Manteo, NC, Restaurants: Ice Cream, Desserts & Sweets

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. 

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.

For award-winning locally brewed beer and perfectly accompanying British pub-style cuisine, head to Lost Colony Brewery & Tavern in downtown Manteo. This longtime local brewery and restaurant has always been notable for bringing a touch of city style to the downtown Manteo waterfront, and now the menu offers the hearty pub fare and welcoming, friendly atmosphere of a neighborhood pub. The beer, all of it brewed in nearby Stumpy Point, has gained national and international awards and fame over the past few years. Patrons can enjoy all eight of their regular beers plus other seasonal offerings in both the tasting room/pub and in the cafe (as well as at other bars and bottle shops around town). The tavern offers a wide range for all tastes, ranging from British favorites like Welsh Rarebit, Fish & Chips, Bangers & Mash and Cottage Pie to burgers, salads crab cakes and shrimp and grits. The signature Full Moon Crab Dip from this restaurant's predecessor is, blessedly, still on the menu. There's a kids' menu as well. 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.

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.