For the first time ever, we had some disappointments at Black Pelican. We have lunch or dinner during 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. read more

Black Pelican - Rockfish Lunch Special - Seafood Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

I want to start with the service- it was phenomenal. The food however, is beyond sub par. It's not awful. But it's not good. At all. The rice and veggies are frozen. The flounder is straight breading. I did not get a single full bite of fish. The shrimp was okay. Fries were great. My issue is the price for the quality of what you're getting. I would never come back to this place read more

Kill Devil Hill, NC 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. read more

Fantastic experience here! The wait wasn't too long, the service was efficient and friendly, and the food was divine!! The shrimp and grits were some of the best I've had in a while. You can't come here and not get dessert. I got the coconut cream pie (to-go) and it was insanely good. We always love to come here on vacation. Highly recommend. read more

Black Pelican - Coconut cream pie - Seafood Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

See all

Love this place. Have been coming here for a few years, I know I have more photos than the salad im going to post in this review, which was absolutely delicious. Service is always friendly, I usually sit at the bar and have gotten to know some of the staff and they remember me when im here (not a local but visit in the off season). The vibes are good, coastal and relaxed. A favorite for sure. Also love the Chesapeake location. read more

See all

Soooo awesome. I moved here a few months ago and I can't wait for somebody else to stop by and ask where the best food is in town. Awesome service awesome owner so don't miss out on this magical piece of Mexican food, in the middle of nowhere...wink wink read more

Wonderful service on a sat night for a party of 8 We had a variety of appetizers and I had the nuts and berries with grilled chicken - pita bread with Brie was such a superior flavor and very easy to spread read more

Black Pelican - Nuts and berries salad topped with grilled chicken with balsamic dressing - Seafood Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

See all

A regular stop for us while here in the OBX b/c the food is so consistently GOOD! Tried their version of a white pizza and it didn't disappoint. Wood fired thin crust with bacon and extra mozzarella.....perfect! Oh, and sampled their basket of fries and WOW....huge basket ! read more

Black Pelican - Wood fired, white pizza with bacon and extra mozzarella---smell the smoked bacon! - Seafood Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

We ended up at the Black Pelican by accident but what a happy accident! My friend and I made plans to spend the weekend in the Outer Banks. We arrived on a Friday evening and after checking in to our hotel, headed out for dinner. The place we originally planned to go was under construction so we randomly went across the street to the Black Pelican. It was busy but we were seated without a wait and immediately a server stopped by for our drink order. The menu was varied and everything sounded so delicious, it was hard to choose. I ended up having the Scallops St. Jacques. Ohmigawd, what a culinary delight for the senses! It actually brought tears to my eyes. I savored every bite. My friend ordered the prime rib and she was equally as excited by her meal. And dessert? Yes please! Incredible! Service was attentive, the place was clean and tables weren't left dirty (a big pet peeve of mine). The prices weren't cheap, but neither were they exorbitant. I felt the food was well worth the prices. This was my first time in the Outer Banks and I now understand the hype. I can't wait to go back and I guarantee the Black Pelican will be on the list of places we will visit again. read more

Such a beautiful location. Very quaint and lots of menu items to choose from. The marinated crab was a little bit of a miss for me. We also ordered the calamari and fried shrimp. Both were well seasoned and very fresh tasting. Fresh from the ocean right in BPs backyard. Service was friendly and fast. There is ample parking but fills up quickly for lunch and dinner. Just a few miles from the Wright Brothers Museum and a few steps to the ocean. Happy Eating Yeeps!!! read more

See all

Entree was amazing. Catch of the day was swordfish. Wait was shorter than expected. Ambience was fine. Service was solid. They have a specialty collab beer with the St. George Brewing Co. which was good. read more

We had a good visit to the Black Pelican. Service was a little slow but still got the job done. Food was very yummy! We had the crab Rangoon and those were the best thing we had!! Both entrees were delicious as well! read more

See all

My wife and I have always had a "good bye" steak on the day we leave the OBX. We've done it for years, and always at the Black Pelican. This was be the last time. We had a black and blue and a filet. Neither was a good cut, lots of gristle. The only taste the meat had was salt (and a ton of it). The potatoes had no cheese we could taste, and the green beans were incredibly undercooked. Used to be great, but not so much anymore. read more

Staff was nice. Blackened Mahi-Mahi was very good. Ambiance was okay, a little noisy. It's a bit of a touristy spot but still enjoyable. read more

Black Pelican - Seafood Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

I used to come here quite often around 5 years ago, but I just went recently and was not pleased at all. The food that we typically ordered was completely different and seems to be out of a freezer. I was so disappointed as this used to be a favorite stop for us when at the outer banks. The service was also extremely slow. read more

10/10 food and service :) we love this place but I took a picky eater here last night and he loved what he got. I got the Florentine pizza and he got the chicken and BBQ. Also, the oysters. A great dinner choice read more

See all

This has always been one of our favorite places when we visit OBX. However, this visit was different. To start, my husband ordered the Cajun fish bites. There was absolutely no seasoning on them. They were like overpriced fish sticks. And then dinner. I always order chicken marsala. My chicken was rubbery, my green beans were flavorless. And I asked to add an ear of corn, which has always been a fresh cob of corn. Not tonight. They brought out two clearly frozen chunks of corn. The corn was so overdone it was dried out. And then the creme brulee...every year we share one. Not only was the brûlée barely done, but the custard was broken and grainy. Not sure what happened but we likely won't return after many years. Very sad. read more

The black pelican by far is the best seafood restaurant we found. When we got in they told us it was a 30 minute wait we only waited about 10 minutes. The place was packed. The servers are hustling. I started off with the crab and shrimp dip appetizer that was so delicious. My meal was the shrimp and crab broiled in a Bernaise sauce. That was also the most delicious thing I had all week! Lastly, we all got dessert because everything looks so delicious Keylime pie, banana pie, brownie sundae and peanut butter pie again best thing we had all week even our neighbors at the table next to us We're trying to get us to share our food! So they ordered all what we ordered because it all looks so good. They did say that the cheesecake was not that great. Our waitress was very attentive, came around and gave us drinks checked on us often and was always right there to clean up empty plate plates. The parking lot has plenty of spots to park in and if you do have a long wait, there's a bar outside with a patio you could sit and watch the beach. Go there and enjoy! read more

See all

Service is great, but the food was only mediocre and way overpriced. Would not recommend.

Came here for lunch and we ordered the pulled pork sandwich and the fried oyster platter. The pulled pork was yummy with lots of meat in it and the fried onion rings had a nice batter to it. The fried oyster platter was just ok. read more

Black Pelican - Fried oyster platter - Seafood Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

See all

The restaurant was able to accommodate our large group with reservations. The grilled flatbread was delicious. I ordered the Greek salad and added a grill shrimp skewer. The portion was sufficient for an entree and very delicious. Another guest ordered the nut & berries salad & split with their spouse--it was huge! Ample portion sizes and delicious seafood. Great ambiance with bar and table seating. Friendly and attentive staff. There's a small gift shop at entrance. read more

Black Pelican - Greek salad w/grill shrimp skewer - Seafood Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

I wish I could say something fantastic about this one but sadly only thing good was the waiter. Food was not what I expected just bland. Even the dessert was bland . Not what a beach town is expected. Poor excuse to have you travel thru a gift shop when you leave . Money grabbing read more

It's peak season for these restaurants so we waited about 45 minutes that typical. Let me start with the food, food was great all around. Our whole party enjoyed the food and appetizers. Service was not so good. Server was rude and forgot silverware for 5 minutes, forgot several items the whole night. read more

Black Pelican - Seafood Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

See all

Cute place, friendly staff, but food was very meh. We got the buffalo shrimp on happy hour which was decent, not great by any means. The Shrimp and crab dip, which two staff members told us was the best thing on the menu, was truly not enjoyable. Way too much cream cheese, minimal crab, lacking flavor and had Colby jack cheese smothered on top that really took away from the rest of the dip. The Chesapeake pizza was mediocre. Know this place is loved by locals but would not recommend (sorry!) and ate less than half of food we ordered and left the rest. Not worth boxes and not worth the time. If you try it, maybe go with the fresh steamed seafood, as we didn't try this. read more

Black Pelican - Buffalo shrimp - Seafood Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

I returned here and sat inside this time. Pita bread was served, which I do not recall having my first visit. This was tasty and very light. I had the tuna Nagano ($23). It was thinly sliced Cajun sesame Ahi tuna that was seared and chilled. It came with Napa cabbage slaw, pickled ginger, soy sauce, and wasabi with crispy wontons. This was not bad. The Cajun seasoning on the tuna was great, but there were only four pieces of it, which was very disappointing to see. The wontons took up half of the plate. The slaw was a good combination with this dish, but it was unfortunate to see so little tuna. I also tried the fisherman's risotto that had scallops, shrimp, crabmeat, and bacon with tomatoes, corn, and baby spinach with a garlic risotto. This was alright. There was a good amount of seafood present, but something seemed to be missing. It needed a fresh element or an additional type of seasoning. read more

Great food, very good service, neat coastal decor and atmosphere, so it is a popular location. Also, didn't realize it was featured on Guy Fiery's Triple D. Got the dish he tried, the Wanchese risotto, was not disappointed. Green beans that came with prime rib entree were cooked perfectly and so were the steamed shrimp, plump and juicy. Planning to come back to try other things! read more

See all

Have Always been A Favorite For Our Group To Go for Drinks And Dinner. The Last 3 Trips Have Not Been Good at All. We Don't Ever Complain About The Prices And Quality Of Food as In the Last 2 Years It has Fallen From A 10 To A 5. Very Disappointing. Food Is Mediocre At Best. No Flavor And Service Actually Is Slow And Not Attentive. They Also Need To Shut Down for A Couple Months This Winter and Have a Cleanup and Remodel. read more

I thought the place was okay. We ordered quickly and had the calamari as an appetizer which was delicious. We then all ordered our entrees and everything came out quickly. My son in law ordered a medium rare steak and it came out still mooing! He sent it back 3xs and they couldn't get it right. I had the wanchese seafood risotto and it was delicious! Our waitress was super sweet and did her best to get everything done. The atmosphere is very nautical bc it's a decommissioned lifesaving station. I give this place 3 stars because the waitress forgot to bring my husband his coffee, and the kitchen couldn't cook a medium rare steak. The manager did take it off the bill and because it was my birthday she also comped my dessert. read more

See all

The main course was a big disappointment, the app of calamari was fresh and good. The main course were chicken Marsala, the pecan crusted mai and the chefs pasta. The chicken marsala was a huge let down, not at all how a chicken marsala should be made and didn't take good. The pecan encrusted main was also not good or tasty. The chef pasta was great, the shrimp and scallops was done perfectly. Our waitress was polite and courteous. The setting was ok. read more

Black Pelican - Nope. - Seafood Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

The food was subpar at the very best. I am very disappointed that I wasted 40 dollars for an undercooked, flavorless, cold, "New York strip streak". I came with a party of 12 and we left with a taste in our mouths so bad it almost rivals the food we were tormented with eating. read more

This restaurant came highly recommended but the food wasn't great at all. We ordered the shrimp and grits, crab cake entree, and salmon entree. The shrimp and grits were the worst I have ever tasted. The sauce covering the shrimp and grits tasted like straight Frank's red hot sauce. I could only eat two bites and I was done. The crab cakes were decent. There wasn't anything special about them. Initially, the salmon I ordered was raw in the middle so I had to take it back. They were nice enough to cook me another piece of salmon. However, there was no seasoning on the salmon. Because of the raw salmon, they gave us a free dessert. We ordered the brownie sundae. That was the only delicious thing we ordered. The service was outstanding. Our waitress was extremely attentive and friendly. The ambiance was family oriented. It was very crowded but the restaurant itself was spacious. read more

See all

Great food, good service, and the best ambience is at or near the bar! Their pizzas are excellent! Their prime rib is perfect! Prices are quite reasonable!! read more

Delicious food. Wonderful waitress, Alexandra). Fun place to sit and enjoy view, unless it's raining but then it's great to watch everything whipping around. Plenty of parking I had a tuna melt. It's served open faced with fries. Best tuna salad I've ever had. Ever. My husband had a tuna steak served with black beans, corn salsa and rice. He said he would definitely order it read more

Black Pelican - Tuna steak - Seafood Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

See all

Interesting building with history. Was greeted and seated immediately upon arrival. There is a full bar with interesting suggested drinks. The menu is primarily fish. I ordered the pecan encrusted salmon with green beans which I enjoyed. Service was good and checked back periodically. read more

Black Pelican - Interior - Seafood Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

Our family of 7 went here on a sunny and windy day off season. We were seated in the corner of the sunroom facing the dunes. Service from Jacob was impeccable! He's energetic, happy, attentive and always smiling! 5 stars for him! Food: 4.5. Apps of fried calamari and Cajun fish bites. Calamari (needed a dash of salt and pepper) was tasty and very tender! Fish bites, although tasty, it is glazed with some tobacco prior to battering. My only negative is that it was very soggy (perhaps fried at too low a temperature?) Kids ordered the land lovers lunch portion pizza (decent size for $9.5), chicken tenders and fries (3 tenders and fries over a Frisbee plate for $10) and fish sticks with fries ($10.5), but the fish was overly fried and hard. The battered fries were delicious though! Adults ordered tuna melt, crab cake sandwiches and blue plate of meatloaf. The meals were all a generous serving and could easily fed 2 each. Hubby said the crab cake sandwich was quite delicious. Although the flavor of the meatloaf plate was decent (wished it was fresh green beans instead of canned), the serving size was huge! Super affordable prices with incredible service. We will definitely be back! read more

Black Pelican - Blue plate of meatloaf, taters and green beans - Seafood Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

The Mrs and I were celebrating an anniversary so wanted to give the BP a try. We asked for a table with a view & enjoyed the dunes across the two-lane road. Just happened to be 1/2 price off wine bottles so shared a very good New Zealand Sauv Blanc, perfectly chilled. We also shared a salad which was enough for two, was fresh, lots of variety & delicious dressing. The Mrs had a very flavorful steak & fresh veggies. I had a very good broiled lump crab & shrimp boat-the shrimp being particularly succulent. The server, Taylor D was engaging, humorous, very attentive, and efficient in timing the various courses to include dessert at just the right times. We will certainly ask to be seated at her table on our next visit. read more

Black Pelican is one of the best places to eat when you're in nags head. Me and my sisters family always try to stop by here, especially for special occasions. To start, you have to get the baked Brie with the jam and pickled jalapeños. When I tell you obsessed????!!! Oh my gosh it's so good. We always get extra jam. My sister and I also have to get the prime rib with the smoked Gouda mashed potatoes and green beans. Listen, whoever made those mashed potatoes the last time I went with my sister, had the hands of Jesus guiding them. Because those mashed potatoes were unbelievable. So good. I haven't ever had time (nor room) for dessert but they look amazing. Maybe one day. Anyways, if you're coming here in peak season, you'll have a wait. Just relax and enjoy your family as you wait. It's so worth it, I promise! read more

Good for what it was. For the restaurants in the Outer Banks, I think this might be one of the better ones. The clambake was a substantial amount of food and everything was cooked very well. I like that it came with the clarified butter and cocktail sauce. They have a great selection of sides on the menu as well as an extensive menu with a lot of different options. They were quick and getting us seated and you could grab a drink from the bar upstairs while you wait. The only thing I would recommend is for the crab Rangoon's the sauce it sat on was very good, but the filling inside was very minimal. I don't even know if there was actual crab in there as it didn't taste like much other than a fried wonton. read more

See all

The location is great and the food selection is amazing. Our server was very attentive and knew her way around the menu. The coconut shrimp were very good! Definitely get a pizza- very fast and very good. Love the decor as well! read more

We visited the Black Pelican around 3pm during the week (we actually went because the power was out at Hurricane MO's), plenty of seating at the upstairs (outdoor bar). Walter was super nice and helpful. Positives: Restaurant is well decorated, great location and the food is amazing! Negatives: Lots of steps to get up to the restaurant, parking was crazy when we were trying to leave and the prices are really high. I got the crab and shrimp bake, I was disappointed to see the portion I was served, it was very small and for the price it was definitely sad to see. However, I will say that it tasted amazing and came with rice and a veggie, which were also delicious. We ended up spending $100 (with tip) on a few bottles of beer, salad, crab, Rangoon, and my dish. Would possibly go again. read more

Black Pelican - Crab Rangoon - Seafood Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina