Sometimes, the best memories are made sitting around the table over a delicious meal. Whether you crave fresh seafood all year or prefer turf over surf, the many dining options in Kill Devil Hills will have your taste preference covered. For your next Outer Banks Moment, try one of these great restaurants:
- American Pie - For made from scratch hand-tossed New York style pizza, you’ve got to try American Pie! Order a specialty pizza flavor like Margarita, BBQ Chicken or Shrimp Scampi, or build your own from a choice of fresh toppings. For dessert, enjoy homemade ice cream in a handmade waffle cone featuring daily rotating flavors like Apple Pie.
- Awful Arthurs Oyster Bar – A local treasure selected as “one of the top 10 oyster bars in the nation” by Coastal Living Magazine, Awful Arthurs is a casual, authentic oyster bar serving oysters raw or steamed by the peck, pound and dozen. Serving lunch and dinner, the menu has a ton of other seafood and non-seafood options.
- Beachside Bistro – Located in the Sea Ranch Resort, Beachside Bistro is an oceanfront dining experience you won’t forget. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, the menus have something for everyone from award-winning Cajun roasted oysters to pecan crusted chicken. Don’t forget to check the calendar for live music events and if you are planning a big celebration, Beachside Bistro is able to accommodate any size group with custom menus.
- Billy’s Seafood – Billy’s Seafood is a local seafood market in Colington offering fresh-off-the-boat seafood options so you can taste the Outer Banks in your own kitchen. With a huge selection that varies per season, enjoy soft-shell crabs, blue crabs, flounder, mahi, tuna, flounder, tilefish, scallops, shrimp, oysters and clams. Billy’s will even steam your blue-crabs for you so call ahead to order!
- Bonzer Shack Bar & Grill – If you’re looking for a fun, relaxed atmosphere with great food, Bonzer Shack Bar & Grill features “bistro quality Coastal Comfort Food with a throwback to the surfboard shapers and wave riders on the break!” With an outdoor yard for games and outdoor dining and an awesome menu for late night drinks, you are sure to have a great experience while you dine on Fresh Fish Tacos, Shack Burgers, or the locally famous “Hippie Dip.”
- Captain George’s Seafood Restaurant – With so many different types of fresh, delicious seafood available in the Outer Banks, Captain George’s Seafood Restaurant buffet is the perfect solution for when you just can’t choose which item to order. With available entrees including snow crab legs, steamed crawfish, blackened mahi, fried scallops, sirloin steak, ribs, chowder, and more, you can sample a little bit of everything. If you prefer ordering a whole meal, a tasty a la carte menu is available with similar selections sure to please any palate… but don’t skip out on the all-you-can-eat dessert bar!
- Chilli Peppers Coastal Grill – Chilli Peppers Coastal Grill offers an outside courtyard with picnic tables and corn hole, music nights featuring bands and DJs, a full-service menu for lunch and dinner and steamed munchies and drinks starting at 10:00 pm. They even have a tasty Sunday brunch menu available from 9:00 AM until 3:00 PM that was voted “Best Brunch on the Beach” by The Virginian-Pilot. With different daily specials and a daily happy hour for wings and shrimp, everyone in your party will find something they love.
- Colington Café – For local fine dining at a great price, take a drive down Colington Road and you’ll come across Colington Café - a lovely Victorian-style building nestled among giant oaks offering over seventy different menu items including chef specials, traditional seafood dinners, and daily desserts. You’ll also enjoy the extensive wine list and local beer selection. There’s even a great children’s menu available so the kids will love coming along for dinner!
- Colington Pizza – A locally-owned and eco-friendly pizza joint offering build-your-own options and specialty gourmet pizza flavors like Buffalo Chicken, Colington Luau and Chicken Cordon Bleu. Subs, sandwiches, salads and appetizers are also available. Dine-in, order carry-out or enjoy free delivery when you stay in Colington.
- Country Deli – There’s nothing as nostalgic as ordering a classic sandwich at your local deli and Country Deli doesn’t disappoint. From the pulled pork NC BBQ sandwich and Reuben to the Turkey Club and Grilled Cheese with Tomato, Country Deli is open Tuesday – Saturday for lunch and dinner for eat-in, takeout or delivery.
- Dare Devil’s Pizzeria – First opened in 1987, Dare Devil’s Pizzeria offers salad, hot and cold subs, lasagna, appetizers, and delicious pizza and strombolis made from their in-house signature dough and sauces. Stop by to catch a game on TV while enjoying a drink from the bar and pizza flavors like BBQ Chicken and Crazy Greek. Carryout also available.
- Food Dudes Kitchen – When you’re in the mood for “authentic Outer Banks cuisine with a Caribbean flair,” Food Dudes Kitchen invites you to “Drop N’ Dine @ Mile Post 9” with “Great Foods From Laid Back Dudes.” With menu choices like pulled pork tacos, avocado bacon cheeseburgers, jerk chicken wrap, and sweet chili-glazed fish of the day, you’ll love the Caribbean flavor pairings to your classic dishes. http://www.fooddudeskitchenobx.com/
- Front Porch Café – Voted “Best Coffee in the Outer Banks” by readers of The Coast Magazine five separate times, the fresh roasted coffee at Front Porch Café is delicious. With a collection of local pottery, drinkware and t-shirts to pick-up while you’re waiting, you’ll enjoy a variety of different organic and fair trade coffee blends to choose from. Order a bag to take home or try a specialty espresso drink like the West Third or Caramel Macchiato… and don’t forget to grab a muffin or scone!
- Fuji Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi Bar – If you’re looking for a taste of Japan in the Outer Banks, try Fuji Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi Bar. The teppanyaki style dining means you can sit back and watch experienced hibachi chefs prepare your meal. Open for lunch and dinner, Fuji offers daily sushi and hibachi specials, a delicious take-out menu, and can accommodate large parties.
- Goombays Grille & Raw Bar – For seafood with a unique Caribbean flair, Goombays Grill & Raw Bar offers dishes like Crab-stuffed Portobello Mushrooms, Tuna Reuben, Grilled BBQ St. Louis Ribs, Caribbean Creole Pasta, and Coconut Shrimp. Family friendly with a great kid’s menu, Goombay’s serves lunch and dinner and a late night steamed and raw bar until 2 AM.
- Henry’s Restaurant – First opened in 1989, Henry’s Restaurant is a “down-to-earth, no-frills Outer Banks experience for those who want good food with a pleasant staff and a menu that has something for everyone.” Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, Henry’s is open year-round, features daily specials and offers carry-out.
- JKs Restaurant – Open Monday to Saturday for dinner, JK’s Restaurant is a wonderful fine-dining experience serving in-house aged and sliced meats, fresh off the dock seafood and free-range poultry. If you love the flavor of a cast iron wood-fired mesquite grill, you’ll love options like lobster & filet mignon, mahi-mahi and seafood pasta. A great children’s menu and takeout menu is also available along with an extensive wine list to accompany your meal.
- John’s Drive-In – First opened in 1977, John’s Drive-In is a quaint little drive-in on the beach road that packs a big punch in flavor. Well known for their Fried Dolphin Boats with homemade tartar or cocktail sauce, they also offer fresh burgers, seafood subs, chicken tenders and a tasty soft-serve menu of ice-cream by the cone, cup, floats and custom milkshakes. Stop-by or call-in to order.
- Jolly Roger – This local favorite is an eclectic Italian restaurant featuring “fresh caught local seafood, home cooked favorites and the most famous breakfast on the beach.” A late-night bar menu is available on Friday & Saturday from 9 to midnight and there is always some sort of entertainment going on like open-mic nights, trivia and karaoke!
- Kill Devil’s Frozen Custard & Beach Fries – For “classic American beach flare with a gourmet twist,” try Kill Devil’s Frozen Custard & Beach Fries. Open in-season, the menu features juicy burgers, hand-cut beach fries, Coney Island dogs and NC-style barbeque. For dessert, their delicious frozen custard can be ordered in a shake, float, malt or by the cup or cone. Don’t forget to bring your four-legged friend along for a “pup cup!”
- Ladles Soups – Ordering a gourmet sandwich with a side of soup is always a great meal choice. Open 7 days a week, Ladles makes their soups from scratch daily and is the perfect place to grab lunch in-house or to-go. Choose from a variety of salads and sandwiches and pair it with She Crab, Turkey Chili, Buffalo Chicken, Broccoli Cheddar, or another tasty soup flavor.
- Mako’s Beach Grille & Bar - This ocean and shark-themed family-friendly restaurant offers a huge selection of tasty options from soups, pasta and sandwiches to fresh seafood, aged black Angus beef, and wood-fired oven pizzas. Online reservations are accepted and the restaurant décor is truly “jawsome!”
- Mama Kwan’s Grill & Tiki Bar – Serving the Outer Banks for 17 summers and counting, Mama Kwan’s Grill & Tiki Bar offers lunch, dinner, take-out dining and is the perfect spot for a late-night drink. With dozens of menu options to choose from like shrimp & grits, burgers, crab cakes, and ahi tuna, a visit here isn’t complete without trying Mama’s World-Famous blackened fish tacos.
- Miller’s Seafood & Steakhouse – A dining tradition since 1978, Miller’s Seafood & Steakhouse offers breakfast from 7 AM to noon and dinner from 4 PM to close. Offering favorites like broiled shrimp, fried oysters and soft-shell crabs to filet mignon, sandwiches and sushi, Miller’s has something for everyone and can accommodate large parties.
- Outer Banks Brewing Station – For a local craft beer, head over to Outer Banks Brewing Station for unique brews, sample flights and weekly brewery tours. Featuring weekly events, live entertainment, daily specials and vast menu options, OBBS serves lunch and dinner daily.
- Pigman’s Bar-B-Que – Pigman’s is a casual Bar-B-Que diner with a huge menu and to-go picnic options available. From aged, salt-cured country ham, award-winning dry rubbed and slowly smoked ribs, and tasty BBQ sandwiches (your choice between slow smoked pork, pulled smoked brisket, smoked turkey, or smoked yellowfin tuna), what’s not to love?
- Plaza Azteca – For appetizing Mexican food in the OBX, stop by Plaza Azteca. With options like burritos, fajitas, nachos, quesadillas and house-made guacamole, the menu is sure to please everyone. Kids eat free on Mondays and for a real treat, try $1.00 Taco Tuesdays.
- Sal’s New York Pizza – Sal’s offers a delicious menu of appetizers, hot and cold subs, pasta, New York-style pizza and house-made desserts. Offering dine-in, delivery and take-out dining options until late so it’s easy to grab a slice or order a whole meal. Don’t forget to check out the arcade or see what’s on tap at the bar when you come by to watch your favorite sport on TV!
- Slice Pizzeria – Slice Pizzeria is the perfect tasty mix between classic and contemporary Italian food. From pasta dishes and salads to made-to-order calzones and strombolis, the whole family will love eating at Slice Pizzeria. Build your own hand-tossed pizza or try a specialty flavor like Baked Ziti, Stuffed Meat, or Hawaiian. Order take-out online or drop by to dine-in.
- Stack ‘Em High – For the breakfast classics like pancakes, waffles, french toast and homemade biscuits, you’ll love Stack ‘Em High! Family owned and operated in the OBX since 1981, the owners pride themselves on their environmental efforts, community involvement, and most of all, serving fresh homemade breakfasts at a great price.
- Thai Room – The best authentic Thai food in Kill Devil Hills is at Thai Room where you’ll find affordable tasty dishes, vegetarian options, gluten-free selections and a children’s menu. Located at MP 8.5 on the beach road, Thai Room is open year-round for dine-in or take-out. Don’t forget to specify if you’d like your food mild, medium or hot!
- The Kill Devil Grill – Located near MP 10 on the Beach Road, The Kill Devil Grill is a fun and tasty diner that has been serving up chalkboard lunch and dinner specials on the Outer Banks for fifteen years. Known for their great food and excellent customer service, their regular lunch and dinner menus are full of options so whether you’re in the mood for fresh seafood, steak, pork, or chicken, you’re sure to find something appetizing for the whole family.
- The SaltBox Café – This hidden gem in Colington Island is less than 2 miles from the bypass and features local seafood, fresh ingredients, a large wine list and a mix of domestic, imported and local craft beer available at the bar. Don’t forget to check out the Brunch menu on Sundays from 8 AM to 2 PM which offers unique twists to your favorite brunch dishes which can be paired alongside a classic Mimosa or Bloody Mary.
- TRiO – A comfortable, casual spot known for an extensive wine list with WineStation self-service tasting machines and 24 rotating beer taps, TRiO features a unique bistro menu offering antipasti plates, gourmet salads, paninis, shrimp tacos and homemade desserts. Also offering a European-inspired Champagne Brunch menu on Saturday and Sunday, enjoy great food with good friends and a delicious mimosa.
Want to Learn More About Kill Devil Hills?
Check out Experience Your Outer Banks Moment in Kill Devil Hills: Part I - What to Do!
About the Author: Jessie has been coming to the Outer Banks since she was just 5 years old. She loved it here so much that she finally relocated in 2018. Now her mission is to show the world that the Outer Banks is an incredible place that everyone should experience. When she isn't working, you can find Jessie hanging out with her friends, chilling at home with a good book, or discovering a new Outer Banks adventure.
