For a very long time, Beaufort’s waterfront area was lacking a convenience store or some other outlet for basic supplies at a decent price. I can remember more than once in years past having to drive…
or more likely than not, walk…
walk very slowly…
down Turner Street and across 70 to the Carteret County landmark, Big Daddy Wesley’s Groc., affectionately known in our family as simply, “the groc.”
Big Daddy Wesley’s at the Corner of Turner Street and Highway 70
Now Big Daddy Wesley’s is indeed a must visit for local color, and I have never felt anything but safe when stopping in for a bag of ice or other supplies. But, I believe they do handle bail bonds, and while Big Daddy Wesley’s does not have a website, it is listed on potlocator.com.
Enough said.
Back in the early spring 2012 however, the need for a convenience store downtown was filled with the opening of the Taylor’s Creek Grocery.
Taylor’s Creek Grocery is located at the corner of Front and Queen Streets, just across Queen Street from the Inlet Inn, and just across Front Street from the Boardwalk Café and Queen Anne’s Revenge.
Jennifer and the girls leaving the Taylor’s Creek Grocery with some food & drink for the evening
The photo shows Mrs. Bringing Home Beaufort and our girls leaving the store with some goodies for supper, including a pint of home-made Crab Bisque for me.
Jennifer discovered via a very pleasant chat with the proprietor that the soup was made from an elderly South Carolina lady’s recipe, but with a doubling of the sherry. A pint of the bisque sold for $5.00 and mine was the last of the batch for the day. At that price, my expectations were low and I was very, very pleasantly surprised at the quality of the soup.
It contained plenty of crab meat, and the sherry flavor was pronounced but not at all too much. At $5.00, it was amazing, and I had enough left over for another meal. We headed home the next day and the soup kept well in our cooler and made for a nice lunch at home…a perfect way to bring Beaufort home.
That was back in the spring, and I have had the soup a number of times since. It has always been good. In addition to soups, Taylor’s Creek Grocery has a full deli carrying Boar’s Head meats and cheeses as well as an assortment of breads.
The deli is located in the back corner of the shop and always seems to be staffed by pleasant folk (they work in Beaufort everyday, why wouldn’t they be pleasant?).
You can check out the menu here. The hot dogs, pizzas, and chicken tenders work great for the kids.
They have a number of café-type tables both inside the store and outside along the sidewalk, so you can eat in. While we tend to take-out, I have seen quite a few people enjoying the tables. The outside ones are great for people watching, and I believe you can enjoy the beer and wine selection from the tables (the beer and wine selections are pretty good).
In addition to the deli, Taylor’s Creek Grocery has an excellent selection of provisions and grocery-type items from fresh produce (I always need limes in Beaufort and never seem to have enough) to first aid supplies to milk to hot sauce to sunscreen to fishing tackle and everything in-between.
A bag of Beaufort Ice
The bags of Beaufort Ice also come in handy.
Taylor’s Creek Grocery also has good coffee and a selection of hot teas for the morning.
Barritt’s Ginger Beer from the Taylor’s Creek Grocery
In addition to all the other good points, Taylor’s Creek Grocery appears to be one of the few retail outlets in North Carolina to keep Barritt’s Ginger Beer in stock for a reasonable price!
Taylor’s Creek Grocery is exactly what Beaufort needs – I just wished I thought of it first, as I am sure it’s destined to do very, very well!
Visit Taylor’s Creek Grocery, but don’t let it stop you from dropping in at Big Daddy Wesley’s from time to time.
We received no compensation from Taylor’s Creek Grocery for this post.
Leave a Reply