The 6 Best Places to have a Drink in Beaufort, North Carolina

Needless to say, I had a fantastic four-day weekend (bender) in Beaufort with my friends and family! The weather was great, we all got a tan, and I was on the boat for three days in a row and it didn’t break down. All good things. We stuffed ourselves with grilled meats, my grandma made a different dessert every night, and we never ran out of beer. But instead of bombarding you with an all out play-by-play of our beaching, boating, and drinking – though there will be plenty photos of that (and some old Insta’s) interspersed throughout this post – I thought I’d give you some insider tips in case you ever visit my favorite town by the sea.

Some drinking tips obviously.

While these picks might be a bit disputed, here are the six best places to have a drink in Beaufort, North Carolina. And by “best,” of course I mean my favorites.

Everybody check it out, Rachel learned to make collages in Lightroom (finally!) and Tina brought sparklers!

I’ll be the first to admit that I went a little too hard on my first day at the beach. What can I say? I got excited. My dad arrived early on Friday and we kicked it into gear with some homemade cocktails before heading out to grab lunch with Charlie and my cousin at one of my favorite old places in Beaufort, and the first on my list of the best drinkin’ spots…

1- The Royal James

It ain’t nothin’ fancy, but damn if you can’t get hamburgers, hot dogs, fries, and draft beers for cheap here. It’s usually pretty quiet, but you can play pool on antique tables, blast some jams on the jukebox, and test your Photo Hunt skills (after your hand-eye coordination drops and you can’t play pool anymore). It’s very chill, super authentic, historic, and casual.

The summer that my friend Jayne and I lived in Beaufort, the Royal James was our hangout spot. We blared “Love Don’t Live Here” and “I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’” all night long as we dropped cue sticks, bonded with the bartenders, and attempted to spend every last dollar we earned waiting tables on cheap beers. (When your paycheck comes in the form of cash money, it sure makes it easier to spend).

The hours here are a little sporadic. They often close if there’s nobody there at night, so don’t expect them to be open until 2 AM. This ain’t the big city.

Pro Tip: Bring cash, because that’s all they accept here. If you don’t have any on you, there is an ATM (with a $2.50 surcharge) in the back. Also, if you don’t like to follow rules, especially rules that come with antique pool tables, play on the smaller tables in the back – they take quarters.

Local Tip: If the coin slot in the pool table gets stuck, jam it in with your cue. The bartender taught me that. Also, order chili on your dog or burger – it’s a house specialty – thin, sweet, not meaty, made with onions, and delicious. And be sure to check out the quote on the chalkboard to the right of the bar. It’s usually something witty.

Family boat ride, not complete without Peanut and Spike

2- The Rhum Bar at Stillwater

On the other end of the spectrum price-wise, but good for a fancy cocktail or two, is the The Front Street Grill at Stillwater. Walk on through the restaurant and outside to the Rhum Bar where you should order a painkiller, a mojito, or a caipirinha. You can sit right on Taylor’s Creek and watch a solid sunrise from this spot. We usually come down here post-boat ride when we’ve had our fill of drinking a million light beers.

The food here is pretty good if you want to make a reservation and stay for dinner, but I usually just opt for drinks… since those are anywhere from $9-$12 on their own. Tasty, though…

Pro Tip:  Skip the tables and head for the deck with benches, cushions, and chairs; it’s another step down from the outside seating and nearest to the water.

The Painkiller is always crowd favorite

3- The Dock House

Always a good time, you should be able to hear the bands at the Dock House from Front Street. There’s no need to wait until it’s fashionably late in the evening to stroll down and hang out on the boardwalk here. Tunes usually start by 8 or 9 PM. You can also have a seat at an outdoor table on the patio downstairs or upstairs – they’re currently adding another top deck.

The bar serves up beer in cans, simple liquor drinks, and shots… probably other things too, but that’s all I’ve ordered here. The bartenders are usually tough females and I’ve seen one jump clean over the bar to stop a fight.

This is a good place to meet people who have big fishing boats and yachts, especially during tournaments like the Big Rock or Barta. Once, my friends and I were invited to have beers on Dale Earnhardt’s old yacht by some of the crew that we met here. True story. (All I can say is that we were super impressed but tried to be cool in an “act like you’ve been here before” kind of way.)

If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to catch some locals and/or tourists with stacked haircuts doing drunk line dances on the boardwalk (seriously, why is that haircut so popular in ENC?). And if you’re looking for an exit strategy doomed to leave you stranded in the streets later, you may even be able to catch a cab to Morehead City bars from here (your odds are way better here than actually calling a cab to pick you up from your house).*

Pro Tip – Bring a coozie with you since you’ll be hanging out in the summer air with your canned beer on the boardwalk. (Or buy one there, or drink warm beer, or just drink fast.)

Local Tip (though probably frowned upon by the establishment) – Take the boat downtown and tie up next to the Dock House where you can enjoy the jams and still drink beers from your personal cooler fo’ free. Of course, you’ll need a designated (boat) driver, but I’ve done this before and it cost me zero dollars, plus you get to feel slightly elitist.

*This worked for my brother and friends on Memorial Day Weekend.

4 – Shackleford Banks

This one is might be too obvious, but you should have a beer on the beach while you’re in Beaufort. And as there’s not really any beach in Beaufort, you’ll need to take a boat out to the where everybody goes:  Shackleford, a barrier island in the southern Outer Banks. It’s been “the beach” to me since I was little, and it’s still quite the hangout spot today.

Unlike some other beaches in the state, it’s totally kosher to drink here. (Though do keep your dogs on a leash because that’s the law, and if you get a ticket, you’ll be going to federal court since it’s a National Park.) So pack a cooler and lunch and make a day of it. This is one of my favorite things to do, ever.

And yes, Shackleford is pretty famous for the wild horses that live on the island. They no longer phase me and they don’t seem to be afraid of humans anymore either, but I can see how they’d be quite bizarre and impressive if you’d never seen wild horses on the beach before. Christina convinced me to head over and snap some shots since, you know, we did bring our nice cameras.

In other words, don’t be a dickhead. You wouldn’t believe some people.

To get to Shackleford, my advice would be to meet some folks out at the bars I’ve listed here (the Dock House works best) and sweet talk your way onto a boat. We’ve definitely ended up giving people rides this way before. If you aren’t that charming or if your boat is broken, you can still pay your way across on the ferries for $15. We’ve had to do this before due to the latter reason and it’s very efficient, though you don’t feel quite as cool.

Pro Tip:  Walk across to the ocean side. The water is cleaner, bluer, and there are actually waves. You can even find some great, unbroken shells over there. Just follow the horse trails to avoid cutting yourself on sea grass, and when you get to the top of a giant sand dune, plan out your route.

Local Tip:  The beach is geographically divided between its visitors. There’s Wade Shores on the end nearest Harker’s Island; it’s where the locals typically hang out. I find the sand here a little grosser, with more glass, but also more hermit crabs. At the other end, nearest Fort Macon, is the area that locals refer to only as “Raleigh Beach”… due to the propensity of dingbatters to anchor here. Personally, I think the sand and water is better at Raleigh Beach (it slopes off faster so you can easily swim), and you almost always see the horses around here (if that’s what you’re into). The in-between part of the island I usually find to be filled with ECU fans, tattoos, and hardcore beach-goers armed with tents and grills. Choose wisely.

Local Joints

Before my family or anybody actually from Beaufort reads this and they all shake their heads in unison, I must say that I have described places that tourists really like to frequent. And do you know why? Because they’re fun and scenic and have a great atmosphere!

But if you’re trying to be super local about your drinking habits, then you most certainly need to check out these final two spots. Or wait… am I not supposed to tell you about them?

Be nice if you go. You don’t want to get kicked out… or beaten up. You’ve been warned.

I dug into the depths of Instagram for these final pics (you know, back 3 years ago when it wasn’t so popular and I’d Instagram stupid stuff like 5 times a day). Aside from the dark lighting, I’m scared I’d be shunned for pulling out my camera in these places. (Not to mention I didn’t make it to either of these bars on Memorial Day weekend… just too sleeepy.)

5 – Backstreet Pub

Not exactly located on Front Street, it’s just behind Clawson’s… and this bar actually has drink specials! There’s tons of beer and even wine from a jug, if you must. There’s a little bar downstairs, an outside patio area, and an upstairs where bands occasionally play and people dance. They also have karaoke, open mic night, and (if you need an activity to accompany your drinking on slow nights) board games! When the band is good, this place gets packed.

Local Tip: Refer to it as “the pub” like everybody knows what you’re talking about. (People from Beaufort actually will.)

 6 – Hannah’s Haus

I still can’t believe this place really exists. It’s located a few blocks from our beach house, and since it’s super easy for us to ride bikes over, so we often end up here. I shit you not, it is a bar attached to the back of a hardware store. But honestly, it has the best beer selection in the whole of Beaufort with both drafts and bottles from all over the place. Hannah’s also has lots of fun games like darts, cornhole, and ping pong for when you want to be a really active drinker. They have bands in the back room on weekends in the summer (occasionally there’s a cover charge)… and sometimes a cat roams around the bar.

Not So Pro Tip: Take it easy on the high gravity beers if you want to make it on the boat in the morning. And seriously, be nice… to everybody.

Secret Fun Tip: There’s a hidden game in one of the stalls of the ladies room…

There. I’ve given you almost all of my inside knowledge about one of my favorite locations in the whole wide world. Go forth and prosper… or at least drink properly while visiting Beaufort.

(You will notice that this list does not include “on a boat,” but obviously that’s up there too.)

Do you guys have a favorite drinking spot at the beach? Have you been to any of these?