First off, I'd like to say that the service was fantastic. The food was great, and our server…read moreJustin was a fantastic guy. My only complaint is the seating. They don't take reservations, which is understandable. We were told that the wait would be 20-25 minutes, which quickly turned into an hour. The setup of the seating makes no sense, because there were people who got there before opening and were being seated. We also had several people behind us in line, in the same size party be seated before we did, and we basically got ignored for a good half hour. Asking about why we were being skipped led to a host telling us she had no idea, and made no effort to figure out why. We have gone to this restaurant several times, and we make an effort to come here whenever we're in the outer banks. I believe that the management of seating is really the only thing wrong with this restaurant, and if you're going to make someone wait, you should at least be able to tell them why.

One of the best meals in all of OBX where every part of the meal delivered…read more For starters we had the crispy calamari. The calamari came out hot and tasted so good with the Cajun remoulade to dip in. We also had the special lamb lollipops which were cooked to a perfect medium and were seasoned perfectly. The chopped wedge salad was massive and great to share with another person. The seafood corn chowder is packed with all different kinds of seafood and makes a nice thick chowder. The shrimp and grits is one of the best shrimp and grits I've had. The tomato sauce is full of so much flavor with the large tomato chunks adding some nice texture to the dish. The grits are fried into cakes that have that crispy outside and smooth grits on the inside. On the specials we had the fried soft shell crab. While the crab had a nice light batter the crab shell isn't great but was made up with the lemon remoulade on top. The vegetables were under seasoned lacking salt and any other seasoning. The whole fried fish did stand out as a great dish with the fish cut into large strips, the light fry, and the Cajun remoulade to add some flavor to dip in. For dessert we had the special chocolate mousse cake which was delicious but nothing too special. Overall every item was good and our server was wonderful and I will plan on coming back whenever I'm in the OBX.

Stopped in for a late lunch while everyone else was at the beach. The sandwiches are hearty and…read morequality ingredients. We had... - BLT with Avocado, classic and delicious - Kids Grilled cheese with frisbee as a plate! Overall solid. The bread is good and each sandwich comes with ruffles and a pickle so the prices are fair too.

Great selection of delicious, made to order sandwiches! Chicken salad was fantastic! Limited…read moreseating inside, we saw many folks call in their order and pickup to go. We especially appreciated that they are open in January when so many other local establishments are on vacation. Friendly service, great vibe - wishing them a great season ahead!

I'd eat here everyday. The crab cakes were out of this world and you can taste the freshness. One…read morething I really liked is that before you go to the counter, you need to have your order ready. That helps speed up service and not have lines being held up by "I'll have uhh.... Uhhhh... zzzz" and we all hate that. Lots of outdoor seating as well and you get to have that great OBX breeze while eating. I'll be back for sure!

Doing a lot of business without organization, we ordered before others and people come in and…read moreordered take out and are served before people dining in !! Not very fair , warm in side while eating , should be cooler for a restaurant!!! Food is okay , but due to the extreme long wait for our meals , we will not be back ..

Our dinner was delicious!! The service was friendly and prompt... Rusty came out to see if we were…read morepleased with our dinners. ... We had a pleasant evening with Belinda, our waitress and the ambience was lovely. Definitely will recommend family and friends to visit Rusty's while on vacation!! thank you!!! Christina and Paul

* 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!

Wonderful food, reasonably priced, and fun atmosphere! Don't judge by the exterior, food was…read moreabsolutely AMAZING!

Great service great food great dive bar shrimp basket and burgers and cold cheap beer.....read more

The food, service and ambiance were all great! Food came…read moreout in a timely manner. Mixed drinks were made with perfection! No issues with the order. Everyone were very friendly and respectfu. I highly recommend trying the Seafood Alfredo, Calamari and Coco Loco Shrimp. You will thank me later.

We got there early at 5pm and sevice was slow and there out of several beverage requests. The…read morefood was average and not impressive. Would not recommend when there other better options

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.

On a trip thru Frisco we stopped at Tavern on 12 and were very glad we did. What a treat!!…read more Homemade butternut squash with crab soup, huge sandwiches on fresh brioche rolls, tried pulled pork, fried chicken sandwiches; trash nachos, crab pesto margarita pizza and everything was delicious! Servers were very friendly and helpful as a party of 11, (4 under 6), we can sometimes be chaotic but she did an awesome job!

The wait was minimal. The food was fantastic!!!! Our server was the best! Definitely recommend!read more

10 out of 10 on the fresh fish tacos! Outstanding food and drinks! Great atmosphere! Everyone was…read morepleased with their meal! Hush puppies were delish!

We've been snoozing on the Cockeyed Clam! All these years going to OBX, and we never ate here. It…read morewas GREAT! Drinks on point; the homemade Alfredo was delicious. We will be back on our next trip; the service was excellent as well. Large portions! We sat outside, plenty of parking. Definitely worth checking out!

Everything we tried was great. Good selection of on tap beer, nice drink menu…read more Hubby has grouper and scallops, I had fried chicken. All sides were nice. Appetizer of hush puppies were excellent a little sweet, served with honey butter. We were able to sit outside - which made things better as well.

Overpriced and mediocre food. You're paying for a nice view…read moreof the sound. Service was fine.

Excellent! We had a party of six, so there was a bit of a wait, but it was absolutely worth it…read more Our waiter was fantastic--not only attentive, but he also had a great personality. (He mentioned he was heading back to school on Sunday, and we wish him all the best!) We started with the calamari, potato skins, and crab artichoke dip. Every appetizer was delicious and a great way to kick off the meal. For dinner, our table ordered the French onion soup, shrimp & crab Alfredo, fried seafood platter, stuffed shrimp, and salads. Everyone loved their meal and commented on the generous portion sizes. Those of us who ordered the crab dishes were especially impressed by how much crab was included--they definitely don't skimp! From the food to the service, everything was excellent. We would absolutely recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for a great dinner, generous portions, and a fun atmosphere. We'll definitely be back!