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    Awful Arthur's Oyster Bar

    3.9 (794 reviews)
    ModerateSeafood
    Closed Closed

    Awful Arthur's Oyster Bar Photos

    Business Info

    AWFUL ARTHUR'S OYSTER BAR ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Dogs allowed
    Good for groups

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    Sno Crab
    Jim K.

    Very busy place. Went to restaurant around 6 and were told 90 minute wait. We put our name in and walked over to the shop and the pier. From there, we went up to the lounge. Future advice, bring some cards and head up to lounge to wait. We ended up waiting only 60 minutes before being called. After being seated, waitress was to us right away. After this, we only saw her a few times again. Maybe give it a pass because of how busy they were??? But could have used a drink or two. Don't get the water! Read this in a few other reviews as well. Not sure what it is but the water tastes horrible. Food was good and felt like portion size was just about perfect.

    Bar
    Teresa H.

    First time eating here with my husband's family! Can't wait y til we come back. Super great service and authentic. We had some baked oysters. So good. And the grouper sandwich was super yummy! My husband loved his Mahi mahi sandwich. My father in law loved his crab lobster bisque soup. And my mother in law got the crab cake sandwich We sat at the bar. And we got some bloody Mary's and martinis and beer. A super great way to end our little vaca

    Raw clams
    Eka M.

    The raw oysters were great, prefer that over their raw clams. I think it's one of the best value oysters for $1.5/each. The seafood steamer #2 is a lot of food, sweet briney shrimp and the crab legs were fresh, though the steamed oysters were just ok, prefer that raw instead. The crabmeat and shrimp platter was very yummy, lots of crabs and again really fresh shrimps. Try to get here by 445pm for dinner or else you'll wait for 2 hours on peak season. The upstairs bar waiting area got a good view of the water.

    Interior
    Kamron S.

    Came here for lunch with family during our day out. The restaurant is really neat with a big bar and nice ocean decor. The light chandeliers are made of oyster shells which is really fun. Our waitress was kind and helpful telling us promptly about the specials and catches of the day. I got some really nice crab and lobster bisque which was thick and delicious. I got a seafood platter for my meal with clam strips, fried oysters, and one of the catches of the day fried flounder. It was all really delicious they used good breading and didn't get anything to greasy. I really enjoyed my meal.

    Clam strips with hush puppies and fries
    Jessica K.

    This was one of the best meals my family had while visiting the Outer Banks. There is a bar and lounge area upstairs where you can get drinks while you wait. I got a frozen pina colada which was pretty tasty! They originally told us 1 hr 30 min - 1 hr 45 min for the wait, but it ended up being closer to 50 minutes. I got the clam strips with fries and hush puppies for my sides. The clam strips were delicious! They're different from most other places with a unique seasoning and breading. The hush puppies were nice and big. They were crunchy on the outside but a little sweet inside. Some of the best we had all trip. The fries were also good. Nice and crispy but still soft on the inside. I would definitely come back here!

    Prime rib - med rare?

    i wanted to rate it higher but couldn't based on the dismissive ness of the waitress Prime rib doneness Update: I ordered medium rare. So part of my annoyance is I felt very dismissed by the waitress. Me: this is overdone Her: oh, what is it medium (she's looking at it) Me: I ordered medium rare. She looks again: that's our med rare. I wanted to say medium rare us med rare...maybe I did, not sure. It's too bad because I could tell it would have been good if cooked right. She did then say she could take it back and 'see if he would make me a new one' like that would be doing me a favor and not what is the right thing to do. I said never mind because then I was just annoyed by the interaction. I did say that's not med rare where I am from. Bad enough my food is wrong but gaslighting me is so wrong. I don't like confrontation so to even mention it to her is hard for me. So to be so dismissive, not good. She's lucky I wasn't the one tipping. My husband had the broiled flounder and it was excellent. I don't recommend the prime rib Ps: I have my usual sat night prime rib at Dutchs Daughter in Frederick, Md where the prime rib is twice as much but never once have I been questioned when I said I didn't like the doneness. They just bring out a new one. With an apology. I will stick to getting my prime rib there!

    Wes A.

    Great food and service! Two nights in a row! Old stomping grounds in my youth! Very expensive! Oysters is what they do best! Fried grouper was perfect! Local feel!

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    2 months ago

    Wonderful place. My son and I make this our first stop for oysters and crab every year and every visit to beautiful Corolla, NC.

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    7 months ago

    Good food--great special that we enjoyed--grouper po' boy & fries $12.99. Nice atmosphere--friendly staff!

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    9 months ago

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    10 months ago

    Great service and food. Large menu... long wait but worth it. Love the upstairs bar area

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    1 year ago

    The server was attentive and the food was great. We enjoyed the rodeo burger and fried shrimp.

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    7 months ago

    Got the crab legs they were great, pricey but on the beach so what else would you expect. Cold beer and good times.

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    10 months ago

    Great food, service an ambiance. I was really impressed with everything. Highly recommended. A+

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    Do you allow dogs?

    No, I don't believe they do unless it is a service dog. The restaurant does not have outdoor seating.

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    Two Roads Tavern - Poboy sando

    Two Roads Tavern

    4.4(426 reviews)
    1.7 mi
    $$

    Food is consistently good. My first time trying this cheesesteak sandwich. Plenty of fresh cut…read moreribeye. I would have liked a cheese wiz but the provolone was very good. I chose coleslaw as my slaw.z it was fresh but could have used more seasoning. Our server was fantastic. He was constantly checking on us and providing instant soda refills. It's nice coming to a popular place in the off season. It's less noise and always easy to get a table.

    I simply cannot believe it has been nine years since we lunched at Two Roads. Since that time they…read moremoved to their new location in the former Longboards. I talked Ms T into trying it again. We just can't handle a big lunch and wanted to avoid leftovers, so decided to split a pickle brined chicken sandwich with fries and an extra side of slaw. The sandwich was OK. To start with it needed more seasoning. How about breaking out the black pepper and garlic powder? The meat was uncharacteristically tough/chewy for chicken breast. I suggest they need to be pounding it to tenderize it and then brine it. It was actually hard for us to cut and eat. It really looked nice, but I think I am done with pickle brined chicken. It just never gets enough brine impact. They make good small caliber fries that were piping hot and the slaw was fine for me. Ms T did not care for it so I got it all. Our food was OK, not stellar. The service was excellent, but I still can't make this better than three stars. I hope to convince her to return for a burger during this trip.

    Photos
    Two Roads Tavern - Bar seating

    Bar seating

    Two Roads Tavern - Mahi mahi dinner

    Mahi mahi dinner

    Two Roads Tavern

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    Black Pelican - Wednesday Special - Fried Chicken lunch

    Black Pelican

    3.6(1.1k reviews)
    1.8 mi
    $$

    For the first time ever, we had some disappointments at Black Pelican. We have lunch or dinner…read moreduring most of our twice-per-year visits to the area. It has always been good, and we definitely won't let this deter us from returning. Ms T had her usual Shrimp basket lunch. The issue was that the shrimp were not cooked through. They were still translucent. We totally understand not wanting to overcook shrimp, but these were not quite done. On the bright side she commented on how good the slaw was. I have been on a kick to try barbecue at restaurants that are not barbecue joints per se, to see if I can find some hidden gems. For example, both Sam & Omie's and Wanchese Marina serve a good barbecue sandwich. Black Pelican, at least on this day, does not. I must say, the serving was huge. This was more than enough for two meals for me. The barbecue was dry and not well flavored. The texture and flavor was more like dried out beef that has been over-roasted. This is not something I would order again here. All that being said, I am leaving the rating for Black Pelican as it is because we have always had good meals here. I accept that it can't be 100% perfect every time and sooner or later we will run into something that is less than stellar. We will continue to return. I just know this not where I will have barbecue and we are sure the shrimp thing was just a one timer.

    Kill Devil Hill, NC…read more Good Service and Fantastic Onion Rings, but everything else was just terrible. Oyster Po-Boy was pretty much inedible. And the $8.50 Pie we thought we were ordering was average at best. I say, "...we thought we were ordering" because the tags were mixed up in the Pie Case at the front. We were a group of 8 and really no one cared for their food... shame on us for taking a recco, and not reading the reviews. Guy F should be ashamed of himself.

    Photos
    Black Pelican - Inside

    Inside

    Black Pelican - Coconut Shrimp

    Coconut Shrimp

    Black Pelican - Gin Julep with Mint cocktail is awesome !

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    Gin Julep with Mint cocktail is awesome !

    Awful Arthur's Oyster Bar - seafood - Updated May 2026

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