Outer Banks Restaurants

If you're a fan of traditional Mexican food and fresh tableside guacamole, you'll love 3 Tequilas. Start with appetizers like Mexican street corn, taquitos, choriqueso and empanadas while you peruse their massive menu. You can choose from numerous combinations of nachos, quesadillas, enchiladas, salads, fried rice, combos, chicken, seafood, fajitas, burritos, chimichangas, tacos and sides. There's also a nice selection of vegetarian and vegan dishes. 3 Tequilas serves lunch and dinner daily and has a full bar serving beer, wine, margaritas, tequilas and more. They accept reservations for lunch and dinner. 3 Tequilas' party room can accommodate up to 100 people.

The Back Porch is one of the island's great restaurants, providing a consistently pleasant dining experience. Their open-air screened porch dining room provides the space you need to be comfortable outdoor dining, and properly spaced interior air-conditioned dining also is available. Fresh, local seafood and produce are the stars of the menu, but hand-cut meats and poultry also shine. The menu changes seasonally, and taste combinations and presentation are always creative. A fine selection of homemade desserts is available to round out a perfect meal, and there's a full bar. Back Porch serves dinner Wednesday through Saturday.

This Outer Banks landmark restaurant at the top of many locals’ lists of favorite places. The service is genuinely friendly, and the portions are more than generous. You’ll enjoy views of Roanoke Sound on both sides of the restaurant, including nightly sunsets. They feature only local, fresh North Carolina seafood that comes in whole and is cleaned in their state-certified fish-cleaning house, located onsite. They also serve local produce, all-natural chicken, vegetarian dishes, pasta and USDA Angus steaks. Their dedication to freshness includes their own herb and vegetable garden as well as their own crab shedders. Their wine room features thousands of bottles of wine and accompanies a roomy bar area where you can order from a bar menu, a tapas menu or the full restaurant menu. Their special occasion buffets – Easter, Thanksgiving, Mother's Day, Father's Day – are hugely popular, and they also offer on- and off-premise catering for any size or type of event. In season, Lone Cedar Cafe serves dinner Tuesday through Sunday (closed Mondays), Sunday brunch and lunch at the food truck in the parking lot Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. If you want a quick and delicious lunch, the Lone Cedar Cafe food truck is your ticket for local seafood sandwiches, fish boats and more (the daily menu is posted on Facebook). Lone Cedar Cafe closes between New Year's and Valentine's Day every year. Call for off-season hours. 

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.

Broken Plate Kitchen brings a taste of the Caribbean islands to Corolla. Chef/owner Sean Caiden and co-owner Amaloi Crossman hail from Jamaica, and they bring their favorite island flavors to many of the American-style dishes in their family-oriented restaurant. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, this restaurant is casual, small, bright and cheerful. Breakfast features menu items like pancakes, French toast, Benedicts, sandwiches and avocado toast. Lunch and dinner bring crab cakes, fish and shrimp tacos, Jamaican jerk chicken, Caribbean-spiced fish, tuna tataki and much more. Indoor and outdoor seating is available, as is take-out. It's open for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. Part of Broken Plate Kitchen is known as Tasty Treats, featuring a range of desserts like ice cream, Extreme Milkshakes (you keep the jar), iced coffee, bubble tea, churros and Waffle Sticks. Diners in the restaurant can order from the Tasty Treats menu to enjoy in house or to-go, or customers can walk up and order from Tasty Treats only.