5 Amazing Foods to Try in Outer Banks, North Carolina

I just got back from a really fun girls trip to the Outer Banks area of North Carolina. We were there for 3 days, and loved checking out the coastal sights.

Being right near the ocean, you may have guessed that one of the major local foods offered is seafood! We took advantage of this, and also found some delicious sweets too. (Shout-out to my friend that did a lot of restaurant research ahead of time to find these great places!)

Here are the top 5 foods/places we ate that I’d highly recommend to someone visiting the Outer Banks!

As usual, nothing is sponsored and there are no affiliate links– just honest reviews of places I loved. And photo credit for some of these pics goes to my friends– thanks for documenting, ladies!

1. Seafood Boil

My friend picked up a few take-out pots from the Outer Banks Boil Company, and cooked them up in our AirBNB for dinner one night. It was my first seafood “boil” and certainly won’t be the last.

We got the classic boil with jumbo shrimp, andouille sausage, potatoes, corn, and onions. The flavors were incredible, and it was fun to enjoy such a classic, local dish.

The Outer Banks Boil Company has 3 locations in Outer Banks, NC (plus several others along the Atlantic coast):

• Corolla
• Kitty Hawk
• Hatteras

There are also several restaurants where you can enjoy a boil if you’d rather go that route, too!

2. John’s Drive-In: Top tier milkshakes!

You can’t have a beach trip without ice cream, right?? John’s is located in Kitty Hawk, so it’s the perfect stop to add to your Wright Brothers National Memorial outing.

Everything at John’s Drive-In was delicious. My burger was super tasty, and so was the fried fish + hush puppies I tried.

However, it’s the milkshakes that make this worth a stop, in my opinion! The malts + fruit milkshakes were all super good, and I also would love to come back for the Chocolate PB Banana shake too.

I do feel the need to mention that parking in the small area was a madhouse, and we weren’t even there in peak season. It may be wise to eat at an off-hour, or mentally prepare to circle for a few minutes until a spot opens up.

3. Oceanfront Grille

If you are looking for a nicer sit-down restaurant experience, look no farther than Oceanfront Grille in Corolla, NC. They open daily at 5 pm to serve dinner, and are located right near the… oceanfront. 😉

All of the entrees were good (like the crab cake sandwich!), but it’s a few of the appetizers that were really unique and well done. I am still dreaming about this crab bisque soup, in particular. It was a tomato base with gruyere cheese, some corn, and big juicy lumps of crab throughout. No notes.

4. Aqua

Another great sit-down restaurant near the water is Aqua. Aqua is open Wednesday-Sunday each week for lunch and dinner, and is located a little further south in Duck, NC. We went here for lunch and had a great experience.

I reeeeaaally loved this BBQ Pork Bahn Mi style sandwich with pickled onions and house-made chips. It was just really really good.

Someone at a nearby table ordered the creamy peanut butter pie for dessert and it looked like a fabulous decision. FYI.

5. Duck Donuts

We have to end this list with something sweet for the road! Duck Donuts originated in 2007 in the town of … you guessed it– Duck, North Carolina. There are now dozens of locations all over the United States.

They are pretty famous around the Outer Banks, and for good reason. These donuts were incredibly fresh, had some unique flavors, a really good texture, and tons of options.

Fan favorite flavors amongst our group included the: blueberry, french toast, and S’mores.

That’s it!

Have you been to the Outer Banks area in North Carolina?? What foods would you recommend?

Have you had Duck Donuts before?

I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Don’t forget to check out our other coastal trip tips, too:

Oregon Coast in Fall

Traverse City, Michigan with Kids

South Haven, Michigan with Kids

Phuket, Thailand with Young Kids