This Charlotte-area spot was named one of the best new restaurants in the US

A Charlotte-area restaurant is getting some major national love.

Seaboy, the cozy fish shack in Cornelius from chef Jonny Cox, has landed on Esquire’s 2025 list of Best New Restaurants in America.

On “any given evening,” Esquire writes, “the luckiest” diners grab a seat at one of about 20 tables inside Seaboy, where Cox, “a local boy who’s done time in Charlotte – and in Sorrento, Italy,” serves a menu that blends his hometown roots with Italian simplicity.

According to the magazine, “every small plate hums with flavor,” from cornmeal-dusted, pan-fried Virginia flounder over “herby, vervy, creamy maque choux” to crab-and-chorizo croquettes described as “bonsai flavor bombs floating in sweet crimson pepper jam.”

Esquire puts it simply: “Seaboy’s a roadside restaurant that shines like a beacon.”

Seaboy was not North Carolina’s only restaurant to earn a spot on the list. Tamasha, an Indian restaurant in Raleigh, was also recognized, the News & Observer reported.

Seaboy

Where: 20822 N. Main St., Cornelius, NC 28031

Menu

Cuisine: Seafood and craft cocktails

Instagram: @seaboyrestaurant

This story was originally published December 2, 2025 at 5:30 AM.

Evan Moore

The Charlotte Observer

Evan Moore is a service journalism reporter for the Charlotte Observer. He grew up in Denver, North Carolina, where he previously worked as a reporter for the Denver Citizen, and is a UNC Charlotte graduate.