International Hidden Gems

Looking for a new place to try this week? Wilmington is home to many notable restaurants, including some lesser-known hidden gems that offer a passport to international cuisine.

Sabor Hispano
Two Wilmington Locations:
4610 Maple Ave.
6932 Market St.
Hours vary by location

Sabor Hispano specializes in Central American food with a focus on Honduran cuisine. The restaurants are open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and online ordering and delivery are available. Breakfast and lunch include numerous combination plates. Other specialties include botanas, which are shareable appetizer platters; baleadas, a traditional Honduran street food similar to a quesadilla; and pupusas, a hand pie made from cornmeal or flour and filled with refried beans, cheese and pork. The pupusas are served with curtido, a pickled cabbage side dish that provides a refreshing contrast to the richness of the pupusas. Dine-in, online ordering and delivery are available.

Meet the Greek
5120 College Road, Ste. 107
Open Monday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

This fast-casual restaurant features Greek and Mediterranean street food prepared by husband-and-wife team Ilias Sarris and Nefeli Kalampogia. Sarris is serving up favorites from his homeland of Greece, including gyros, grilled chicken and pork skewers, Greek salad, horiatiki salad and baklava as well as Mediterranean specialties such as hummus and falafel. Dine-in, online ordering and delivery are available.

Little Asia Bistro
1051 S. College Road
Open daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Owner Norah Hsiung was born in India to an Indian mother and a Chinese father, and it was there that she first learned to cook both Chinese and Indian dishes alongside her mother. She and her husband, Francis, serve traditional Indian cuisine at Little Asia Bistro, which opened in 2019. The menu consists of popular items such as samosas, curries, kormas, vindaloos, biryanis and masalas. Beer and wine are served on premise, and take-out and delivery are available.

Pho Basil
812 S. College Road
Open Friday-Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., closed Thursday

Cindy Nguyen and husband Paul Do serve recipes from their native Vietnam at their University Square shopping center location, just steps away from Saigon Market. Naturally, pho is a major focus of the menu with unique offerings such as rare beef and brisket and meatball. Pho Basil also serves a central Vietnamese hot-and-spicy-beef soup and a seafood soup with rice noodles. The menu also includes spring rolls, rice noodle bowls, fried rice and grilled meats with steamed rice and vegetables, as well as Vietnamese iced coffee and boba tea. Dine-in, take-out and delivery are available.

Kapow Thai Street Food
1988 Eastwood Road
See website for lunch and dinner hours

Chef and owner Peter Sripan is serving up authentic Thai and Lao cuisine at his Lumina Commons restaurant. Prior to making his way to Wilmington, Sripan was head chef at the award-winning Rice and Spice in Charlotte. Menu highlights include a variety of Thai curries, noodle bowls, fried rice and salads. Be sure to check out the namesake dish “Kapow,” one of Thailand’s most popular street food dishes with garlic, onions, bell peppers and basil with a choice of protein served over steamed jasmine rice. Dine-in, online ordering and delivery are available.

La Oaxaqueña Taqueria
4540 Fountain Drive
Open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

At La Oaxaqueña Taqueria, Victor Santiago and his wife, Isela Juarez, showcase the cuisine of their native Oaxaca. The region is known for dishes featuring corn, beans and chili peppers, as well as several varieties of mole. La Oaxaqueña’s menu includes quesadillas, tacos, fajitas and burritos, as well as several homemade soups and specialty dishes. Daily lunch specials are offered from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and guests can enjoy a full bar with a variety of specialty margaritas. Dine-in, online ordering, delivery and catering are available.

Pho Vanhly Noodle House
208 Porters Neck Road #120
Open Tuesday-Sunday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Led by the female duo of chef Oye and chef Kay, Pho Vanhly Noodle House is serving up comforting bowls of pho (with nearly a dozen options to choose from), along with other Vietnamese, Thai and Lao dishes. Popular items include summer and spring rolls, banh mi sandwiches, bao buns, lettuce wraps, curries and a variety of rice and noodle dishes. Desserts include coconut cake and bao boa ice cream – bao buns filled with vanilla ice cream and drizzled with tropical fruit syrups. Dine-in, take-out and delivery are available.

Black Sea Grill
118 S. Front St.
See website for hours

Family owned and operated in downtown Wilmington since 2008, the Black Sea Grill serves Turkish and Mediterranean cuisine in a small but charming dining space in the heart of Front Street. The menu features Mediterranean favorites such as hummus, stuffed grape leaves, falafel, kebabs and fresh, char-grilled seafood. Hours are limited, and the restaurant is currently closed through June 30 for the family’s annual vacation. See website for details and to make a future reservation.

The German Café
316 Nutt St. inside The Cotton Exchange
Open Tuesday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The German Café has been serving authentic German cuisine since 1985 and recently launched a Sunday brunch. The café’s exposed brick and beams lend an old-world feel to the dining space, while the food and wide selection of German beers are designed to transport you on a culinary journey through Germany. Highlights include veal and pork or chicken schnitzel, wursts served as sandwiches or platters, pfeffer steak and rouladen. Lunch and kids’ menus are available, and check out the homemade apple or cherry strudel for dessert.

Sap Lai
The Concept Kitchen at End of Days Distillery
See Concept Kitchen website for hours

While not a brick-and-mortar restaurant, Sap Lai is a mainstay at the End of Days Concept Kitchen each Wednesday. Sap Lai translates to “super delicious” in Laotian, and chef Tee Somsnith is serving up dishes from her homeland as well as throughout Southeast Asia, focusing on both traditional preparations and modern adaptations. The menu’s staples include lumpia, dumplings, summer rolls, garlic noodles and deluxe noodle bowls. Somsnith also often features a rotating noodle soup, such as the popular Laotian hand-cut noodle soup. Lao-inspired barbecue dishes may well be featured during the summer months.

Jamrock Sports Bar & Grill
417 S. College Road, Suite 24
Open Tuesday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday noon to 7 p.m.

Owner Niguel Wood is serving up the Jamaican flavors he grew up with at Jamrock Sports Bar & Grill, located in University Landing. Wood describes the menu as comprised of dishes his grandma used to make: chicken curry, oxtail, jerk chicken, ackee and salt fish, escovitch chicken, beef patties, rice and peas, and coco bread. There are also a number of sandwiches and salads on the menu, many featuring jerk-spiced meats and seafood. Save room for the signature pineapple bread pudding for dessert. Dine-in, take-out and delivery are available.

La Esquina Latin Grill
2394 Carolina Beach Road, Ste. 101
See website for hours

The family-run La Esquina Latin Grill offers a wide range of Latin American dishes with a focus on Honduran cuisine. The restaurant is known for its flavorful dishes like carne asada, Honduran plantains and pupusas, as well as their rice and beans. The bistec a la catracha and chuleta frita con tajadas offer a true taste of Honduras, as does the sope de res, served only on Sundays. Dine-in and take-out are available.

Pho 68
7134 Market St.
Open Wednesday-Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

A newcomer to the Wilmington dining scene, Pho 68 is operated by 24-year-old Tom Nguyen. Nguyen put his business studies at the University of North Carolina Wilmington on hold to launch the restaurant earlier this year, with his father, Six, serving as head chef. In addition to pho, Pho 88 specializes in bò né, dishes of sizzling steak and eggs with various sides and condiments, and it’s something that Nguyen said isn’t found on many Vietnamese menus in the U.S. Baguettes for the banh mi sandwiches are made in-house, as are all of the condiments, and a variety of iced teas and coffees are offered. Dine-in, online ordering and delivery are available.