Searching for specialty eats
For foodies on the lookout for interesting food selections, the outlook is bright in Wilmington. Whether you’re a carnivore looking for exotic cuts of meat or a vegan hoping for a new twist, options abound in the area. There’s a unique variety of stores and markets in the Wilmington area with food choices that go above and beyond the typical grocery store selections.
If you are looking for fresh seafood classics, international delights or perhaps comfortable favorites, there are plenty to choose from to satisfy even the most discerning of tastes.
BIGGERS MARKET
6250 Market St. +
6458 Carolina Beach Road
Local fruits and vegetables, as well as plants, honey, seasonings and dressings are the focal points at Biggers Market.
“We carry local meat, eggs, cheese, beer and everything in between. The No.1 question I get asked is, ‘Where is this from?’ So, it’s exciting when I can say it’s from right here,” general manager Tamara Thomas said.
Biggers has expanded to carry a variety of Amish furniture and has a bar open Friday-Sunday with live music and a food truck to round out the market experience.
Biggers has two locations to choose from in Wilmington. Both are open 9 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Monday-Friday; 8 a.m.- 6:30 p.m. Saturday; and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday.
NEW SAIGON INTERNATIONAL MARKET
831 S. Kerr Ave.
If fresh international foods are what you desire, then the New Saigon International Market will more than likely have what you are looking for and more.
With a wide array of foods from a variety of regions around the globe, the market offers produce, meats and seafood, as well as snacks and specialties.
The multicultural market, a local favorite since 1994, provides fresh and packaged products from East and Southeast Asia, the Middle East and the Caribbean.
With a diverse selection of sauces, spices, vegetables, teas and rice, the market offers an abundance of options for your palate. New Saigon makes its own in-house kimchi, offers fresh crab and lobster, and has fully stocked freezer and refrigerated sections.
The market is known for its authentic food selection and variety of herbs and produce. Housewares such as cutting boards, steamers, knives and chopsticks are available as well as bamboo plants and candles.
The New Saigon Asian Market is open 10 a.m.-9 p.m. every day except Sunday when it closes at 8 p.m.
new-saigon-market-international-groceries.business.site
THE BUTCHER’S MARKET
4512 Oleander Drive, Suite 800
“If it walks, crawls, swims or flies,” The Butcher’s Market can get it through their doors and onto your plates.
Opened in Wilmington in March, the father-and-son business offers a wide variety of meats as well as the produce and products to finish off meals.
“We most likely have it or will do our best to source it for you,” said Smith Prevost, The Butcher’s Market owner and operator.
Whether it is beef, pork, chicken or seafood on the menu, The Butcher’s Market is a go-to place. If you are the more adventurous type, it has a selection of exotics including elk, bison, kangaroo, gator and crawfish too.
“We offer an array of housemade sides/marinated veggies to pair with your proteins,” Prevost said. “Our grocery area is made up of local North Carolina//Wilmington products, and our line of ‘Dinner Done Easy’ items, just take it home and pop it in the oven.
“I believe after the pandemic there has been a huge shift in customers’ shopping patterns,” Prevost added. “They are seeing the importance of shopping local.”
The store’s hours are 9 a.m.-7 p.m. daily.
SEAVIEW CRAB COMPANY
Midtown Market: 1515 Marstellar St. (retail, wholesale and kitchen)
Other area locations: 6458 Carolina Beach Rd.
Biggers Market: 6250 Market St.
When three college graduates decided to get a few crab pots and start a business, they never imagined it would grow to a nationwide business that serves the Wilmington area and beyond. Seaview Crab Company offers fresh selections of seafood through a wide network of local fishermen.
With nearby locations in Wilmington, Castle Hayne, Carolina Beach and Belville, Seaview “actively source(s) our products locally, supporting the entire North Carolina commercial fishing industry,” according to its website.
Whether you are looking for crab, shrimp and oysters or tuna, trout and mahi-mahi, you can go into one of their retail locations to find it or order a box online and have it delivered to your door. If you want it prepared for you, Seaview has opened its Kitchen & Deli at the Marstellar Street location, offering “quality seafood served fresh, hot & affordable.”
A TASTE OF ITALY
1101 S. College Road
For almost 30 years, the deli and specialty market at A Taste of Italy have been bringing Italy to the tastebuds of local customers.
Fan favorites of chicken, meatball and eggplant parmigiana are central to A Taste of Italy’s menu, as well as chicken marsala and baked ziti. Olives, salads, cheeses and sausages are front and center in the deli, in addition to its line of Boar’s Head cold cuts.
The deli offers catering service, dine-in or take-out. A Taste of Italy also has a wide selection of grocery items including assorted pastas, canned tomatoes, olive oils and wines.
Because so many people have moved to Wilmington from the Northeast, the shop is always willing to “hunt down products for people, so they can always find what they’ve been able to get up there,” manager C.J. Guarino said.
“The backbone of our business is making sure our quality and standards are kept the same. Recipes haven’t been altered. We don’t cut corners,” Guarino said.
A Taste of Italy is open 8:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Friday and 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday.
atasteofitalydeli.com
