Friendly atmosphere and nice wait staff. Stick with the fish entrees. The fried flounder was quite nice. The BBQ plate was disappointing, very vinegary. Served with no bread, nor sauce of any kind. Very unappealing visually. The hush puppies were the Stars of the meal! Also, no prices on the sample menu. It seemed overpriced with a low of $12.99 for the BBQ and prices reaching averaging around $20 plus for seafood entrees. read more

My family has been coming to Nags Head for our annual vacation for 20 years. Darrell's has always been one of our go-to restaurants. Unfortunately, we were really unhappy with our meal. The BBQ was dry and the flounder was over-cooked. Also, the waitstaff did not seem as chipper. Maybe it was an off night? read more

I went here for lunch and there were no other guests in the place. I ordered the lunch special with fried fish,oysters, and shrimp with collards, fries, and clam chowder. The fish was bland and i got only 3 small shrimp and oysters. Pretty small portion for the price. The clam chowder is not the normal creamy kind which is fine but the stuff is really not very good you pay $4 for a tiny cup of it and its like warm clam juice with 2 small clam pieced in it and some bacon pieced floating around. The decor was nice at least. The staff werent especially friendly or attentive. Wont be back. read more

Best breakfast on Roanoke Island - the pancakes are the best I've had anywhere. We are local and eat there every Saturday morning - biscuits and sausage gravy, western omelet, country ham and egg biscuit, over-medium eggs - it's really all good. Ask for Neika, she's the best. read more

Amazing food and very good portion! Friendly staff, went for dinner and breakfast and they have the best country sausage gravy!

I stopped by for lunch a while back, ordering one of the soft-shell crab lunch specials. I'm no soft-shell crab expert, having grown up in Texas, but I didn't find it bad at all. Sides were only mediocre to average, but I think I got my money's worth, as the prices seemed fairly reasonable to me. Definitely an average family-style place with average service and average food, but at least it doesn't disappoint. read more

I will call this 3 star for what I had, but maybe pushing 4 for what others had. However, I'll let them leave that review. I went with the fried shrimp plate, and split that with a family member who got the fired scallops plate. The shrimp were good, very tender with good flavor, but they needed a little salt in the batter. The batter was super light, which is what I want on fried shrimp. Also a nice helping of them, I certainly didn't go hungry. They could *almost* have been cooked a bit longer for my preference, I obviously don't want shrimp overdone, but I do like a little bit firmer texture on them than this. Still very good though. The scallops were a huge helping - 9 big scallops with the same light breading and fried such that the inside were just a little rare, about perfect for my preference. However, they could use a little crisper outside. They lost a lot of liquid on the plate, which made the light breading get very soggy quickly - I wonder if that was just what was coming out of the scallops, or maybe they were fried from frozen but not all the way? The flavor was great, very sweet. Like I said, I just wish they were crispier. The hush puppies were good but had no onion, and much as I hate onion, I'm OK with a little sweet cooked onion in hush puppies. Slaw is good but benefits from judicious application of Texas Pete, at which point it becomes very good. Prices are reasonable, staff is friendly - and it's kind of a cool place, so I can definitely see coming back here. read more

The service was slow but the food was delish! They have some of the best hush puppies you will ever eat. We must have ate 4 or 5 baskets of them! Go for the fried shrimp, you'll thank yourself for it. read more

About what we expected from the outside. The food wasn't bad. But nothing stood out to us as extraordinary. It was also peculiar that they don't offer fountain drinks. If you want a coke, they bring you a 12 ounce can. That's kind of weird. I'd go back for a quick and easy lunch. But wouldn't go out of the way to choose it for dinner. I'm still baffled by the whole soda in a can thing. It's so low-rent and honestly a turnoff to me. read more

Had a great lunch at Darrell's! I had the clam strips (my personal favorite) with fries, along with hush puppies. It was all delicious! As good as any I've had on the beach, including at "fancier" spots like Tale of the Whale, another beach favorite. And the meal was only $7.99! A fantastic deal for a great seafood plate. The hush puppies were how I prefer them: plain and simple (no chunks of onions, corn, peppers, etc. that other places put in theirs), and not too sweet or too savory. Delicious! Others at the table had the barbecue and loved it; the rib meat was falling off the bones. We'll definitely be returning to a new favorite restaurant on the Outer Banks! read more

Darrell's is a nice comfortable family restaurant with very good food. The staff was welcoming and friendly as I walked in, and it was clear everyone was treated that way. The food was really good - clam chowder was flavorful and fresh-tasting. The fried shrimp were delicious, and the NC barbecue was plentiful, authentic, and really good! But best of all were the hush puppies. I could have have eaten a bucket of these delicious treats. Eat at Darrell's and you will be glad you did. read more

Never a bad night when Darrells is involved. Delicious food, reasonable prices, and a friendly staff. Must on the itinerary for our annual beach week read more

My family of five all enjoyed our dinner. Hot, fresh fried seafood. Clam strips, scallops, and hushpuppies were best. Not so for the chicken tenders. The Shecrab soup was also memorable. We ate late (after 7pm) and service was fine. read more

Been twice to Darrell's over the course of two years. Great diner-type food. It's the only place I can get fried chicken liver around here. They also have great shaved ice. Nothing is bad, home style cooking - reasonably priced. read more

So, I found this restaurant in the travel guide Frommers (which I use for basically everything when I am going on vacation)... I am not sure what Frommers was thinking!! I agree with the other reviewers on Yelp, and I should have checked here first... This place is decent. Just decent. We went for breakfast and had the standard food - eggs, toast, hot cakes. Everything average- skip the sausage, go for the bacon instead. Service was fine, and the waitress was attentive enough. It's definitely not a restaurant that should make a travel guide, and really not something to write home about. read more

Heard good things about breakfast here, but they missed the mark when we were here. Service was friendly, but food wasn't up to par. We got the French Toast special with spiced apples. French Toast was soggy and the apples were straight out of a can. Home fries were burnt and biscuit was dry. We may give this place another try for dinner, but breakfast is out for us. read more

I have never had a bad meal here..ever. Outstanding service, causal and family friendly atmosphere and they serve fresh, LOCAL seafood. As a long time Outer Banker, that is important to me. Their BBQ is also so very good....I get some to take home. Good prices and just one of my go to places on the Outer Banks. I refer a lot of people and they all tell me they loved it. read more

I loved the old fashion feel of this place. The staff were attentive & efficient but cold. Hush puppies were good but I like them sweeter. Baked potato & green beans were really good. Scallops & crab cake were great. Grilled mahi was dry & flavorless, get it blackened. It was a nice break from the packed dinner joints on the water. read more

Great food, very cozy and family oriented. We were in an out in about an hour. Would definitely recommend. I had the blackened mahi, which was delicious, and another member of my party had the crab cakes which came three to a plate and were also very good. read more

We eat at Darrell's for lunch at least once every time we visit the area. I love the popcorn scallop special. It isn't fancy food but it is good and reliable. I will always eat at Darrell's before even thinking of eating at the overpriced regular tourist trap restaurants. read more

I'm rating Darrell's with 2 stars rather than 1 only because I've eaten here many times in the past, and the food was great. This time it was terrible. Maybe it had something to do with the recent passing of Hurricane Irene, but the restaurant smelled like chemicals, and my family and I felt like we were dining in the cafeteria of a retirement home. The crab cakes were extremely battered and loaded with "filler", not crab meat. The fried oysters tasted frozen and were heavily battered. The coleslaw was basically raw cabbage. I could understand the lower quality of food if the prices were lower, but the prices are the same as the excellent quality restaurants that stretch up and down the Outer Banks. I don't want to totally give up on Darrell's, but this experience was certainly discouraging. read more

DARRELL'S seafood restaurant serves a great breakfast up until 11:00 am. The blueberry pancakes were loaded with blueberries and the sausage links were the size of links served in Nebraska- huge and full of flavor. The special was eggs and country fried steak with gravy and was beautifully prepared and delicious. Above all the price was right in line with my breakfast budget which is on the low side. Highly recommend this place when looking for a good breakfast. read more

Wanted to find a place to try my first soft shell crab sandwich. After reading different reviews we decided on Darrell's. Crab was a little small for the nice big roll but overall was a really good sandwich. Roll was toasted, and I had lettuce and tomato on the sandwich. Tomato was a nice big slice and ripe and tasty. The combination of the nicely fried crab, toasty roll and fresh toppings it was a really enjoyable sandwich. My wife had a nice local flounder sandwich and grand daughter had a cheeseburger. A real big burger for a kid. All sandwich's rolls were toasted. There are good daily specials. In hindsight, maybe I should have opted for the two soft crab special with two sides so I could enjoy more crab. Special was also a dollar less than the sandwich. But, I did enjoy my sandwich, prices were fair, and our waitress took care of us. Advising my son to give a try when he visits the OBX in a few weeks. read more

We ordered two sautéd crab for $18.99. The sides were baked potato and beans. The order also came with hush puppies which were tasteless. Both crab dishes we're burned and completely dry. When I spoke to the manager she said she would let the kitchen know. Great! Won't see us again. read more

A good place for good food, nothing fancy but very good. The decor is plain and simple, the service is excellent and the prices reasonable. The grilled tuna was very good over black beans and rice for a nice combination. The sweet potato casserole veggie of the day was excellent and close to a dessert. The fried shrimp were good, the fall salad was excellent, the chicken tenders very good and the chicken livers tasty. The side dishes from the green beans to pickled beets were also good and a generous serving of each. The fourteen layer chocolate cake was worth the trip in itself! read more

Wanted to try this place out. Had good reviews and locals told us to give it a try. Ate for breakfast. Country fried steak was really good but a bit small. Biscuits were a bit dry and flat but it was a 9 a.m. breakfast so they could have been made awhile earlier. Grits were good, eggs over hard though ordered over easy. Tater tots were very tasty. Sweet potatoe pancakes were very good also. Regular hot cakes were flat and chewy but tasty also. The best part of the meal for me was the carolina hot sauce on the table. That stuff was awesome! Overall it was a 3 star place so farm will review again after trying lunch or dinner in near future. Oh, service was friendly :) read more

A family favorite for the locals, but invaded by tourists. Good food, average service, average pricing.

Darrell's gives solid, mostly fried, southern food for lunch and dinner. For some reason, their tartar sauce comes in small packages but the cocktail sauce must be home made and comes in a ketchup squeeze bottle. They serve excellent oyster and clam stews. It's hard to find those that are properly made anymore. They have Hatteras-style clam chowder that is very good too. Some years ago they started serving breakfasts and they do a really good job with those. Their pancakes are some of the best I've ever had. Nice and thin like crepes not thick and doughy. The only thing that would make them better is if they served the pancakes with little bottles of maple syrup as they do at Cracker Barrel. The syrup they use is probably corn syrup, too sweet and thick. It's our inexpensive fall back whenever we are in the Manteo/OBX area. read more

Great Prices, Service, and food. My family ate here on the way to festival park this summer and everything was great. The food was great, and service was southern hospitality at is best. I had the clam chowder and fried shrimp and a few had the BBQ and said it was wonderful. I can't wait to go back next year! read more

Frozen fries, not sure about the fish. Felt a bit dirty inside. Poor service and meal was not appetizing. Didn't even touch our she crab soup - very bland. read more

Great family style restaurant. Service was good and really enjoyed the Flounder. Desert was best part. 14 layer chocolate cake.

What are we missing? This was the worst place we went to on our vacation. We had one order of the "North Carolina Meat falling off the bone" ribs. It was so bad. It was as if it was left over from earlier in the week and then destroyed in the microwave: hard, crunchy and couldn't even cut between the bones with a knife. When we complained they took off $5 from the meal!!!!! I ordered the flounder and shrimp. I was told that both were fresh from the Wanchese fishermen. While the flounder seemed fresh, the shrimp was like eating frozen breaded shrimp no different than "Sea Pack" in the frozen food aisle. The side of mashed potatoes had to be instant and the gravy was definitely from a jar! Not to mention the canned green beans and how terrible they were! Wow! We were so looking forward to this evening and it really was the worst meal we had. Absolutely HORRIBLE!! Never, ever again! read more

We ate supper here last night! I wish I could put 0 stars. We had a decent experience for lunch one day, however supper was a disaster. Popcorn shrimp dinner with 2 sides is $17.99 what??? They are frozen shrimp to top it off......wife and I decided to split a flounder and popcorn shrimp plate because it also was $17.99. It was enough food to sit, we had 2 small pieces of flounder and quite a few shrimp. It came with 2 hush puppies.....lol. We asked while waiting 30 minutes for our food if we could have some hush puppies, and our server said we had to buy them! Food was ok, but if you are familiar with a Mayflower restaurant, it is better for a lot less money. This was my last visit to this place. Service sucked, food prices sucked, not getting any bread or hush puppies while waiting for food sucks! Take our advice and avoid this one. Drive on up towards the beach for some REAL seafood for about the same price! read more

When it comes to seafood, you just won't find a better place than Darrell's. Not fancy, just great food and great service. This is where the locals go. read more

I stopped to get gas and across the way I spied Darrell's and thought bet its a great local place, looked up on Yelp. It was unreal fresh flounder broiled, potato salad and cole slaw! The best! Service great! read more

We spent the day in Manteo while vacationing in Corolla, NC. The hostess immediately greeted us, sat our party at a large booth, and we were quickly welcomed by our server. Excellent food, great service, and lots of excellent seafood choices. We ordered hush puppies, crab balls, popcorn shrimp, fried oysters, fried grouper, and the seasonal salad. All were delicious but I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the seasonal salad (goat cheese, strawberries, candied walnuts, raspberry vinaigrette, etc). The daily vegetable was a cooked squash medley that was flavorful and included several types of peppers. Yum. read more

We loved this plsce. We got there just before closing but the staff welcomed us with a smile. The food was great and the service fast and efficient. I had grilled crab cakes and they were delicious. Really good Hush Puppies. read more

Went there for dinner and left feeling like I should have skipped it. I spent $24 for scallops. They were different sizes so some were over done and some under done. ugh. The waitress was so busy with take out customers she never came back to see how our meals were, or to ask if we needed anything. We got no water or any drink refills. Sad but at the beach you would think you would get good seafood. I get better seafood at Bonefish in Camp Hill PA. Won't be back. Find another place to dine. Customers don't seem to matter much here. read more

Food was good. Waitress was good. Extremely unhappy with the hostess, skinny middle aged woman, blonde hair. She looked completely shocked to see my young son and I walk in, she literally looked me up and down before i had to tell her it was just us. She gave a seriously rude side eye stare as she walked past us to seat other guests. Again, looked shocked she had to ring our order out at the end. She made it so obvious she did not want to help us for whatever reason. I couldnt believe the way she acted, very offended. She could barely force being the least bit kind. read more

Don't order the shrimp cocktail ...it is a ripoff. 6 SMALL shrimp on a big bed of lettuce for 9 dollars!! Otherwise food is just average. A lot of fried fresh seafood. read more