What an interesting place, looks like it's been DIY expanded 17 times. Basically a diner style for breakfast, was really excited for the joeys breakfast lasagna but they did not make it that day. Ordered French toast with powdered sugar and bacon, $10. This place is solid, a lot of people rave about it, not my favorite. I'll probably try it again in the future. read more

The Jolly Roger Restaurant and Bar - a plate of bacon on a table - Steakhouses Near Me - Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina

Really wanted to love this place. We REALLY did! But...not so much. The Good: Very friendly and attentive staff, with cool and eclectic decor and vibe! Apps, Salads, and Entrees were all timed well, with no lag between courses or too many dishes on the table at once. Fried Ravoli was great, with actual gooey cheesy filling! Great menu with plenty of options for everyone! The Not-so-good: My initial thought when the Ravioli came out was, "That's jarred sauce". Just something about the thick consistency and strangely dark red color told me that. And the taste confirmed it. If I'm wrong, I do apologize. I've never had Steak Pizzaiola, but remember Marie on Everybody Loves Raymond always talking about it (LOL), so I ordered it for the first time ever. I was surprised when the waitress asked me how I wanted my steak cooked. ?? It's not that kind of steak. But anyway, in one word - bland. My husband had a similar meat/pasta dish as well, and everything suffered from lack of seasoning. I will never joke again about the chefs on Food Network shows saying they can tell when pasta water is not salted. I guess I never realized that, but It is true. :-( I'm Italian, so had I SHOULD have waited on ordering a Marinara-based entree until tasting the sauce in the appetizer first. Mea culpa. The many Italian entrees on the menu sounded so great, I just assumed it would be lip-smacking homemade Italian sauce. Sadly, it was not. Also on the list of not homemade is the garlic bread. Again, I may be wrong, but it sure seemed like commercial frozen garlic bread loaf, the kind that comes in a foil package. And it was served with that plate of oil and mixed herbs...if you consider salt, pepper, and garlic powder as herbs. Another type of roll in the basket almost looked like cornbread, but was actually a heavily yeasty dinner roll (pictured). It was just weird. Hubby and I are locals from a little farther north "on the mainland ", and I'm sure JR is probably a very popular tourist restaurant in a destination not focused on cuisine. But still. Disappointing. I'm sure the seafood-focused items are fantastic, and we will be back to try those and give JR another shot. Although we did not love the food, the place itself is welcoming and cool, and we were generous with the gratuity as usual. Rule #1: Take care of your servers, folks!! read more

The Jolly Roger Restaurant and Bar - Steak Pizzaiola and oil plate for bread - Steakhouses Near Me - Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina

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I love Jolly Roger. They're our go-to for a simple home style breakfast. Their French toast is amazing and hits the spot every time. Our waitress, Phyllis, was also very attentive and nice. read more

The Jolly Roger Restaurant and Bar - French Toast - Steakhouses Near Me - Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina

Shirt wait time for 13ppl, friendly staff and entertained while we waited with game room. Food was good, prime rib, crab legs, scampi, apps and drinks - all good & would go back. It was pretty busy, food was delayed & came out little by little, just needed to keep the drinks coming and we would have been 5 star happy. Live entertainment was cool & great place with all the paintings read more

My wife and I searched and searched for a place with pool tables. After going to a random other bar, we asked the bartender and he recommended this place and said they had recently updated. We went at around 10 pm on a Sunday night and the dj really didn't act like he wanted to be there. But the music was good, the bartenders were very attentive. And the games upstairs were exactly what we were looking for. I just wish we found this place earlier. read more

Stopped in for a late lunch. Loved the crab cake sandwich, and the Kitty Hawk Blonde beer.

This was our first and last visit to Jolly Roger. On our many trips to OBX we have never had the chance to eat here so we decided to give it a try. Before I begin the review I will say that our server was great. He was attentive and apologetic so I would give him a 5 star rating, but the restaurant on a whole gets a 1 star, and I would give it less if possible. We had a 25 minute wait for a table which was fine since we've had longer another establishments. We sat at the bar to wait and their bartenders were friendly, fast and made a great drink. They called our party of 6 to our table at 6:07 pm. Remember that time. We had put our food order in by 6:25 pm. We had 4 pasta dishes (one was literally spaghetti with butter), an order of crab cakes and an order of sautéed shrimp. By 7:15 we had not received our food yet. We asked our server who said he would check. He came back and said our order was next and it would be a few minutes. There was a party of two sitting next to us who sat 10 minutes after us who had still not received their order yet either. They ended up paying for their drinks and leaving. By 7:40 our server returned and said it would be 5 minutes. At just about 7:45 they brought out 3 pasta dishes and the crab cakes. The one pasta dish was luke warm at best. Finally at just about 8 pm our last two dishes were delivered. My sautéed shrimp consisted of about 6 shrimp just sitting in a pool of butter. My side order of hush puppies had 2 little hush puppies sitting on the side. Our bill was 181.00. That would be fine for a meal that was something to talk about. This meal was nothing short of mediocre. There was nothing at all to rave about. After waiting just short of 2 hours while sitting at the table we expected a lot more. When we left, there were rows of take out orders waiting for pick up. Those orders all had time stamps on them within the last 40 minutes. This place needs to take a lesson from other establishments in the area like Tortugas Lie. They too get very busy. When they're busy in house they will cut off take out orders to be fair to the patrons in house waiting for food. That's the reasonable way to serve your customers. If the food had at least been decent it wouldn't have been so bad. But there is just nothing good to say about Jolly Roger. Never again. read more

Excellent service. Awesome tacos. The best Bloody Mary's. A local favorite forever. The bar is a must. read more

The Jolly Roger Restaurant and Bar - Tacos and Bloody Mary at the bar - Steakhouses Near Me - Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina

I always wanted to try the Jolly Roger coming to the Outer Banks often and driving by it a lot. It was a cool atmosphere outside in the parking lot. They had outdoor live music and seating. We sat inside due to seating availability only being available immediately inside. The house salad and the fettuccine Alfredo with scallops were good. The crab cakes said they were award winning on the menu and the options were fried or broiled. I asked the waitress which version of the crab cakes won the award. She said she didn't know but most people do broiled. The crab cakes were fishy tasting. The buffalo shrimp was good as an appetizer. The menu was really big. I think sticking to the Italian pasta dishes is the way to go. read more

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I was in the lobby and witnessed something very odd. Typically I don't write reviews but I thought this deserved one so here we go. My family and I were standing in the lobby and witnessed an older gentleman raise his voice at a younger female that looked like she had been crying. From what I heard she was trying to get her money before leaving the restaurant. I could hear that He began to yell at her again once my family and I were walking out of the lobby. He seemed very rude and unprofessional and I just wanted to get up out of there because yelling in front of my kids is very weird to do. read more

Food is great, variety on menu is sure to make everyone happy. Service is good and the staff is very friendly and helpful. Great value for your money. Party atmosphere read more

Yummy Italian food. Steaks were yummy and broiled flounder was good. Service was great. Loved the very unique decor inside. They have a blue room and red room. Garlic bread was garlicky just as it should be. Had a great time. Would definitely go back! read more

The Jolly Roger Restaurant and Bar - Steakhouses Near Me - Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina

Its a bit of a time warp. If you are looking for a friendly crowd of locals this is the place. Very eclectic decor that brings you back to another epoch. We googled local places where karaoke was offered. This was on the top of the list. A few pointers in general for OBX is that some places have websites that are not reflective of all seasons. Occasionally you will find businesses closed for the winter season. Karaoke was advertised to start at 9:30 on Sunday and Monday but actually started at 10. Local drafts and bottled beer served nice and cold as it should be. The crowd was small but friendly. I signed up for karaoke and was warmly welcomed and applauded for the few songs I did. Additionally, a fellow patron paid for a couple of drinks on his tab. Genuine folks with good hearts. Good karaoke equipment and a live internet feed to show off your talents to the world. One of the few places that offer karaoke on a nightly basis. They also offer steamed shrimp at the bar at a reasonable rate of $.25 per shrimp with a dozen minimum order. That's $3 for fresh shrimp. Give it a try, you will leave with a good feeling. read more

The Jolly Roger Restaurant and Bar - Met up with a Kitty Hawk Blonde. And my wife approved! lol - Steakhouses Near Me - Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina

Five stars all the way!! Okay, I was duuupped. This place is GREAT. OBX is known for its tourists so I figured with a name like this but to my surprise, this place has everything to offer from great food, full bar to live music or a more romantic room as well as gift shop and a cool history. Although we never met "James" others have. The food is excellent from Italian to seafood it's all very good and the prices are decent. Friendly staff and welcoming place. Save room for dessert because the keylime pie is scrumptious. read more

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This place is awesome. It's got the coolest vibe, funky and old but it's a good time. You can come here with kids or a group of adults. The building is huge, tons of rooms to see and explore. I love the bar room specifically, coolest windows. The food is awesome as well. The waitstaff is stellar, the kitchen staff is super quick. Always good food and a good time. Don't be intimated by a long wait, they move pretty fast. An OBX classic read more

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With many restaurants being closed on Mondays and others having 1.5-2 hour waits, my party decided to wait 45 minutes at the Jolly Roger. The menu is an odd mix of Italian and seafood/Americana. We had a long wait for drinks and food even once we ordered and our unimpressive food arrived lukewarm. The decor is a mix of cluttered pirate ship and frat house. Not at all the restaurant for me! read more

ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!!!! ROACHES EVERYWHERE!!!!! Got seated and got our appetizers and everything was fine. We had just gotten our food and was very tasty but then ROACHES!!! We had multi roaches craw around the table, probably came from the kitchen which means they were on out plates!!! The manager said the exterminator comes EVERY WEEK!!! We just left. Found more dead roaches on the way out, I have attached a picture of the roaches. read more

The Jolly Roger Restaurant and Bar - Dead Roaches - Steakhouses Near Me - Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina

My first yelp review ever, I don't really ever care or feel inclined to do this BUT this is necessary. Absolutely terrible service, staff were rude and negligent to our party. We waited 40 minutes for our table then another 90 minutes for food before just giving up and leaving without a meal, our server couldn't have cared less. Mind you there were three other tables in the entire restaurant!!!The food was so-so and overpriced. This place actually sucks. Ambiance was mid too, had a giant fan blasting us the whole time. Bathroom smelled like butt. read more

I love the eclectic decorations with the laid back vibe. We were seated immediately and our breakfast was out in a flash! My ham biscuit was tasty, light and fluffy. The grits were creamy and savory. The staff is wonderful and the prices are super reasonable. I will be returning! read more

The Jolly Roger Restaurant and Bar - Ham, egg, cheese biscuit with grits. - Steakhouses Near Me - Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina

This is a cool little dive bar. They have karaoke every night from 7pm until midnight. They play pretty decent music in between singers. As per the usual at karaoke bars there are good and there are bad... My group is hoping to return here and sing a few songs just for the fun of it. This place has a decent sized parking lot and was pretty hopping when we got there around 11pm. There is an actual Resturant that is open for breakfast lunch and dinner however my group did not get to experience any food. The bartender was super friendly and it didn't take long to have drinks in our hands. I had a crown and sprite and it was pretty watered down so I had no plans on getting another. It seems like a good place for locals and the occasional visitor to the obx. Overall a great experience and we will probably try to go back before we head home. read more

I enjoyed my ribeye steak. We went for early bird dinner between 4 and 530 for a discount. I enjoyed the garlic bread but would have been better served fresh from the oven. read more

I was at Jolly Roger last night for the first time. I am visiting from Raleigh and was excited to go out for some fun and we discovered you guys have karaoke. Let me preface what I am about to say next. I am a service industry lifer. I have been bartending and managing bars/restaurants for over 30 years. Additional I own a music booking agency and book for 20+ bars/restaurants/music venues and events in central North Carolina. I employ all kinds of entertainers including bands, DJs, karaoke DJs, and all sorts of live music. With all of that being said I feel that it is my due diligence to inform you of my experience last night with your karaoke DJ Derek "D". This guy's attitude is horrible. I witnessed his rudeness to other participants as well. He is rude to everyone and honestly in my opinion has no business interacting with other humans. Clearly he hates his job. Clearly his people skills are garbage. Power trip perhaps? Additionally his attention to detail with providing a good sound product is severely lacking. There is definitely a sound challenge in that large room with a high ceiling and hard surfaces but it is apparent that his attention to detail and taking pride in his job is just non-existent. On a good note everyone else there was very nice. It seems like a great and well loved place. It's a shame that this guy is tarnishing your reputation. It is clear that he has no respect for the owners of this establishment. read more

Another visit and another great meal, the party of 5 loved it and this place is local as it gets and always great service. The new bar is great and the restaurant is decorated great. read more

The best thing about our experience was the staff. We were welcomed at the door by two friendly women and the bartender/waitress was very nice as well. We both had the crab cakes and were underwhelmed. read more

The staff is great but the food and drinks are just mediocre. Had a Herbie that should have had 4 types of vodka. If it had one ounce of vodka I couldn't taste it. Paid $26 for 6 pieces of shrimp and a tablespoon of tasteless crabmeat and nothing else on a plate the size you put under your coffee cup. I realize it's off season but food is food. They could do so much better. read more

Seated right away and ambiance is cute for the kids. Service was great and waitress was lovely. However, the main reason is food correct? We asked for medium rare burgers and got well done with a slice of cheese and thick overdone bacon thrown last minute on top. Cheese wasn't even melted on top and two way tooooo over done burgers. Cute place but rices didn't match what we ate. Better off at McDonalds for a bacon cheese burger. Wouldn't go back again! read more

We got there at 3:30 put in our order we one of the first people in there. Waitress brought us our appetizers refilled our drink all in the first 15 minutes and than forget us. I tried to get a waitress but no one else came. I finally got our waitress his attention after she bought out another table food. I had 2 young kids with me and it has been 1 hours since we have ordered. She finally came back from the kitchen and said our order was given to a very large party that had came in after us and it be 20 more minutes. I asked for my check they said they could pack up my food at that point. I was not waiting I had two very hungry little kids. We went down the street to Jack Brown's and had our meal within 10 minutes now. our hotel had told us it was a great place to come and we've heard great things about it but after the service don't think anybody should go. read more

I really wish I could say that my first visit to Jolly Rogers was a hit, but it was so bad on multiple levels. The stuffed mushrooms had no taste. I ordered the surf and turf and my steak look like something you would get at IHOP plus there was absolutely no seasoning on the steak, the lobster tail was overcooked and all around not very good food. Our waitress was very nice but the quality of food is horrible. read more

This is the 3rd time we've been here. We make sure we never miss a chance to eat here during our vacation. It never disappoints. The prime rib is delicious, juicy, tender...everything it should be. The stuffed mushrooms were gobbled up almost as fast as the ravioli and cheese bread appetizers. Salads were fresh and with so many dressing choices.. hard to pick who had the most flavorful one. Service was outstanding and this is when they're ' short staffed'. You could never tell. Don't miss this wonderful restaurant. read more

We started our night in the bar. We ordered drinks. Typical bar drinks and beach special drinks. At 7, they were already out of both garlic and cheese bread. Ordered appetizers. Our table was supposed to take an hour and was ready in 20 minutes. We took care of the bar tab and went to our table being told our apps would follow. 30 minutes later after we had asked 3-4 times about those apps, we were told they were finishing those off. When they arrived 5 minutes later, the fried ravioli was overdone and dried out. The Jolly's Delight is a grit cake that was dry and tasteless. Crab cake was mediocre. Cream sauce was congealed and had clearly been under a heat lamp or in a microwave. Server was loud and not overly attentive. Salads came. Standard to below average with what seemed to be store bought dressing. For the entrees, the fried flounder was easily the best thing at the table. Warm crab salad was so salty and sour it was barely edible. Chicken Parmesan with mediocre sauce. Chicken was overdone. Manicotti sauce was too sweet. Seafood allá vodka was almost tasteless with some crunchiness likely from shells left in the food. Seafood Spinach Gorgonzola sauce which tasted burnt and otherwise flavorless. Succotash has an overwhelming taste of bacon grease. Overall a big disappointment. read more

Kitschy and divey. Food was just okay; very salty breakfast. The life sized pirates were creepy to me. We sat in a corner booth. The glass walls and glass ceiling are covered in cloth, I believe to keep the heat out. My family said the building floods, which is why it's a little stinky. Lots of morning drinkers at the bar on a Friday morning - fun morning after place! There's a stage for live music. I bet it's a fun bar but maybe better breakfast elsewhere. read more

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Absolutely disgusting! The place it's self smells terrible. The food is better at McDonald's, then this place. The She crab soup is over powered with Sherry. The fries are bland and the fish and scallops are bland as well. The greeter is rude. Stay away from this place. read more

The Jolly Roger Restaurant and Bar - Fish and chips and scallops and fries - Steakhouses Near Me - Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina

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The night of March 18th around 11pm the "Karaoke bouncer" repeatedly threw my husband to the ground unprovoked. My husband has a broken jaw, broken finger and a broken ankle. In addition, he also has scrapes and bruises all over his body and he had to have stitches on his lip. My husband didn't even fight back. We are pressing charges. read more

My burger was good. I came for karaoke, and there was a period of about 30 minutes when the KJ played music without a single karaoke singer. I got one song in (the second song of the night) and there were two others who sang twice after I did my one song. I will never come here again. After the restaurant has closed and the bar is still open, the front doors are blocked off, leaving only one back exit, where people congregate just outside the door to smoke. You have no option but to walk through them, so if you are a non-smoker like I am, they won't care. read more

Unique and eclectic atmosphere. Great dining experience; food was fresh and hot, wait staff was very friendly and attentive.

can't comment on the food, the service or the ambiance. they wouldn't prepare for pick up or deliver (till 8am tomorrow morning) and we could only take our dog if we served our self from the bar. Laila was nice but other than the "walk your food out from the bar yourself" we had no option to eat food from there. we brought our dog on vacation but are unable to taste the local cuisine. so sad that the staffing is so short. read more

Decided to try Jolly Roger since it was right by our beach house. We were seated at a booth with a dozen Flys flying around. Grabbed a sticky menu to swat the Flys away as we were eating. Waitress was nice and apologized for the Flys. You could tell the area had not been cleaned in quite some time. My daughter ordered spaghetti with meatballs. The meatballs were raw in the middle. The rest of the food was bland at best. Definitely will not be returning. read more

Horrible! If you are on vacation do not go here! Their ads say locals only and they mean it! Staff is rude if you are not a local. Especially at the bar! Bartenders basically ignore you if they do not know you. Take your tourist business elsewhere. read more

Pretty great experience! It had a really cool ambiance and we enjoyed the game room while we waited to be sat. The food was yummy (especially the pretzels with beer cheese). We got a pretty big portion of food for the price that was charged. Our server was really nice and took time out to check on us frequently and even took the time out to make small talk with us in his down time. Probably the one place in the outer banks where we didn't experience any rude employees/owners. read more

Great environment for families... the kids loved the food as well The character theme of pirates was great