Outer Banks Take-Out Restaurants

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.

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.

If you love authentic pit-cooked eastern North Carolina barbecue, this is your place. On Highway 64 close to the Dare County Government Complex, Carolina Bar-B-Que Company serves house-smoked barbecue sandwiches or plates with slaw, potato salad, house-cut fries and hushpuppies. Owner and chef Mike Weaver also offers smoked chicken, burgers, Nathan's hot dogs, fried shrimp, clam strips, flounder and Brunswick stew. Wash it down with lemonade or tea, and finish it all off with a Deep-Fried Twinkie.

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. 

Country Deli has been an Outer Banks tradition and locals' favorite for more than 30 years. Guests can dine in, enjoy the pet-friendly outside patio or take their food to go with convenient online ordering. Country Deli prides itself on its over-stuffed sandwiches with more than 50 delicious menu items. Sandwiches are made with Thumann's meats and local produce, and there are also locally made desserts. They have a big selection of old-fashioned glass bottle sodas. Country Deli is open Tuesdays through Saturdays and is closed on Sundays and Mondays.

Darrell’s is a family-style seafood restaurant that’s a locals' favorite and has been operated by the Daniels family for more than five decades. It dates back to 1960 when Darrell Daniels started the Polar Bear Drive-In. When the second generation came on board in 1972, the family changed the focus to a seafood restaurant and renamed it Darrell's Seafood Restaurant. Now the third generation is working here. Seafood is still the specialty, and locals know that Darrell’s does seafood right. The fried oysters, served with the traditional fixings of coleslaw, French fries and hush puppies, are widely touted as the best anywhere. The blackened tuna over black beans and rice is both healthy and delicious. Land food, children’s fare and light dishes are also available. Darrell's also has a wood-fired grill for barbecue. Helpings are heaping, and the desserts are delicious, if you have room. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served Monday through Saturday. 

This is a great local dine-in or take-out restaurant with a very casual family atmosphere. The menu features seafood including soft-shell and hard-shell crabs (hard shells are sold either live or cooked), Alaskan king and snow crab legs by the pound (when available), scallops, shrimp, clams, mussels, oysters and fresh fish, plus slow-cooked barbecue including North Carolina pulled pork, beef brisket, smoked ribs, smoked chicken wings and chicken. Don’t forget to ask about their steamer pots that you can take home and cook on your stove. For larger parties, they will even bring this Low Country boil to your house and cook it on site. They also offer homemade soups, Southern-style sides and plenty of desserts. Fat Crabs is open daily for lunch and dinner from April through October.

Goombays Grille & Raw Bar is a casual restaurant with a colorful and lively island-style atmosphere. The interior decor inspires happiness with bright murals, local artwork, fish tanks and vintage license plates on the walls surrounding the lobby and bar. The menu is fresh and creative, combining Outer Banks seafood with vacation-destination island influences, like Caribbean Creole Pasta, Caberete Shrimp, Caicos Coconut Shrimp Salad and Seafood Kingston. The Rasta Pasta, Tuna Oscar, Tuna Reuben and Jazzy Coconut Chicken are rounded out by daily specials and selections from the steam and raw bar. Not in the mood for seafood? Goombays offers plenty of chicken, beef and vegetable options, from great burgers to awesome sandwiches and, of course, chicken wings. Goombays is family friendly with a unique kids' menu and specialty kid drinks. The full bar features about 50 beer selections, including a wide range of North Carolina craft brews along with wine and signature cocktails. Their namesake Goombay Smash can be served as a Kill Devil Smash using locally crafted Kill Devil Silver & Pecan Honey Rums. Goombays serves lunch and dinner, and the bar stays open until midnight with late-night steamed and raw seafood.

For locally brewed beers and perfectly accompanying British pub-style cuisine, head to Lost Colony Tavern in downtown Manteo. The tavern offers a wide range of dishes for all tastes, ranging from British favorites like Welsh Rarebit, Fish & Chips, Scotch Eggs, Bangers & Mash and Cottage Pie to burgers, salads crab cakes and shrimp and grits. The Full Moon Crab Dip from this restaurant's predecessor is, blessedly, still on the menu. There's a kids' menu as well. They serve the award-winning beers of Lost Colony Brewery in Stumpy Point along with wine and cocktails. Take a seat at one of the umbrella-covered outdoor tables on a warm day or night or sit inside in the intimate restaurant with a similar view of the streetscape. The outside terrace is dog friendly. The tavern is open for lunch and dinner; call for hours. Dinner reservations are accepted. Live acoustic music and trivia nights are popular here.

For more than 20 years, Mulligan’s has served Southern coastal cuisine with incredible views, thanks to its scenic location between Jockey’s Ridge and Historic Cottage Row. Long known for having some of the best burgers on the beach, their masterful chefs recently have been placing a brighter spotlight on local seafood prepared in an authentic Outer Banks style, all with fresh, local ingredients. Dig into a tasty seafood platter, broiled or fried, some good old-fashioned shrimp and grits or the local catch of the day. They also have a steamed and raw bar serving up local bounty including shrimp, clams and Wanchese sea scallops. You can still order their award-winning burgers, along with other landlubber selections, and kids have their own menu. Their two dining rooms can accommodate a range of group sizes, and the upstairs space has its own bar. In the warmer months, you may opt to eat outside on their covered tiki bar with an ocean view or in the designated doggy dining area. The bar downstairs is a popular local hangout with a big-screen TV for catching up on sports. They have live music year-round. Mulligan’s also offers catering from Corolla to Hatteras as buffet, plated or drop-off. The restaurant is open 365 days a year for lunch, dinner and weekend brunch.

Few things capture the country’s Southeastern coast like a classic low-country boil. The traditional meal comes together with ease (and whenever the craving strikes) with the help of the Outer Banks Boil Company. They specialize in crafting the ultimate steamer pot to make any dream of hosting your very own low-country boil come true. With the essentials of jumbo shrimp, Andouille sausage shipped from Louisiana, potatoes, corn on the cob and onions steamed together in a massive pot, diners can keep it classic or customize it however they wish with the addition of snow crab legs, clams, mussels or lobster tails. Don’t want seafood? That’s okay too. Pick up an order of pulled pork barbecue, coleslaw and cornbread. Swing by their Hatteras, Kitty Hawk, Corolla location to pick up your pot to go. If you’d prefer to have the boil come to you, Outer Banks Boil Company also offers catering from the four-wheel-drive beaches in the north to as far south as Hatteras. They bring the food and the appropriate tables, that they set up at your home or chosen venue. Pile tasty fare upon the tables, and the rest is up to you.  

A locals' favorite for fresh seafood, Outland Seafood is perfectly situated for picking up fresh, local seafood on your way to the Outer Banks from the west. Located in Manns Harbor, very close to the foot of Virginia Dare Bridge, stop here to pick up crabs, fish, shrimp and shellfish. Depending on the season (because this is fresh-caught seafood), you might find blue crabs, soft-shell crabs and crabmeat; brown, spotted or white (greentail) shrimp; N.C. and Virginia oysters and clams; and fish caught from the local commercial fleets, from yellowfin tuna and mahi mahi to tilefish and grouper to flounder and black sea bass and more. Outland also sells wild-caught Pacific Coast crabs like snow, king and Dungeness crab legs. They'll tell you how to cook your seafood if you need some tips, and they sell the seasonings, spices, breaders and other items that you'll need. Or you can have them steam up shrimp, clams, crabs, oysters or crab legs to take home with you. Stop again on your way out of town and they'll pack up your seafood on ice for taking home and stocking your freezer. They also sell coolers and fishing gear.

Pizzazz is a pizza favorite on the Outer Banks. They’ve been around since 1986 because they make consistently great pizza with generous toppings and the service is friendly. Choose from gourmet menu creations or stick with the traditional. Pizzazz also makes hot subs, salads and wings. You can eat in for lunch or dinner or have your pizza delivered. Call for off-season hours. And, if you're driving to the Outer Banks from the north, check out their location in Grandy on the Currituck mainland.

Acai bowls and fresh-pressed juice in Manteo? Yes, it's true! Roanoke Island Market is the place for coffee, juice, smoothies, toasts, salads, paninis, acai bowls and fresh-baked goods and bread in downtown Manteo. If you're familiar with the tasty, healthy offerings at Freshfit Cafe in Nags Head, you'll be glad to know that this is a sister restaurant from the same owners. Roanoke Island Market offers outdoor seating on the patio or indoor seating with an awesome view of Shallowbag Bay and the Manteo waterfront. Also located in this space is Poodles and Bob, a pop-up store with all the things you need (and want) for your dog friends. You'll find it in the Waterfront Shops, one level up from the street.

Stripers has a great waterfront location at Shallowbag Bay Marina, and they offer plenty of opportunities to enjoy the water views. You can eat on the screened-in deck, on the outdoor patio, in the first-floor bar or in the second-floor restaurant. The views get better the higher you go. Stripers menu includes fresh local seafood, steaks, sandwiches, burgers, salads, pastas and appetizers. The seafood is guaranteed fresh, as the owner has good connections with local fishermen. Some favorites on the menu include lobster bisque, oyster stew, crab dip, crab cakes, cheese-steak egg rolls and sliders. Small and large portion sizes are available. Stripers offers a happy hour with half-price steamed shrimp and crab legs every day from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., and they have a full liquor license and offer beer, wine and mixed drinks. It's open every day for lunch and dinner, with no break between the two. On Sundays they open at 11 a.m. for brunch. In the summer months they offer live music on the weekends. Take-out and catering are available. To find Stripers, turn off Highway 64 in Manteo behind McDonald's.

Serving quick eats and Southern favorites, The Landing Grill is in Wanchese and conveniently located on Mill Landing Road (also known as N.C. Highway 345) on the harbor side. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, The Landing menu items include biscuits and breakfast foods, hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza, tasty sandwiches and subs, homemade chicken salad and a variety of other salad plates, wings and more. There's ample parking, and boaters can dock at The Landing (Wanchese Marina) for food, snacks or convenience items on the go. In the newly renovated interior, the upfront dining area is surrounded by big windows and offering ample seating. There's also a steam bar at the back overlooking the marina and serving up oysters, clams, crab legs and other fruits of the sea. It's a bright and attractive addition to the restaurant that pulls in a lot of people.