Giggling Mackerel Seafood

Horrible customer service. They messed up several times and then the manager didn't even have the courtesy to fix the problems. more

My Husband and daughters and I were visiting family in Shallotte (next to Ocean Isle Beach) and went to The Giggling Mackerel because it was close by and had great curb appeal, and based on the crowd -we figured it must be good. For us, like any family in these economic times, dining out is a treat. We waited over an hour (not a surprise being prime dinner time in a tourist town- and assuming the food would be worth the wait). Unfortunately, it was NOT even close to being worth the wait. We waited over another hour on what turned out to be mediocre food- at best , after we were finally seated. Our waitress was waiting on a party of 16 people in addition to us and two other tables, which was too much for one person to handle. As a business owner himself, my uncle felt the need to tell the owner/manager about our experience, and was told by the owner ""he apologized, but it it was the nature of the beast being that is was vacation season on a typical busy Saturday night"". We spent over $150 for six of us on food, alone- no drinks from the bar. Not only will we not go back...my aunt & uncle (who are locals who could support their business in the off season) will not be return customers either. Since this is ""typical business"" practice for the Giggling Mackerel, I encourage you to not be fooled by the prime location and the crowded parking lot like we were. There are too many other places to spend your hard-earned $$ where people actually take a little pride in how they treat their customers. more

Another restaurant that relies on their view to draw customers in. They are often busy during the peek season, mostly tourist who are drawn in by the outstanding views. The tuna has always been over cooked, probably just not quality enough to cook rare as is was ordered. Most of their menu items are frozen and just not that appetizing especially for the price you will pay.\r \r They do have an awesome rooftop bar. Great for having a daquiri and watching the sunset. Pros: The view Cons: food more

While waiting over two hours for a table for nine, we were sorely disappointed to find the speed did not pick up once we were seated. Our server was trying, but had way too many tables to keep up with. I ordered the 'fresh catch', grilled mahi, that came out 15 minutes after the rest of the group, only to be served a burnt piece of fish. I sent it back and settled for a fried shrimp plate, that took another 15 minutes! In a restaurant that specializes in fried seafood, I was not impressed. In addition to that, have you ever heard of a fried seafood restaurant not having hush puppies?? Needless to say, I will never frequent that establishment again. Oh, and to add insult to injury, we had an auto-gratuity handwritten onto the bill...... yikes!\r \r db Pros: the rooftop bar you can hang out on while waiting 2 hrs for your table more