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    The Paper Canoe

    4.3 (437 reviews)
    PriceySeafood
    Open 4:45 pm - 9:00 PM
    Updated 3 months ago

    The Paper Canoe Photos

    Business Info

    THE PAPER CANOE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - The Paper Canoe

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    Chicken Kiev
    Kyle B.

    Had a very nice family dinner at The Paper Canoe recently. Our server was very attentive and helpful with our questions about the menu. The food was excellent, you can tell everything is made with quality ingredients. In my personal opinion, I do think the portions, specifically The Chicken Kiev could be slightly bigger, but other than that no complaints. Will definitely be returning again.

    We loved this restaurant! The cocktails, ambiance, food and service were fantastic. I got the bacon wrapped filet and my husband got the fish in a puff pastry (I forget the official name). Highly recommend!

    Hibiscus salutes the sun.
    Julie B.

    What a phenomenal dining and service experience. We popped in after our horse tour on Corolla hoping to sit at the bar since we didn't have a reservation. Although they were totally booked, the hostess was amazing and fit us in for a quick dinner and told us to feel free to sit on the deck after we dined with drinks to enjoy the water. The food was fantastic and the wait staff could not have been nicer or more pleasant. As a sweet gift they were handing out roses to Mothers last night. Such a nice touch. We will definitely be back!

    Waygu steak
    Kati S.

    First things first we should not have dined here. We didn't have a reservation. For the second year in a row we couldn't get a reservation. With small kids we rarely get away for a night on vacation and when we do we don't usually have the luxury of a pre-selected day. That means no reservation which means no Paper Canoe dinner. I am so glad we decided to stop in to check about a bar seat because the manager offered us a table with the stipulation they needed to turn it in about an hour: we were elated. We started with drinks, a spicy marg for me and an old fashioned for my husband. Both were great and made fresh. We also had bread service with olive oil and balsamic. The bread was steaming hot and fresh it was delicious. For entrees my husband ordered the waygu steak, he's never seen a real waygu on a menu and jumped on the opportunity to try it. When he took his first bite I thought he was going to weep. There was a perfect 'crust' on the steak, the plate came with a Japanese sweet potato, a pink Himalayan salt, greens and we thought maybe mushroom? The steak was perfect and the potatoes were amazing, they deserve praise too. I got the shrimp and grits, my favorite thing to order when it's on the menu: I've eaten a lot of shrimp and grits. This was my favorite, the grits were insane, so good, perfect texture, the shrimp (which were huge) were seasoned incredibly, I made it through three before passing my plate to my husband to finish. The sausage was great, a fattier piece, really tender and flavorful. I really loved the whole dish. There were two tree-sized asparagus (which I don't eat, but it's my husband's favorite) he said they were good! We wrapped our dinner just under an hour and in time for them to flip the table. We were so grateful to have the opportunity to experience Paper Canoe and can't wait to go back (hopefully with a reservation this time).

    A5 Wagyu
    Kaden M.

    Make sure to book a reservation well ahead as prime spots fill up quick. Parking was also completely full upon our arrival. Once we finally found a suitable parking spot, we were lead to a deck out back by our hostess to wait until our table was ready. The deck had stunning views of the sound. A staff member quickly came and got our drink orders. The wine list was decent, however I was disappointed with the lack of bourbon options. We arrived slightly early, but were seated right at our scheduled time. The table had the same beautiful views of the sound. The ambiance and general vibe of the restaurant really sets it apart from others in the area. Our waiter was friendly and made great suggestions, however seemed rushed due to the busyness and number of tables he was tending. Food came quickly considering the amount of people dining. My wife and I both throughly enjoyed our meals. My steak was cooked perfectly along with her scallops. The steak was not the best I've ever had, but it's definitely in the top five. This was our first time eating here, but it will not be our last.

    Ravioli with blue crab
    Rob S.

    This was definitely our favorite restaurant during our Duck vacation. I read great reviews for this restaurant and the hype is real. The restaurant is located on the coastal water and the views are spectacular especially at sunset. The service was very good and our server checked on us very routinely. Inside the restaurant has a rustic look and fits perfectly for the Duck vibe. Everything we ordered was spectacular and the drink menu is just as good. We will definitely come back here again on our next trip to Duck.

    Pompano fish with asparagus and couscous with crab Oscar on top.
    Cassandra P.

    Second time eating here and they are just so wonderful. Must have reservations! Food is always delicious. I ordered the special fish. The views cannot be beat. The best sunset views over the sound.

    Sign
    Allen A.

    OK - here is a very very thorough review of the paper canoe including what our family considered "the rankings". There were so many of us and we all tried each other's dish. I have to rely on a few other people too because I am celiac and could only eat the gluten-free items. Ok let's get started Appetizers: Here were the rankings in our opinion. 1 duck egg roll - everyone raved about this and then raved and raved some more - wow 2 wedge salad was super fantastic and included bacon and was gluten-free - pretty awesome!! 3 burrato salad - this was a thumbs up, but it was not as good as the wedge salad. However, it comes with an absolutely ridiculous!!!!!!!!!!!!! amount of lettuce was good for a laugh. 4 French onion soup - OK, now we get into some things we wouldn't order again - I was told the French onion soup was OK but too creamy. Some of what was ordered was not finished. 5 the oyster dish we got had pimento cheese which is normally good but it had a kick that kind of overwhelmed the whole dish (by the way - I usually love that, but in this case it was- a little too spicy for the dish and kind of overwhelmed every other taste / flavor. I never thought I would say this, but kick it down a notch. Entree rankings 1 wild catch - the wild catch of the day was Pompano and everyone went berserk over this one. Berserk! 2 - Beef Wellington - personally I thought it was a bit odd to order this dish when you come to the ocean and not just get seafood, however, everyone agreed it was simply amazing 3. Chicken - yes, I do wish I remember what it was called, but it was the only chicken entrée and I was told it was fantastic. 4. Seafood puff pastry - apologies on the name of this one, I think it was a French word I couldn't pronounce, but I was told it was really good 5. Ravioli in cream sauce - the lump crab, ravioli, and cream sauce was very good and we talked about. Also, they don't skimp on the crab. 6. Steak - I appreciated the steak being gluten-free, but I thought the steak itself could have been seasoned more. It did come with a good sauce, but you definitely had to dunk the meat for it to have a strong flavor. Also, oddly, the steak came pre-cut, which I didn't think of much at the time but it takes you a while to eat a 16 ounce steak and by the end what you were eating is cold so I wish it had not been pre-cut so perhaps it would've retained his heat a bit better. The odd thing about this dish is that it is labeled as gluten-free, but it comes with french fries that the waiter told us were fried in the same fryer as things are breaded. I appreciate him coaching me but found it odd that something not gluten-free was labeled gluten-free. ?!?! 7. Ravioli in tomato sauce - pulling up the rear here is the ravioli in tomato sauce. As the menu continues to change, I would consider retiring this one. Our group pushed it around the table, so everybody could have a bite, but everyone ranked it last. Best drink: 1. Blood orange vodka and pomegranate juice blew everyone away - no, I don't know what it was called and the thing looked a bit like a red lava lamp when it was delivered, but everybody was blown away by this drink 2. Aww yeah was good too. Yes that is the name - "ahh yeah". I was told it was not quite as good as the other one however, people really, really liked it. We didn't get that many drinks and everything was really good Desserts 1. Crème brute - this dessert was so good. It would be hard to come here again and not get it. This is how crème brûlée is supposed to taste. OK, full disclosure, it is quite difficult to rank the desserts because everybody thought theirs was the best Others in our group got the Chocolate pyramid (mouse), Cream cheese fruit tart (which was basically a cheesecake as far as I could tell) and the Key lime tart (which was basically Keylime pie) I personally only tried the crème brûlée and am a crème brûlée snob so forget those other desserts and get the crème brûlée. Ha Lastly, I do want to mention that one person group who is finicky about coffee, got the coffee and liked it. He also got a glass of cab and said that was good too Overall, this place gets a big thumbs up from me. They handled our big group with ease and our waiter who had a butterfly tattoo on his arm was one of the cooler people I have met in my life. I don't know if you need reservations, but I'm guessing you do because it's not one of these ginormous restaurants, it was smaller and quaint, and I liked it that way. I almost forgot, some in our group got a drink just because it came with an edible straw, which apparently tastes like sweet tarts. I was told it was the bomb. Warning - there was some fighting at the table for scraps of the straw when it was broken into pieces. Be prepared for some table turmoil if you get that edible straw

    Strawberry short cookie
    Realtor _.

    Easily the best restaurant experience we've had in the OBX! The food, service, and view were all top-tier. My Wagyu steak was cooked perfectly, and the garlic chips gave me nostalgic vibes of Japan. My wife loved the Chicken Kiev and tomato tartare--flavorful and beautifully done. Even the Caesar salad, which looked a little different, totally surprised us (white anchovies were a game-changer). We were stuffed but couldn't skip dessert... and the crème brûlée did not disappoint. They had our window table ready on time and paced the meal perfectly--it felt like the kitchen was cooking just for us. Absolutely worth every penny. We'll be back!

    Filet! Wife loved it!

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    11 months ago

    Incredible communication through the text reservation system. Great table side service and of course the food was incredible.

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    Page 1 of 11

    Ask the Community - The Paper Canoe

    Is the restaurant family friendly? I have older kiddos (12 and 8), who are well behaved and enjoy "fancy" food. Just want to make sure we aren't committing a faux pas or throwing off the vibe.

    I think they would welcome you and the family to the restaurant. Have fun

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    NC Coast Grill & Bar

    NC Coast Grill & Bar

    4.1
    (473 reviews)
    4.2 mi
    $$

    What a great place. It is bright and airy. They do have outdoor seating and even though it was 55…read moredegrees with a 25 mph wind, there were people eating on the deck. Our waiter, Carlos, is great. Smiling, friendly and polite and makes great recommendations. My husband had the fish and chips (salt and vinegar). I had the gumbo and a side of sweet potato fries. So really good. My husband also had the Screwball expresso martini. Wowza!

    NC coast has a great view of the sound. We were seated quickly upon arrival and discussed dietary…read morerestrictions (pork) with the waiter. He was initially warm and as we ordered, asked that he let us know if we inadvertently selected a dish containing pork. The dishes arrived with astonishing speed. The Caesar salad had some unidentified fried object on it and when I asked the waiter, he let me know it was pork rinds. He did not acknowledge that it was an error and flippantly suggested I remove them. I asked for a plate to put them on. The waiter's demeanor turned cold after this (what I considered innocuous) exchange. Regarding the dishes, everything was beautifully presented and arrived hot and fresh at our table. I would not recommend the fried cauliflower as it was very bland with some chili sauce splashed over top. The scallops were very well prepared however. NC Coast is a nice spot for a special meal, especially with the view. Just hope the service is more consistent with other guests.

    Photos
    Sitting outside
    Sitting outside
    Delicious  tuna appetizer
    Delicious tuna appetizer
    Patio view

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    Patio view
    Theodosia

    Theodosia

    4.5
    (39 reviews)
    0.1 mi

    Love the ambience, staff was amazing, drinks were delicious, and the meal was absolute perfection…read more We had the tomato pie to start, which was so so wonderful, fresh, and a great way to set the tone for the meal. I had the Duck, which was a perfectly prepared classic French duck breast with a blueberry twist. Another in my group had the shrimp and grits soufflés, which on paper sounds a little weird but it is a must try. Extremely smart take on a classic dish, and nice to see a "shrimp and grits" dish in OBX that isn't literally just another shrimp and grits. Really loved this spin on it and it's extremely well executed. Another had the catch of the day, a wonderfully prepared tilefish that is a knockout for any fish lover in your group. The person that ordered with us is actually not a seafood person in the slightest and she loved the whole meal. We also had the lemon pie (which was incredible), not too lemony not too tart not too sweet, the Goldilocks of lemon pies. And last but not least the chocolate "s'mores" style dish that was an excellent take on a deconstructed s'more, leveled up to a gourmet presentation. Put this on the top of your list when you're in town!

    Excellent service from start to finish. Exceptional menu explained expertly by Dante. Each of…read morethe apps, salads and main courses did not disappoint. Oysters were awesome and the variety option was cool. Salad was perfect. Never had or heard of fish toast but it made the filet flavorful. The steak was awesome and prepared perfectly. Overall a memorable evening on the bay.

    Photos
    View of the sound from the table
    View of the sound from the table
    Fish Toast
    Fish Toast
    Some lagniappe from the kitchen

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    Some lagniappe from the kitchen

    The Paper Canoe - seafood - Updated July 2026

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