Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Cockeyed Clam

    4.3 (145 reviews)
    Open 10:00 am - 2:00 pm, 4:00 PM - 8:30 PM
    Updated 3 weeks ago

    Cockeyed Clam Photos

    Business Info

    COCKEYED CLAM ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Outdoor seating

    Recommended Reviews - Cockeyed Clam

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Hush puppies with the best honey butter I've ever tasted
    Alex B.

    Great service and even better food. Brunch from 10-2 on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. 1000/10. Highly recommend.

    Platter
    Jake N.

    The Cockeyed Clam was a mixed bag of good and bad menu items. The fried clam strips were chewy as well as having the batter being burnt. Had the platter with fish of the day, shrimp, crab cakes, mashed potatoes, and broccolini. The fish with the Parmesan encrusted top was delicious, adding a strong flavor that complemented the fish. However, the underside of the fish didn't have any of that flavor and was under salted as well as being a tad overcooked. The broccolini was cooked well enough but ended up being flavorless due to no seasoning or salt added. The shrimp were okay, not super well seasoned but not super lacking. The crab cake was fairly loosely packed, little char on top. Not super flavorful. Mashed potatoes were good, well seasoned and creamy. The fried seafood items had a nice light batter and wasn't too oily. The hush puppies were a highlight of the meal. They were dense with a hard exterior but not too dry on the inside. The cornbread flavor held strong in the hush puppy and wasn't too greasy. The French fries were abysmal. No salt, no crispness, and terrible texture. Pickled beets added a nice sweetness to the meal. The main highlights were the desserts. The chocolate pecan pie a la mode was delicious as well as the key lime pie. Our server was great and sweet. While most of the food is not terrible, it's not going to impress much either.

    Seaford platter with crabcake, shrimp, and mahi-mahi
    Genevieve D.

    Special of the day was Blue crab ravioli with sun-dried tomato Alfredo was fantastic! Bloody Mary was good, all other food was good. Really love the garlic, mashed potatoes.

    Menu
    Jim H.

    I really enjoyed the atmosphere and the food at this place but the service was just a little bit on the odd side. Our waiter was really good at reciting what the menu was for the evening however, he did not know the specific details, the dishes and specials. The lobster cargot was to die for!

    This is what was pictured on Facebook.
    Tabby C.

    Service great, ambiance was okay, decor dated. What was pictured on Facebook was not what we got. Tuna was over cooked and there was no sauce on it. Kinda bland with no seasoning. Broccolini was also burnt and also undercooked (if that is even possible).

    Lobster claw appetizer
    Sara Z.

    Ugh major swing and a miss. We came in for dinner after a long travel day, hoping for some good local seafood. We ordered drinks and oysters and the lobster special to start. My drink, the Hatteras Sunset, was nice and a little different. The starters were BAD. The oysters had no flavor and didn't taste fresh. they were edible and we ate them but honestly not worth it. The lobster was inedible, it was overcooked and did not taste fresh at all. I ate maybe a bite and couldn't eat it. For my main, I ordered the catch of the day, broiled. It came out fried. I sent it back and it came back overcooked and nasty, basically took a bite and couldn't eat it. The only good parts of my meal, aside from my drink, were the fries and cucumber salad. The fries were perfectly crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The cucumber salad was refreshing and tangy. The service was not great. It took a long time for the server to take our order after we placed our drinks and the appetizers and mains did not come out very quickly. We did explain the issues with the appetizers and my main and they did agree to take some of it off the bill, which was much appreciated.

    The Trio.  Shrimp were cold in the middle.  Crabcake was good.  The Mahi was incredible.   Vegetables were cold.
    Joshua W.

    You know that song by Katy Perry? No. The other one. You're hot, then you're cold, lalalala. I got that feeling here. Some of the food was OMG THAT'S GOOD. And some was, "I hope that's not gonna be on the cheque." I started with the cantaloupe Martini. It was one of the better drinks I've ever had. Sweet, cantaloupe-y, and good. Loved it. Then, we moved onto oysters and a lobster claw special. The oysters were... okay? Edible. But bland, and occasionally with that "we got these early this week" kinda off taste. I ate them, and just resolved not to get anymore oysters in NC. I rather chalked it up to being an oyster snob. :) Then came the lobster claws. These were. Yea. I took a bite. Overcooked to rubber, and with a strong smell of ammonia. They were inedible. Red Lobster does it better, and that's like saying McD's makes better burgers. Okay, okay, not a great start. The main is still to come! I ordered a Trio, which is shrimp over Mahi with a crab cake. The shrimp were cold in the inside. The Mahi was so good that, had my experience been different, I might be complaining the portion was too small! The crabcake... look, I'm a maryland bay boy, and I'll say, that was one of the best crabcakes I've had. Then the veggies ... ice cold in the middle. I've never had such an experience. It was seriously either great beyond belief, or utterly inedible.

    Wild Caught Mahi
    Dan M.

    This was a wooden styled establishment with a spacious bar and outdoor seating. The service was very friendly and accommodating. The menu was somewhat limited but offered plenty of specials. I split a shrimp Greek salad ($19) and the wild caught mahi ($27). The salad contained grilled shrimp, roasted red peppers, onion, tomato, Kalamata olives, croutons, feta cheese, and romaine lettuce. This was a lackluster salad based on the way it looked. There were 5 small pieces of shrimp present. It was tasty, but not much to it. The mahi was grilled with a green herb sauce, vegetables, and potatoes. Again, this was uninspiring, but still not bad. The herb sauce seemed to be some type of dill. I also tried the grilled vegetable and mozzarella salad over jasmine rice. This was not bad, just a little plain so hot sauce needed to be added. I also tried a bacon wrapped scallop that came with a sweet Thai chili sauce. This was the probably best item I tried as the bacon was crispy and sauce had a nice sweet and spicy balance. Will I go back? Probably.

    Tim B.

    Best Restaurant in Buxton. Drinks and food are perfect. Sit at the bar for perfect service

    Entrance
    Noah H.

    The entree that I had was fantastic. The fish was cooked to perfection with an excellent portion size as well as a generous amount of crab. I will certainly visit again and would recommend their broiled/grilled/blackened options vs the fried alternatives. I notched a star due to pricing - a bit pricier than it needs to be in my opinion.

    Wedge salad

    See all

    23 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 month ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    25 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of A P.
    0
    23
    1

    13 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    9 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    11 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Ken V.
    0
    30
    0

    10 months ago

    Old school cool interior! Food was amazing service was amazing it's back in the area would definitely go there again!

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    4 years ago

    Helpful 5
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Tim B.
    0
    100
    105

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Juan M.
    6
    47
    25

    2 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 2
    Love this 3
    Oh no 2
    Photo of Ann S.
    0
    47
    3

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of G H.
    0
    24
    22

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Kim G.
    25
    239
    463

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Lisa M.
    166
    27
    0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Mike M.
    145
    9
    0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Page 1 of 4

    Ask the Community - Cockeyed Clam

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for American 163 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    Tavern on 12

    Tavern on 12

    4.5
    (233 reviews)
    5.6 mi
    $$

    It started with a cup of ice water that tasted great. Filtered, cold, no aftertaste…read more Then we got MANY recommendations from the table near us saying this and that were great. I was overwhelmed but we settled on the bbq plate and the shrimp and scallop sandwich with onion rings. Everything was truly amazing. The onion rings were perfect. They had the best crisp! As well as the fries. The sandwich you could taste the flavor the second it hit your mouth. No waiting to chew and swallow. It was instant YUM. I was really craving coleslaw and while it was very fresh and looked great, it was slightly sweet and I personally prefer a more vinegar/savory slaw. I also ordered a coke with my meal and I have a very distinguished and picky palate for GREAT coke. It needs to have the "bite" and the burn, not watered down and sad. This did not disappoint. Every sip I took I had to exclaim. This is great coke! I wish we could go back, but they're closed today, on Monday, and we're leaving the beach. I haven't been this impressed by a restaurant in years. I never expected a beach town "bar food" restaurant to be this amazing. Also. Service was very friendly.

    Tavern on 12 offers great American style food when you want a change of pace from the copious…read moreseafood restaurants around the area. On the appetizers we had the wings which are indeed Big, Fat, and Meaty. The wings were not super crispy but instead very meaty. We had the dry magic rub and the buffalo sauced wings and the dry magic rub was great while the buffalo style was pretty standard. The Hatteras Style Clam Chowder was descent enough, not super flavorful, potatoes were very flat flavor wise. I wouldn't get it again. The tavern burger was almost everything I wanted in a burger. The bun was crispy and added a nice crunch. The burger patty was massive and juicy. The country ham was soft and not dry at all, and just fell apart in my mouth. The cheddar cheese was melted perfectly. The one negative was the caramelized onions. They were too thick and barely cooked. One fraction of the onion would be black and cooked while the rest was not even cooked. The onions needed to be cooked more and thinner to achieve caramelization and it really took away from the rest of the burger. I had a side of the pimento mac & cheese. It's very different from most other mac & cheese as the pimento and jalapeño add some spices you don't normally have in a mac. It was very creamy and a unique experience, but not one that I enjoyed too much. I would come back here if I was craving a classic burger.

    Photos
    Bar
    Bar
    This is the tavern burger that features country ham and onions. My husband opted to not have the cheese.
    This is the tavern burger that features country ham and onions. My husband opted to not have the cheese.
    Oyster dinner, almost gone crab dip.

    See all

    Oyster dinner, almost gone crab dip.
    Rusty's Surf & Turf

    Rusty's Surf & Turf

    4.1
    (329 reviews)
    0.3 mi
    $$

    * The atmosphere was great, we double dated and really enjoyed ourselves. We made a reservation and…read morethey were ready when we got there. * The appetizers were very good, but came before we received our drinks. * Our drinks were also very good but by the time our main meal was over we finally received our second drinks.. needless to say it would have been better if the waitress had come back so we could have told her not to worry about them. Getting them and have to then sit and drink them at the end when we wanted to leave was awkward. * Over all the timing of everything was really off. * The main food was very good! The tuna meal and shrimp and grits were fantastic! My brother-in-law and I both had the Mahi (Cobia Korean style?) and his was definitely tastier! If you look at the pictures, mine was the long skinny piece and it was just not a good cut. Kind of tougher and the sauce was very over powering. But his was very good! (We compared bites) * The service started strong but our waitress became hard to come by towards the end. (And they weren't crazy busy, just a normal night) We waited a little too long for her to come back so we could get the check. Would I recommend Rusty's? Yes! I think overall between the atmosphere, the tasty drinks and the main courses were very good! Would I return? Maybe. It didn't blow me away for the overall price but I'm not opposed to it either!

    Ate here this evening and was pleased with the experience. I started with the clam chowder which…read morewas really good but a bit saltier than I would have liked. For our entrees, I had the cobia and my wife had the seared tuna. Both were very good and the portion size was very generous. Our waiter was friendly and engaging. The restaurant itself is trying hard to be upscale, but the building is a bit tired and misses that mark. All in all, we had a wonderful meal for a reasonable price. Give it a try.

    Photos
    The Aloha Lounge
    The Aloha Lounge
    Calamari
    Calamari
    Wall art

    See all

    Wall art

    Cockeyed Clam - tradamerican - Updated July 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...