Called on the phone and the women was rude and I asked about the price of a bushel of crabs. They are a seafood market without crabs. Unbelievable. read more

Thursday April 18, 2019 we ordered a steamed bucket (the Beachcomber bucket) to go with an extra pound of shrimp all seasoned for pick up. It's was delicious. Do not be steered away in that it is a retail fish market on the outside. That gives them access to yummy seafood!!! The price is very reasonable and it fed all 5 of us, with the extra 1lb of shrimp. Next time I might add more clams. And it was still hot when we got back to the rental place. The bucket it comes in when you pick it up is a neat aluminum bucket with holes poked in the lid. We had the choice between snow or dungenous crab and picked snow! My personal favorite. The shrimp were really good sized and it had 4 good sized red potatoes and 4 chunks of corn (not for me). The snow crab were good sized and mostly whole! My only negative comment is that the "butter" is not, it's most likely whirl (a non butter substitute) it's not bad however when you are wanting real butter with your snow crab only real will do. Our bad not there's was the lack of crab crackers, fork and fingers did just fine. I think this place may be a little known feature for Nags Head, however considering the wife found it on Trip Advisor maybe not . I will certainly come back for seconds next time we are here. read more

Austin Fish - Menu - Seafood Markets Near Me - Nags Head, North Carolina

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I visited Austin's twice last week for fresh seafood and I was not disappointed. I bought mahi, crabmeat, and king crab legs and they were all delicious! I always get enough seafood seasoning to last me throughout the year. I love coming here every year! read more

It's a shame because the lunch plates are actually good food at a good price, but I can't support them anymore. The staff are quite grumpy, ok fine, but the old lady behind the counter accused me of walking out without paying. She asked for my receipt, which she never gave me. Thankfully another worker looked it up in the system that I indeed paid for my seafood, and the old lady then said "never mind". Not even an apology. read more

Best seafood Iv ever had! Iv grown up in a family crazy over seafood and Iv been from the east to the west coast eating tons! This has been my go to spot every year for about 10 years. Yes I end up eating seafood often, but I eat here almost daily for a week each year and leave the area still not having had enough. The people are so great and amazing and are so down to each , but overly helpful. If this place ever went out if business I'm sure a many people would be very dissapointed. No favorites, everything's amazing and Iv just about tried it all! read more

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I can't believe it took us this long after years of coming to the OBX to stop here. We love the steamer buckets to-go -- make sure to reserve one in advance as they fill up quickly (and rightfully so, for how delicious they are!). We also purchased fresh fish to take back home to PA (placed on ice in coolers immediately after purchasing), and all items (shrimp, scallops, cobia steaks) held up wonderfully whether prepared fresh or frozen for later use. My husband and I stopped here for the first time last year (2020) as a way to avoid eating in crowded dining rooms during the COVID-19 pandemic. This will now be a staple in our OBX trips hereafter! read more

We picked up an impressive spread for our large vacation crew and everyone was happy! Delicious, fresh, great presentation. Great splurge for local flavors! Make sure you order early in the day as they can accommodate a limited number of orders at predetermined time slots. read more

I sympathize with fish mongers and markets but you need to draw the line when it comes to the fresh vs. profit issue. Tonight, friday july 11 i bought a variety of fish from Austins and two were OK...the smell test told me they were mediocre fresh....one of them, the Wahoo ( which they rang up as grouper) was suspect at first.... This wahoo tonight was at the very far end of the front display case and there was a lot of it. Long story short it was freaking bad, old, nasty should-not-be-on-the-shelf fish. Sorry thing is you get this no matter if you are next to an ocean or in middle america. Retail seafood is a tough business. Its not cheap to store fish and they don't last if you want to avoid freezing. I don't want to drive back down to nags head tonight to get my 9 dollars back..... But...bottom line is Austin's should not be selling that batch tonight. ( the whole pile looked homogeneous no way I got a bad "outlier" in my opinion. read more

Austin Fish - The very nasty old bad "wahoo" i bought tonight ( after i buttered and salted...it stunk beyond the level of reasonableness. - Seafood Markets Near Me - Nags Head, North Carolina

The seafood is okay but be prepared to wait and wait if want them to cook it. Steamed shrimp came out quickly but the sandwich is taking upwards of 25 minutes and I am still waiting. They are not busy, just slow. The younger folks were nice but the the older folks not so much. We were here last year and the year before and they weren't nice then but we thought we would try again. This was our last time. read more

We ordered Austin's steamed seafood buckets two nights in a row. I'm gonna do you a solid here- do not waste your time going out to dinner- order a steamed bucket WITH old bay- and bring it back home to enjoy. No cooking required and it comes with delicious corn and potatoes. The shrimp and clams were crowd favorites- they also have Mac n cheese for the kids. Get yourself a bucket, some paper plates and plastic forks, and no dishes required. The hush puppies were also good- night one was better than night two. Overall, you won't be disappointed! Make sure you call ahead (2-3 hours prior) and it will be ready when you get there! read more

Austin's is the most fabulous fish market and is one of the few things we miss the most from the OBX. We don't tend to eat there, so I can't say much about the fried food options in the store. But we generally buy seafood there and take it home to cook it. They have fabulous shrimp, grouper, tilefish (if you've never had tilefish, try it!), and about 80 sizes of shrimp. Also, would HIGHLY recommend getting a container of their she-crab soup to take home and eat right away. SO delicious. The staff in general is pretty friendly. And, for those of you who are in a rush, they even sell ready-to-go pots with all the fixins for a great seafood boil. We've done that a few times and it's great. If you need something to go with your seafood, there's often a farmer's market set up right outside in the parking lot. PS-I looked everywhere for hours and couldn't find them listed, and they also aren't on the company's phone message, so at least for the summer they're 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Maybe that will help someone. read more

My wife and I were in Nags Head for a beach getaway and decided to try and cook as many of our own meals as possible. We heard about Austin Fish and decided to drop in. Great selection, great quality, and great service, though the place can get crowded. We came here 3 separate times to buy our dinners and stock up on fresh fish to take back to DC. Definitely a worthwhile seafood source in OBX! read more

We had high hopes for this place, but it ended up being a HUGE disappointment. We bought squid to make some fried calamari. A few hours later, we took the bag back out of our fridge and the aroma was TERRIBLE. It was so bad. Unfortunately, the shop was already closed so we waited until the next day. The service also fell short. We called to confirm their hours and we also brought up the bad calamari to give them a heads up before we come up. The woman put us on hold for 20 minutes before I hung up. When I went it, that same unpleasant woman continued to argue about the freshness of the squid, ensuring me that the terrible stench is normal. We received a refund despite her clear disagreement. While the other seafood may be fresh, the squid and the service were not. Based on our single transaction, I would not recommend this market to anyone. read more

3.5 stars... Austin is really hit or miss. They have a fantastic selection of fresh seafood for sale, especially when it comes to shrimp. They do have a menu and a few tables outdoors but it's limited to a handful of sandwiches and fried platters with a couple sides each. Prices are reasonable as the meals were $8-14 and the sandwiches were $6-9. The menu is only available from 11am-3:30pm so make sure if you want to eat here it's during lunch hours. I had the grouper meal with mac and cheese, hushpuppies, and french fries. The sides came on the luke warm side and were pretty bad but the fish was cooked perfectly. I wish it was possible to just get fried fish without sides here, if it was I would have been sure to come back. Service here is really hit or miss depending on who you deal with but overall you'll probably be dealing with someone rather crabby (see what I did there?). read more

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Great spot for awesome fresh fish. We always get a steamer pot to go and throw in an extra lobster. Remember to order a day ahead!

Quick and friendly service. Outdoor dining only. I had the fried scallops and my husband had the grouper platter. Delicious! We didn't really enjoy the sides though (cole slaw, mac n' cheese). read more

Best shrimp ever. We get multiple pounds on several days during our OBX trips. Family comes in from Ahoskie just for the fresh shrimp. Highly recommend and you cannot find better shrimp in the OBX. read more

We have been purchasing seafood here for years. Its always fresh. Staff is always friendly. Its a family business and we have been seeing the same faces for the past 25 years since we have been going to obx. Highly recommend. read more

Our family has been coming to the Outer Banks for over 40 years. About 6-7 years ago, we started going to Austin Fish for a pretty substantial crab leg order each year. The first few times, the apathetic attitude didn't bother us and we thought it was kind of kitschy, but this year, we decided we have had enough. We showed up at 25 minutes until closing after having tried calling them for about 45 minutes, only to be greeted with a busy tone. When we asked if they could steam anything, we were told no. We explained that we had tried calling and that we got a busy signal. No sorry. The guy just shrugged his shoulders and the look on his face said it was not an accident. When we then settled on 5# of shrimp, the guy acted like we were inconveniencing him (this is still well before closing). The older lady at the register was also less than pleasant, but we've come to expect that. We still wanted to have crab legs, so we went to Whalebone Seafood the next night. Had a completely 180 experience (which I will review next). That was so wonderful that we're going again tonight. Sorry, Austin. We've finally had enough. I don't know if you're retiring and don't care any more or what, but we can get excellent quality product AND wonderful service elsewhere - so we're not coming back. read more

What I presume is the owner, "Ms. Mary", is a nightmare & completely caustic. I have been coming to the OBX my entire life and have patronized Austin's for years. No longer. Her treatment of customers is so egregious and unnecessary. She acts like she is doing people a favor by taking their money and can speak to them in any manner she chooses which is 90% of the time, rude & disarming. If she is so unwilling to recognize who actually pays her bills- the clientele- then she needs to retire or have someone else run the store. The other employees are fine but they will never get another dime from me or my vast family. I will make sure to tell everyone I know to go to Billy's Seafood on Colington Road which is where I now go. read more

Got seafood here almost every night of our vacation and cooked it at the condo. It was delicious and the prices were more reasonable than some of the other markets, and the variety of fish was unbeatable. Everyone who worked there was very helpful and nice. We even stopped and bought shrimp to bring home with us. One of the places I'll miss most about the outer banks. Everything was just so fresh and good. read more

Austin Fish - Grilled Spanish Mackerel, Steamed Shrimp and Pan Fried Crab Cake - all from Austin Fish Co. - Seafood Markets Near Me - Nags Head, North Carolina

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This place is wonderful. Our airbnb was within walking distance and we ended up sourcing 3 great meals from Austin to prepare in our home (for the week). Two were really outstanding: crab meat and scallops. Fish was also fresh and enjoyable. Place is so good we are discussing going back to OBX not too far away from Austin this Fall! I thought the folks working there were just fine - I'll take polite straight talkers any day. read more

Family owned and operated! The seafood I purchase here is always fresh! Love that I can get them to steam shrimp, crab and other items for a very reasonable fee! Nice not to have to cook! read more

Very friendly & great fresh seafood selection - shrimp & crab for us... make sure to get their special steaming spices!

A little pricey. But what isn't at the beach? We're regular customers, usually getting steamed spiced shrimp and popcorn shrimp for the family. A recommended joint in my book. read more

Didn't have bushels of crabs. They had some cold ones but didn't do steamed ones. Disappointing

Came in from out of town for a beach weekend and found this place through yelp. They do retail as well as prepared foods and we ordered items to cook for the week as well as some sandwiches and really enjoyed it. Seafood was fresh and the fried grouper sandwich was delicious. read more

"SOMEBODY CALL MISS AUSTIN!" I've been visiting Nags Head since the summer I was born. My Grandparents started toting their 6 kids, my dad included, down to the Outer banks in the mid 60's when Nags Head was made up of a few beach houses, Jockey's Ridge, and no television. Around that time Mr. & Mrs. Austin opened up this quaint store, selling only the freshest of seafood. In recent years, with the commercialization of Nags Head, mediocrity has hit the seafood market. Anybody who is anybody on the Outer banks has fried seafood and, frankly, who doesn't love fried seafood. But, as far as fried goes, I'd eat my arm if it was dipped in grease and fried. The quality of the seafood isn't important anymore. This is not true of Austin's. As far as I'm concerned, Austin's is the only place selling #1 male Blue crabs. Don't believe anyone else's enticing Blue crab offers. They're not true. Austin's has been here the longest and has the market cornered on Blues. However, call really early and reserve yours because they'll be gone by day's end. This is also the place for spiced, steamed shrimp. More than enough sizes to choose from and the perfect amount of Old Bay & secret spices. Austin's holds a special place in my heart reminding me of simpler Nags Head days of yore. Mr. Austin & Co. are still behind the counter slinging seafood to packed crowds. Miss Austin is still at the register telling it like it is. So, when sitting on an outer banks beach, and the mood for seafood strikes, think of Austin's, shout the battle-cry my family has adopted and pick up the phone. "SOMEBODY CALL MISS AUSTIN!" read more

A great fish market. This is a must try while in the Outer Banks. We got food from here 4 nights during our week long stay. The fish we bought to cook was very fresh and good priced. The shrimp that we had where perfectly steamed and seasoned and didn't cost anymore than buying them raw and cooking ourselves. I got the fried clam dinner the last night and while there where not a ton of clams in the meal, they were huge and delicious. I wish I had gotten steamed shrimp another night but will have to wait until The next visit. read more

We frequently come to OBX and we always stop and get shrimp at Austin fish! If you need a larger order (say 3+ pounds), you can all ahead and tell them what time you will pick it up and it'll be ready. The shrimp are always fresh and steamed to perfection, never rubbery or stale. We love this place! read more

The folks just sold me a dozen cooked jimmy blue crabs which were some of the nastiest, rankest, decaying things you can imagine. They ain't fresh - and haven't been for a long long time. I picked them out to make crab cakes for lunch - and honestly I'm afraid to eat the crabmeat. I'm from Norfolk, keep my own crab pots behind the house, and know of what I speak. The folks know better and ought not be in business. read more

I gave this place 5 stars because the food is great and the prices are the best in Nags Head. We were planning on having a seafood night at our beach house and called around to price Alaskan Snow Crab legs, steamed shrimp, etc. Austin's prices were nearly 1/2 of most the competitors. The people behind the counter were very helpful despite how busy they were. They steamed our crab legs and shrimp in about 15 minutes so the wait was short. Mrs. Austin was working the register and she did seem a little temperamental. I asked her how much butter came with the crab legs, so I would know if I needed extra, and she said, "You'll see when it comes out." There were two small containers of melted butter for my 5 lbs of crab legs, which was enough for us. Even if Mrs. Austin is a little short with people, don't let it keep you away. We got a good laugh out of it and saved a good bit of money. read more

Best seafood on the upper OBX that I've found. This "shack" is run by an older couple that really beam with Southern hospitality. The prices are fair and the quality is excellent. They stock many local fishes, so if you're looking to grill up some Mahi Mahi or some tuna, go nuts. Unless I find a better shop closer to Corolla, I'll continue to make the trek. read more

So you need a quick bite or fresh fish for dinner? Then Austin Fish Co. in Nags Head NC is for you!! Great choices, ample portions and variety to enjoy!! Take your puppy and eat on the back porch... read more

A pound of steam shrimp, good cocktail sauce and some cold beer. As fresh as it could be, can't get much better. Just tell them if you want the spicy seasoning on the shrimp. They are not running the fryers during the peak season only the steamer, I'll have to come back and try some of the fried stuff read more

Great fresh fish and take out dinner! It was all good. We have heard of their seafood buckets and we are going back tonight to get one!!

FAMILY OWNED FISH MARKET ON THE OUTER BANKS We drove through the Outer Banks and stopped by here on a whim. The Austin Fish Company has fresh seafood for sale and a limited take out menu. I spotted the soft shell crab sandwiches did not look any further. Soft Shell Crab Sandwich A crispy seasoned soft shell crab was tucked inside a bun filled with lettuce, tomatoes, mayonnaise, and mustard. There is nothing better than a fried soft shell crab; the sandwich was very satisfying. Accompanying the sandwich was freshly prepared crispy crinkle-cut fries and a dill pickle. A sign hangs in the store reminding patrons to be patient because they cook to order. There are a few benches outside to enjoy your food but it was raining and we ate our sandwiches in the car. read more

What a great market, I wish I had come on a weekend where I could have seen this place full swing. Staff is friendly and helpful and like most locally owned spots in the area they balance eclectic and premium quality just right. The tuna steaks were such great quality and so well priced! They had a bunch of shrimp varieties that were again great! They made perfect additions to our vacation house gumbo night, with a blackened seared tuna steak appetizer. Austin's also sold a bunch of cool, but pricey knick knacks such as super cute/gift-able "she crap soup" mixes, hot sauces and more. read more

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Super convenient location, within walking distance to our rental. Great way to celebrate a birthday with a big ol' steamer pit to go! Delicious, sweet snow crab legs; barely used any butter on this whole reasonably priced meal. Will definitely hit up Austin's on our next trip to OBX!! read more

Austin Fish - Half of the beachcomber's bucket to go! - Seafood Markets Near Me - Nags Head, North Carolina

We got king crab legs, clams, and fried flounder. The cran legs were huge - biggest we had ever seen. But everything else was just ok. The flounder had no taste, the fries were the store bought frozen kind. Overall just stick with the steamed stuff. Ps: the lady at the front desk kinda ruined it as well.she was very mean. read more