Manteo, NC, 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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.