Outer Banks Restaurants

Bad Bean Baja Grill creates a distinctive dining experience. Utilizing techniques and flavors found all across Latin America, California and the Baja Peninsula, the award-winning chefs present a creative fusion of familiar cantina favorites. One of the favorite dishes is the fish tacos topped with salsa fresca, crisp jicama slaw and cilantro chimichurri. The slow-cooked beef brisket and pork barbacoa also make for delicious tacos as well as burritos, wraps and quesadillas. Bad Bean always uses fresh, local seafood, and their chips, salsas, guacamole and queso dips are all made in-house. Be sure to check out the nightly dinner specials, and on Fridays stop by for fresh fish ceviche. Along with the full restaurant menu, the bar serves some of the best fresh fruit margaritas and mojitos on the beach. Plus they have an ever-changing selection of craft and draft beers. This cool Outer Banks restaurant is open year-round for lunch and dinner. Take-out, including party packs for groups, is available.

For a tasty treat, head to Big Buck’s Homemade Ice Cream. Choose from more than 50 flavors of made-from-scratch ice cream plus sorbet and soft serve. You can get any flavor made into a shake, split, sundae or float, even a brownie sundae – yum! Big Buck’s has an espresso bar and all the espresso-based coffee drinks you need to pick up your day. Handmade Belgian chocolate and fudge are made fresh daily, and they also accept custom orders for wedding favors, baby showers and other events. And don't forget the ice cream cake! They have a flavor for every occasion.

Housed in a former U.S. Lifesaving Station and full of character and rustic charm, the Black Pelican is on the Beach Road, directly across from the ocean. They have a deck bar with great ocean views and, of course, lots of fresh seafood on the menu. Choose from steamed seafood, steaks or pizza from the wood-fired brick oven, a locals' favorite. Each night they offer an eclectic list of chef’s specials, and they have a kids' menu with lots of choices. Save room for one of their home-baked desserts; you’ll see what we mean when you pass the display case on your way in. The Black Pelican serves lunch and dinner every day, plus a late-night menu is served at the bar and in the restaurant. This is a lively place where you can find a fun bar scene. They are open all year.

Buffalo City Distillery is a state-of-the-art craft distillery just minutes from the beaches across the Wright Memorial Bridge. They produce premium whiskey, bourbon, vodka and gin using local grains from their nearby farm. The distillery is kid-friendly and dog-friendly with a beautifully secure, fully enclosed backyard. Shop at their curated gift shop and enjoy their classic and seasonal cocktails at the distillery bar. They offer distillery tours and tastings, live music, trivia nights, cocktail classes and other special events. Buffalo City is open every day, and their farm-to-bottle spirits can be purchased at the distillery even on Sundays! You can also find their spirits at ABC stores throughout North Carolina.

If it’s Southern chicken, then it’d better be fried. At least, that’s what they believe at The Cookshak Fried Chicken. Their small menu lets them focus on preparing fried chicken and its fixings right, crafting each meal to feel like you’re sitting down to a big chicken dinner at Grandma’s country farmhouse. The restaurant serves food in family-size servings, and you can order half or whole birds and pair them with sides of fries, mac and cheese or coleslaw available by the pint or quart. Be sure to check out their daily lunch specials, too, for deals on single-serving meals. Cookshak's Duck location is take-out only, and their Nags Head location offers takeout or dine-in options. They also deliver for free.