What restaurants are coming to the Cargo District’s new food hall? Here’s a look.

Allison Ballard, Wilmington StarNews
Vendors should start to open their space in the new Cargo West food hall in Wilmington's Cargo District in the coming weeks.
Vendors should start to open their space in the new Cargo West food hall in Wilmington's Cargo District in the coming weeks.

Cargo District developer Leslie Smith has been putting the pieces in place for what will be a block of food and fun at 15th and Queen streets in downtown Wilmington.

The Alcove Beer Garden and Beat Street restaurant are already established there. Azalea Station, with a bar, event space and offices, recently opened on the opposite corner. And construction has been progressing for Cargo West, a shipping container food hall.

“In the next four weeks, you should really see it coming together,” he said.

Eventually, the combination of buildings and infrastructure, will offer indoor and outdoor seating, pergolas, fire pits and games -- and a dozen or so food businesses.

Here’s the latest list of what will be there.

The savory

Shepard Barbecue: It’s not just foodies in the Emerald Isle area who know about Brandon and Elizabeth Shepard. The barbecue restaurant hosted Guy Fieri and was featured on his “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” series. Fieri ate the Boss Hawg sandwich with pulled pork, sausage and pickled red onions.

Phun Seafood Bar: Will Cargo West bring the return of this beloved concept from James Beard-nominated chef Keith Rhodes? Asian fusion is style that Rhodes loves and you can expect more here.

Phun Seafood Bar was located at 215 Princess St. in Wilmington, N.C. It's slated to reopen at the Cargo West food hall in 2024.
Phun Seafood Bar was located at 215 Princess St. in Wilmington, N.C. It's slated to reopen at the Cargo West food hall in 2024.

Tackle Box Kitchen: Rhodes is also down for a new outpost for this concept (which also has a location on the University of North Carolina Wilmington campus. It serves sandwiches and small plates highlighting local ingredients.

Zeke's Beans and Bowls: In Wrightsville Beach, this spot is a hidden gem that serves as a variety of açaí bowls, poke bowls, smoothies, burritos and coffee. The restaurant is named after Zeke Sanders, a professional surfer, skater and friend of the business.

Mike’s Vegan Grill: This restaurant and food truck with a presence in Greensboro, Charlotte and Raleigh serves vegan comfort food and has 62,000 followers on Instagram. Look for a variety of sandwiches and what they call the best vegan barbecue in the game.

Seoul Sushi: The popular Wilmington-based food truck will be moving into one of the modified shipping containers. Look for sushi rolls, bibimbap, Korean-style wings and Korean barbecue bowls.

Frontier Food to Go: With a new owner at this classic Wilmington restaurant, he has an eye toward expanding the brand. The first step is to offer their popular hot dogs and other comfort favorites, as well as ice cream, here.

Copper Penny: This outpost addition of the popular downtown dining destination has been in the works for a while. Owner Brian Cadwallader has mentioned, more than once, focusing on the onion rings that have a cult-like following here.

The popular Beer Battered Onion Rings at The Copper Penny at 109 Chestnut St. in Wilmington, N.C. were once featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on the Food Network.
The popular Beer Battered Onion Rings at The Copper Penny at 109 Chestnut St. in Wilmington, N.C. were once featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on the Food Network.

The sweet

Sinful Cupcakes: Baker Alena Degon makes handcrafted treats like regular and gluten free cupcakes in flavors inspired by strawberry lemonade and the classic Hummingbird cake. She also makes alcohol-infused cupcakes like Mint Julep, Sangria and Gin & Tonic.

Sunset Slush: This Italian ice business is well known for its smooth, refreshing, thirst-quenching offerings that also happen to be dairy-free and low in calories.

Mallowdoos: This local business makes small-batch artisanal marshmallows in a variety of flavors – and even offers a marshmallow subscription box. Look for some that are well-suited for hot beverages (like the French Toast flavor), adult and booze-inspired flavors and kid-friendly ones (like Birthday Cake).

And more

Cargocade: The former Bottles bar next to Cargo West is set to open soon as this bar arcade. with games and drinks to enjoy with friends.

Alcove Beer Garden: This bar serves craft cocktails, a wine, and beer in bottles and cans with indoor and outdoor seating options.

Beat Street: This street food restaurant has been a part of the Cargo District since it opened next to Alcove in early 2023 serving handhelds, tacos, egg rolls and more.

Blue Cup Roastery: Another existing business on this block near downtown, is the area's first shipping container coffee shop.

Azalea Station: When it's not being used for events, this lounge and bar can provide more indoor seating for the food-and-entertainment hub.

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Allison Ballard is the food and dining reporter at the StarNews. You can reach her at aballard@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Cargo District in Wilmington, NC, to get new restaurants and sweet shops

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