We love Basnight's for special occasions, or just to have their delicious food. It's just over the last bridge onto the Outer Banks, and it's also very close to where we usually stay a few times a year. I personally will always get the fried oysters if they're in season, but they're also known for soft-shelled crabs (my sister's favorite). They have daily specials too! We also love the crab dip with pita triangles - YUM! You can almost make a meal just on that. I love sitting at the windows overlooking the sound because there's a big nest there -- fun to watch the birds. The service is usually pretty good here.... can be a bit on the slow side if they're really busy. There's a bar area, and also check out their apparel selection. read more

HIRE THEM TO CATER YOUR EVENT! If we could give more than 5 stars, we would! We cannot say enough positive about Basnight's Lone Cedar catering. They catered our wedding on 11/29/2025 (2 days after Thanksgiving) in a not-so-easy-to-reach location on the 4x4 beach in Corolla, NC. Everything from start to finish was perfect and the food was DELICIOUS! We loved everything about our experience with them. They have extensive menu options and worked with us to pick the perfect dishes for our brunch (we had a Saturday mid-morning wedding). We live in Alabama and they worked with us to schedule a tasting when we were near the Outer Banks and easily made changes to our menu when we asked them to. They even accommodated our request for an avocado toast bar (an off menu add on) with different options for guests (such as smoked salmon, bacon, feta cheese, etc) . We had a zoom conference a few weeks before the wedding to finalize every detail. Their professionalism and attention to detail is top-notch! The day of the event -- wow! Their crew was so professional and thoughtful. We had passed hors d'ouvres and a staffed brunch buffet. They went out of their way to make sure my husband and I had food during the reception and prepared a large tray for he and I to have leftovers the next day. Everyone attending gave them rave reviews and I would not hesitate to hire them again. The most popular items were the London broil, the deviled eggs (with bacon jam), and the stuffed French toast, but EVERYTHING (shrimp and grits, chicken and waffles, mini quiches, etc.) tasted amazing. Caroline, Immanuel, Victoria, and Courtney -- thank you for helping make our wedding day EPIC! C & C read more

Place was really nice, people were friendly- tables were clean. Plenty of parking. Locally owned, The view of the water was so pretty! We started with drinks (not too pricey) and appetizers- We had the in season crab dip ( owner/employee) go out and harvest daily. The dip was creamy and delicious, not real fond of the dipping bread. For dinner I had the fresh crab Cakes- they were very tasty. After dinner you can walk out the back door and look at their garden- They grow so much of your food! Fresh fish, crabs and vegetables how can you go wrong! read more

As my grandmothers favorite restaurant in outer banks Lone Cedar Cafe never disappoints. Located in the beautiful sound in Nags Head this wonderful restaurant serves the best seafood and steakhouse bar I have ever been to. We started out with their delicious home made southern cornbread. Our seats were in a booth overlooking the beautiful osprey nest in the sound. The ospreys were also eating fish for dinner to which was pretty cool to see. The service was outstanding as well. For dinner we ordered shrimp and grits, blackened rockfish with whipped sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts and prime rib with baked potato and asparagus. As the final dinner of our trip I look forward to returning to the Lone Cedar Cafe. Thanks for a great meal. read more

See all

We arrived at around 6 on a Tuesday night. It was not very busy but we still had a half hour wait. Short staff. Once seated our server was quickly to us. Our salads came out fast. My wife had the house garden salad with raspberry vinegarette. She thought the dressing was a little strong. I agreed after tasting it. I had the wedge salad and it was okay. My wife had the baked flounder and she said that it lacked seasoning and was over cooked and dry. I had the jumbo soft shell stuffed crab. They were very good. Baked potatoes were good and so was the asparagus. Overall it was pretty good. There was quite a long wait between the salad and the entree. 3.5 stars read more

Basnight's Lone Cedar Cafe - Baked flounder - Seafood Near Me - Nags Head, North Carolina

See all

I really liked this spot. The food was perfect. Tye Christmas atmosphere was very nice. I'm not a very festive type person but I didn't need to Be, the staff here was festive enough for everyone. Stop in and see for yourself. read more

Basnight's Lone Cedar Cafe - Bar - Seafood Near Me - Nags Head, North Carolina

Always had great meals here. Tonight, not so much. Service was excellent. Ambiance, great. The she crab soup, the crab wasn't picked through.valmost every bite had shells in it. We haven't been here in a few years. Before, there was a bisque with a large amount of crab suspended in the middle of the bowl. Today, it was all mixed up. More like a gumbo consistency. It was removed from the bill. Thank you. I had the large soft shell crabs stuffed with jumbo lump crab. There was no jumbo lump crab. It was more of a consistency of crab mixed in a blender. No one would do that to jumbo lump crab. Sadly, we won't return. read more

Wonderful experience, highly recommend. It was so good that we all ended up sharing our entrees so everyone could try everything. The food here is farm to table and you can walk out to see their garden. The owner catches the softshell crab themselves. Outside the window you can watch a big osprey nest and we were lucky to have two parents and a baby osprey entertaining us. The only thing I would change about dinner was the crab dip could have used more crab. It tasted mostly like cheese. It wasn't bad but would have liked more crab. The stuffed soft shell crabs were amazing. The very best dish was the blackened tile fish. I would eat that every day. Lastly the pimento cheese grits were worth getting as your side. Tons of seating inside but I still would recommend getting there early to get your table. Wonderful place, will be back. read more

See all

Recommended farm-to-table restaurant in Nags head! We dined here on a Saturday night in June. There was no wait for a table as the dining area was relatively empty. Our server, Dalton (?), was fun and attentive. He was so patient with our many questions. He even quickly made an order change when one of our party changed their mind and double checked allergens. We received complementary cornbread and butter then our appetizers. The entrees arrived in a reasonable amount of time and tasted great! I especially enjoyed the blackened tilefish, crab cakes, and grit cakes. The prices are reasonable for the quality of the meal and experience. As we dined we enjoyed watching the nearby osprey family feed their baby. On our way out, we walked through the organized and labelled garden. Only thing we disliked was the additional plate charge. Two of our 7 person party shared a dish. Everyone else each ordered full entrees and we ordered several appetizers and drinks. As a result the additional charge was unexpected and seemed unnecessary. read more

See all

We came here the other night for dinner. It was not very crowded and we were able to be seated right away. We had to ask the waitress three different times for an item that was missing. The shrimp was great, but the Caesar dressing on the salad was watery and did not taste very good. We also had to wait awhile to get the bill, even after our table had been cleared. Not our favorite spot and nothing very exciting to bring us back for. read more

Basnight's Lone Cedar Cafe - Shrimp Caesar Salad - Seafood Near Me - Nags Head, North Carolina

Wait was shorter than what they quoted which is always a plus. They have tons of room inside for large parties. The food was great and the menu was expansive and welcoming for all tastes and budgets. Dalton was our server and took great care of our family. Will definitely come back! read more

Basnight's Lone Cedar Cafe - Jerk Spanish Mackerel - Seafood Near Me - Nags Head, North Carolina

Tried so hard to enjoy this place, but between the food and the service, it was a huge disappointment. The backstory: I was visiting the OBX for the first time with a group of 6 and we were looking for a place to enjoy a nice meal. Read some positive reviews online about this restaurant, so we decided to give it a shot. The restaurant was crowded upon our arrival, which seemed to be a good sign. The space is absolutely huge and can accommodate a large number of guests. We were promptly seated and our waitress came to take our order. Our group chose the crab dip as an appetizer, which was tasty but not very large and came with a limited amount of bread to dip. Everyone ordered a drink, and the bartender did a nice job in preparing them. The pina colada was the fan favorite--tasty and refreshing. The problems really arose when we ordered food. A few of our orders were entered incorrectly, and we were given the wrong entrees. Not the end of the world, but a bit inconvenient. A few of us also ordered a second round of drinks before our meal arrived, but the drinks still hadn't arrived at our table by the time we had finished our food. We kindly asked our waitress to inform the bartender that we didn't need the second drinks to be made, which she did -- but then we were still charged for them on the final bill. Thankfully, we talked to the waitress and she removed them from the bill. Overall, the food was meh. The mahi mahi was the best entree of the bunch. Flounder was dry and relatively tasteless. Parmesan crusted chicken breast was bland and boring. Fries were tasty, but the grit cake was pretty gross. I guess I (naively) envisioned a bit more when I found out this restaurant was "farm to table," but the food left us all wanting more. I'm not one to typically leave poor reviews, but if you're looking for a nice night out for a good meal while enjoying the beauty of the Outer Banks, I'd recommend looking elsewhere. read more

Great service and wonderful seafood! We went during off season so there was no wait. Reasonable prices and good size portions.

The food was excellent and our waitress Mecca was superb. This is one of my favorite restaurants and without a doubt, I will definitely recommend this local restaurant. I have had many servers over the years but Mecca stood out to our family her bubbly personality and her love for children. read more

Bland meals including pasta, fish, shrimp, not worth the price. But did enjoy the view and beer options read more

We have come here every year for that last six years and always have been happy with our choice. Things have changed. We decided to come tonight out of convenience. We were able to be seated quickly. Our server was friendly and provided an overview of the fish of the day and other options on the menu. We looked over the menu and it is large and varied. The special menu was as large as the regular menu. I ordered the broiled seafood platter (shrimp, scallops and flounder) with a bake potato and corn on the cob. Our meals were brought out quickly almost too fast for what was ordered. My wife had fried flounder. All the seafood was overcooked by a lot. Scallops were rubbery and flavorless. Shrimp was limp and cold. Flounder was dry and overdone and under seasoned. The corn and potato were also over done. It's a shame because this has always been a favorite when we visit OBX. read more

Basnight's Lone Cedar Cafe - Seafood Near Me - Nags Head, North Carolina

We went for the taste of the beach. Price / value was very good = $76 for two. The welcome from the lady maitredee was borderline rude. But the food, server and ambiance inside more than made up for her attitude. We sat at the bar and enjoyed a couple old fashions waiting approximately 35mins for our table. The server (Kindra if we recall correctly) was very pleasant. We had appetizers, entrees and deserts. Appetizers were wedge salad and crab dip = both very good. Our entrees prime rib and spicy shrimp and grits was excellent. The desert = Hersey bar cake was excellent as well. We had a booth overlooking the sound with the picture included as our view. All in all this is and 8 on a scale of 10. read more

Basnight's Lone Cedar Cafe - Osprey in nest - Seafood Near Me - Nags Head, North Carolina

Pros - good staff, good food, clean, plenty of room, good location and ambiance. Cons - prices could be a bit better in some areas but I understand it is tough task these days. My favorite item is the fried chicken sandwich with pimento cheese and applewood bacon jam. It is usually in their specials. If I do not know what to order, I know that will be good every time. read more

Terrific seafood! I had a bowl of their She-Crab Soup which was some of the best I've ever had. I was very full with the soup and a side salad. The salad came out of their organic garden. It doesn't get any fresher than that unless you're having their fish. Most of which was swimming when you were having breakfast. My wife had their crab cakes and proclaimed them to be fantastic. She is a bonafide crab cake snob and to win her praise is an achievement of the highest order. Basnight's is a very casual place with ample seating for groups so bring the entire crowd. They have a full bar and an extensive wine cellar. read more

Basnight's Lone Cedar Cafe - Large main dining room. Plenty of room for large groups - Seafood Near Me - Nags Head, North Carolina

See all

Quality of the food was very lacking. Our server was good but most of our food was served cold. The crab soup was not soup at all but a little cup of gooey paste with so much cartilage in it that it was clearly never picked through. Prime rib was cold and tough and ordered rare. The veg of the day was gross and the crab cake, had been sold to me by the waitress as a jumbo lump crab meat with no filler broiled with butter. It was none of the above. It was a very small dry and overcooked crabcake with a filler, and it was clearly cooked hours before and just barely reheated before serving. We paid for our meal and then I informed the manager how bad everything was even showing her in the leftover box what the crabcake look like. She was surprised that I paid for a bad meal, but I wanted her to know how bad things were and didn't want her to think. I just wanted a meal comped. We will not be coming back to this restaurant, even though it used to be a place with really good food read more

This is a nice place ! The food and drinks were very good as was the service. They have a jeweler there (I know - odd) but the jewelry sold is made by a gentleman who's been designing and creating for 50 years. His son works the store for him. The ambiance of the restaurant is nice - family friendly but I wouldn't say "romantic". Just comfortable. Have to add they offer military and veterans a discount. This goes a long way for us read more

Definitely not a great choice or a worth the money. Overcooked and overpriced is the overall experience. I ordered the whole flounder fried, what a waste of a perfectly good fish. It comes with some kind of cooked to death beets. The flounder was so over cooked the flesh was almost dry. My dining friends had green beans as a side. They were totally unrecognizable, they were almost totally black. It's really sad to see such a good restaurant to get to this point. Something has changed it's either ownership or management. My recommendation is go somewhere else. The restaurant wasn't crowded, I suppose that should have been a red flag. read more

Menu was limited compared to years past. Bread plates were brought to the table but no bread was as offered, we had to request it. Similarly, no ketchup was offered for an order that included fries; we had to ask for it. Food that was served was not what had been described and entrees were not hot. read more

Great food, Great views, Great service. Dalton was our waiter and was on top of anything and everything. We never had to wait for drink refills or anything else we needed. This is our new favorite restaurant on the Outer Banks!!! read more

Mediocre Food, Tacky Decor & at least an 1.5 hour wait minimum if you're "fortunate" enough to get through the mobs that come to this dump at 4:30. SAVE YOUR TIME GO TO SINGLE FIN! read more

Named after the Basnight Family, I recommend this place hands down. Friendly service & so much delicious food that you can taste the love that they put in it. Great panoramic views of the ocean no matter where you sit. We'll definitely go back when I go to NC again! read more

See all

I've been going to Basnight's every summer for almost 30 years. I've enjoyed the quality and freshness of the food they serve. My last trip to Basnight's was a huge disappointment. While the service was prompt, the food was bland. We had a similar experience the last time we visited. Unfortunately, we won't be back. read more

Our annual OBX trip wouldn't be complete without going here. A great farm to table restaurant with w fabulous onsite garden! Three of us ordered the local shrimp In the spicy, creamy Asian sauce - similar to a bang-bang shrimp but not as spicy. The shrimp are lightly breaded in a fabulous sauce! We paired this with a side house salad - and I could barely finish! This salad is large and with homemade croutons! My father ordered the fresh fried flounder and easily stated this was his favorite he has had! It had a light breading and was a large serving. My brother in law added a fried combo and agreed with the lightness of the breading and great flavors of the fish! It's like a trusted old friend you are visiting! read more

We arrived right before the restaurant opened and there was a line down the stairs. We were one of the first few groups and waited around 10-15 minutes to be seated. The restaurant is along the water and we had a great view for dinner. The service was great. Our server Dylan was very nice and did a great job checking on us. We ordered the she crab soup, grilled tuna special and the broiled combo. For the she crab soup, the consistency was too thick. It was more like a dip than a soup. Also, the soup wasn't heated up to a hot temp--It was lukewarm. For the taste, I've had better she crab soup and wouldn't reorder it here. The tuna special came with whipped sweet potatoes and green beans. We asked for the tuna to be medium rare and it came out well done. The broiled combo came with coleslaw, baked potato, and veggie mix (zucchini, yellow squash, onions, green peppers). The scallops were over cooked and had a chewy texture. The flounder was over cooked as well, it was very dry. Most of the dishes were overcooked, but also was served cold. The temperature and consistency feels as though they may have been reheating a bunch of the food--or cooked it, and left it out too long. I was disappointed in this dining experience for the price point, and personally wouldn't recommend if you want a fancy date night meal. read more

Our server Cassidy was the star of our experience - she was attentive, fast, and friendly. read more

Basnight's Lone Cedar Cafe - Seafood Near Me - Nags Head, North Carolina

See all

My mom and I stopped in a gift shop and the workers recommend this spot and I am so glad they did. This was one of my favorite meals while I was visiting North Carolina. We had a bit of a wait, but it went by quickly. There is a huge parking lot. There is also ample seating while you wait for your table. There are chairs and benches in the restaurant foyer area, as well as a gift shop to browse. Pretty much every restaurant we went to had a gift shop attached to it. There are also rockers on the porch. But, before you sit down, make sure you walk and look at the garden, where fresh herbs and vegetables are growing. They then use these items in their dishes and drinks. I'll get to that later. There is also a dock and many places to stare out into the water and relax. There are many rooms within the restaurant. We were seated in a room in the back, which was nice, but wasn't around much action. We had a server, who had just started a few days prior. I thought she was great and friendly. No complaints. For my drink, I went with the North Carolina Mojito. It was made with local rum and homemade mojito mix, as well as homegrown mint from their extensive garden on premises. I also ordered the fresh flounder. What I loved about the menu was that it listed the fisherman who caught the fish that you were eating. I thought that was a nice touch, and something I have never seen before. The food was delicious and I really enjoyed the aspect of them growing produce and herbs on site and then using it in their dishes and drinks. The flounder was fantastic. They also serve cornbread before the meal, and it was excellent. read more

See all

Service was great and the food was 10/10! We ordered the seared tuna appetizer, Rockfish entree and crab cakes with squash casserole and whipped sweet potatoes as sides. Phenomenal! read more

The food and service was terrific. Would recommend this restaurant to others because I have eaten here quite a few times and the food has been consistently good! read more

The food was delicious! The fresh shrimp fried to perfection as only a seafood chef can do. Excellent water view. Mecca our waitress was phenomenal! She understood and explained the menu very professionally. Thank you Mecca for your kindness. read more

Good Food. Great wine list. Service is above and beyond. If your in the area you'll love the food and if it's the season. There is an Osbrey nest outside the dining room over the water. I'd recommend the '19 TRIMBACH RESILING with your fish. Reaalllly effing good! read more

Basnight's Lone Cedar Cafe - This is the 2020 Resling. A semisweet clean wine w a great finish. Paired well with our flounder dinner an my seafood lasagna. - Seafood Near Me - Nags Head, North Carolina

Another locals' favorite place. It had an old timey charm to it. Food was OK. I was impressed at the winelist - very California heavy and some bordeaux at reasonable prices. They had a few bottles of aged Petrus on the menu. I was tempted by that and may have pulled the trigger if it were at a steakhouse. While the restaurant was half-empty, we were still made to wait, I suspect due to staff shortage. I liked the interior decoration. Food was edible. read more

I was worried when I saw such mixed reviews but we really enjoyed the food. The service was great also but it did take a while for our food to come out. We loved the cornbread bread service! Delicious! I had the broth based clam chowder and thought it was great. For my meal I had the fish taco app from the specials menu. It was burger night and my husband had the Frenchie burger and subbed the grit cake in place of fries and said it was all very good. My son had chicken tenders off of the kids menu. They were your standard chicken tenders so nothing to write home about there. Overall our experience was very nice. read more

food was awesome. would drive back from Ohio just to get another Ribeye. they set the bar high and I can't find a place around Akron that compares read more

Delicious food, fresh caught local seafood and our server Mecca took the best care of us! The drinks were bangin!!!

The food was amazing!!! And my server Mecca was great!!! I loved the atmosphere as well. Definitely will be going back.