store, located in the University Landing shopping center on South College Road near the University of North Carolina Wilmington, brings a variety of ...

Giorgios Bakatsias has a vision for the restaurant space that, up until Sunday, housed Tequila Comida & Cantina Waterfront in downtown Wilmington. The contemporary Mexican restaurant closed Monday at 14 Harnett St., following a “mutual and amicable decision” between building owner and developer Zephyr Development Co. and brothers Ramón and Mi ...

Tequila’s Comida & Cantina Waterfront closed in downtown Wilmington on Monday. The contemporary Mexican restaurant, which opened at 14 Harnett St. in 2024, is closing “following a mutual and amicable decision between partners Zephyr Development Co. and brothers Ramón and Miguel Villaseñor,” according to a news release. A second Tequil ...

If there were a movie version of the Shaka Taco story, it would no doubt include a scene with the two founders tandem surfing the crest of a monster wave – fists up, thumbs and pinkies waggling. Steve Christian and Cody Leutgens are currently busy creating the fourth location of their coastal-fresh casual dining chain. They expect the 4502 Fountain Drive shop to e ...

Walking into any of the three family-owned Los Portales Supermarkets feels like stepping into a neighborhood market in Mexico. There’s the scent of fresh bread from the panadería, meats are custom cut at the carnicería and warm tortillas are stacked at the tortillería. And there are Mexican fruits and vegetables. Don’t speak Spanish? That&r ...

The owners of Shaka Taco plan to open their first standalone location in Wilmington this spring. The restaurant, which specializes in fresh seafood tacos, is in the works at 4502 Fountain Drive, a space that previously housed local hot dog chain Trolly Stop, said Steve Christian, who co-owns Shaka Taco with Cody Leutgens.  Christian and Leutgens founded Shaka Ta ...

On a January day at the foot of Market Street in downtown Wilmington, temperatures plummet, and ice is in the forecast. But just beyond a storefront window, a wall is on fire – not literally, of course. It blazes with fiery reds, electric purples and wild yellows in a large-scale floral print inside 11 Market St., where patrons go to dine at the re cently opened Voyc ...