Waterfront Dining
in
Historic Beaufort, NC
“Moonrakers,” named after the rectangular sail flown at the uppermost height of a three-mast 17th-century ship, is a state-of-the-art, upper-casual, full-service restaurant located in the Beaufort Historical District.
A dining destination offering friendly, neighborly service, along with excellent food, Moonrakers Coastal Cuisine features a captivating dining room and bar overlooking the waterfront on the ground floor including 14-foot open ceilings, display kitchen, custom mural, acoustical sails, dedicated wine wall and a wood fired brick oven. The comfortable décor is centered around an inviting, light, and airy coastal themed atmosphere featuring amazing original artwork of the area and sounds of local musicians for entertainment. The ground floor includes a covered open-air dining space overlooking the coastal waterway.
Sipping on the Dock of the Bay
With three floors of amazing waterfront dining, a creative beverage program is a must, and Moonrakers works tirelessly on ours. From our handcrafted cocktails to frozen favorites, our spirits are always high on Taylors Creek. For our hops lovers, we offer a great selection of local craft beers along with your domestic and international favorites, but our house favorite is our own Boomkicker™ Kölsch brewed right over the bridge in Atlantic Beach by our friends at Crystal Coast Brewing Company.
Saving the best for last, Moonrakers has received Wine Spectator’s “Award of Excellence” for six years in a row, from 2019 to present. This coveted award recognizes restaurants whose wine lists offer at least 90 selections, are appropriate to their cuisine, and appeal to a wide range of wine lovers. With a distinct curation of international wines, we strive to elevate our guests’ dining experience with a pairing that intrigues the palate. From light, blush-colored rosé to big California cabs, we want you to have the perfect wine for the moment.
Private Wine Lockers
A Premium Offer for the Discerning Wine Lover
Moonrakers is excited to offer twenty private wine lockers on premises for frequent guests and wine lovers who are looking to enhance their dining experience with us. Lockers come with custom owner plaques, discounted wine purchasing opportunities, and an invitation to attend private wine tasting events throughout the year. Locker-holders also enjoy early registration and exclusive pricing to special events.
For inquiries and applications, please speak to a manager.
Good Times Await
Sip, savor, and stay awhile. Our tables are set, and all that is missing is you. Take a moment to lock in your table for Beaufort’s newest waterfront dining destination. From laidback good times with a glass of rosé, to fun, family dinners or an impromptu brunch, the entire Moonrakers team can’t wait to make sure you have an amazing experience with us.
Hours
Monday-Thursday 11:00-8:00
Friday-Saturday 11:00-9:00
Closed Sunday
252.838.0083
Reservations Recommended.
Walk-ins always welcome.
Private Dining
Welcome to the Concorde Gallery, our 2nd floor dining and private event space perfect for your next special occasion, accommodating up to 80 guests. From rehearsal dinners and smaller wedding receptions to milestone birthday parties, corporate functions, and holiday parties, you’ll find the Concorde Gallery with its sweeping waterfront views and accompanying veranda will wow your guests. Our Moonrakers team will work closely with you to execute your vision of the perfect menu and service style for your event. Whether you are interested in cocktails and passed hors d’oeuvres or a multi-course dinner featuring gluten-friendly cuisine, Moonrakers’ experienced staff looks forward to assisting you with your event to provide the ideal experience.
Book the Entire Restaurant
For larger events, Moonrakers also offers the possibility of exclusive use of the restaurant. Here we can accommodate up to 140 guests for inside dining and provide the full attention of our staff. To explore the opportunity of having exclusive use of Moonrakers, please use the “Book Your Event” tab below to discuss availability and pricing.
Book your event
Gifts and Gear
No matter the occasion, a Moonrakers gift card is a great gift for those who love good food, good views and good times! Shop for Moonrakers gear and gift cards in-store.
News & Weekly Events
Tuesday Sushi Night (Seasonal)
Are those chopsticks? Or are you just happy to sashimi? The fun starts at 4pm and it’s going to be soy awesome! Sushi Night is a seasonal promotion, so please call ahead to confirm.
Wednesday Seafood Boil (Seasonal)
Join us Wednesday evenings for the ultimate Seafood Boil experience! Dive into a feast of succulent snow crab legs, juicy shrimp, tender mussels, and zesty andouille sausage, complemented with warm Cajun butter and toasted baguettes to soak up the deliciousness. Enjoy a taste of Louisiana with every bite!
Follow Moonrakers
For the most up to date Moonrakers happenings, please follow us on Facebook & Instagram and add your name to our e-mail list.
Concorde Gallery
Experience the art of Fine Dining
Guest Artists
Jaquelin Perry
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I feel so blessed to live in beautiful eastern North Carolina. Everywhere I look there are endless possibilities for new paintings. My goal is to paint daily and strive every day to improve my painting skills and find my own path as an artist. I try to paint exclusively from life when I can and love the experience of plein art painting.
I hope my paintings are exclamations of happiness and expressions of appreciation for our beautiful landscape. Painting is a wonderful journey that gives me tremendous gratification. I am so fortunate to have a close circle of painting pals and mentors that I get together with on a regular basis for painting outings and support.
Sharon Bass
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North Carolina artist Sharon Bass began sketching and drawing as a child in Asheville under the guiding influence of her parents. In high school, and thanks to a gifted and noble art teacher, she won a full scholarship to the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Bass expanded her knowledge of painting, photography, and graphic design and studied abroad and worked in Paris through an international exchange program.
Bass has been painting full-time since 2008. As a plein air painter, she begins her paintings on-location in the style and tradition of the Impressionists.
Fen Rascoe
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Fen Rascoe is an award-winning American Impressionist from the small town of Windsor, NC. He specializes in Alla Prima oil painting both en plein air and in the studio. Rascoe breathes life into art by capturing the essence of a scene as it unfolds naturally, distilling the immediate experience into each brushstroke. His evocative artwork transports you to the heart of the scene, giving you a glimpse into the Crystal Coasts’ landscapes and native wildlife. To date, Rascoe’s plein air paintings have been featured twice in Plein Air Magazine’s daily online newsletter, Plein Air Today. His work was also featured on the Outdoor Channel’s The Obsession of Carter Andrews Episode 2, “The Impressionist.” Recently, Rascoe was on the faculty of the 11th Annual Plein Air Convention and Expo (PACE), juried into the North Carolina Plein Air Festival by selection juror Shanna Kunz, and featured in the spring issue of The Virginia Sportsman magazine.
Jill Hunt
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Jill Hunt was born and raised in Buffalo, NY, and had a love for art from a very young age. By high school, she knew she wanted a career in the art field. Hunt went on to attend Nazareth College in Rochester as a Studio Art major with a concentration in Illustration, and Buffalo State College, where she earned a degree in Art Education. After graduating, Hunt made the move to Raleigh, NC, to start the next chapter of her life and pursue her goals. She worked as an art educator in NC for more than 20 years. During that time, Hunt also started a family and settled in Clayton, NC. In 2014, she had the opportunity to turn her focus toward her own artistic endeavors.
Hunt opened an art gallery and studio in downtown Clayton and began to exhibit and sell her art throughout the state. Shortly after, she became a resident artist of a gallery in downtown Raleigh, where she curated an exhibition space of her art for several years while continuing to teach art full-time. Hunt is proud to have exhibited in a variety of juried solo and group shows and to have earned numerous awards for her work. She now operates her business as an online shop of her art and continues to exhibit her paintings at galleries and other venues throughout NC.
About Our Team
John & Dennis Stephens
The Brothers
Moonrakers is the result of combined career experiences of John and Dennis Stephens, also known as “the brothers.” John is a forty-plus-year veteran in restaurant hospitality and operations. Dennis is an engineer and entrepreneur with his own company in design and construction. Raised in a large military family of seven children, and the sons of an Army Base Commander, both have ingrained within them a work ethic and determination that reflects a “getting the job done” approach to everything they do.
Christopher Stephens
General Manager / Executive Chef
Chris started growing his passion for food when he was 15. His career path was an easy decision when he gained early admittance to Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI on scholarship. After graduating, he relocated to the Isle of Wight, England, and spent a year apprenticing in a rigorous work environment under a Michelin star chef.
With over 22 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Chris has spent most of his time acutely focused on food and in the kitchen, assuming lead roles and executive chef positions in exclusive member clubs and restaurants throughout New England.
As a General Manager, and an avid member of the hospitality industry, Chris enjoys influencing and positively impacting guest experiences in any way he can. He wholeheartedly believes in team mentality and finds himself recounting the coined phrase “teamwork makes the dream work” on regular occasions.
While the restaurant doors are closed, Chris spends time with his beautiful wife, daughter, and dog. He takes pride in eating great food and accomplishing projects around the home.
Tommy Rouse
Assistant General Manager
Tommy joined the Moonrakers team in February of 2020. He is originally from Nash County, North Carolina. He is best known for his charming personality and contagious smile. Upon moving to Beaufort and working in the hospitality industry, he quickly developed a passion for the food and beverage industry. Tommy believes a good restaurant provides guests with an experience through not only the meals, but also the atmosphere and memories they create. When he is not taking care of our guests, Tommy is out on the water, in the sun, or having brunch with his sister planning his next travel retreat.
Jeremy Sanders
Sous Chef
The artfully placed fennel fronds on your blackened grouper? Those were a finishing touch by Jeremy. Born on an Air Force base outside of Tokyo, Jeremy and his family returned to their homebase in Carteret County when he was just 3 months. After graduating high school, he moved to Baton Rouge, where he got his first job in the kitchen at a Quiznos. Forgoing formal schooling, Jeremy chose to learn by doing, spending the subsequent 19 years working his way up in the culinary realm with a few construction gigs in the mix.
In 2018, he joined Moonrakers in its infancy, intrigued by its ingredient-driven menu and fusion of modernist and classical cooking techniques. Jeremy’s unique panache draws inspiration from his Japanese birthright, personal experiences, and training with seasoned Louisiana chefs. His catches are globally imbued with Mediterranean, Italian, and Asian roots.
Outside of Moonrakers, Jeremy is either engaged in a video game or scouring for the latest and greatest anime model kit to build. When he’s not feeding others, his go-to dish at home is blackened chicken carbonara over tri-color cheese tortellini.
Kaleb Warren
Sous Chef
Born and raised in Morehead City, Kaleb’s culinary journey begins with his mother. At an early age, she imparted onto him the most invaluable element of cooking: love. For Kaleb, there’s nothing better than seeing friends and family gathered around a table laden with dishes you’ve made, laughing, and enjoying each other’s company. His culinary career began while working as a sous chef at Carmel’s Kitchen & Bar in Asheville, NC. There, he acquired a solid foundation in classic cooking techniques, working under their chef with nearly 50 years of experience.
Kaleb returned to Carteret County to be in closer proximity to his family, joining the Moonrakers team in 2022 as a line cook. At Moonrakers, Kaleb treats every dish as an opportunity for self-expression and growth as he experiments with vibrant ingredients to create a masterpiece that is both stunning and a symphony on the palette. His dishes draw inspiration from Hispanic and Latin American cuisine, utilizing the abundance of fresh local seafood on the coast.
Outside of the kitchen, Kaleb enjoys roller skating and spending time with his wife and three cats. Looking ahead, he plans on expanding his family, intending to carry on his mother’s tradition of fostering a sense of togetherness by cooking with love.
Maddy Bonnabeaux
Social Media Strategist
Maddy was born in Raleigh and raised in Wilson, NC. After graduating from NC State, she moved to Beaufort, intrigued by its dynamic hospitality scene. Maddy strives to create a convivial environment in which guests feel like they are at home as soon as they walk through the front door. If she’s not working on an Instagram post, you can find her reading, at the gym, or watching a State game.
HOURS
Monday-Thursday 11:00-8:00
Friday-Saturday 11:00-9:00
Closed Sunday
Hiring for All Positions
Click Here to Apply
© 2024 Moonrakers