Restaurant opens in Atlantic Beach for the first time in years
A new pizza and grill restaurant opened in Atlantic Beach, making it the second restaurant open in town limits.
Mohamed Alkassar opened Atlantic Town Grill, 714 Atlantic St., at the end of July. The only other restaurant within the town of Atlantic Beach is China Dragon.
Atlantic Town Grill serves pizza, subs, loaded fries and gyros with the majority of the menu clocking in under $15. In its first few weeks, Google Reviewers raved about stromboli and the burgers, with multiple people mentioning how the food tasted fresh.
Alkassar said he decided to open Atlantic Town Grill because the town needed something new.
“We had the space and Atlantic Beach is a very good community. We need to bring more into the town,” Alkassar said.
Atlantic Beach was once a thriving Black town but has fallen into disrepair in recent years. There are only a few businesses located along Kings Highway selling things like beach merch and golf carts.
Alkassar renovated the space where Atlantic Town Grill now sits. The joint mainly does takeout and delivery, as there is limited seating inside, although there is a patio with several picnic tables off to the side.
Alkassar grew up in New York City and worked in pizza restaurants there for many years before moving to North Carolina more than 20 years ago. He made his way to the Myrtle Beach area in 2017.
When asked how business is, Alkassar said, “Very good, really it was very good. Everybody’s very excited.”
Chaotic local politics have dominated headlines about Atlantic Beach for years. The most recent scandal involved the 2023 mayoral race, The Sun News reported. Mayor Jake Evans fired the entire election commission, which prevented votes from being counted. The town has yet to determine a winner.
Atlantic Beach appears to be attempting to revitalize the town. The town started charging for parking earlier this year in an attempt to bring in revenue, according to The Sun News. The town also updated its website.
