Food was yummy. Large portion. Fresh seafood. Will come again. I had fried sea bass, crab cake, fried shrimp and scallops. Their fried shrimp are banging. read more

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Quite possibly the worst food I've ever been served ranging from unseasoned food to horrific ingredients combinations to even fish that went bad. We ordered the seafood platter deep fried which ended up being a mess. The shrimp were chewy and there was barely anything of any item. Nothing was seasoned and the crab cake while full of crab was dry. The shellfish trio was the best item ordered that had plenty of scallops, shrimp, and crab meat. The pesto cream sauce was serviceable but the dish is average at best. We had two different daily specials, the mojo yellowfin tuna and the Parmesan crusted triggerfish. The mojo yellowfin tuna was cooked well enough, with it being mostly raw in the center, but lacked really any flavor and a tad bit overcooked on one side. It was served over some rice, beans, and a fruit salad. Off combination and not great. There was a side of what tasted like boiled unseasoned zucchini/squash. Abysmal side and a terrible dish, but not even the worst dish. The Parmesan encrusted triggerfish was the worst dish I've ever been served. The dish even from its conception is poorly designed as it has way too much Parmesan. Usually for a Parmesan encrusted dish there would be about an 80/20 split of breadcrumbs to Parmesan, however this dish was almost all Parmesan likely 10/90 of breadcrumbs to Parmesan. The overwhelming flavor of Parmesan was the only thing you can taste and totally masked the triggerfish. The worst part was while half of the fish was fine the other half had something terribly wrong with it. Instead of being flakey the other half was rubbery and chewy and tasted nothing like fish. This rancid half could barely be cut with a knife and made us sick. This was also served with a side of unseasoned squash just to make it even worse. The strawberry rhubarb pie and chocolate pecan pie were both fine but didn't amaze. With everything being so terrible food wise the restaurant is even worse with every entree being over $30 and the acoustics were terrible. The whole place is so loud when it's a full house and you have to scream to talk to someone at your table. The prices present a high quality meal but I wouldn't even pay fast food prices. read more

Dinky's Waterfront Restaurant - Yellowfin Tuna - Seafood Near Me - Hatteras, North Carolina

We came as a party of ten. But we sat separately across the restaurant just to keep everything simple. We were seated quickly and shortly after we put our order in like normal. We didn't order a lot. Just a plate each for me and my wife and a single kids pizza for the boys. My family of four ended up waiting a hour for our food. Before our food even came to the table, the other 6 people that came with us had already eaten and were leaving. The food arrived but lacked flavor apart from the natural seafood flavor that you expect from shrimp, scallops, etc. the pasta just tasted literally like wet noodles lol. Plain Jane as you could get. read more

We went very late and they quoted us two hours but got to us in about an hour. I'm glad we waited! The spicy tuna app was incredible as was the crab cocktail. They ran out of the fish on special but ordering after 9 at a restaurant that closes at 9 was understandable. We had the blue crab ravioli, shrimp and sausage gratin, and the sautéed shrimp. Every thing was Amazing. The server Neil had a great attitude throughout and was very on point. We will be back whenever we get the chance. Five stars. Thanks again Neil, you are a true professional! read more

Dinky's Waterfront Restaurant - Waiting area - Seafood Near Me - Hatteras, North Carolina

The food is usually good, however the service is substandard. Dining within the restaurant is an experience in frustration. Service is slow, and the noise levels are normally at such a level as to make conversation difficult. The owners should google noise dampening technology. The experience dining in has been so frustrating that we have resorted to doing takeout. This is frustrating as well. When picking up the order one has to wait on a bartender to ring it up. Sometimes this can take 5 -10 minutes. We have placed take out orders only to be told after waiting for a bartender that "the cook lost your ticket". read more

I was a solo diner tonight and was given the option to either sit at the bar or at a table. I chose a table and from what I could tell there wasn't a single table that did not have a view of the bay. I was able to watch the ferry come in, and watch the sun getting lower and lower over the water. Stunning. I did not catch my waiter's name, but he seemed very familiar with the locals who sat at tables near me. I ordered the bacon wrapped scallops off the starters menu and the spinach salad. With that I had a water and a bottled beer. The food was delicious and plentiful. I had already spied the lemon cheesecake on the menu and told him when I ordered my dinner that I was going to finish with that and a coffee. He said he'd make sure that the pot was brewed for me which I thought was nice. When the bill came, there were two prices listed, one for credit and one for cash instead of saying that they up charge for credit sales they were it that they discount for cash sales, smart business! The parking lot is gravel, plenty of parking and well lit. The restaurant itself is upstairs and as far as I know, you have to climb the steps to go up. I could be wrong, but I didn't see any alternatives. I can imagine that during busy season, reservations would be required. read more

Dinky's Waterfront Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Hatteras, North Carolina

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Food and service was amazing, would recommend and will definitely be back! The view is beautiful and our waitress was great and attentive

Decided to try Dinky's at the last minute and I was not disappointed. There was already a line by 5PM, so we knew it would be good! I was really impressed by the variety offered on the menu, including the number of things that were either gluten-free or could be prepared gluten-free. Our server was friendly and attentive. Our food came out quickly. The servings were very generous and I definitely could have split a dish with my hubby. read more

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So we arrived 25 minutes before the restaurant opened and waited because it was raved about by the locals. We sat down and ordered $104 worth of food. Prime rib with mashed potatoes and vegetables and a seafood linguine. The mashed potatoes were weird consistency. The roast beef was supposed to be medium rare and it was difficult to cut into. The linguine was sitting in a liquid that was more like a watery soup than a cream sauce and it had very little flavorl. Once we began eating and we realized how poorly the food tasted, we stopped eating and pushed our plates aside then a bus girl came and asked us if we wanted boxes to go and we said no thank you, so took the plates of food over to our waitress to showed her, our waitress looked at the plates, then over at us, and then went about her business. She later finally came over and asked us if we wanted dessert which we said no thank you. After she charged me for the meal and I told her after how the food tasted and she said "oh I wish you would've let me know, I wouldn't have charged you for the food." She did not know that I knew she was the manager, that we saw staff show her our plates of food and that she could have easily taken the charge off. Very disappointing and like I said from the time, our food came never once did our waitress come and ask us if we needed anything or if our food was ok. Very disappointed. I'm giving 2 stars, 1 for the great location on the water and the pomagranate margarita :) read more

Dinky's Waterfront Restaurant - View from our table - Seafood Near Me - Hatteras, North Carolina

The fried oysters were very disappointing. More coating than oyster. I've never seen oysters so small. I gave them 3 stars because my wife's meal was good and she liked her cocktail. So 50/50. If I ever return it won't be for the oysters. read more

It seems these past few years of complaints have finally paid off! The previous wench of a hostess is finally gone! The new girl (I didn't catch her name) was polite, friendly and accommodating. My party of 6 did not have to wait because we got there early enough after opening, but even if we did have to, I know she would have been ten times more polite than the previous one we've unfortunately encountered over the last few years. Our food was delicious and the drinks were spectacular. We had such a great experience this time, we even got dessert to go! This five star review has been a LONG time coming. And I'm finally happy to say it was VERY WELL deserved. Our server was attentive (I also didn't catch his name, I'm getting old...) and friendly. I have zero complaints. We will be back next year read more

Drinks, food, and service was amazing! Came on a packed night after a fishing tournament and it was well worth the wait! read more

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Every meal that I have had here is always fabulous! I recommend Dinkys to everyone!

Always excellent, food, atmosphere and service, Neil was the BEST! This will always be our first stop in the OBX. read more

The food was amazing! The service was outstanding, and the view was spectacular!! We would definitely go there again!!

Dined at Dinkys on 7/20/25, very crowded, 45 minute wait on Sunday night. Our server was very good and the entire staff seemed to be handling the crowd quite well. Split a Fried Calamari app, my wife had grilled Grouper and I had grilled Seafood Platter. All were delicious. Beautiful view of the Sound and the Harbor, we will be back. read more

Dinky's Waterfront Restaurant - Fried Calamari appetizer. - Seafood Near Me - Hatteras, North Carolina

We love going to Dinky's when we're on the island. Service is amazing and the food is fresh with generous portions. Highly recommend Dinky's. read more

Such a great restaurant with consistently hot, fresh and delicious food. There are always evening specials. Olivia is amazing behind the bar!! We prefer to sit at the bar because of her, and always meet such interesting vacationers. Lovely views onto the marina. The line grows long out the door but they do a great job of getting you in as quickly as possible. read more

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What a great place. Food was spot on. Pam, our server made sure everything was perfect and was very attentive. And you just can't beat the view. We will be back. read more

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Was disappointed, the lobster bisque, and sautéed scallops were very bland. Walked away assured we won't be back

Absolutely fantastic food with a well-organized and happy staff. Bathrooms were clean. Long wait for a table on a Saturday night but that's because this place is worth the wait. If you like cheese, the fried goat cheese appetizer is a must! read more

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Came here for a nice, last vacation day, dinner (party of 7). The atmosphere was BEAUTIFUL. Right by the sound, we got to walk around the dock and see all the boats. We got there at 7:00 and we were told it would be an hour and 15 minute wait, as expected. No problem, we got drinks (long line but the bartender was killing it!) and began our wait. I forgot to mention, we didn't get a buzzer or give our phone number- the hostess simply said "we'll find you when your table's ready". About an 30 minutes into waiting, a worker came by to collect our empty glasses. She stuck her fingers in our *full* mojito and when we protested that we weren't done with that she apologized and told us she had already stuck her fingers in it. We were not reimbursed. Our 1 hour 15 minute wait turned into 2 hours. We were seated at 9, and our food finally came at 10:30. Not a fan on the waiting, the unsureness from the staff, and the continued waiting for our food. Speaking of food, it was just ok. The shrimp came with tails in the pasta which I thought was a bit odd. Plus it was cold by the time it was served. Overall, beautiful restaurant and beautiful atmosphere. But is it really worth the 4 hour wait? read more

Dinky's Waterfront Restaurant - Cheese Filled Ravioli - Seafood Near Me - Hatteras, North Carolina

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Wish I could give this place more than just 3 stars, because the food here is incredible. Too bad the staff, service and drinks aren't as good. We came on a Sunday night and it was pretty busy. I know that it can be a bit overwhelming when it's packed, but the hosts were very negative when we came in, and didn't really inform us on when we would get a table. When we finally do get a table, we meet our server who was not very friendly. He just had a bad attitude and took it out on us, you could tell he just didn't want to be there. We ordered mojitos, and I can say this confidently: the WORST mojito I've ever had, and trust me I've been all over the world and have had a lot of them. It was way too strong, very bitter, and also watery at the same time. So yeah definitely don't get the mojitos here because no one at the table liked them. For appetizers we got the spinach artichoke dip and the crab raviolis. Both were very good. For my entree I ordered the Thai shrimp and salads. Such a hearty and filling meal that tasted amazing. The seafood is so fresh, some of the best I've ever had if I'm being honest. I think most people come here for the location. It's right near the dock and when it's clear, you can see the sunset. read more

Dinky's Waterfront Restaurant - Thai Shrimp & Scallops - Seafood Near Me - Hatteras, North Carolina

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Awesome food and service. Staff was professional with perfect timing of food, drinks, and assistance. Excellent food- wife had crab cakes and I had the baked mahi. We live in a coastal town and this seafood was superb read more

We were deciding between Breakwater Inn and Dinky's. Went Dinky's because of their specials of the day that they posted on Facebook (which they do...that day) and we were glad we chose it! We arrived at 7:00pm on a Friday night. Restaurant is at 50% capacity because of COVID. There was a 35-40 min wait. We were staying at the hotel next-door so we gave them our phone number to call us when our table was ready. Which worked out very well and we were happy they were accommodating to call us instead of having us waiting there. We got the tuna special and parm. crusted grouper. Both great. Also love that they had a Cosmopolitan drink special - pink for the month of October and breast cancer awareness month with proceeds going to a great cause. I asked them to make it less sweet when I ordered it and it was perfect. We LOVED the Buffalo tuna bites and ranch dressing appetizer. The restaurant is at the top of the building. You walk in to a hostess stand on floor 1, then climb a set of steps to the second floor. From people Yelp reviews it looked like a dive bar - but it's really pretty inside. A boat maker made all the beautiful railings and bar. The fans are even pretty! Pam was our fantastic waitress! We would definitely return and recommend Dinky's! read more

Wow. Will keep coming back each time we are here! Awesome service, Olivia does a great job behind the bar. She keeps a smile on her face and is slinging drinks left and right! Food is always consistent, anything that is Parmesan crusted is a MUST. Perfect view of the water, and a deck you can take a drink out on while you wait for a table which makes the time go by quick. Dinkys will always be our favorite stop. Highly recommend. read more

Went there two times in a week and both times had great service and great tasting food!! The second time we went was when we caught fish and we brought some fillets in and they cooked them for us!! They did an awesome job from the bartender recommendation on how they could cook them to the Chef and kitchen staff! Really delicious food and great service! Very much appreciated them cooking some of the fish we caught since we were driving home to Colorado the next day! Thanks Dinkys!!! read more

Service was excellent. They had lots of nice seating along windows that overlook the harbor and provided a prefect view of the sunset. The seafood we had was perfectly battered and fried. If you like fried seafood we would recommend Dinky's. Sides were pretty basic and did not have much flavor. read more

Olivia is the best bartender anywhere! Food and service is great. Pleasant fun ambiance.

My 5 friends and I stopped in for dinner here the other night. We asked the hostess for a table for 6.She told us she had 2 "high tops" for 3 and 3 in the bar.We asked if we could push the 2 together.She said "No". I then adked for a table for 6 in the dining room.There were 2 open.She again said no because of something to do with the servers rotation.I did walk in by one of the tables for 6 and was told by a server we could not seat ourself and HAD to have the hostess seat us. When I hadcalled here, earlier in the day to inquire about needing a reservation, I was told no,it was first come, first served/seated. Needless to say we went to another restaurant in the area.My read more

OMG! It's incredible! We have missed incredible food since living on the Gulf in Florida! This BLOWS FLORIDA AWAY! Service is incredible, Food is incredible and Atmosphere is DEAD ON! Bartender Olivia is crazy fun and we totally trusted her on what to order!! I'd move here for this Re read more

Went here for lunch with my fiancé .. food was good drinks were great and view is outstanding

Wow! It was amazing! The view! The food! Not a big fan of seafood(allergic). But, no worries. Dinky's has got that covered. Most seafood restaurants cater to the seafood crowd only. I had a blackened chicken fish w/ jasmine rice and season steamed vegetables. But( the topper on the dish was the mango salsa! It was to die for! Hats off to the master in that kitchen. My wife had the seafood platter, said it was also delicious. Overall, this was a perfect place to dine and enjoy the view. PS- our waitress was great. And rounded the entire experience. Thank you giving a moment to never forget! read more

Every year when my family visits the OBX, we eat at Dinky's multiple times. It's by far our favorite restaurant on the island. The view from Dinky's can't be beat, and neither can the food! We love the calamari, tuna tartare and spinach artichoke dip appetizers to start. They have a great cocktail list as well. For entrees, you can't go wrong with the chicken parm. It's probably among the best I've ever tried, and the portion is huge. I never leave without leftovers, which is always a plus. You will likely need a reservation, since it does fill up fairly quickly for dinner during the summer months. Even if you have to wait, they are usually pretty realistic about what your wait time will be. Overall, if you're in the area, it's worth trying! **update: two more dishes to recommend! The tuna crostinis are addicting. One of my favorite appetizers. Also, the cheese filled raviolis are so good. For a non-Italian restaurant, I can't believe how good these raviolis are AND the vodka sauce is perfect. Til next year, Dinky's! read more

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Our family has been here numerous times. Food and service has never disappointed us. During the peak season, expect long wait times as the dining area is not huge, but we always enjoy our time at Dinky's. We've had the same waiter multiple times and he's always friendly, courteous, and keeps the drinks coming. We'll be back again soon. read more

We really did enjoy our dinner at Dinky's. It was a Monday night and a lot of restaurants were closed in the area and you would have thought it would've been busy.WRONG they were packed. Our waitress was very polite and attentive. I had oyster Rockefeller my hubby had the corn crab soup. Our Entree's were Tuna and Halibut. Everything was very good. If you are ever down in Hatteras try this place you won't be disappointed. read more

Service was good and our appetizer was delicious. Main courses were okay. Not sure if it was what we ordered or the food. Good beer and drink selection. It was as it name implies a small bar type atmosphere. read more

HORRIBLE experience. I ordered the prime rib, medium rare, paid the extra for the crab Bernaise sauce. My plate was probably close to $50. I get the plate, the prime rib is close to well done. No problem, mistakes happen. I ask immediately to send it back. The waitress does not listen to what the issue is in the first place, and once I receive my plate returned 15 minutes later, it's the same piece of meat that I cut into, cooked even more. So not only did the waitress not listen to my concern and address it, the kitchen did not fix the issue. I left without dinner, while the rest of my family ate. Disappointing. In addition: My daughter's ravioli was far over cooked. Very rubbery. Husband's tuna steak was ordered "medium rare " and cooked well done. Pomegranate martini was actually good. That is literally the only highlight of the night. Would not recommend. read more

Last day of our 2 weeks on Hatteras we celebrated at Dinky's OMG fantastic! Appetizers, soup and entrees left us without room for dessert All plates were mammoth and delicious We will make this an annual tradition Sooooo good! read more

The view was nice, the place was busy so we did have to wait a bit to get our drinks. They were very good, just took awhile with only 1 bartender and a full house on a Saturday evening. Waiting for a table wasn't bad, however. The food was just ok. The bisque was pretty salty, and of all the places we had bisque (7), this was our least favorite. I'm not certain I got the full half pound of crab legs, considering I've ordered that plenty this week and in comparison...this was by far the smallest portion I've received. Definitely don't think I got the half pound I paid for. His fish was very parmesan heavy, even after removing some, that's a strong flavor/seasoning for fish and the that's all he could taste. The service was good, view was nice. But our least favorite for food from our visit. read more