Nags Head Restaurants

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. 

At Billy’s Seafood they stock plenty of fresh, local seafood, so pick some up to prepare your own feast at home tonight. They’re a great stop for local soft-shell crabs in season, and they also have convenience items, seasonings, beer and wine. The fresh, homemade tuna salad they sell here is some of the best you'll find anywhere; buy more than you think you'll need.

Get ready to kick back and relax at Bonzer Shack. With their creative take on Southern and island comfort food in a surf hangout atmosphere, there’s always something on the menu that’s sure to tempt you. The menu offers sandwiches, fresh seafood specials, steaks, burgers and the mouthwatering smoked Gouda grit cakes. Local favorites also include delicious apps like the Hippie Dip and wings roasted in-house daily plus their excellent specialty cocktails. From June through September stop by for live outdoor musical entertainment from daily (weather permitting) or enjoy the spacious yard for drinks and yard games like Ping Pong, cornhole and many more. The Shack is open for lunch and dinner year round. 

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. 

A fixture on the Beach Road in Kill Devil Hills since 1987, Dare Devil’s Pizzeria is an Outer Banks favorite, widely known for its delicious pizzas, stromboli, subs, salads, wings and other amazing appetizers. This is a family-owned and -operated restaurant, and there are many reasons why it’s the longest-running pizzeria on the beach, including sauce and dough that are made fresh daily, the use of only top-quality ingredients and super-friendly management and staff. Dare Devil's has a take-out and counter-service model. Your order at the counter and seat yourself in the dining room. A staff member will bring your order out to you when it is ready. A crew member will gladly take your order over the phone for carry-out or you can walk in, order, grab a cold beverage and watch a surf flick on the big screen while you wait.