Captain John’s Dockside

After moving to the Chapel Hill area, Capt. John’s was our first dinner out. I love fish, and well before dinner was over, I knew the place would be a favorite. We have been back numerous times, and the experience is always the same: attentive and prompt service, large portions, expertly prepared, and reasonable prices (most large-​sized items under $ 15). We’ve tried many things: The fried flounder, crab cakes (lots of crab, and no filler), and clam strips are the best I’ve eaten. The steamed mussels, scallops, pasta, fish and chips, shrimp (fried or otherwise) are all super. Seldom do we eat here that Capt. John doesn’t circulate through the dining room to check with every table. A few have not liked Capt. John’s – no place is 100% perfect (I’ve given my share of low ratings to places others love). The average 4-​star rating tells the tale – this is a terrific place, tended to by someone who cares about the product he puts on the table. No question we will back again, and again – starting with dinner tonight.

First time here and I found the staff incredibly attentive. If you’re looking for some good fried seafood this is your place. Prices are reasonable and food is solid. We shall return

Show up at 930 to wait ten mins at the door to be told they have closed because they were slow when they are open til 10. Last time I will go to this place

I give captain john’s a solid 4 stars. The food is good, service is prompt and you do not go away hungry. If you do it is your fault. The round hush puppies are some of the best I have ever had. It is my go to place on Saturday nights for supper.

The girlfriend and I stopped in for dinner.
She had been here before, but I hadn’t.
We both ended up getting «Broiled» jumbo shrimp and flounder.
Honestly, the food was good, but fairly plain. I couldn’t tell any difference between broiled and steamed, so I’m not sure what the difference is here.
The hush puppies were fairly tasty and the cole slaw was decent as well.
Their main thing seems to be fried seafood, so I’m willing to come back some time to try the fried.

I’m thinking they must have a new chef because the food has certainly taken a dive! My last visit was a disappointment! Service was OK but the flounder I ordered didn’t have much flavor!

Dockside, when viewed as what it is and not what some other places are, is really ok. What we wanted tonight was fried fish, just the way you would get it at a Catholic Church Friday night fish fry during Lent. Lent is over. It’s Sunday night. I don’t want to drive to Raleigh to the place at the Farmer’s Market, which is yummy. So even though it has sketchy reviews, Dockside. I called in a to go order. They said 20 minutes. I figured 25, based on their reputation. It was almost ready in 25. The place is crying for better organization. The girl who waited on me looked maybe 15 or 16, they had no change in the drawer and one of the regulars, who had been waiting 45 minutes said he didn’t recognize any of the staff. But– the food was well cooked, the portions were generous and the only criticism was that it needed just touch more salt and pepper. If you want a Friday night fish fry and Lent is over, this is it. Get it to go.

Great snow crab and good prices! They have a diverse menu and very friendly staff. Will def return!

I have only experienced take-​out here. The food here is unfortunately not that great. Would not recommend.

I am not sure why so many folks are bashing Captain John’s so bad. I have been 2 times in the last month. Service was fast and friendly food was hot. I took friends for the first time they were very pleased. I get scallops and jumbo shrimp myself. Portions are always to large to finish. Most of the menu is Calabash, personally that is how I like my seafood. The Owner always comes out to ask how your meal is. I like the atmosphere. Make me feel like I am at the beach.

I wouldn’t say this is the best seafood restaurant out there, but it’s certainly easy to be a fan of the food.
Another day trip to Pittsboro and every time I’ve gone out there I’ve passed Captain John’s and thought to myself «Self? You need to stop and try this place!» I finally took my own advice and stopped with my bride and her sister.
The visit had its ups and downs.
First, the name is a little misleading — there are no docks here, no boat slips and the only way a boat is going to get anything close to dockside is to be hauled in on a trailer.
Atmosphere inside is that of wide open space somewhat sectioned off. It’s well painted, white painted wainscoting and natural wood finishes with seascapes, seafaring items, things to make it look like a seafood place including a stuffed marlin over the fireplace mantel.
With that said, the wait to be seated was almost non existent. We were there during off hours, however, and one of the servers immediately started fussing at the hostess with «NO!!! I’M DONE! DONE FOR THE DAY! NO! Do NOT SEAT ME!!!» very plainly and loudly… which IMHO is a horrible public display of an attitude that exhibits traits of someone who is NOT a team player and really does NOT do whatever it takes to help the business they are a part of succeed. I get it, you don’t want any more tables for the day, your shift is supposed to be over, but hey… that can be said in a private conversation instead of saying it with gusto in front of the guests who are waiting to be seated.
After being seated, a nice young lady came over to take drink orders and handed us little slips of paper that had the day’s specials on them. Note — these are the same specials that are written on the board out in front of the hostess station that we totally missed. Great concept, great sales approach for making people aware of the daily specials. We placed our orders, received our salads and appetizers and then we…
waited…
…and…
…waited…
…and waited some more…
The food FINALLY came out! I would say it was a solid 20 minutes or more after we had finished our salads and appetizers.
The scallops were terrific — a little gritty, but still terrific! I had one of my bride’s crabcakes, and it too was terrific!
So, in summary, the food is delicious — whether or not it was worth the wait is… eh… I don’t know, but it was indeed good. The attitude we witnessed at the hostess station from the server who didn’t want to serve anyone else was horrid. Our server, however, was terrific.

If I could, I would give negative stars. Don’t waste your money! Continue for more about my experience.
This place has truly lost its way. The service has gone so down hill, and the prices seem to be o er the top.
On my most recent visit on a Saturday, the restaurant was not very busy, yet getting seated seemed to be more complicated than a moon landing. We were seated at a sticky table, under the TV, without any service items.
It took our waiter forever to just get our drink orders, yet the staff at the front was just standing around talking. I did take notice that other tables were experiencing similar service issues.
We ordered the soft. shell crab special. Nothing great, but dinner for two with drink and a tip was over $ 50! I have been to much nicer places, with better atmosphere, and higher quality food!
The last straw for me was the staff cleari. g the tables. The wheel around a noisy cart, scrape the dishes in the dining room, and then give a very cursory spritz and wipe of the table. Gross to say the least.
This place is well past its prime. It has a great location but needs a major overhaul of décor, staff, and quality. Go to Squids for a better seafood experience.

First off, to put things into context I grew up just a couple miles from this place and used to eat here with my family even before it was Dockside (Dry Dock or Western Steer anyone?). I have since moved away but returned to eat here the other evening for some nostalgic fried fish tastiness. Wow was I disappointed!
The current state of this place is a disaster. We walked in — actually we walked halfway in because there was a line nearly out the door that was not due to a packed restaurant because there were plenty of empty tables. There were about 5 employees at the from desk, none of whom were acknowledging the hungry customers who were waiting to be seated. The employees were all in a frenzy and no one seemed to have any interest in us. After about 20 minutes (we were third in line) we were seated, although the party of 5 behind us was somehow ushered to a table before us while we were ignored.
Once we were seated, it was more of the same. Our waitress didn’t get to us for quite a while to take our drink orders and her first words were «I’m so sorry» which we appreciated but after 5 more recitations of that phrase over the course of our meal, we came to the conclusion that she had become quite accustomed to apologizing for various issues with the service and timeliness. By the time the food came, we had already decided we would not be back. The food itself was disappointing. I got a broiled platter of various things that were swimming in butter. It probably would have tasted better if we didn’t already have a bitter taste in our mouths from the disorganized and unprofessional staff at the front.
This place is in total disarray. It’s very disappointing because I had fond memories of it and those have been replaced by this current debacle.

Don’t do it, just don’t. If you are looking for a big plate of freezer-​to-​fryer stuff, then yes, this is the place to go. I am still so embarrassed to have made my whole family go eat here yesterday, it’s unbearable. I had the broiled sampler platter — «deviled crab» straight from the freezer, miniscule oysters pulled from the shell — bizarre, chewy scallops, shrimp with the veins still embedded… uggghh. Even the hushpuppies were terrible — must be some sort of liquid hushpuppy batter that they squeeze from a tube into the fryer as little rings. Baked potatoes were clearly microwaved and had to pay extra for the salad (iceberg lettuce + unripe tomatoes). I don’t think the coleslaw was even made in-​house.
I thought we might be supporting a local shop that is clearly floundering and REALLY wanted to find a great mom and pop fish shop — but it was just so, so bad.

We’ve been coming here for many years, even when it was called the Dry Dock, and have always enjoyed the food. I’ll admit we hadn’t been in sometime, but we still thought it would be good.
We were pretty hungry when we got there so ordered quickly. We were nearly drooling as we watched others get their dinners as we waited for ours. It seemed odd that it wasn’t very busy cos in times past it was always pretty full.
Anyway, when our food arrived we dug in! The seafood was overfried and quite frankly tasted old. As I moved from one item to the next thinking, oh, it’s just that piece of shrimp, things didn’t improve. My dining partner had the scallops, which aren’t cheap, and same thing, not good at all.
Chalk it up to experience, if the parking lot has few cars in it, it may be a sign…

Great seafood! I have loved this place for years now, but a week ago my steak was not the greatest and I had to send it back, select a different menu item. The quality of the food is always fresh and delicious, plus a wonderful waitstaff. Try not to eat too
many of the huspuppies before your entrée arrives, cause they are quite tasty! FYI: this place is closed on Mondays. Tuesday-​Saturday opens at 4:00pm. Sundays at noon.

Captain John’s offers both Calabash-​style and grilled/​steamed seafood options. My wife and I were hungry for the bad-​for-​you food and got the Fisherman’s platter (calabash style) to share… the platter is certainly large enough to feed 2 people… I can’t imagine eating one whole platter alone. (although by the looks of some customers, they do consume an entire platter solo…). For about $ 14, the fisherman’s platter comes with oysters, scallops, shrimp, flounder, and deviled crab… plus fries, hushpuppies, and slaw. We enjoyed the seafood. We didn’t like the fries… lack of taste and soggy. Hushpuppies were good (comes in ring shape) but not great. You can ask for more free hushpuppies.
Our boys (not in a seafood mood) got a burger and chicken sandwich and enjoyed these offerings.
For the area, I would go back to Captain John’s again for the calabash and good prices.

Sure Captain John’s has Calabash-​style seafood, but if you’re overlooking the specials (posted only at the front) you are missing out on the real wonder that is The Captain.
When we have that rare seafood craving in-​and-​around Chapel Hill, this is the only place we go. First, the basic menu is extensive. You can get pretty much anything served how you like it, from crab cakes or legs to broiled catch-​of-​the-​day.
The specials are incredible, though. Where the basic menu is good for a plain seafood meal, the specials are for when you’re feeling like you need something more. Shrimp Fra Diavolo (not particularly spicy), Mediterranean dishes, and specialty pastas (as well as other catches of the day) are in abundance. All using fresh ingredients, fresh herbs, and a wonderful balance of flavors that far surpass places like Squids — hands down.
Also, they have live bluegrass music on certain nights and «happy hour» specials.
Go forth and eat man!

A hidden gem in the Triangle! One of the cleanest restaurants around, and the food quality cannot be beat. From Fish & Chips to Seafood Diablo you just can’t go wrong.
Great food in a unique environment prepared by people that obviously care, and take pride in what they do. You will be hard pressed to find a better value in Chapel Hill.

They got rid of that awesome 30 shrimp for $ 12.95 deal.
Still brightly lit, still lacking anything approaching hipness.
Festooned with Clyde Jones originals, who, depending on the time of day, may be across the street at Lowe’s waiting for a ride home. (That’s not a joke.)