Seafood in Wake Forest, NC: A Take-Home Seafood Boil From North Raleigh
Looking for seafood in Wake Forest, NC, and tired of waiting for a table? Topsail Steamer packs a full seafood boil, with shrimp, snow crab, corn and potatoes, into a single bucket you steam at home in about 40 minutes. The closest store sits in North Raleigh at Brennan Station, just off I-540, an easy stop on the way back to Wake Forest.
To be clear up front: Topsail Steamer isn’t a restaurant, and there’s no Wake Forest storefront. It’s a take-home seafood boil. If you want a dining room and a server, a sit-down seafood restaurant is the right call. If you want the boil on your own table, this is the shortcut.
Why Wake Forest families take the boil home
A restaurant seafood dinner runs on the restaurant’s clock. You wait for a table, keep the group small enough to fit one, and wrap up when the check comes. A take-home boil runs on yours. The kids can leave the table and come back. The neighbors can wander over. Nobody needs to “get another customer turn” of your table.
It fits the nights a restaurant can’t: a birthday at home, a Friday with the in-laws, a lake day near Falls Lake, or a game on TV with friends. Everything comes in one bucket, table paper included, so cleanup means rolling it up.
What a Bay Bucket is
A Bay Bucket® is Topsail Steamer’s seafood steam pot: a single-use pot packed with seafood and sides that steam together. Every bucket starts with sweet corn, red bliss potatoes, butter, cocktail sauce and table paper. The seafood depends on which one you pick.
Two sizes
The Low Tider serves 2-3 people and the High Tider serves 4-6. A family of five fits one High Tider. For 8 to 12 people, plan on two.
Eight signature buckets
- Low Country Shrimp: shrimp, corn, potatoes and sausage
- Topsail Clam Bake: shrimp, clams, corn, potatoes and sausage
- Crabby Jimbo: shrimp, snow crab, potatoes and corn
- Full Steamer: shrimp, snow crab, clams, corn, potatoes and sausage
- Wrightsville: snow crab, scallops, shrimp, clams, corn, potatoes and sausage
- Captain Pierce: shrimp, snow crab, scallops, clams, potatoes and sausage
- Miss Emily II: shrimp, snow crab, lobster, clams, sausage and onion
- Shark Bite: lobster, shrimp, snow crab, clams, scallops, corn, potatoes and sausage
Prefer your own mix? Build Your Own lets the table decide.
Getting it from North Raleigh to Wake Forest
The Raleigh store is at 8111 Creedmoor Rd Suite 167, in Brennan Station, the Trader Joe’s center about a mile from I-540. From there, I-540 east and US-1 north bring you back to Wake Forest.
The bucket is packed raw and stays that way until you steam it, so the drive home costs nothing in quality. Call ahead at (919) 322-2825 and pickup takes a few minutes. Set the timer when you walk in the door, and dinner lands about 40 minutes later.
How to steam it at home
- Add liquid. Water or beer goes straight into the pot. There’s no pre-boil.
- Set it on the heat. The stove works, and so does any burner, including a gas grill burner.
- Steam for about 40 minutes.
- Dump it out on the table paper and call everyone in.
Feeding 20 or more in Wake Forest
For a bigger crowd, a Party Pot feeds 20-30 people and is available for pickup at the Raleigh store. Choose from shrimp, snow crab, lobster tails, large sea scallops, littleneck clams, andouille and kielbasa, with corn, potatoes, seasoning, butter and cocktail sauce included.
It starts from about $20 per person, compared with caterers that often charge $45 and up and want 2-4 weeks of notice. Order 1-2 days ahead, and earlier for holiday weekends, when demand is higher. A backyard graduation party, a neighborhood block party or a family reunion in Wake Forest all fit that size. For more on planning a group meal, see our guide to catering in Raleigh.
About Topsail Steamer
Danielle Mahon founded Topsail Steamer in 2017 in Surf City, on North Carolina’s Topsail Island. It’s the leading seafood steampot franchise, with more than 10 locations across five states and a Shark Tank Season 16 appearance along the way. The Raleigh store is owned by sisters Paige Rogalski and Renée Moore. See our seafood boil in Raleigh page for more on the store.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I get seafood to cook at home in Wake Forest, NC?
The closest Topsail Steamer is the Raleigh store at 8111 Creedmoor Rd Suite 167, in Brennan Station off I-540. It sells take-home seafood boils packed with shrimp, snow crab, clams, scallops or lobster, plus corn, potatoes, butter and cocktail sauce. You pick up a bucket, drive it home, and steam it in about 40 minutes. There’s no shopping list and no prep, which is the main difference from buying seafood by the pound and building a boil yourself.
Is there a Topsail Steamer in Wake Forest?
No. The nearest store is in North Raleigh at Brennan Station, off I-540. Many Wake Forest customers pick up on the way home, since the bucket stays raw until you steam it. Call ahead at (919) 322-2825 and pickup takes a few minutes.
Is Topsail Steamer a seafood restaurant?
No. It’s a take-home seafood boil shop with no dining room. You pick up a Bay Bucket and steam it yourself in about 40 minutes. For servers and a table, a sit-down seafood restaurant fits. For the same kind of meal at your own table, on your own schedule, a Bay Bucket fits.
How many people does a Bay Bucket feed?
A Low Tider feeds 2-3 people and a High Tider feeds 4-6. Two High Tiders cover 8 to 12. For 20 or more, a Party Pot feeds 20-30 and is pickup only from the Raleigh store.
Does the seafood hold up on the drive to Wake Forest?
Yes. The bucket is packed raw and cooks only when you steam it, so the drive home doesn’t affect the meal. Keep it cool in the car, get it home, add liquid and start the timer. If you’re stopping elsewhere on the way, pick up last.
Plan your Wake Forest seafood boil
Pick up at Topsail Steamer Raleigh, 8111 Creedmoor Rd Suite 167, in Brennan Station, or call (919) 322-2825 to order ahead. Visit the Raleigh store page for details. No toil, just boil.
