The Blind Pelican

Anchoring Holly Springs Crossing, The Blind Pelican channels a breezy coastal getaway with its nautically themed dining room, reclaimed-wood community table, and lively call-ahead waitlist that keeps the room buzzing. Owners Andrew and Nikki Stafford insist on daily deliveries of East Coast seafood, so guests find fresh catches from raw oyster flights to steaming bowls of she-crab soup and chowder alongside gator bites, conch fritters, and other tide-to-table starters.

Entrees spotlight Maryland-style crab cakes, Low Country shrimp and grits, and lobster-and-shrimp pasta, while the expansive menu stretches to peel-and-eat shrimp, Cajun grilled mahi, and make-it-a-surf-and-turf upgrades. Specials like Tuesday Taco deals, Wednesday Lobsta’ Night, and all-you-can-eat crab legs keep regulars engaged, and the bar shakes up smoked old fashioneds, beachy boat drinks, and towering Ultimate Bloody Mary builds that have earned regional praise.

That Bloody Mary program scored 2022 honors for Best Bloody Mary, Best Seafood, and Best Cocktails, and in August 2025 the restaurant set Guinness World Records for the largest garnished Bloody Mary and the priciest, feeding 100 guests with its $7,000 creation. Outdoor seating, takeout, curbside pickup, delivery, and easygoing service make this Holly Springs seafood house an effortless choice for everything from patio brunches to celebratory dinners.