Nags Head Restaurants

Serving healthy, clean and fresh foods and drinks, FreshFit Cafe makes it easy to stick to your health and fitness goals. The owners are health-focused and nutrition-oriented and they want to help people eat better so that they have more energy, less stress and fuller lives. FreshFit serves balanced breakfasts and lunches and offers organic coffee, a juice bar, smoothies, detox drinks, a kids' menu and healthy desserts. Local seafood, seasonal fruits and vegetables and clean proteins are the basis for the menu offerings. Gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options are available. If you have questions about your diet or nutrition, just ask and they will help you.

Henry's is a family-owned and-operated restaurant and has been serving breakfast, lunch and dinner in a family-friendly atmosphere on the Outer Banks since 1989. Breakfast is available until 1 p.m., so if you get up late you won't miss out on delicious, home-style choices like hot cakes, seafood omelets and biscuits and gravy. There's something for everyone on the lunch and dinner menu. Choose from seafood, burgers, sandwiches, salads or, if you're a young one, the kids' menu. Beer and wine are served. Henry's is open year round, but the hours change seasonally so call ahead if you're visiting in the off-season.

Award-winning Lost Colony Brewery is one of the most popular local breweries. They brew British and Irish style ales using imported grains, hops and yeast with water that is an exact match to the British Isles, and the results are beyond delicious. Their brewing operations are in Stumpy Point, about a half-hour away on the mainland, but you can enjoy their cold draft beers at their Waterfront Beer Garden in Nags Head. With a view of Roanoke Sound you can sip favorites like Kitty Hawk Blonde, Pamlico Pale Ale, Nags Head IPA, Hatteras Irish Red, Nut Brown Ale, Holy Hand Grenade and more, including seasonal offerings. Or try them all with a couple of rounds of flights. The setting could not be better. You can sit indoors at the bar and chat up the friendly bartender or sit outdoors on the large, pet-friendly patio and watch the water, boats, ospreys and pelicans. The Beer Garden does not serve food, but you are welcome to bring your own. FreshFit Cafe and Waterfront Pizza in the same shopping center make that very easy, and there are other restaurants nearby on the causeway. Lost Colony Waterfront Beer Garden is open from 1 to 9 p.m. daily, and be sure to pick up a t-shirt while you're there. By the way, you can also enjoy Lost Colony Brewery beers at Lost Colony Tavern in downtown Manteo, and be sure to look for canned selections at local stores and bottle shops. 

For more than 20 years, Mulligan’s has served Southern coastal cuisine with incredible views, thanks to its scenic location between Jockey’s Ridge and Historic Cottage Row. Long known for having some of the best burgers on the beach, their masterful chefs recently have been placing a brighter spotlight on local seafood prepared in an authentic Outer Banks style, all with fresh, local ingredients. Dig into a tasty seafood platter, broiled or fried, some good old-fashioned shrimp and grits or the local catch of the day. They also have a steamed and raw bar serving up local bounty including shrimp, clams and Wanchese sea scallops. You can still order their award-winning burgers, along with other landlubber selections, and kids have their own menu. Their two dining rooms can accommodate a range of group sizes, and the upstairs space has its own bar. In the warmer months, you may opt to eat outside on their covered tiki bar with an ocean view or in the designated doggy dining area. The bar downstairs is a popular local hangout with a big-screen TV for catching up on sports. They have live music year-round. Mulligan’s also offers catering from Corolla to Hatteras as buffet, plated or drop-off. The restaurant is open 365 days a year for lunch, dinner and weekend brunch.

Outer Banks Brewing Station has an ever-changing list of award-winning house-made beers that serve as the cornerstone of their innovative style. Multiple year winners of the Taste of the Beach People's Choice Award, their outstanding chefs have created an Outer Banks–inspired fusion menu using regionally available products from local fish and produce to North Carolina meats. Pastry chef Tina Mackenzie bakes the house bread and tempting desserts. Friendly and casual, the Brewing Station has a full bar, dining on two levels and the biggest outdoor area on the Outer Banks featuring a pirate ship playground for the kids, picnic table seating, outdoor entertainment during the summer season and the 92-foot wind turbine that powers part of the brewing operation. Half-liter bottle-conditioned beer, two-liter growlers and canned six-packs are sold to go at the bar. The Brewing Station is open year-round for both lunch and dinner, and they are highly regarded as a go-to place to see regional and national music acts across a wide variety of genres. This is a great space to hold special events, such as weddings, rehearsal dinners, birthday parties and baby showers, whether it's in the semi-private upstairs dining area, outside or by renting the entire building.