Backwater Jack's reopens for warmer weather | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Peace, love and beer are back on the menu!

    Washington’s Backwater Jack’s Tiki Bar and Grill reopened for the warm season yesterday at 11:30 a.m., with draft beer and positive energy flowing—attracting hundreds of patrons ready to eat, drink, party and, yes, toss mullets (not hair flipping; fish flinging!).



    At 7 p.m., the parking lot was full, and there were lines out the door.

    “It’s like a summer Friday night,” exclaimed Backwater Jack’s waitress Robin Terry of Washington.

    Located at the end of East Main Street, in the self-proclaimed “Fun Zone,” between Inner Banks Outfitters and the city boat dock, Backwater Jack’s has a laidback, beach-y atmosphere, most akin to a wild Washington summer. And four wild summers they have provided—complete with drum circles, tequila shots and laughter.

    For three frigid months, since their Dec. 20 closing, the anticipation grew for Backwater Jack’s reopening celebration. Over the winter, several hunger-driven regulars took to Backwater Jack’s Facebook page, which currently has 1,633 fans, to plead for its owners, Laura Scoble and Cathy Bell, to have mercy on their various culinary addictions.

    “Oh how I can't wait for your yummy sweet potatoe fries..jimmy buffet music, and warm weather..c you soon!” wrote Ashley Quick of Washington.

    “When will ya'll reopen? I miss my fav. Shrimp burger, I need a fix, lol,” posted Chris Laraway of Greenville.



    All the while, Scoble and Bell were busy with upgrades: cutting the bar in half to provide more standing room in the bar area, acquiring a new draft selection of craft beers—Endless River (ale), Weeping Willow Wit (Belgian brew) and Dark Cloud (lager)—from Mother Earth Brewery in Kinston, and devising new daily specials.

    By reopening night, everyone had practiced their patience for so long that they happily waited, sometimes for 30 minutes, to be seated and, sometimes for another half hour, to get their food. The two indoor dining areas were packed to the hilt, but the outdoor dining area, due to the still-chilly March air, remained empty. Groups who were waiting for tables sat outside in lawn chairs around a fire, while others got drinks, listened to the live music and socialized.



    “Enjoy the view, and the food will come when it does. We’re not fast food,” joked Bell, who said her restaurant takes pride in cooking their seafood, burgers and other fun fare fresh and serving it hot.

    Isaac Jennette of Washington thoroughly enjoyed grubbing down his long-awaited favorite, the Buffet Burger.

    “In fact, I swear it was, like, better because I’ve been so long without it,” said Jennette.

    Greg Katski of Washington said he really missed having Backwater Jack’s take-out for his long evenings at work.

    “I’ve been waiting all winter to come eat here,” he said.



    But, of course, the crowd didn’t mind the delay—filled as it was with classic jams by local rock legend Chuck Phillips, who last season played at Backwater Jack’s once a month. Reopening night, Phillips charmed Parrot Heads in the audience with Jimmy Buffet songs and women in the audience with his especially diplomatic rendition of Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl,” which went out to every “brown eyed, blue eyed, green eyed, black eyed, lazy eyed, pink eyed girl” in the house.

    Scoble was thrilled to have Phillips there to start the season with Backwater Jack’s.

    “He’s a local guy, and it’s really nice that he wanted to make the first night special,” she said.

    Nancy Norwood of Washington said she looks forward to dinners at Backwater Jack’s for the entire experience.

    “I come in season, when I can, ‘cause it’s so much fun,” she said. “You get to see a lot of people and have a good time. It’s a Beaufort County icon.”

    Norwood regretted having to leave just before the mullet toss. She was curious to see what exactly a mullet toss is.

    At 8:15 p.m., Scoble led a little over a dozen diners outside to take part in a contest that could very well be a product of lazy days by the Pamlico River.

    Scoble explained: A mullet toss contest consists of pairs of competitors, who take turns flinging a wet mullet fish back and forth until one of them drops it.



    “Just grab one of those babies,” directed Scoble to the first competitors.

    Joe Vick, 10 years old, and Colin Miller, 22 years old, both from Washington, the first competitors, were also first-time mullet tossers, though Vick was aware of the impending challenge.

    “I go fishin’ at Lake Norman all the time. I usually catch a lot of bass out there,” said Vick. “They’re really slippery.”

    “The mullet toss, I think, was a smashing success,” said Scoble. “And tomorrow night we have a limerick that we’re asking people to complete: ‘There once was a place named Jack’s.’”

    Scoble said they are giving a grand prize to the writer of the winning limerick tonight at their St. Patrick's Day party.

     To visit Backwater Jack's Facebook page click here.