Gulfstream Restaurant of Carolina Beach has opened a second location at the former Causeway Cafe in Wrightsville Beach.

Ed Thomas, co-owner and operator of Gulfstream, took over the 40-year-old Carolina Beach restaurant five years ago, along with business partner Rich Johnson of Atlanta. 

The restaurant had a solid reputation and strong customer base at the time of the takeover, and Thomas said he felt very much the same about Causeway Cafe, noting that it too had a very loyal following of both locals and visitors to Wrightsville Beach. 

When former Causeway owner Dave Monaghan announced his plans to retire last October, Thomas began getting phone calls from people urging him to see about taking it over.

Thomas and Johnson eventually negotiated a lease with building owners Sue and Gordon "Dee" Reddick, who also own the neighboring retail outlet, Redix. 

Following several months of renovations, the space has been transformed to a modern coastal cafe with all new flooring, paint, fixtures and furniture, designed by interior designers Jennifer Kraner and Lauren Brown of Big Sky Design. A large handicapped accessible ramp has been added to the front deck, which now allows for outdoor dining.

Gulfstream is currently open for breakfast and lunch and will soon be open for dinner as well, just as soon as licenses for beer and wine are secured.

The menu includes many of the Carolina Beach location’s specialties, with a range of breakfast and lunch options, as well as dinner entrees such as stuffed flounder, NY Strip and Calabash shrimp served with a baked potato, salad and hushpuppies, and Caribbean mahi-mahi.

Gulfstream Restaurant in Wrightsville Beach is located at 114 Causeway Drive and is currently open from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

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