Live Oak Cafe

Live Oak Café is a small but charming restaurant that’s found in a quiet and slightly inland region of historic Downtown Southport. Located within a turn-of-the-century home with three small dining rooms with beautiful bold décor, the welcoming and intimate feeling extends well beyond the atmosphere and carries over to the North Carolina centric-menu, ensuring that diners will be both impressed, and feel right at home.  

A number of regional and statewide farmers and food purveyors are used whenever possible, ensuring that the core ingredients for the menu are as fresh and local as possible. Patrons will find a wide range of appetizing salads and starters for beginning a multi-course meal, like duck crepes, oysters benedict, and the locally famed homemade crab dip with NC blue crabs. From there, diners can move on to a half portion or full portion entrées, (which include local specialties like Low Country Gumbo and Creole Shrimp and Grits), dishes with creative proteins like Joyce Farms Pheasant and Buffaloaf with fresh ground buffalo, and even more traditional staples like grilled ribeye and backed scallops au gratin. Decadent and delicious, with just a little touch of local creativity, Live Oak Café is a romantic spot to taste all the wonderful flavors of the Cape Fear region.