Duck, NC, Restaurants

Including Southern Shores Restaurants

For such small towns, Southern Shores and Duck, NC, restaurants have some pretty sophisticated dining options.

Whether you want pizza delivery or upscale cuisine matched with a Wine Spectator award-winning wine list, you’ll find what you’re looking for. Most Duck, NC, restaurants, like so many of the Outer Banks restaurants, stick to American fare, with an emphasis on seafood. That doesn’t mean there aren’t creative chefs in Duck, NC; you’ll find some very innovative preparations of seafood, meats, fresh produce and traditional ingredients. Southern Shores restaurants include a couple of chains (ever heard of a little place called Starbucks?), a great pizza place and a wonderful gourmet foods market/cafe.

Duck, NC, restaurants can boast of three of the top food and wine destinations on the Outer Banks. You can sip coffee in a front porch rocker, have a romantic dinner with a sound view, savor wine under a canopy of live oaks, eat al fresco while listening to jazz, catch sports on a bar TV, grab a slice of pizza, lick ice cream while feeding ducks or take the whole family out for a seafood dinner.

Visiting Duck, NC, Restaurants

In the summer, when there are way more people than there are seats at Duck, NC, restaurants, you may want to eat out early or late or make a reservation (where possible). The least crowded nights at the restaurants in Duck and Southern Shores are, maybe surprisingly, Friday and Saturday nights. That’s because of scheduled arrivals and departures at the vacation rental companies. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are typically the busiest nights in the summer, local restaurateurs say. In the off-season, eating out in Duck, NC, is much more relaxed and accessible. Some restaurants close in the dead of winter, but there is always something open. Several Southern Shores and Duck, NC, restaurants are now staying open year round. Both towns have full ABC permits, so you can order beer, wine or liquor at restaurants that have those options.

Duck Restaurants by Location or Category

Duck Restaurants | Southern Shores Restaurants
 

Big Buck's Homemade Ice Cream

Duck, NC, Restaurant
1180 Duck Road, Duck
(252) 715-4467
794-F Sunset Boulevard, Timbuck II, Corolla
(252) 453-3188
3810 N. Croatan Highway, The Bypass, MP 4.5, Kitty Hawk
(252) 715-0779
207 Queen Elizabeth Avenue, Waterfront Shops, Downtown Manteo, Manteo
(252) 423-3118

For a tasty treat, head to Big Buck’s Homemade Ice Cream. Choose from more than 50 flavors of made-from-scratch ice cream plus sorbet and soft serve. You can get any flavor made into a shake, split, sundae or float, even a brownie sundae – yum! Big Buck’s has an espresso bar and all the espresso-based coffee drinks you need to pick up your day. Handmade...read more

For a tasty treat, head to Big Buck’s Homemade Ice Cream. Choose from more than...read more

Cookshak Fried Chicken

Duck, NC, Restaurant
1187 Duck Road, Loblolly Pines Shopping Plaza, Duck
(252) 261-1156
2515 S. Croatan Highway Unit A, Nags Head
(252) 441-1156

If it’s Southern chicken, then it’d better be fried. At least, that’s what they believe at The Cookshak Fried Chicken. Their small menu lets them focus on preparing fried chicken and its fixings right, crafting each meal to feel like you’re sitting down to a big chicken dinner at Grandma’s country farmhouse. The restaurant serves food in family-size servings, and you can order half or whole birds and pair them with sides of fries,...read more

If it’s Southern chicken, then it’d better be fried. At least, that’s what they believe at The Cookshak Fried Chicken....read more

Cosmo’s Pizzeria

Southern Shores, NC, Restaurant
5591 N. Croatan Highway, The Marketplace, Southern Shores
(252) 261-8388

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...read more

Cosmo’s offers Italian-style food that’s worth seeking out. The pizza crust is perfect — crisp...read more

NC Coast Grill & Bar

Duck, NC, Restaurant
1184 Duck Road, Duck
(252) 261-8666

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...read more

The second restaurant from the team at Duck’s Red Sky Cafe, NC Coast Grill &...read more

Pizzazz Pizza

Duck, NC, Restaurant
1187 Duck Road, Loblolly Pines Shopping Center, Duck
(252) 261-1111
603 Currituck Clubhouse, The Shoppes at the Currituck Club, Corolla
(252) 261-1111
2515 S. Croatan Highway, The Bypass, MP 10.5, Nags Head
(252) 261-1111

Pizzazz is a pizza favorite on the Outer Banks. They’ve been around since 1986 because they make consistently great pizza with generous toppings and the service is friendly. Choose from gourmet menu creations or stick with the traditional. Pizzazz also makes hot subs, salads and wings. You can eat in for lunch or dinner or have your pizza delivered. Call for off-season hours. And, if...read more

Pizzazz is a pizza favorite on the Outer Banks. They’ve been around since 1986 because...read more

Red Sky Cafe

Duck, NC, Restaurant
1197 Duck Road, Duck Landing, Duck
(252) 261-8646

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...read more

Red Sky is an inviting cafe with a creative menu of contemporary coastal cuisine. Chef...read more

Sweet T's Coffee Beer & Wine

Duck, NC, Restaurant
1211 Duck Road, Duck
(252) 480-2326

Sweet T’s Coffee Beer & Wine in Duck is the perfect casual spot to hang out. As a full-service coffee shop it offers many of the coffee and espresso drinks you love, plus pastries, muffins, bagels and other treats. A large selection of craft beer and wine makes it simple to enjoy the tree-shaded deck with a draft beer or glass of wine. You can...read more

Sweet T’s Coffee Beer & Wine in Duck is the perfect casual spot...read more

The Fudgery

Corolla and Nags Head, NC, Restaurant
3933 S. Croatan Highway, The Bypass, MP 12, Nags Head
(252) 480-0163
790-M Ocean Trail, Space A, Corolla
(252) 453-8882
1177 Duck Road, Scarborough Lane Shopping Center, Duck
(252) 255-0993

Don’t you hate it when people say that chocolate fudge is sinful? Sometimes it’s just a necessity. The Fudgery’s creamy concoctions can satisfy any sweet tooth. Your mind will be boggled at the variety of flavors from dark chocolate to peanut butter to rocky road, even New Orleans praline. The fudge is all theatrically prepared right in front of your eyes on marble slabs and...read more

Don’t you hate it when people say that chocolate fudge is sinful? Sometimes it’s just...read more

The Village Table & Tavern

Duck, NC, Restaurant
1314 N. Duck Road, Duck
(252) 715-1414

At The Village Table & Tavern the casual yet inspired menu, beautiful setting, relaxed atmosphere and welcoming service set the perfect scene for making memories. With sweeping views of the Currituck Sound from every window, you can soak up the beauty of the Outer Banks while enjoying lunch, dinner or cocktails year-round. The menus feature familiar, regional classics with an international flair, exceptional wine and...read more

At The Village Table & Tavern the casual yet inspired menu, beautiful setting, relaxed atmosphere...read more

Wee Winks Market

Duck, NC, Restaurant
1213 Duck Road, Duck
(252) 261-2937

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...read more

Opened in 1976, Wee Winks was the first store ever to set up shop in...read more