By Ann Marie Byrd, Feature Writer
On Middle Street in downtown New Bern, MJs Raw Bar and Grille has spent more than two decades serving seafood, burgers, and drinks to locals and visitors looking for a place that feels equal parts neighborhood gathering spot and casual restaurant.
By July 2026, MJs will mark 21 years in business, a milestone that reflects both staying power and adaptation. What began with a focus on steamed seafood has evolved into a broader menu built around family recipes, a steady crowd, and a dining room that has become part of downtown New Bern’s social rhythm.
Owner Mike Lentz says the idea for MJs started long before the restaurant opened. Growing up in Maryland, he was drawn to East Coast steamer-style seafood and the kind of no-frills tavern atmosphere he admired in places like John Steven’s Five Points Tavern in Fells Point. He wanted to bring that experience to New Bern in a way that felt local, familiar, and personal.
Over time, the menu moved beyond its original seafood emphasis. Today, MJs is known for a wide range of dishes, many rooted in family recipes passed down from Lentz’s mother and grandmother. The restaurant’s crab cakes and crab dip remain especially popular—and closely guarded. Lentz says those two items alone require at least 16 pounds of crab meat a day, while the restaurant goes through more than 2,000 oysters a week.
That kind of volume points to more than popularity; it reflects a restaurant that has become a dependable part of the downtown dining scene.
Lentz opened MJs in 2005, renting the building from Mr. Fuller at a time when, as he puts it, New Bern was “beginning to hit its stride” but had not yet fully become the destination it is today. A major turning point came in 2009, when the bar was added. Lentz says it changed the atmosphere of the restaurant and gave people another reason to gather there. The most meaningful milestone, he adds, was purchasing the building in 2010, which marked a new level of stability and growth for the business.
Behind the restaurant’s success is Lentz’s long background in hospitality. He earned a degree from UNC Charlotte in Industrial Organizational Psychology with a minor in Business, and he has worked in the industry since he was 16. His experience has ranged from dishwasher to line cook to manager, giving him a full view of how restaurants operate from the ground up.
Still, he is clear about where his role fits now.
“I’m not a chef–I have Chef Mark Lietz who has provided MJs with solid kitchen leadership and attention to food detail” he says. “I enjoy the business side of running the restaurant, and I’m grateful for our whole MJs team that make each day fun.”
His mornings often follow a familiar routine: arriving around 7 a.m., spending a few hours on work, drinking coffee, and playing backgammon with his friend Shannon. He also credits his children, Hannah and Ben, for being important parts of the restaurant’s story over the years, even as they pursue different careers.
At its core, MJs Raw Bar and Grille is a story about consistency—of menu, of place, and of a restaurant that grew with downtown New Bern while keeping its own identity intact. It continues to be a place with “simply good food and good times.”
The restaurant is located at 216 Middle Street and is open Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. More information is available at MJsRawBar.com, as well as on Facebook and Instagram.