Wilmington has a strong food scene for a city its size, built around fresh Atlantic seafood and driven by a growing restaurant culture that serves both the university population and the tourist trade. The riverfront and the historic district have the highest concentration of good options.
Seafood is the natural starting point: North Carolina shrimp, oysters from the nearby sounds, and local flounder are all excellent when in season. Low-country cooking (rice, beans, slow-cooked meat, corn bread) appears alongside more contemporary Southern food that takes the same ingredients in a more ambitious direction. The brunch culture is strong — weekend mornings in the downtown area involve queues for the better spots.
The Brooklyn Arts District, north of downtown, has a concentration of independent restaurants and bars with a more local, less tourist-oriented character than the riverfront strip. For waterfront dining with views of the USS North Carolina, the restaurants along Water Street are the obvious choice.