Randy and Nancy Swanson. photograph by Charles Harris
Boro Low Country Kitchen occupies prime waterfront space in this small fishing town that serves as a gateway to the Crystal Coast. About 150 yards from the restaurant’s dock is the cachunk-cachunk of beach traffic driving over the bridge to Cedar Point. Boro’s walk-up window slides open like a fast-food drive-through. But don’t expect a burger and fries: This joint’s specialty is seafood boiled with corn, sausage, and potatoes in a secret concoction of spices — no Old Bay allowed — and served steaming hot on aluminum platters.
“The Low Country boil was a real Hail Mary,” says Randy Swanson, who opened the restaurant in 2019. “It wasn’t really being done around here. Fortunately, it’s really taken off.”
Standing at the window near an old statue of a jolly pirate, you’ll order from a folded paper menu: Should you get lobster, snow crab, shrimp, and mussels? Or maybe blue crab and clams? Whatever you decide, a cold beer will likely come in handy. Then, take your tray and beer back to one of the long, high-top tables on the deck, grab a shell cracker, and savor the taste of the sea.
Boro Low Country Kitchen
103 Moore Street
Swansboro, NC 28584
(910) 325-0511
borolowcountrykitchen.com
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