Outer Banks Restaurant in Nags Head
A long time Outer Banks establishment, Sam & Omie’s is one of the beach’s oldest restaurants still in operation. It opened in 1937 to serve the local fishing community, and commercial fishermen started their mornings there with breakfast and returned after a day on the water, where quittin’ time meant beer and story sharing. Over 80 years later, time has changed the ownership and the patrons at Sam & Omie’s, but one of its signature aspects is how much of it remains the same.
Sam & Omie’s is a glimpse into what the Outer Banks looked like when this stretch of towns was a cluster of simple fishing villages. The restaurant is a small, cedarshake beach box that’s braved countless tropical storms, hurricanes and nor’easters. As the Outer Banks transitioned from fishing villages and into more populated towns, Sam & Omie’s remained a hangout for locals with its dive bar setting attracting a dedicated crowd of regulars. Even today, regulars shuffle in each morning for breakfast or end their day with drinks from the full service bar. Sam & Omie’s is a landmark for visitors too. Whether they come every summer or once in a decade, they know it stays the way they remembered – from the famous shrimp burgers to the very waitress taking their order.
The menus won’t trip you up with strange names or experimental fusion dishes. They keep it simpler, relying on tried and true Outer Banks recipes, and the spotlight is on seafood. Steamers, Hatteras clam chowders, baskets of fried fish and hush puppies, crab cakes and platters of assorted seafood bring the Outer Banks’s signature flavors right to your table. You can also enjoy handheld items like burgers, barbecue and sandwiches. Starting a day with breakfast at Sam & Omie’s is still an Outer Banks custom. Diners can tuck in to omelets, pancakes, biscuits and gravy, bacon, eggs sandwiches and coffee. Be sure to check out their shop during your visit to pick up some Sam & Omie’s swag, ranging from hoodies to ground coffee, as a memento of the experience. Can't make it in person? Check out the online shop.
