The Sting Ray Cafe (New Bern, NC)
The moment I walked into the Sting Ray Cafe and saw the taxidermied fish, fly rods, and vintage Coca-cola signs mounted on the wall, I knew I had come to the right place. After having spotted the Texas Pete, plastic red and yellow condiment bottles, and vingear-based bbq sauce neatly centered on every table, I knew I had found "home." A local's seafood gem tucked away off S Front in New Bern, NC, The Sting Ray Cafe quickly proved itself to be my new favorite no fuss/no frills kind of place that offers an array of fresh and regional seafood (that comes straight from next door--The Tryon Palace Seafood Market) at very reasonable prices. No, you won't have a waterfront view or a list of fancy cocktails to choose from. What you will have is a wonderfully friendly and attentive server who will refer to you as "sweetheart" and "hun" while she refills your sweet tea and offers you another round of complimentary hush puppies served in a plastic basket lined with wax paper. What you will have (if you are like the seafood freak that I am and want the best of all worlds lol) is the Captain's Nor'easter--2 lbs of local juicy, tender jumbo shrimp, oysters, clam strips, scallops, and two very meaty crabcakes fried to perfection served alongside buttery-soaked Old Bay corn cobs and crisp, tangy coleslaw for $25 (go Oceanfront in some areas and expect to pay double for quality half as good). Of course, there are a plethora of lighter and healthier options (check out the Ahi tuna salad for a whopping $7.99) if you are trying to "de-clog" your arteries a bit. And lo' and behold--talk about a small world--come to find out my server (Anna) is the niece of Greg Paul, the owner of Hot Wax Surf Shop (my all time fave shop) located in my hometown, Wilmington, NC. Stingray Cafe truly captured this beach girl's ❤. Thanks ya'll! I'll most definitely be back!
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