Gary's Down East Seafood

Don't be fooled by the unassuming exterior of this restaurant, or for that matter, the interior. This is some of the best seafood I have ever had in my entire life. We were a little disappointed since they did not have oysters or soft shell crabs but we found some other stuff that we really loved. (They say they only have local fresh seafood, so you should expect there are things on the menu they might not have on any given night.) The sheet crab soup was spectacular. Creamy and full of crab. The pan seared scallops were probably the best scallops I've ever had. Crispy, yet tender and cooked to perfection. The lump crab and shrimp sauteed combo was five star. You could put this in any classy restaurant and charge triple the amount. The absolute best I've ever tasted. Service was excellent, with a very friendly staff. When we come back to the area I promise you we will be back to Gary's!

This was by far my favorite eating spot for my trip! The place was filled with antique decorations and funny signs! Catfish sandwich($6.99!!!!!) was huge with a wonderful, crispy breading. Lots of options for sides. I suggest the fried okra! As soon as you see a waitress, you get a basket of the best tasting hushpuppies I've ever eaten! All their success are homemade! Tartar sauce was amazing!!! Limited days and hours open, so check website.

Excellent! More than just seafood, so I was able to feed the whole family... even the picky eaters. The service is what shines here. Thank you Taylor for a great dining experience! We are already looking forward to our next visit.

We came for all you can eat crab legs and the place was packed! Legs were yummy just may want to bring your own crack crackers

Called in for a Downeast Burger on the way to the river. Order was ready when they said it would be. Window attendant was prompt and friendly. The burger was outstanding. Not one to eat with your hand, you will need a plate and a few napkins. I will be doing this again!!

Not sure why I'm just getting around to reviewing Gary's Down East Seafood. I've been going here on and off almost 20 years. Even with staff changes and ownership changes the food remains solid every visit. I'm very thankful we have such a great place to eat a wide variety of food. It's not cheap but it's consistently good. From seafood to burgers it's hard to beat Gary's. Thank you.

First I'd like to say I really enjoy eating at Gary's every time we go or get take-out, the staff there is also great people, I'd recommend anyone to try their food the chef definitely knows what he's doing! Love the food & staff & beautiful atmosphere!

I bought 1# hamburger from a local provider, Dawson Creek Cattle Co here. Awesome stuff.

I took my husband to Gary's for a late lunch to celebrate his birthday. He loves seafood, and a friend recommended Gary's. Between us, we tried 4 of the seafood offerings and 4 sides. Everything was cooked to perfection and so flavorful. We had fresh from the oven key lime pie for dessert and left stuffed and happy!

Was good food and great service.
Worth the visit next time you are there way.

They know how to fry seafood. Believe it or not, most seafood restaurants do not know how to do it. You can save some of the orange through the shrimp batter on the fried shrimp. And that is a key to it's done right. The oysters were fried perfectly and I'm a big stickler on that, so when I say it's good, it's good.

Thank you Tyler!! The food was great & so was the service!! You will not be disappointed here!!

Wonderful lunch! Loved she crab soup and clam chowder. Salad with shrimp and crab appetizer added to it was great, as was the popcorn shrimp.

Update from 7/2023:
I had family visiting and wanted to serve them BBQ; I tried the local BBQ restaurants and felt the BBQ I had from there at local events was better. I ordered She Crab Soup, Crab Cakes, and BBQ and was thrilled with how excellent they all were. Surprisingly the local Seafood restaurant made BBQ better than the BBQ locations in the area. The potato salad and coleslaw were also great.

In addition, when I went to order food for the family visit they were very accommodating and gave me everything I needed.

I highly recommend them, the service was outstanding.

We go to this ( Gary's Down East Seafood) restaurant from time to time and we always had a pleasant experience. The dishes are delicious and always looking forward to order their popcorn shrimp. I wished it will be winter so I can get to order the fish soup.

Absolutely takes care of their customers, that's why we keep coming back.

Why go to Arapahoe, if for no other reason, then to eat at Gary's Down East Seafood and Oyster Bar.
The best seafood meal I've had in NC, and I've had quite a few. You will definitely tickle your tastebuds here! I recommend the seafood platter.

I think the photo speaks for itself. You’ve never had scallops or shrimp this good. The fish fillet in the fish sandwich is huge!

We loved our dinner and attentive service. Huge fish fillet sammich with fixings and crispy French fries. Nice atmosphere and clean bathrooms.

Surprisingly excellent food with very congenial welcoming service

Best evening ever! This place did not disappoint! We are staying in Minnesott Beach and we didn’t have a lot of restaurants in the area to choose from. It ended up being the best food yet of the week. Our food was wonderful! Homemade desserts! The staff was awesome! It has a cute vibe inside. Their was a group that flew a helicopter abs landed next door… they flew in from New Bern to have dinner. They close by 7:30 and place is usually packed around 5:30-6

I've never been to such a hospitable place! Well, other than my grandma's house, lol. In all seriousness though this place was fantastic! I had the whitefish, hush puppies, fries, and coleslaw. Every single item was the best it could be!