Duck, NC, Restaurants

Cosmo’s offers Italian-style food that’s worth seeking out. The pizza crust is perfect — crisp on the outside and soft on the inside and with just a hint of sweetness. Choose from any of their fabulous pizza concoctions (ask about their unique weekly specialty pizzas) or create your own. Cosmo’s also offers salads, pasta dishes, subs, beer and wine. You can get take out or have it delivered.

The second restaurant from the team at Duck’s Red Sky Cafe, NC Coast Grill & Bar has an open kitchen, concrete bar, upscale coastal decor and waterfront location that create a lively, hip and low-key atmosphere for gathering with family and friends over drinks, snacks, shareable plates, popular Chef Boards and meals. Owner/Chef Wes Stepp describes NC Coast’s cuisine as celebrating the flavors of the coastal South while bringing in cross-cultural and global influences. The menu features eclectic preparations of local seafood, regional produce and all-natural meats, and vegetarian and vegan options are available. Indoors you’ll find a 15-seat bar, chef’s tasting seating by the kitchen and an open and airy atmosphere with a wall of windows overlooking the sound. Outdoors you’ll find seating and bar tables right on Duck Boardwalk, along with a temperature-controlled tent, perfect for catching sunsets and live music in the warm seasons. Dockage is available for shallow-draft boats. NC Coast serves lunch and dinner and is open seven days a week.

Red Sky is an inviting cafe with a creative menu of contemporary coastal cuisine. Chef Wes Stepp and his team turn out some incredible fare, including filet mignon, crispy duck, seafood, pasta and chicken plus sandwiches, salads, soups, appetizers and desserts. The daily specials are always worth trying. Top-quality, flavor-rich ingredients round out all the offerings, and the sides are usually as show-stopping as the featured dish. Red Sky has a full bar with an exciting wine list, and they're open for lunch and dinner daily. For those who want to stay on their nutritional plan while on vacation, Chef Wes has combined his passion for fitness with his passion for great food; his Tastefully Fit menu offers delicious, healthy meals cooked at your vacation home or available in the restaurant. You can also order full meals to go or hire their Chefs On Call service, and they'll cook for you at your place. Red Sky is also one of the popular choices for wedding caterers serving the entire Outer Banks, including Carova. 

Opened in 1976, Wee Winks was the first store ever to set up shop in Duck. Throughout remodeling their building and expanding their selection, Winks remains a staple in Duck for residents and visitors thanks to its reputation for keeping it fresh. Breakfast sandwiches on fresh-baked biscuits and bagels as well as cinnamon buns baked every morning round out the pastry case full of muffins, crumb cakes, fritters, brownies and cookies. Late riser? Come in for lunch. Wee Winks offers Angus burgers, barbecue, fried chicken sandwiches, hot dogs and fries. Subs are made to order, and the full deli menu features Thumann's meats and cheeses sliced to order and an array of homemade cold salads. When planning dinner, stop in for fresh ground beef, steaks and boneless, skinless chicken. They even carry a few gluten-free items, gourmet cheeses, dips, spreads and cured sausages. Wee Winks still carries all the vacation essentials they are known for like snacks and drinks, beer (they have an impressive selection of microbrews), wine, ice, bread, milk, cereal, over-the-counter medicines, newspapers, cleaning supplies, suntan lotion and much more. Before you leave, pick a cigar from the eclectic selection in the humidor cabinet.