Popular Carolina Beach pizza restaurant to close, but new locations in the works

Allison Ballard, Wilmington StarNews
·2 min read

The news, while not completely unexpected, was still a little bit of a surprise. Jeremy Fenton, owner of Fentoni’s Pizza on the Carolina Beach Boardwalk, got word over the Thanksgiving holiday that the building that is home to his restaurant would be sold.

As a result, Fentoni's will close as of Dec. 8.

But Fenton said he's already been working on new locations and is proceeding with two spots that should open in the spring.

“This is a positive thing,” he said. “I’m not going to be negative about this.”

Earlier this year, Fentoni's was named one of the best in North Carolina for New York-style pizza. It's been at 9 Carolina Beach Ave. since 2020. Fenton said he believes the building will now become a location for a beach-wear chain.

Tim O'Toole makes pizza at Fentoni's on the Boardwalk in Carolina Beach. The pizza shop was recently named the third best in North Carolina for New York-style pizza in the Washington Post. It was the only local pizza spot named in the piece that compared regional styles of pizza. KEN BLEVINS/STARNEWS
Tim O'Toole makes pizza at Fentoni's on the Boardwalk in Carolina Beach. The pizza shop was recently named the third best in North Carolina for New York-style pizza in the Washington Post. It was the only local pizza spot named in the piece that compared regional styles of pizza. KEN BLEVINS/STARNEWS

Fentoni's offers a seasonal menu, adding a lunch buffet and more specialty options in the off-season. When the weather is warmer, they open a window selling by the slice. The two new locations offer a kind of ‘best of both worlds’ scenario. One will be at 1018 N. Lake Park Blvd. in the Publix Super Market Commons at Federal Point. The other is about a mile away on the beach at 11 Boardwalk.

For the first, Fenton said they’ll be able to offer family-style, sit-down dining and more parking.

“That’s been something we’ve been hearing,” Fenton said. “That people just can’t always get to us because of parking.”

The other will be a seasonal slice spot with window service -- the kind of business that keeps them so busy during the peak, warm weather season.

He’s hoping to open on the boardwalk in March and near the Publix grocery store in April.

“This will be a good thing for us,” he said. “Bigger and better things.”

More: The latest in restaurants: 8 openings and closings in the Wilmington area

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Allison Ballard is the food and dining reporter at the StarNews. You can reach her at aballard@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Fentoni's pizza restaurant in Carolina Beach closing