Coleman's Original Calabash

Great sea food and service!! Also we go there because the whole family loves it!! I'm allergic to seafood so I get chicken tenders cause they have one fryer that no seafood goes in just hush puppies and fries.

Food was okay. Waitress didn't know which items on the menu they were out of, so she assumed we would want fries.

A real disappointment. Have eaten at Colemans at least 20 times over the past 35 years and we always try to make it our stop for Calabash dining. We again came to Coleman's this year looking for that great experience but after walking in and being greeted we chose to eat indoors since it was 92 degrees outside. This befuddled the hostess and she said it would be a 10 to 15 minute wait time. We said okay and let our 83 year old aunt and the diabetic individuals set in the chairs sitting across the front. This is where it all went awry. The hostess promptly said you have to wait outside because it would be a fire hazard for us to wait inside. If that is the case then remove the chairs. We made a decision to go elsewhere and they did a great job of turning our negative experience into a positive experience . We have found a new Calabash eatery to enjoy for our future eating experience.

I had an interesting experience at the restaurant. Instead of the usual rolls, they served Hush Puppies with honey butter, which I thought was a nice touch. Unfortunately, they weren't very good. My wife asked for honey, and the waitress looked at her as if she were from another planet. After about ten minutes, she brought out a squeeze bottle of honey, but by that time, the Hush Puppies had gone cold. The food itself wasn’t terrible, but it was excessively greasy. The shrimp were fresh but completely drenched in oil. The outdoor seating was pleasant, but overall, there are many better dining options in Calabash. We won't be returning.

The fire must have changed things. I drove 250 miles in October 2015 just to get my fried oysters, but they weren’t the same—too greasy. It seems like they either lost their seasoned cookware or their chef. I made another trip down in December, but they were closed for a private party. On October 22, 2016, I went back only to find they were the only ones closed for the winter season. Can you believe that? I won’t be trying again. There are too many other great places in Calabash, NC. No more Coleman's for me!