Bar: The Fat Pelican
Location: 8 Lake Park Blvd S, Carolina Beach, NC 28428
Score: 8.8/10
A simple google search of The Fat Pelican will show you this bar was voted as the #1 dive bar in North Carolina and top 25 in the nation. And this is well deserved. The place absolutely embodies the definition of what a dive bar is.
Located in Carolina Beach, NC, this bar sits in what looks like a shack. It is honestly exactly what you would expect a bar in a beach town to look like. Don’t let the colorful outside fool you, as you walk in to a dimly lighted bar area, with walls filled with decor fitting no theme. And this bar doesn’t stop inside. The outside area has plenty of bench seating, as well as high tops and beach chairs. If that isn’t enough to fit the beach vibe, there’s a portion of a boat, and the ground is all sand. Add in a couple pools and a slip and slide and people would have zero reason to go to the actual beach. Another really cool aspect of this bar is the way alcohol is served. You don’t just go to the bar and order. Instead, you walk into a beer fridge where the choices are endless. After making your selection, you walk up to the cash register to pay for your selection. It’s very easy to see why this bar was rated so highly in the dive bar community.
We took a trip to Carolina Beach for a golf trip in December to get away from the miserable winter Missouri offers. We were driving around after dinner one night looking for a bar and came across The Fat Pelican. We instantly pulled in to check it out. Walking in I was amazed with the decor. Neon signs, posters, surf boards. This place had it all. I was also surprised by how empty it was. But after talking with a couple of the locals, they told us it was off season and the place doesn’t really fill up. They did tell us the summer is the total opposite. The place will pack in, and a line will be down the street and is one in one out, with people waiting over an hour to try and get it. Part of me was really glad to not have to deal with the madness, but I also felt like I was missing out on seeing what all this bar had to offer in all its glory. We then headed over to the bartender to order drinks, where she directed us to the walk in telling us to pick our poison. After making our selection and paying, we decided to check out the outside area. We filled around a table and started discussing how cool this place was and noting we don’t have anything like this back home. And as every golf trip goes, the beers started flowing.
It’s very easy to see why this bar was rated so high. So far, it’s probably my favorite spot that I have been. And the only reason this didn’t crack into the nines for me, was that we there during offseason. Now I know it seems wrong to “punish” a bar for a reason that is strictly on me. But I think I need to see this place operate at full capacity. Would I enjoy it as much if I was shoulder to shoulder with people? Would the beer fridge be backed up taking forever to get a drink? There’s a lot of variables that I wasn’t able to witness that I need to see before I can give a ranking taking this bar to the next level. I guess the only thing left is to go back in the summer and provide a new update.
Decor: Neon signs, beers posters, boats, surfboards, and sand. Place had a little bit of everything making it the perfect setting for a dive bar.
Prices: Cheap, cheap, cheap. That’s all I have to say about that.
Service: Bartender/cashier was awesome. Was very friendly and made us feel welcome as soon as we walked in the door. Bouncer was awesome.
Atmosphere: Place was awesome. Kept us coming back every night of the trip. As mentioned, I still would love to see it packed in the summer to get the full experience to see if this could crack the nines.
Cleanliness: Grimy, but in a good way. No real health concerns.
Bonus Points: No bonus points.