Roanoke Island is surrounded by water, so why not take advantage of those beautiful views with a meal by the water. Gazing out over Roanoke Sound or Shallowbag Bay, you’ll enjoy watching the birds, boats and other waterborne activity while dining for lunch or dinner in a Manteo, NC, restaurant on the waterfront.
Featured for Your Visit
7623 S. Virginia Dare Trail, Nags Head/Manteo Causeway, Nags Head
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.
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...read more
This Outer Banks landmark restaurant at the top of many locals’ lists of favorite places....read more
7623 S. Virginia Dare Trail, Nags Head/Manteo Causeway, Nags Head
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.
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...read more
This Outer Banks landmark restaurant at the top of many locals’ lists of favorite places....read more
Manteo, NC, Waterfront restaurants
1100-A S. Bay Club Drive, Manteo
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.
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...read more
Stripers has a great waterfront location at Shallowbag Bay Marina, and they offer plenty of...read more
Manteo, NC, Waterfront restaurants
On the ground level of Tranquil House Inn in Manteo, you'll find this elegant waterfront restaurant serving a range of top-quality wine, beer and craft cocktails along with chef-prepared dinner selections. The views of the harbor are stunning, and the setting is sublime. Entrees include creative preparations of beef, local seafood and pasta, and the menu is ever-changing and evolving. Be sure to save room...read more
Manteo, NC, Waterfront restaurants
Blue Water Grill & Raw Bar is the sister restaurant to another Outer Banks favorite, Blue Moon Beach Grill, located in Nags Head. Blue Water Grill is a family-owned restaurant at Pirate's Cove Marina, giving it a prime location with fantastic views of the marina, sound and marsh. Their menu is interestingly varied and changes seasonally. Oysters hailing from local, regional and national waters are the specialty at the raw...
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Wanchese, NC, Waterfront restaurants
Lunch at this deli is worth a trip to Wanchese, whether you go by car or by boat. The name comes from what the locals call a water feature near here. The deli offers fine meats and cheeses for a variety of sandwiches, but the real appeal is owner Annie Davis’s homemade cooking. You can never go wrong with one of her daily specials or...read more
Wanchese, NC, Waterfront restaurants
Johanna's, operated by a longtime local restaurateur and caterer, is a food truck based at Wanchese Tiki Hut at Safe Harbor Outer Banks. Open Wednesday through Sunday, Johanna's serves fresh, delicious hot and cold wraps, salads, seafood baskets, sides and a killer tuna poke bowl, plus daily specials. read more
Manteo, NC, Waterfront restaurants
Part of Blue Water Grill and Raw Bar, Mimi's Tiki Hut is located directly on the docks at Pirate's Cove Marina, making it the perfect place to watch the boats return at the end of the day or to enjoy a drink and a bite after a long day of fishing. Open only in the summer months, Mimi's offers live entertainment every night of the...read more
Wanchese, NC, Waterfront restaurants
The O’Neal family is known on the Outer Banks for its commitment to harvesting and selling fresh seafood straight out of the sea. At their fish-house docks, where fishermen unload fresh catches nearly every day, the O'Neal's operate a retail and wholesale seafood market and lunch restaurant. Their seafood market is a trusted source for fish, crab meat and crabs, shrimp, scallops, oysters and clams. This...read more
Manteo, NC, Waterfront restaurants
Olives A Greek Kitchen brings the flavors and foods of Greece to the Manteo and the northern Outer Banks. The owners, established restaurateurs from New York, offer authentic dishes like tzatziki, hummus, dolmades, saganaki, spanakopita, souvlaki, moussaka, baklava and more. If you're not sure what all that is, don't worry; the menu explains it all very well, and there are hybrid dishes that combine Greek...read more
Manteo, NC, Waterfront restaurants
Poor Richard's is the local meet-and-greet neighborhood sandwich shop by day and bar by night. It has two doors, one leading from the Manteo boardwalk and another off Queen Elizabeth Avenue. You can eat inside at a booth or table or sit outside on the patio right next to the water. You order at the counter, get your drink and your number then wait for...read more
Wanchese, NC, Waterfront restaurants
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....read more
Wanchese, NC, Waterfront restaurants
Wanchese Tiki Bar at Safe Harbor Outer Banks is a locals' favorite for fun directly on the Wanchese docks. They serve cold draft beer and wine. Get here in late afternoon (between 4 and 5 p.m.) and you'll be able to see the charter boats coming in and unloading their catches. There's live music on the weekends in the warm seasons. Johanna's at the Wanchese...read more
