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    Howard's Pub & Raw Bar Restaurant

    3.6 (417 reviews)
    Open 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

    Howard's Pub & Raw Bar Restaurant Photos

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    HOWARD'S PUB & RAW BAR RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for kids
    Outdoor seating

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    Buffalo Shrimp at Howard's Pub & Raw Bar Restaurant, Ocracoke
    Bruce K.

    Not quite a dinner, more like a snack. I stopped here after the music started to get loud next door. It was much more quiet over here and my waiter was fine with me sitting with a beer after I'd finished my Buffalo Shrimp for a while. The food here is not cheap but it's seafood and it's on an island where their supply chain is probably driving up the costs. So it's about as expensive as everywhere else on Ocracoke. It's family friendly and it's good. [Review 777 of 2025 - 4209 in North Carolina - 24337 overall]

    Kids Fried Shrimp
    Amber F.

    Food was delicious, however the kids did not like their "fried shrimp" off the kids menu. It wasn't breaded, which I thought was odd. Service was great! Our waiter was very attentive and friendly. Ambiance was typical of a pub. Very active and some what noisy. Walls are covered in random things. We did however find our family college flags on the wall, which was pretty kool to see. We would definitely visit again if we make it to the island.

    Great service, food, and ambiance. One of my favorites on the island. Anytime I'm there for work this is a stop!

    Margarita on the rocks
    Michael P.

    Ate here for lunch today and was impressed with the food and service. I had the grilled mahi sandwich and my wife had the fried fish sandwich (bluefish). Both were excellent! The fries looked as if they cut them on site, although I doubt they did. The margarita was delicious and hard cider my wife had was good as well. This restaurant has a bit of a dive bar feel, but was clean and orderly. The prices were reasonable. I recommend you give it a try if on the island.

    Grilled Tuna Sandwich.
    Frank N.

    EVERY Time I am back on the Island, I have to stop at Howard's for the grilled tuna sandwich. They just do it right here, just barely seared on both sides. Add some fries, a few beers, and an excellent attentive yet relaxed staff, and you've got a great experience. Come here to enjoy some Island life

    Outside
    Mary M.

    Really good place. Service was great Indoor and outdoor setting. Sky Deck is cool. Good food and drinks. I highly recommend.

    Melissa B.

    We took a day trip from Nags Head down and enjoyed lunch here after getting off of the ferry. We sat in a booth at the bar and had a friendly waiter. We enjoyed the fried pickles and buffalo shrimp, split a burger, and our son enjoyed the kid's fried shrimp with Mac -n- cheese (he loved the Mac -n- cheese so much he ordered a 2nd side of it. The only negative is the kid's meals are a little overpriced.

    Oysters
    Sheila G.

    The food that everyone got was ok. The service was great for a Friday afternoon in early June. I just had difficulty with the waitress who immediately seated us at the bar to wait for who we were meeting That would've been fine except they were seated in the restaurant and our texts were not going through. If you know reception is a difficulty on your island, you might want to have your guests look for the person they are meeting first.

    Screened in porch area
    Bill S.

    Howard's Pub is always our dinner spot the first day on the Island. Family tradition. Catch of the day is my go to. Hush puppies are always on the table. Burgers are delicious. I always squeeze in an Italian sub during the week. We sit out on the screened in porch to feel the breeze. Service is excellent no matter how many grandkids are with us. Kids love the ring hook and foosball while waiting for food. Good supply of tee shirts, hats and cups.

    Jennifer S.

    Peter was amazing! Light hearted and laid back. We came because online they showed GF menu. Big kiddo had a burger and he said it was amazing8/10 and his rating is 9/10. Little guy had mac w fries and he says 10/10 We had mahi Blackened - little to much but good Grilled - what I expected Fries were amazing Food came out SUPER FAST. Was not bad overall

    Calamari
    Phylicia H.

    Cute and big sports bar with license plates and college banners everywhere. My group and I ordered the calamari to share. Fried tasty calamari with your usual marinara sauce. I ordered the grilled offshore fresh fish of the day, which was Mahi Mahi. It was $32 yesterday and very filling with the two sides. Someone else in the group ordered the sea scallops and locally caught fresh fish of the day, which was blue fish. We all agreed blue fish tasted better than the Mahi. The blue fish was very flaky! Everything tasted good but none of the dishes blew anyone away. Cool spot to grab food and drinks!

    1/2 LBS Steamed Shrimp
    Tarhy A.

    Howard's is fantastic! So very cool inside with all of the patches from different service members, the license plates from different states, and the cool memorabilia adorning the walls. The server we had is a life long professional. She has a smile that would light up Ocracoke Light House without the bulb. The shrimp I had is perfect. Asked for more old bay (the Maryland in me) and she brought it out in a shaker. That's how Maryland crab houses do it. Seriously this place is famous for a reason. Next time I come to OI you'll see me at this pub. Till next time....

    Bar.
    Michael F.

    Atmosphere and service are second to none. We sat at the bar and chatted up the bartender about the island. He gave us a lot of information about living on the island year round. Wings came with 7 that were very meaty and the Mahi Mahi sandwich was cooked perfectly and a nice portion that my wife and I split. Inside looks like a place that the locals would frequent.

    Chef special Mahi Mahi blackened

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    1 month ago

    great waiter i got some good fish and such good service whoever the bald waiter is amazing! little tweak Mathew h

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    The food was good, our waitress was excellent, and the place was very relaxed. Nice place!

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    Service was good, the food was average. I had the sautéed shrimo entrée and it was very filling.

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    Gretchen’s Bistro

    Gretchen’s Bistro

    4.3(30 reviews)
    41.2 mi

    Every time we're in Oriental visiting family, we make a point to come to Gretchen's Bistro. It's…read moreone of the few places that feels just as easy with kids as it does for a great meal out. The atmosphere is relaxed but still really well done, and the food has been consistently excellent. Service has always been welcoming and accommodating, which makes a big difference when dining with little ones. It's become part of our routine when we're in town, and somewhere we always look forward to coming back to.

    We (14 of us!) dined at Gretchen's Bistro in Oriental last night. The trip out to Oriental was well…read moreworth it! We were seated at a large table in an enclosed patio of the restaurant. The seating and lighting were great. Our server, Kayla was very professional and efficient. As one might imagine, a seating of 14 can be difficult. She handled us with aplomb! Many different items were ordered. I started with the wedge salad where the iceberg lettuce, blue cheese crumbles and bacon were the stars of the show. I ordered the duck breast for my entree. The fat was perfectly rendered and the puréed carrots pair extremely well with the richness of the deck. A must have with the duck is their in-house made pear martini which blended perfectly with the fig sauce served over the duck. My husband ordered the Shrimp Cocktail as my appetizer. The shrimp were plump and perfectly steamed! The cocktail sauce was fresh made and delicious! His entree was Pistachio Butter Scallops. They were served on a bed of polenta with a side of haricot verts! The scallops were sautéed to a point where the edges were just ever so crispy while the interior of the scallop was tender and sweet! He said this was one of the best meals he'd have ever had and we've dined at many 4 & 5 star restaurants! I almost forgot to mention the bread service! We were offered either a Baguette or Focaccia bread. The focaccia was so outstanding, we bought an extra half loaf to bring home!!! Even though we were both happily satiated, we shared their pan fried pound cake with salted caramel gelato and chantilly cream for dessert! It was simply amazing! The management staff and chef came to our table to check on our service and meals. They were very appreciative of our glowing feedback! We'll definitely be coming back! I highly recommend going to Gretchen's Bistro in Oriental! You won't be disappointed! Sorry...only the one pic, because we were a large group enjoying a multitude of conversations.

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    Gretchen’s Bistro
    Gretchen’s Bistro
    Gretchen’s Bistro

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    Cafe Pamlico

    Cafe Pamlico

    4.4(273 reviews)
    25.1 mi
    $$$

    We have our sunset dinner here for our annual summer vacation with friends and the Inn never…read moredisappoints. Located directly on the Pamlico Sound this is a perfect dinner spot. This year they added an outdoor tiki bar and it has great views of the sound. So, if you come early for your reservation or want to stay for a few cocktails after dinner, this is the perfect place. The main restaurant has both inside seating with AC/heat and seating that is mostly enclosed but is more like outside seating with large windows that are generally open when the weather permits....not a bad seat anywhere you sit! During the summer months they host great acoustic guitar performances that can be enjoyed along with your dinner. This is the place to go to in the Avon-Buxton-Frisco-Hatteras area for fine dining and well worth the reasonable prices. During our visit earlier this week we ordered a kids meal, Elk chops, lamb, and the filet for this in our group and everything was cooked to perfection. The Chef was helpful at making recommendations on how the Elk should be cooked and the recommendation was spot on! If you're in the OBX this summer, put the Inn on your dinner rotation---especially if looking for a more upscale experience.

    Stayed on site and went for breakfast. An awesome setting and patio overlooking the sound…read more We ordered avocado toast and side of eggs and it was delicious! Entire staff was super friendly!

    Photos
    Cafe Pamlico - Indoor Dining Room

    Indoor Dining Room

    Cafe Pamlico - Traditional Eggs Benedict

    Traditional Eggs Benedict

    Cafe Pamlico - Sunset from the patio

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    Sunset from the patio

    Dinky's Waterfront Restaurant - Tuna Crostinis

    Dinky's Waterfront Restaurant

    4.1(275 reviews)
    17.4 mi
    $$$

    It seems these past few years of complaints have finally paid off! The previous wench of a hostess…read moreis 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

    Quite possibly the worst food I've ever been served ranging from unseasoned food to horrific…read moreingredients 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.

    Photos
    Dinky's Waterfront Restaurant
    Dinky's Waterfront Restaurant - Yellowfin Tuna

    Yellowfin Tuna

    Dinky's Waterfront Restaurant - Updated Menus-April 2026

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    Updated Menus-April 2026

    Howard's Pub & Raw Bar Restaurant - seafood - Updated July 2026

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