Travel Like a Local: the best Outer Banks restaurants, town by town
One of my favorite things about traveling is experiencing new locations, but it’s the best when we get to experience it from a local perspective. See below for some local best-kept secrets: the Outer Banks restaurants that locals return to again and again, from Corolla to Ocracoke.
64 spots. 13 towns. Every one linked to its own website.
Hi, I’m Elissa. My husband Al and I manage vacation homes from Corolla down to Frisco, and these are the restaurants, cafés and dockside kitchens Outer Banks locals actually eat at.
Jump to your town
The Outer Banks stretches nearly 200 miles, so we’ve grouped every restaurant by area, north to south. Hours shift with the season and a few spots close a day or two a week, so a quick call ahead is always a lovely idea.
The best Outer Banks restaurants: the locals’ top 10
If you only have a handful of dinners, these are the Outer Banks restaurants locals name without hesitating. Click any card to open the restaurant’s site.
Get the printable Outer Banks restaurant guide, plus our Top 10 with a “how to get a table” note for each
This page stays free and open. The email version is the one you can save to your phone for the drive down, with the things I only tell our guests: which spots take reservations, when to arrive to skip the wait, and what Al and I actually order.
- All 64 restaurants, town by town, as a phone-friendly PDF
- Al & Elissa's Top 10 with a how-to-get-a-table tip for each
- Two or three follow-up notes a season. No spam, unsubscribe any time.
Corolla & Duck restaurants
The northern beaches are quieter and more residential, so the Outer Banks restaurants up here lean toward special-occasion dinners and easy family nights close to home.
Photos courtesy of Broken Plate Kitchen, Corolla.
Kitty Hawk & Southern Shores restaurants
Kitty Hawk has the densest cluster of locals' Outer Banks restaurants on the beach: burgers, crabs, tavern food and wood-fired pizza in a historic lifesaving station.
Kill Devil Hills & Colington restaurants
Kill Devil Hills is where the year-round community lives, so these Outer Banks restaurants are the breakfast counters, bakeries and dinner spots locals use every week.
Nags Head, the Causeway & Oregon Inlet restaurants
From the Beach Road classics to the waterfront rooms on the causeway, Nags Head holds more legendary Outer Banks restaurants than any other town.
Roanoke Island: Manteo & Wanchese restaurants
Cross the causeway and the Outer Banks restaurants change character: this is the working waterfront, and the seafood comes off boats you can see from your table.
Hatteras Island: Rodanthe to Hatteras Village restaurants
Hatteras Island Outer Banks restaurants are small, family-run and unhurried, and several close for the season, so a call ahead matters most down here.
Ocracoke restaurants
Ocracoke is a ferry ride away, and its Outer Banks restaurants reward the trip.
Outer Banks restaurants: frequently asked questions
Do Outer Banks restaurants take reservations?
Most casual Outer Banks restaurants don’t, which is why waits at the famous places can run 40 minutes or more in summer. The SaltBox Café in Kill Devil Hills and most fine-dining rooms (Urban Kitchen, Lifesaving Station, 1587 Lounge, The Colington Café) do. Book ahead.
Are Outer Banks restaurants open year-round?
Many are, especially in Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills and Nags Head. Some Corolla, Duck and Hatteras spots shorten their weeks or close for the winter, so call ahead from November through March.
Which Outer Banks restaurants are closest to Corolla?
Broken Plate Kitchen, Urban Kitchen and Nelly’s SandBar are right in Corolla, and Duck is a short drive south. The Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills lists are about 30 to 45 minutes away.
Where do you get fresh local seafood to cook at home?
O’Neal’s Sea Harvest in Wanchese and I Got Your Crabs in Kitty Hawk are both markets as well as restaurants, and Diamond Shoals in Buxton has a seafood market attached.
Have a favorite we missed? Tell us at check-out and we’ll add it to our Outer Banks restaurants guide for the next family. Restaurant photos are the restaurants’ own, shared with us.
The best way to eat like a local is to stay like one
Browse our Outer Banks vacation rentals in Corolla, Duck, Avon and Frisco, or send us your dates and group size. We have personally been in every house, and I’m always happy to point you toward the right place for a special dinner, a quick lunch, or the best shrimp burger on the beach.
Browse Outer Banks Homes Corolla vs. Duck vs. Avon
Because there’s no place you’d rather be.