By far! The best Italian restaurant in the Southport area. Excellent food, portions and service!. A very pleasant dining experience.

Pleasantly surprised. Food was really good. Service was excellent. I had been to their next-door Pizza restaurant Sebby's and really love their pizza so wanted to give Castucci's a try. Definitely will be back!!!

First, we discovered a few weeks ago that it is a necessity to make a reservation to get into this place. We stopped by and were told that the first open time was 8:30 (it was 5:30 ). So, we went elsewhere that night... Made a reservation for us and our friends (4 total) a week in advance for a Sunday night and the earliest time was 7:30. Not sure how far in advance to reserve for an earlier time! We arrived at 7:15 and, after finding a spot in the very crowded parking lot and walking to the front entrance, were promptly informed by several groups standing outside that they all had reservations for 7:00 or earlier- and had still not been seated! We were seated at a few minutes after 8:00. It's a small, somewhat cramped restaurant, quite noisy and of course- crowded. We were shown to a table beside the back door and our server quickly approached to get drink orders. Cocktails were pricey ($12-14... average for this area), but very good! Put it this way, you knew you had a cocktail! . We all ordered different entree's and side salads. There was fresh bread for the table with an olive oil and spice dipping sauce that was quite good. Salads were fresh and tasty and everyone enjoyed their meals. I had the lasagna and it was delicious. My husband had a shrimp pasta dish... he liked the flavor of the sauce, but wasn't a fan of the "hunks of tomato" (he's a smooth sauce guy though... should've read the menu closer). The shrimp were large, fresh, plentiful- and he said they were cooked perfectly, as was the pasta. Our friends had a seafood pasta and the veal parm, both said it their meals were delicious. Service was good, although the extra Parmesan cheese that was offered when entrees were served, never materialized. Desserts were very good, I had NY cheesecake and hubby had a chocolate-peanut butter cake. Our friend had tiramisu. None of us could eat it all and had to ask for boxes. One minor annoyance - aside from the wait - was the fact that people were allowed to exit through the door right next to our table - and would stand there, obliviously, with the door open, waiting for their party to come through while we were eating... letting all the cool air out and the hot, humid air in - along with any flies lurking about. Definite detractor from enjoyment of the meal. All in all, it was a pleasant evening with friends, albeit a bit on the expensive side.

WOW, POW, Mangia, Mama Mia (and no, I am not referring to the musical) your exceptional, aromatic, savory, food makes me want to senselessly weep with joy! What a phantasmagoric flavorsome cuisine with dynamic taste driven pleasure! Yes, this restaurant meals are surreal continually amazing us all with how consistently luscious, heavenly, and gratifying their fare throughly satisfies all of our differing taste buds. In all of our opinions, everything on this menu offers delectable, rich, and very yummy dinning experiences which will soothe your soul. You will leave very happy, and will want to return over and over again. We have! Our Server was the congenial, charismatic, and consummate Professional Patrick and his exceptional listening skill. This Gentleman's timing is exceptional as you want for nothing you ordered exactly when you asked for it. Example: I asked for a glass of their Banfi Col Di Sasso Sangiovese with my Veal Saltimbocca along with (2) other glasses of wine for our other guests entrees. Our food was served and I started to think about Patrick and our wine orders. However, literally within five seconds of my thought, Patrick was serving all of our table our wine. It's the little things that help patrons feel appreciated, heard, and respected that make all the difference in their feeling they enjoyed a fantastic event in their personal dinning experience. This is an intimate, laid back dining experience which is very pleasurable as their tables are close enough to see what the tables around you are being served as their entree selections helping drive your appetite, and thoughts "Oh, now that looks delicious, maybe I should have ordered that?" But not so close that you would feel you could ask them for a bite! You're bad, but I know you will want one. Run, do not walk, alright, so drive but get there soon to "Castucci's an Italian Joint" nestled on the Long Beach Road in Southport, NC and bring the Family as their prices are extremely reasonable (two other couples work just as well) for the best Italian meals you will ever eat in the Wilmington NC, to Myrtle Beach SC area! And yes, we have eaten at many, many restaurants since 1997 in this area which have come and gone along with some that are still with us which we frequent often. And Castucci's an Italian Joint we all agree is the best Italian dining throughout that entire area. Is it worth the drive from Wilmington NC or Myrtle Beach SC and everywhere in between? "Absolutely", as Mel Gibson thought exactly that as he has dined here as well! And I would guess he has a very wide variety of choices for his dinning. And no, I do not know what he ate, lol! Enjoy

Terrific Italian quality food. Waitstaff was knowledgeable. Decent wine list and cheesecake /cannolis are worth the calories. Oh and really good fresh bread. Well done! Special shout out to Brandon and the mini busers (cute kids)!

First time at Castucci's since we moved to this area from the Northeast, where Italian restaurants are on every block. Parking lot is small, but there may have been more spaces behind the building. There is no waiting area, and the hostess stand is literally right next to the open kitchen door. Very small dining area with very small 2 person tables up against the wall. It was slightly quieter in the back, but seated right across from the restroom. Our server had no other tables in our area, and so her appearance was spotty. The eggplant rollatini was tasty as an appetizer. Our fav dish Veal Saltimboca was presented on top of the pasta. The sauce (which our server said would be a large amount) was thin, rather than a gravy consistency as we expected. The veal was tender and delicious. We were not offered Parmesan cheese, and had to wait until we were almost done to have her come back and get us some. She needed to be in our area to check on us. Parm usually is standard in an Italian restaurant. The side salad was nice, but for the entree price it should be included in the meal, and not be an extra. charge. We had read about someone getting a birthday dessert, but nothing was offered to us after we mentioned that we both had very recent birthdays (closed on mine). We liked having veal since it's not always served, or good, in other local places. Not sure we will return, perhaps after the summer when it might be less noisy. Good food, but very cramped space with no ambiance at all.

Amazing food, huge portions, and an extremely friendly and attentive staff. They allowed us to add sides of things we wanted to try to make our night perfect. Make reservations!

You can't beat the food. It's the best Italian food since I left Jersey. It lacks atmosphere. But who cares. Acoustic ceiling tiles have helped tremendously. No waiting area! Still highly recommend

For me this was a 4 with real potential to be a five, if on my next visit (and there will be another) a couple of things get improved that I think would elevate the experience. That said, Castucci's is a great place to get an Italian meal in the Oak Island and Southport area. Be sure to call and make a reservation ahead of time, as this is a small place that is very popular during tourist season. Also be mindful that it can get pretty loud in there, though toward the back of the restaurant, we could hear each other without having to lean in. Service was friendly and prompt, and we were given a basket of bread with olive oil and balsamic almost right away after ordering an appetizer of the eggplant rollatini. Unfortunately, some of that bread was really hard, as in, not chewable, so after picking out the good pieces we waited on new bread to come out of the oven. Sounds like the bread is actually baked at the pizza place next door, which we assume is owned by the same family. Once fresh bread came, it was awesome whether just buttered, or dipped in the oil. Their butter supplier is uniquely tasty, not sure what made it special, but we both loved the butter! The eggplant rollatini was just ok. I enjoyed it, but it wasn't my wife's thing. All other appetizers were seafood based, and she doesn't eat seafood, so would maybe like to see a couple other apps make their way onto the menu. It was also a little expensive for what was given, so I think we'd just pass on apps next time. Next came our ceasar salads, which were an extra charge, not included with the meal (a few bucks). We did like the ceasar dressing and the croutons, but it was just too light on dressing for us. We'd also skip the salad next time. Next came the entrees, and now we are talking! My wife got the manicotti and an extra side of meatballs, and i got one of their specials served over Gnocchi, which they make in house. In hindsight, I wish I'd gone for pasta, only because the Gnocchi was underdone, but pretty good. My meal which was a layered concoction of chicken, pancetta, mozzerella, and eggplant was excellent and large. I had some to eat the next day, and upon sauteeing the gnocchi in a pan with a little buttery to cook it further, it was so on point. She enjoyed the manicotti, and the meatballs were the highlight of the night. Someone at another table got simple spaghetti in meatballs, and I think I would just go that direction next time. Yum! Overall, we come to the island a couple times a year, and we'd visit this place again. The few hiccups on our visit are correctable, and we'd love to give it another try with this new knowledge.

Friends brought us here last night (25 June 2023). I had not heard of this place at all. Glad our friends invited us out to dinner. The building is small and parking is tight/limited. We had to wait to get a parking space. There were people waiting outside to get in. Must be a good place, I thought. We had 6:30pm reservations and ended up waiting almost 30 minutes. My friend was told two tables had not been cleared as those guests had finished their meals but were just hanging out. Hey, if it's a packed place with people waiting with reservations, how about some courtesy and moving on? Finally at our table, we ordered drinks. I had a tasty lemoncello martini. Their martini's are $14, al little on the pricey side, but very good. Other drinks that were ordered; a red wine, a Manhattan, and a dry martini. Everyone liked their drinks. Fresh bread and butter was served. For our meals, I had a special, a chicken sorrentino with proscuitto, sliced tomatoes, mozzarella and a light and flavorful marsala sauce; and angel hair pasta. Small Caesar salad too. DH had the broccoli rabe with sliced sausage and penne pasta. Friends had the eggplant rollatini and Veal Saltimboca. The food was fantastic! Big portions too. We all had leftovers! Yum! Our server, sorry I forgot his name, was excellent. Despite every table being full, we didn't wait long at all for our drinks and food. Overall, an excellent dinner with great service. I look forward to going back soon!