OUTER BANKS
Eat & drink
Where we send our guests, and what to order when you get there. Hours change with the season, so call ahead from December through February.
Nags Head and nearby
DINNER & BAR · NAGS HEAD
Tortugas' Lie
Walk from Oceanside Oasis
The surfer hangout on the Beach Road with the shark on the roof, Caribbean-leaning seafood, a sushi list, and a volleyball court out back. It has been on national TV and still feels like a local's bar. No reservations; go early.
Order this: Fish tacos, the coconut shrimp, or the Coco Loco chicken, and a rum drink.
BREAKFAST & SEAFOOD · NAGS HEAD
Sam & Omie's
Open since 1937 as a pre-dawn breakfast stop for charter fishermen, and still the first-morning tradition for half the island. Wood paneling, big plates, and a view of the Nags Head pier across the road.
Order this: Breakfast, whichever way you like eggs, and the she-crab soup if you come back for lunch.
DINNER & SUNSET · NAGS HEAD CAUSEWAY
Basnight's Lone Cedar Café
On the causeway to Manteo, over the water, with a menu built on what local boats and farms bring in that day. They clean the seafood in-house and will cook your own catch if you bring it in from a charter. Ask for a sound-side table at sunset.
Order this: Whatever fish is on the board tonight, plus a dozen local oysters to start.
LUNCH & DINNER · NAGS HEAD
Blue Moon Beach Grill
A small, busy room in a strip of shops near Jockey's Ridge where locals eat in the off-season and everyone waits in summer. Seafood and sandwiches done carefully, a good bar, and no reservations, so put your name in and walk the dune.
Order this: The Caesar salad with the house blue cheese, then the daily fish.
DRINKS & MUSIC · KILL DEVIL HILLS
Outer Banks Brewing Station
The brewery under the wind turbine on the bypass, with its own beer, a full menu, and live music most summer nights. The easy after-beach stop between Nags Head and the Wright Brothers Memorial.
Order this: A flight of the house beers and the fish and chips.
SWEETS · DUCK, COROLLA & NAGS HEAD
Duck Donuts, Surfin' Spoon & Big Buck's
Three island institutions. Duck Donuts started in Duck and makes each one to order, with shops in Corolla and Kitty Hawk too. Surfin' Spoon in Nags Head is the frozen yogurt line every summer night. Big Buck's in Corolla is the homemade ice cream stop after the lighthouse.
Order this: A maple bacon donut in the morning, and ice cream after dinner. Not the same day. Probably.
TAKEOUT NIGHT · COROLLA & NAGS HEAD
Steamer Pots to Go
The Outer Banks tradition for a big group: a steamer pot of shrimp, clams, crab legs, sausage, corn, and potatoes, picked up and finished on your own stove. Outer Banks Boil Company has locations up and down the islands; order the day before in summer.
Do this: Order a pot for the night everyone gets back from the beach late and nobody wants to cook.
Corolla
DINNER · COROLLA
Mike Dianna's Grill Room
Corolla date night
Family-owned in Corolla since 2005, with a menu that changes daily around prime beef, local seafood, and pasta, and one of the few kitchens up here that takes reservations and seats a big group. Their Take and Bake option brings the Grill Room to your own dining table.
Order this: A steak from the daily board, or ask about Take and Bake for the night you would rather eat by the pool.
LUNCH & CASUAL · COROLLA
Uncle Ike's Sandbar & Grill
The laid-back, year-round spot in Corolla for tacos, seafood, and a cocktail after the beach. Friendly, casual, and open when half the town has closed for the season.
Order this: Ike's tacos with mahi, tuna, or shrimp.
LUNCH · COROLLA VILLAGE
Corolla Village Barbecue
A tiny shack in the old village by the lighthouse doing eastern North Carolina barbecue the right way: chopped pork in vinegar sauce, hickory-smoked chicken and ribs. Eat at a picnic table and walk it off among the historic buildings.
Order this: The chopped pork plate with hushpuppies and slaw.
DINNER & RAW BAR · COROLLA
North Banks Restaurant & Raw Bar
The Corolla standby for a proper dinner: filet and lobster as the house specialties, several preparations of local fish every night, and a raw bar for the oyster people at the table. Lunch and dinner, full bar.
Order this: Local oysters at the bar, then the fish special.
BREAKFAST & COFFEE · COROLLA
Lighthouse Bagels & Deli
New York and New Jersey style bagels in Corolla and one of the most reliable breakfasts on the northern beaches. Grab a dozen for the house on the way to the horse tour.
Order this: An everything bagel with lox, and a box of assorted for the crowd.