Buddy’s Crab House and Oyster Bar moved formally into the space at 13 E. Salisbury St., Wrightsville Beach [Map this], in late 2002 (relocating from 35 N. Lumina Ave., Wrightsville Beach [Map this]); the grand opening was on Halloween.

You’re probably thinking of the Raw Bar, which occupied the space at 13 E. Salisbury St., Wrightsville Beach [Map this], and 15 E. Salisbury St., Wrightsville Beach [Map this], (street numbers can get a little confusing down that way) from 1979 to 2001. As beach historian Virginia Whiting Kuhn notes, the Raw Bar actually absorbed the old Palm Room in 1989.

 (According to city directories, the old Palm Room was located at 19 E. Salisbury St., Wrightsville Beach [Map this], from 1950 to 1985. The new  Palm Room is at 11 E. Salisbury St., Wrightsville Beach [Map this]. See what we mean about confusing?)

The Raw Bar’s seafood had quite a following for quite a while; as Kuhn noted, the restaurant hung up signed photos of such satisfied customers as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ozzy Osbourne. In 1993, the Greensboro News & Record described it as an “unofficial museum” of the area’s film industry, for all the movie memorabilia it contained.

Before the Raw Bar, the commercial space was occupied by By-the-Sea Antiques.

Date posted: September 14, 2010

User-contributed question by:
Cathy