We've been eating there off and on for over 20 years, and we still love it. Apparently under new management in the past couple of years, but still has the same low key OBX vibe. And the koi pond, which young kids just love. Our most recent two visits were very different: a sunny, warm day on the Hula Deck (served by Amanda), and a rainy, miserable day inside (served by Kristin). Early May so not busy. The food on both visits was outstanding, and the servers very friendly and efficient. (We highly recommend the Blackened Tuna Nachos, one of the best dishes we've ever had.) read more

Rundown Cafe - Seafood Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

We weren't expecting it to be so nice based on pics online but the restaurant was recently redone and is SUPER cute. We were pretty impressed with the hush puppies and mahi sandwich, and the drinks were yummy. Our server, Maria (I believe) was attentive and fun with great recommendations. If you're ever in Kitty Hawk and needing a date night dinner or drinks with friends, this is a great place. read more

We had a pleasant experience! We had a late lunch/early dinner so the place was calm and not busy. The food was very good and our family enjoyed our meal and family time. read more

Went with my mom and 3 sisters at 6pm on a Saturday night. We sat inside but the top deck looks magnificent! Burgers- amazing. Servers- amazing. Rundown cafe- amazing. If you are on OBX you should definitely come here. It really captures the essence (especially for myself as a tourist). Coleslaw is so good!! Radical Unmatched No other Delicious On top Winning Notorious Cunning Ambiance Fruitful Evening read more

Rundown Cafe - inside area - Seafood Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

See all

We enjoyed our trip to Rundown Cafe. We sat outside up top with a nice view of the street and the ocean. I enjoyed the blackened tuna bites and the mahi tacos. The staff were friendly and we had a good experience. read more

Just went back in after their new renovation and it is beautiful! We ate upstairs and watched a storm roll in over the ocean. Simone, the bartender, was wonderful. Outstanding service and the drinks were excellent! Also had the tuna tartare and fish and chips and both were lovely. Will be one of my new spots for sure. read more

The name gives the clue- this place was a complete let-down. I cannot understand the positive reviews. The hostess's were a little too laid back - didn't have any sense of urgency or welcoming demeanor. Our server seemed to be overwhelmed (& there weren't many people there). Server took 20min to take our drink order (at which time we asked if we could place our order). The food was awful! The fried clams were disappointing, the hush puppies were so hard I couldn't eat them . My husband's meal was no better. After finishing (as much as we could tolerate) we waited for at least 30 min to get our check - the server never checked on us during our meal and never came with the check- we finally went to the bar to get it. We do not recommend this place and will not be returning. read more

Our first night in OBX, we wound up here. We went with the outdoor seating which is upstairs and with limited ocean views which made for an awesome dining atmosphere. Service was exceptional. The woman that helped us was great and completely on her game. I started with the clam chowder which was very good. The table shared the wings and loaded fries which both were equally as good. For dinner, I went with the surf and turf stir fry which didn't disappoint. The steak was tender and the shrimp and steak was plentiful. Mixed veggies were perfectly cooked with a little crisp how I like it. Came with chop sticks which I opted to use but you do have an option to use a fork which is already on the table as well. My son went with the grilled chicken sandwich with cheese and bacon. That must've been good since he devoted devoured it and my wife had the grilled chicken dinner. We somehow saved from for dessert. I went with the pineapple upside down cake and my wife and son shared the molten lava cake. Both were excellent. Pineapple upside down cake had a hint of rum in it which is just what I needed after a long drive. Great atmosphere and good food. A definite stop while in Kitty Hawk. read more

See all

We stopped on a Friday evening around 9pm. Most places in the area were closing so we chose this place because they would be open a little later. We got the chips and salsa. This was definitely a cheaper premade salsa. It was a lesser value than a Tostitos salsa from the grocery store and the queso was not good either. The fish and chips were over cooked and chewy. The fish tacos were also. The restaurant was very clean , the fish in the pond out front were very cool and the kids loved feeding them with the food they have for purchase. The server was very nice and attentive. Overall not the best food. But the cleanliness and service were great. read more

Host/ess can great with a smile. Would be nice not to be seated under a dripping ac duct when all other tables are available. Take orders as people are seated (our party of had to wait 10 min. & a 3 person party came after we sat down and were helped before us & had their drinks before us). Made us feel pretty irritated. Food was overpriced for the taste and the poor service. Will not go back. read more

This was our first time there, got there right when they opened, was seated right away, host and waitress were both very kind. We really enjoyed our lunch. Very clean and cool environment. read more

Well.... first off the name of this place is pretty uninviting, but comically we gave this place a try. The ambiance was lackluster and so was the service. The hostess station was a hang-out for her friends as we waited a few moments to be acknowledged to be seated. I tried a mojito and wasn't expecting much as the waiter seemed confused when I ordered it. It came out kinda watered down. I ordered the Jerk burger, but they were out of jerk sauce. So I ordered the Cali. It was actually pretty tasty. The beef was cooked perfectly and the roll was fresh. The beach fries were pretty good too. Parking was adequate. read more

this is my first time in this restaurant and it was the absolute best experience I've ever had. We curated walked in and it was a special greeting ...We actually had a server that used to work there and was in town on a trip that served us. His name was Mikey and he was the absolute amazing server ever that I have had and as well as the hostess, and how fast we were greeted! Our server was fast and prompt with getting our drinks out,appetizer, and food, and made sure we didn't run out of drinks and just made our experience amazing! The ambiance of this place was out of this world...I'm also a local I've lived here for two years. I've just never had the time to go to run down until today and I will definitely be back and make the time to go back. read more

Rundown Cafe - Definitely recommend tuna bites. They are out of this world. - Seafood Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

We came in with a group of 9 for lunch. Two other tables were seated before us, so it didn't seem overly busy. Most of our food came out in a reasonable time, but 3 kids' meal burgers were missing. By the time everyone else at our table had finished eating, only two of the three burgers had arrived--one of which was cold and still pink in the middle. The third burger never showed up and was eventually cancelled because of how long it was taking. This really put a damper on the experience, especially the waitress making strange comments like "getting no kisses" because someone wanted raw onions added on their burger . I'm Disappointed with the lack of coordination and attention to quality. Hope they can get their timing and kitchen consistency figured out. read more

Back again. Erin was our server and was on it big time. The Blacken Tuna bites were very good. The caesar salad was perfect! Blacken chicken tacos (3) delightful. Sat upstairs this time. Great views and cozy atmosphere. Love this place. Discovered it end of last year. Will always include Rundown in our travels!! Ya'll need koozies!!! read more

Service is fun & friendly, and the seafood chowder is AMAZING! I'd come back everyday for this dish if I could. Fish and chips were a standout as well. read more

One of our favorite spots in OBX. Weekend Bloody Mary's are incredible. Ours was a BLT slider. We sat at the downstairs bar and Crystal was amazing!!! Great service and drinks. A must visit! read more

See all

I grew up summering in the obx and lived in the area for a while one year, so I am no stranger to the Rundown Cafe. It's average at best. The service is fine and if you can manage to get there when they are open, the outside seating is nice. But what disappointed me the most recent visit was the fish and chips. A meal you would think a restaurant located in the OBX would have easily perfected. Nooope. I've had better fish and chips at Long John Silvers. They were bland, soggy, and completely unappetizing. They were clearly bagged, precooked, frozen pieces of fish. I could not and would not finish the meal. You cannot call yourself a seafood restaurant, particularly in the OBX, and have such a staple meal taste so terrible. read more

We stopped by this charming little restaurant while traveling up the coast. It has the perfect atmosphere and the upper bar and dinning area has a spectacular cross breeze! Payton was a rockstar server! The Blacked Ahi Tuna Nachos were perfectly seared, and the cilantro lime cream and pineapple salsa added an unexpectedly layers of flavor. Gordon Ramsey would be proud! Our second dish was the Cajun Alfredo Shrimp Pasta. We would highly suggest this as well. 5 stars across the board. read more

We were able to sit upstairs when we came here. It was sunny but the breeze made it not too hot. I got the fish tacos which were AMAZING. They tasfrd fresh out of the ocean and had a delicious sauce that gave it a kick. They didn't have a ton of GF options for my wife but she was able to figure something out. Our server was great (she recommended the tacos in the first place), she was totally on top of things and very attentive. A really great meal! read more

Overpriced food long waits and poor service, probably my least favorite restaurant I've been to in the OBX read more

Rundown Cafe - Fish and steak tacos - Seafood Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

See all

I have been coming to Rundown Cafe for well over 10 years and the first time I have ever been disappointed was this week. I'm sure that the place has had numerous owners since I've been a patron, but it has always been fairly consistent for those 10 years. My two favorite items on the menu were always the rundown soup and the tsunami salad. A few years ago the rundown soup was renamed to "Rundown Chowder". The dish itself was unchanged so the slight name change was something I was able to adapt to. The light, tomato-ey broth with sweet potato, white fish, and lots of spices is the Rundown Soup that I grew to love. Upon my arrival this week, I could hardly contain my excitement for my first bite of Rundown Soup. Out comes the soup, and I stare into a bowl of what looks like creamy clam chowder with coconut flakes. My heart sunk. I'm an optimistic person, so I tried it. Unfortunately it was not something I was able to eat. I'm not sure whose idea it was to change the ever-loved soup of my people, but they need some serious questioning. Thankfully our server was super sweet and offered to take it off the bill after we described how this is just not what we expected the Rundown Chowder to be. Since the tsunami salad is no longer available, I opted for the shrimp tacos. They were fine, not as fresh as the Rundown Cafe of years past. Another member of my party had the coconut shrimp. In years prior, this dish was (as so it seemed) made in house, served with a tasty mango chutney type dipping sauce. The dish we received seemed more reminiscent of the coconut shrimp one might pick up in the Food Lion frozen aisle. Not bad, but again, not the Rundown that many have come to love. Overall, the one thing missing for me is the unique, Caribbean flair that the menu and establishment once had. I fear that today's Rundown is just not the special place that we have come to love. read more

My dining companion and I came in on a relatively quiet Tuesday night and were quickly seated. However after that, things took a bit of a turn. It took a tad longer than necessary to get us water. We ordered fish and chips and a crab cake sandwich. The fish and chips were quite large but were not flavorful at all. They were even a bit cold. I would not recommend. My dining companion ordered the crab crakes and it was also cold. She was unable to finish it. With so many dining options in the area, I would suggest looking elsewhere. read more

We had burgers they were delicious and well also got a chicken fries special it was delicious as well staff was very nice place is nice not so crowded read more

Dinner at the Run Down Cafe in Kitty Hawk is a tradition for my wife and me whenever we visit the Outer Banks, and Thursday evening, May 23rd was an overdue experience. Unfortunately, it was disappointing. The Tsunami Salad (a favorite) is no longer on the menu, and the recipe for the signature chowder (The Run Down Chowder) has been modified so that it neither tastes (nor does it resemble) the chowder that has been so exceptional. We did not request an adjustment to our tab, but the bar manager insisted that we receive a 50% write-off for our experience. He explained that the restaurant is under new management, and he is hopeful that the shortcomings can be addressed. We will give Run Down Cafe another chance at our visit in September. read more

Driving through the Outer Banks looking for a place to get fish and chips and we stumbled on this hidden gem! The fish was fresh as hell, poke was a near rival to getting it in Hawaii, crab in the crab balls was so rich, cleanliness was immaculate, views were spectacular (seated on the upstairs deck, which is outdoors but surprisingly didn't encounter any bugs), and our server Lucas, who doubles as the bar manager, was amazingly efficient, SO incredibly hospitable and friendly, and spot on with his excellent recommendations. If everything hadn't smelled, looked, and then tasted so good we might have remembered to pause to get a snap of the spread. Hot tip: it isn't on the menu but ask for an amaretto sour - Lucas used a homemade sour mix that was to die for, had to cut myself off since my sister shouted the bill haha! read more

This was one of our favorite meals in the Outer Banks. We loved the seafood with Asian influences! Covid-19: you can order and pay over the phone. We enjoyed our meal on the tables behind the restaurant. We got the a cup of the Rundown Chowder, the Szechuan Hot Pot with Grilled Shrimp, the Hawaiian Poke Bowl, and the Asian Sesame Noodles (add coconut shrimp). Everything was really good. The Asian Sesame Noodles were hands down my favorite. They had great flavor. Unfortunately it didn't come with much coconut shrimp because I really liked the coconut shrimp. The Hawaiian Poke bowl was also very good. It has quite a bit of tuna too. The rice was perfectly sticky. It was all very fresh. The Rundown Chowder was delicious. Surprisingly, the Szechuan Hot Pot was my least favorite. It was good, the flavor just didn't compare to the other dishes. The portions are quite large here. I never know how big they'll be so we definitely over ordered here and had leftovers. Add this to your must try in Outer Banks list! read more

See all

I gave this spot two stars because the ambiance and my server were really good. And the seafood soup. It had a coconut milk base and was the best part of my meal...besides the wine. The tuna by itself didn't have much flavor. I had never seen a jerk seasoning that looked like a bunch of cooked greens. It wasn't even spicy. I did not care for it at all. I tried to eat the tuna and jerk paste with the bun to see if that would help it taste better. It did not. I ate the tuna by itself. Nope. Still not good. The yellow rice had toasted coconut in it but I couldn't really taste it. The salsa in the bowl was kind of sweet too. I was super hungry so I was trying to eat anything lol! I ended up going to Wendy's afterwards for spicy chicken nuggets. Those were awful too and I remembered why I stopped eating fast food lol. This place has lots of good reviews so maybe I just got a random bad meal? Based on this one meal, I wouldn't go back. Loved the soup though! And I still tipped my server really well because she was great and she didn't make the food. read more

See all

Grabbed a quick lunch here and though they were busy, they had a seat available for us relatively quickly. Started out their their Rundown chowder which was unique with its addition of sweet potato and coconut milk. Overall the flavors were pretty good but I wish there were heartier chunks of fish in it. Baja fried fish tacos were a let down since the fish was really overcooked and was served in little bits rather than a full filet. Usually I don't enjoy the rice and beans that accompany these dished but their rice was nicely seasoned and their black beans were tender but still had a bit of bite to them. The warm Thai Lemongrass noodle bowl with grilled Ahi Tuna was decent. The tuna was cooked almost all the way through, but had a little bit of pink left in the middle which prevented it from verging into the dry territory. The fish itself could have used some seasoning but the broth did lend it flavor. The broth lacked an umami hit and I was just expecting a deeper flavor from it. The fusion idea was good but the execution just didn't quite meet the mark. read more

See all

Service is nice and the interior is casually comfortable and attractive. Unfortunately, the food leaves much to be desired. We ordered the Mahi Mahi tacos and the shrimp noodle bowl. The tacos are poorly proportioned; the [dry] flour tortillas are less than half filled with a small piece of [fresh, albeit bland] fish and [overly sweet] garnish. The rice and beans are the best part of the dish, but not good enough to finish eating. A waste of $20. The shrimp and broth in the noodle bowl were both decent, but the accompanying vegetables were huge and raw. Who wants to bite into large stalks of raw scallions? Cooking or chopping veggies into smaller pieces would go a long way. As it is, the dish is borderline inedible, and that went to waste as well. To top it off, the manager came by asking how our meal was and upon hearing that it was "just ok," she moved on without following up. read more

See all

I visited rundown cafe, and I must say it was upsetting While the food was surprisingly decent , what truly stood out was the appalling behavior of the manager and the flies everywhere. Lots of black flies were observed going in and out of the liquor bottles in the summertime. While I understand it is impossible to control Mother Nature, more steps obviously need to be taken to prevent pests from entering our food and drinks especially inside! First, the manager was incredibly rude and unprofessional. However, He did put on some sort of act of being friendly to the customers. He had a small greasy man bun and an unsettling demeanor. I witnessed him starting arguments with employees in front of customers, using demeaning language, and creating a hostile work environment. It was clear that the staff was overworked and underappreciated, which made the entire atmosphere uncomfortable. He barked orders at employees and had an air about him that he owned the place. (It was rather obvious he didn't). No one should be treated that way, especially in front of paying customers. I understand that running a restaurant is challenging, but there's no excuse for treating employees poorly or neglecting cleanliness. I won't be returning, and I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone. The manager needs to take a hard look at himself and how he runs this establishment because it's clearly failing on multiple levels. read more

Great lunch at this clean and professionally run restaurant. Very creative menu, very well done by a very friendly and helpful staff. Mikey have us great guidance and was a terrific server. Kitchen was very on-point. We'll be back! read more

See all

After being evacuated from Hatteras Island for potential flooding from a hurricane out at sea, we ended up in Powell's Point. Stopped here for an early dinner with four adults and four kids and all of our food was amazing! I got the steak and it was phenomenal! 5 stars for sure! read more

Welcome home. A pile of big beautiful fat fried oysters, super friendly, on the ball, & just-laid-back-enough service, unbeatable view (especially upstairs!), and locals dropping in to swap stories & welcome newcomers. This is what people that know mean when we talk about what Southern Shores "used" to be. Juuuust about dadgum perfect. You're welcome, y'all. read more

Rundown Cafe - Picture doesn't remotely do the view justice, but there's ocean as far as the eye can see by & past the houses across the way. - Seafood Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

See all

OMG what an awesome place and the fish Taco delicious. We had lunch on their terrace and the waitress Karen was the best and the food was really really good. My favorite place. read more

Rundown Cafe - Burger - Seafood Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

See all

Friendly, clean, flavorful, and great portions for the price. We ordered the fish tacos, shrimp tacos, fish & chips, and a chicken burrito. Everything was just perfect and our visit was a wonderful start to our first vacation in OBX. Highly recommend! read more

I went here last year with my friends and I gotta say, it's not bad! The wait was short, and the food was good. Refreshing tropical tastes at OBX. Got the coconut shrimp and it was delicious. Very open feel of the restaurant . Good lunch place! I would recommend this to other folks. read more

3:30-4:00 timeframe. Not crowded (maybe 1/2 full) with long waits for service on second floor (inside). First sat us under the splitter, where we froze our butts off, then moved us to the window seat. View was great (except for the flies trying to escape), but the only thing that was good about this place. Took 35 minutes for food to arrive, but we quickly realized that they were steaming the 1 lb. shrimp... for the entire 35 minutes- tough and flavorless would be a generous description. Didn't want to hurt the server's feelings, so asked for a to-go container and threw them away in the back dumpster on our way out. Only able to eat about 4. Sad, as it is close to our house and we were really excited to try. Won't be back. In all, over an hour for steamed shrimp and a salad. Drinks were water and a lemonade. Really need to do better! read more

There is nothing run down about this Cafe... we had an awesome experience from top to bottom on our group's recent week vacation to OBX! It was actually our last meal of the trip, and unlike many of the others was not planned out too far in advance, but it ended up being the consensus best meal we had. Excellent food, friendly service, exceptional value, exciting menu, and most importantly fresh fish! The menu here is interesting. It seems to be mostly inspired by cuisines in mainly tropical climates around the world, featuring inspirations from Polynesian, Caribbean, Mexican, and though not tropical... Japanese dishes. It's a mix of stuff you're unlikely to see often in North Carolina, and believe me, this is a wonderful place to experience it. We had several different things. As appetizers we had some Buffalo chicken dip, jerk shrimp, and mussels. The only thing that was a little off was the jerk shrimp. Nothing wrong with the shrimp itself, just not the jerk taste we were quite expecting. Buffalo chicken dip is hard to mess up, and they definitely did not, and the mussels came in a really good flavorful broth for scooping. Entrees around the table were varied. The most impressive was a seafood Bouillabaisse featuring all manner of shellfish and tuna in a hearty tomato broth. Huge portion of it too. Tuna was the catch of the day, and for those of us who got fish, that's what we go. I had a cold sesame noodle bowl topped with medium rare Ahi Tuna. Incredible taste, cook perfectly, great noodles and spice on the fresh fish! The other interesting dish were the terryaki pork belly tacos the non-seafood eaters got. See my photos for yourself... looked incredible, tasted even better. There is absolutely NO QUESTION that we will return to this place during out next trip to the OBX! read more

See all

This is the perfect restaurant to eat at and have few drinks after a long day on the beach. Very welcoming as soon as you walk in the door! Can't go without mentioning that Paige is the hottest hostess on the OBX! The drinks were really good, served was awesome and the food was great! We will definitely be back again read more

See all