This cafe is very quaint and charming. On the outside, it looks like all the other "beachy" restaurants in Nags Head; however, it is a diamond in the rough. The building looks to be an old house with an outside seating area surrounded by string lights. As we were walking up to the door, there were two girls serenading us with guitars. Very peaceful. We arrived at 8:15pm for our 8:30pm reservation. They seated us right away. The cafe sits probably 40-50 people inside and out. Dress casual or nice. They have wine and beer options. Now to the good stuff: the food. Beware of the portions for they are quite large. My boyfriend and I ordered 2 different salads: the Caesar and the Arugala Pear Salad which could easily feed 4+ people. They are huge. My favorite of the 2 was the arugula pear. It is delicious. For entrees we ordered the NY strip and Cajun Shrimp and Grits. THE. FOOD. IS. IMPECCABLE. My boyfriend was able to eat all of his, and as much as I attempted, I couldn't finish mine. It is the best shrimp and grits I have ever eaten. It is creamy/buttery/ flavorful, but not too spicy. We got dessert to go which is homemade. We ordered the chocolate banana cake, and again, it was a huge. WE INHALED IT! Also, caught ourselves licking the box. We definitely contemplated just going there for all of our dinners while at the beach. The staff is amazing. They are friendly and timely. Definitely made it worth while. From what we could gather, the owners are married. The husband cooks the food and the wife makes the desserts. Enough reading, just go and stuff your face! read more

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This was such an amazing restaurant! It's what a business should be like. Mike was our server and from the moment we walked in everything was so wonderful. I love that it's animal friendly, the food was amazing, Mike gave us a taste of the soup because we were deciding between that and spring rolls and went with the spring rolls (which were also ridiculously amazing). I usually don't post reviews here but this was just such a sweet, kind, welcoming, delicious experience that I had to! Thanks, Mike, and everyone else! read more

PUMPKIN CRAB SOUP!! The BEST I've had ( and a Mimosa ;-). Great service and relaxing vibe. We'll be back for sure. Nice Job.

A really outstanding experience. We came here twice. Once for dinner then for brunch. We loved the atmosphere, service and especially the food. Everything was first rate. It is small and popular so you'll probably want to make reservations. read more

Awesome lunch on the back screened-in porch. The vegetarian in our group was happy and so was my daughter who has an egg allergy. Great food and a relaxing atmosphere. We would definitely come here again! read more

Breakfast here is divine and I adore the location. Did you know you can float your boat down the canal to their door? The food is good, the staff is super nice and I love the art on the walls. read more

Screened outdoor dining; pleasant live background music did not interfere with dinner conversations. A few days after Colington Cafe, it was a fine, fine visit. My daughter's vegetarian (co-owner chef is vegetarian) was excellent. Spring rolls app was good, but uneventful. Same with other entrees. All good (crab, fish) but not memorable. Nice setting, casual dress, kids okay. Overall, a very enjoyable experience. read more

Hidden gem! This restaurant is not on the main drag but it is only a few minutes from the Wright Brothers Memorial. The lunch we had here was wonderful! I had the Quinoa Bowl, which was delicious, and my husband had the Crab Cake sandwich, which he loved. If you are looking for good food that is beyond the usual fried offerings, this is the place to go. Charming decor and great service, too. read more

The head chef and his wife have created an awesome menu. I had an amazing dinner here with my step mother and my good friend. We had spring rolls with sweet chili sauce, pork loin with mac & cheese gnocchi and apple sauce, duck with mashed sweet potatoes and asparagus, ny strip with mashed taters and asparagus. Everything was delicious, but the gnocchi Mac & cheese is a must have with the pork loin. Our server, Joey and the hostess Ashten, were personable and knowledgable. Also recommend their wine dinners which only happen a few times a month. read more

I am of two minds about writing this review. The Salt Box is so fabulous it deserves more than 5 stars. On the other hand, if it becomes too popular I might never get back in. Well, I'll take a chance. In a land where every other restaurant serves only fried everything, for lunch we had crab cakes whose only binder was an egg, steak salad with Maytag blue cheese chunks, not crumbles, A huge BLT on ciabatta with local tomatoes and the best sweet potato fries any of us ever had. For dessert we had slightly tart slightly sweet lemon cake. Had we not finished our lunch at three we would have come back for dinner but we just didn't have the time. read more

We have dined at this restaurant before and had amazing experiences with both service and food. We did not get good service this past week. We had a reservation for lunch and were seated promptly. However, we waited 20 minutes and no one came to our table and would not make eye contact. After others got seated and served drinks, a waitress came by and apologized that she thought this was the other waiters table. It was fine we told her and no big deal. However, we waited an additional 10 minutes for our drinks. Then another 30 minutes on our food and we could hear the kitchen yelling out "order up". Three of the people at our table were given their food which was all cold. However the fourth person waited another 10 minutes before her food was delivered but no communication from the waitress at all. After eating and trying to flag down the waitress to get our bill, we finally walked up to the register to pay and leave. The food was flavored amazingly and would have been delicious had it been hot. The restaurant was full but not overly crowded as there was no wait. With all of this being said, we will not let one poor experience keep us away. We will give this place another try! Their food is really good and I look forward to re-reviewing after our next trip and hopefully be back up to a 4/5 star. read more

We decided to have lunch at the Salt Box Cafe on our way home from the OBX, Sept, 8th. I ordered the gyro. The meat was burnt and it was served with sour cream instead of tzatziki sauce, It looked like a darling place, on a creek, with lots of trees, but I can't recommend the food or the chef. read more

Cute little cafe off the beaten track. Overall, food was good, they are not very flexible with changes/substitutions and the menu is pretty limited. May just be due to pandemic. read more

First stop in Nc and it did not disappoint! The restaurant it self was lovely decorated and it gave a warm inviting vibe. The menu has great variety we had the fry fish which was delicious! and the pasta of the day which tasted like a coconut curry simply delicious. The wait staff was very kind and friendly. Prices were very affordable for lunch read more

The SaltBox Cafe - New American Near Me - Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina

We started our vacay with first great meal here at Salt Box.. Didnt want to miss this gem. Said hello to Randolph, Chef Amazing! Ordered crabake sandwich and hubs ordered fish platter.. Very busy with one server..Lindsey (check out her gorgeous Lucille Ball tat on rt arm!!) be patient when its busy as its worth it. Ok.. We just finished up (devouring with JOY) our fabuLUSH meAl.. Perfect perfect PERFECT. Recommend the Carolina Brown Ale too that paired well with the cuisine.. This luziana girl is HAPPY read more

The SaltBox Cafe - Nice dining room with fun local funky art pieces - New American Near Me - Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina

My husband and I stopped in for lunch this past Monday and loved it! It's a cute little place with turquoise trim and great outdoor seating. I ordered the fried perch and it was delicious. It did lack a little bit of flavor and could have used some additional seasoning, however it was cooked perfectly. I would order it again. My husband ordered the crab cake sandwich and it was absolutely delicious. I loved it and ended up trading some of my fish to get a good chunk of it. On a side note the French fries were actually really good as well. I would definitely go back. read more

Ordered seared tile fish with corn and asparagus - so excited! It's been a year since I've visited this delicious spot on the sound. Love the chefs pairings. Enjoying Italian wine, herbed bread w O oil n Bal vin dip sauce while a man gets his crab traps ready on his boat in my view. Tile fish with corn was a little sweet for my taste, but still tasty and unique. Thinking about lemon cake with blueberries. read more

The SaltBox Cafe - Tile fish w asparagus n corn - sweet but good. - New American Near Me - Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina

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Worth the trip!!! We didn't have reservations but found a spot at the bar - which had foot rest built in! Food was amazing - you can't go wrong with this choice ! read more

SUCH a cute place with SUCH great food AND service! I had wonderful interactions with the hostess and two servers. I got sweet potato fries as an app and they were delicious! Perfect crispness on outside and softness inside. Then had the Thai green curry bowl. That was amazing. The sauce was so good. I don't eat white rice though, so I wish either brown rice were an option or that I would have just gotten the veggies. Also wish the porch was open, but overall would def recommend. Thanks Saltbox! read more

Super friendly staff and off the beaten path. It's a great place to get away from the crowds and enjoy an incredible meal!

This place was absolutely delightful. Quaint, very friendly staff, and just some really simple, super fresh food. I'll definitely be back.

My husband and I had a wonderful dinner at this hidden gem. The food was delicious - especially the pumpkin crab soup. My husband and I shared an entree - sea bass and it was so good. My husband is very picky about seafood, and he cleaned his plate!! The service was outstanding. We will be back the next time we come to the Outerbanks. read more

Talk to the hostess and she tells me that they are booked and I won't be able to eat there tonight because i dont have a reservation , I go to use the restroom and come back and the two people that were behind me who also didn't have a reservation are now seated... read more

Such a cute place! Had the shrimp and grits which was delicious. Liked the live music on a Saturday night. Can't wait to try brunch menu. We will be back. read more

What a find! We had our last meal of the week here and boy was it a perfect ending. Crab cakes and fried green tomatoes prepared to perfection.... and the desserts... wow! Don't let its rough exterior fool you. This place was top notch! read more

A true find off the main drag -- will please foodies! Enjoyed a creamy crab cake atop a Caesar salad (homemade dressing, crispy Romaine) and crab Gazpacho (big, luscious lumps). If I was staying longer than 48 hours, I'd be back again to try out the rest of the promising menu. Beachy original artwork and a personal vibe to the place. read more

So quaint! We love to go for Sunday Brunch and my fave on the menu is Fuji Apple & Ginger Pancakes.

Great dinner! Could tell you everything was made fresh per your order. Waitress was very nice and knowledgeable. We have gone for the last 3 years on vacation and have had a great meal every time! read more

Everything was delicious. The six of us ordered 3 appetizers, 6 entrees and 3 desserts so we had plenty of variety. The mushroom blue cheese soup was very unusual and delicious. The crab cake was full of crab and no filler. The menu changes, so what was good today will be different when you read this! read more

Amazing! Everything was incredible! We had the pear arugula salad and the dressing was perfect! The Caesar salad was huge! We had the shrimp and grits and the tuna special with coconut cream that was cooked rare and perfect! The portions are huge. And the dessert, a brownie with salted caramel was divine!!! The service was fantastic, prompt but not intrusive and friendly. Thanks April! And chef Randolph came out and was very friendly. And to top it off the prices are reasonable!!! Nice job everyone. We will be back every time we come to the outer banks. read more

Love the food and the staff is super friendly! A must try on the OBX! It's off the beaten path but it's such a great cozy little spot!

Stopped here again tonight. Food is unbelievably good. We had the maple and bacon pork chops. SUPER!!!!

After many of our friends ate here decided to try it. Safe to say one of the BEST meals I have had! I would recommend to everyone. Great food and a great atmosphere. read more

The total package...delicious food (chef studied at Culinary Institute of America in NY), great service (waitress was able to answer questions and very friendly), & a relaxing atmosphere (we sat outside on the separated screened in porch area overlooking a docked boat and listening to frogs and crickets). I fully expect locals will keep this place going while we tourists are not here! We ordered the miso pork belly, which we later learned from the chef is cured for 24 hours & smoked for 2 hours. The moulard duck entrée was equally delicious with sweet potato puree, diced peaches & a side of perfectly cooked green beans. We finished our meal with a generous serving of key lime parfait. Yes that's right-parfait, which was served in a wine glass with lots of berries at the bottom. We found a gem here & are thankful that the chef was able to share his passion of food with us! Go before you leave & locals please keep this place alive for us! read more

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This restaurant is excellent!! The food is so flavorful and delicious, the ambiance is super relaxed, the portions are great (read: substantial), the chefs and waitstaff are very friendly and helpful, and the prices are totally reasonable. If you're anywhere in the OBX, a trip to the Saltbox will not disappoint!! read more

Delicious! The restaurant is tucked away past the Wright Bros and is relatively casual. The menu has some good variety and is reasonably priced, especially considering the quality of food and the generous portions. The wine list is priced well too. I had the shrimp and grits, which was delicious! Family had crab cakes, which were huge and full of crab- barely any filling, and the pork loin, which had a great maple bacon glaze. There was a steady stream of diners as well. I would go back tomorrow if we had time! read more

Really great food made by really nice people. Why wait over an hour for a meal on the OBX strip when you can make a reservation here and get a fantastic meal. The crabcakes w/succotash and fried tomatos were great. I loved that they took the tails off my shrimp in shrimp n grits. They made nice accommodations for my picky kids. Generous servings. AWESOME desserts.. make sure you save room! read more

Absolutely the best meal we had during our 2 week vacation!! Salads were huge and perfectly dressed and seasoned. I had the duck and hubbie had the tuna. Both were phenomenal!! Dessert didn't disappoint . . . Peanut butter pie and cannolis were excellent. Cannoli cream was smooth and pie was a perfect balance of peanut butter and chocolate without being overly sweet. Service was prompt and friendly. Not many places get it right from start to finish, but Saltbox Cafe got it perfect. We will definitely be back to this hidden gem!!! read more

There are many options for dining on the Outer Banks and I've tried quite a few. I found The Saltbox Cafe's atmosphere to be eclectic and relaxed. The perfect mood for a date night at the beach. My husband had a spicy shrimp dish that he enjoyed immensely and I had the ribs with the sweet potato fries. The ribs were so tender and the fries delish! We arrived around 7 on Friday night and there wasn't a wait but it soon filled up! It's a little off the beaten path but well worth the drive. read more

We went here for my birthday. Good service, a decent wine selection and the fresh tuna was fabulous. I'll definitely go back next year.