A year ago, my wife and I stayed on Ocracoke and were looking for a more upscale restaurant than the burger and pizza joints around. Back Porch was recommended to us and it was excellent! Nice, airy atmosphere, good wine list, excellent food. This year, we took the ferry over from Hatteras for the day and, wanting a nice place for dinner, thought of Back Porch. Well, can't say the revisit lived up to the prior year hype. Ambiance was still very nice with the open design and cool breeze through the windows. Table was nice. But then the waitress hit. Felt like We were equating Trish's time. And the food quality wasn't what I remembered. I had the flounder with crab which was all overdone with some veggies that appeared to be sitting at the bottom of a pot. My wife had the scallops which were good but nothing to write home about. For the amount of the bill, we expected more. read more

Thank you Back Porch. Thank you for not only answering questions, but making great recommendations on where to go with 50 people. Thank you for having those 50 of my closest people after our wedding ceremony. Thank you for trying to put us all together in the space you had. Thank you for the great food, and wonderful attention by staff. Please close down your Lunch Box stand, it almost made me not want to come here. Please take reservations, I was a nervous wreck when you told us to just show up. Please excuse all the noise we made. read more

4.5 stars. Another great meal in OBX. Joined some friends here and opted for the outdoor "back porch" seating. It's a large screened and covered deck with ceiling fans whirring, and made for an awesome beach meal setting. Service was excellent, and we kept ours busy with cocktail, app, and entree orders among three different couples. I started with the Glass Slipper, made with St Germaine. Thought it was a touch sweet, and could have used another squeeze from the lemon (and a lemon rind garnish). My second cocktail was the mojito, and I wish it was a little heavier on the mint. But both hit the spot! Phil and I split the mini crab cake appetizer. We were torn between the crab beignets and that; the server told us she prefers the beignets, but the crab cakes have more crab meat flavor. We were happy with our choice, but I have a feeling we would have loved the other too. The catch of the day was blue fish; I ordered the fillet described as being served with Vietnamese lime sauce and julienne vegetables. Quite a hearty portion of grouper-like fish, which tasted like it was topped with a fish sauce and lime mixture, and strips of carrot and cabbage over a jasmine rice. The flavors worked nicely with the fish, and I thought it was tastier than the $18 price point. Hubby had the salmon with horseradish and remoulade, and it was equally awesome. By the end, we were too stuffed for dessert; though the options were tempting; and if the rest of their food is any indication, they would have been delicious! read more

This was a great island place to dine. You truly eat on the back porch in a neighborhood setting. The food was excellent and the staff friendly . read more

My wife and I wanted to experience great OBX seafood. While on the ferry over we were looking at Yelp to try and decide where to eat. It seems like reading the reviews that each restaurant has great experiences and poor experiences (which honestly, is no surprise, each place has good and bad nights). We decided to go with The Back Porch. The seafood is SO fresh! I got the special of the day--Yellow Fin Tuna with mango sauce and some wasabi seasoning. I really enjoyed this dish (aside from the wasabi seasoning being a little weak and included in some type of coleslaw substance). My wife ordered the seafood platter and was very impressed with it too. It offers a good variety of seafood and was reasonably priced for the quality and selection. Also, the bread was really good and had a nutty flavor. Would definitely recommend this restaurant if visiting Ocracoke. read more

My husband has been going here for years. He's crazy for the crab beignets appetizer. He won't even share them. My favorite and must have is whatever seafood soup special they have. The soups are alway amazing. From the she-crab soup to the clam chowder. They all stand out. Their seafood is always very fresh and very nicely prepared. I hope that we will be coming here for years to come. read more

Over-rated and over-priced. I think I forget that when you go to a resort area, especially one which is 2 hours away from civilization, you're a captive audience.So you're best bet is to find good cheap food. Not so-so expensive food. The crab cakes my husband had were pretty decent. My shrimp were kinda blah and way over garlic'd. I mean, they were ok, but the food/bread/salad was about the same quality you might find at just any old chain restaurant. Also, Dear chef: there are herbs other than parsley. read more

The Back Porch was excellent. We were told it's a great place to go for a nice dinner on the island, and we were definitely told correctly. They have a very casual environment for a nice restaurant. Jeans and a T-shirt will never be prohibited. We sat on a screened-in porch for dinner with a little fountain outside and got a nice breeze. The food was excellent without exception. An interesting appetizer was called Spicy Pimiento. It's a melted pimiento cheese with some bread to dip into it. I was skeptical, but it was very very good. You can immediately tell from looking at their menu that this is a seafood restaurant. If a member of your party doesn't like seafood, you should go elsewhere (but that would be sad for you). I believe the fish of the day was bluefish. As a group we tried it both fried and broiled, and it was quite good both ways. If you can't decide what to get, the seafood platter isn't a bad choice. There is a cookbook sold all over town called "Back Porch Cooking" or something similar. There are a couple copies at the front desk of The Back Porch. read more

There are not that many places to eat on the island. This is one of our favorites. A bit rustic but good seafood. The enclosed porch is really nice. Not usually crowded. One evening we had dinner here with a couple of friends and there was a very intense thunderstorm. The power went out numerous times, but the restaurants generator kept kicking in. It was raining buckets. When we finished, it was still pouring and I went out to get our truck to pull up to the front of the restaurant. The restaurant sits on stilts. So I walked down the stairs into three feet of water. Be prepared when storms hit here the streets flood. It drains pretty quick but can be a whole lot of fun. read more

Sit on the porch; wait for the porch if it's not available when you get there. If you're in Ocracoke, make sure you go to The Back Porch. Food was excellent - serve a somewhat limited menu only because they don't need a large menu. Ordered both fried and broiled fish filet, chicken tenders and spaghetti. All excellent. Service was excellent. A great place for both special family dining and special date night. The porch dining area is a covered screened in porch with fans. Very comfortable even in a rain storm. read more

We had a nice dinner here on Mother's Day evening . We started with craft cocktails - tasty and a bit pricy . I had the crab stuffed flounder that was sweet tender and doused in too much butter . My partner had the shrimp pot pie with juicy shrimp and a flaky crust. Our server was very pleasant and efficient . Overall a very nice experience . We would definitely go back . read more

Yum! This place was delicious! I had the fish special (half order which was more than enough) and grilled veggies. The bourbon chicken was to die for! The prices were reasonable considering the quality and freshness of the food. This place came recommended by locals and our lodge manager ( woot woot Casey!!!). Definitely a nicer place for dinner ( if you're looking for a cheap bar this is not your spot). I would recommended this place for anyone wanting to eat some local cuisine:) read more

What a lovely gem to find! We pulled in after ducking out of Ocracoke Sound from a storm approaching to find the adorable harbor of Silverlake. After tying up, Dylan recommended we walk the fifteen minutes to The Backporch Restaurant. Plenty of seating, adorable "porch like" atmosphere, friendly staff, and a surprisingly fresh, healthy, menu! I enjoyed the local bluefish a la meunierre. It was outstanding! Warning: The portions are so very, very generous. Salads are best shared. And I'm a veghead---I can generally eat a pretty big salad! Everyone at our table loved their meal (shrimp scampi, tuna with mango salsa, burger). What a found outstanding, as a private chef, each dish was lovingly prepared. Simplicity. Yes. An homage to the best ingredients. Yes. Seriously. Their mission statement clearly states in their menu; "Think globally, act locally." And they do. The lighting felt nice, the ambiance was just really sweet. Comfortable. Romantic. Peaceful. The other bit to mention-----the fire pit out back! Marvelous. A few seats around to perhaps enjoy a cordial. The desserts-----were outstanding. Sticky Pudding. Warm Brownie. Again, each item sounds basic and something you would expect a t a diner or cafe menu. Be forewarned---they are simple, and expertly handcrafted. I savored the fig cake. Which the island (I found out later) is renowned for each August. Check out the link below. http://arlingtonplacespace.us/group/nova-fig-aficionados/forum/topics/ocracoke-fig-cake-recipe http://ocracokeobserver.com/2015/08/13/ocracoke-fig-festival-to-celebrate-the-islands-sweetest-tradition/ read more

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We had three dinners in Ocracoke. One at the Flying Melon Cafe (quite nice) and one at the Atlantic Cafe (un-eventful and everything was topped with parmesan cheese). The Back Porch was our favorite. First, they had a top-notch wine list. I was very happy to not be driving that night. Second, the staff was very friendly and chatty - in the good way. Third, the restaurant is a nice space. Cozy. back porch-y. Oh, and the food... The fish entrees were all delicious, but what did it for me was the scallops wrapped in bacon. I mean, anything wrapped in bacon is good, but scallops wrapped in bacon was, as the kids say, the "bomb diggity". read more

We just spent the 4th of July on Ocracoke and the first night we went to our favorite place, the Back Porch. It had been 10 years since our last visit, but the ambiance was just as we remembered it (a bit nicer, actually) and since we were straight from the Cedar Island ferry (7 hrs delayed due to the dock being closed all day because of the firework's truck explosion) we were underdressed and starving. We were seated right away at a nice table on the porch even though we had three kids with us and we were wearing shorts. It was nice they treated us like regular patrons given our appearance. The appetizers were top notch. We had the calamari salad and the hummous plate and they were excellent. Can't say the same for our entree's though. I was actually really dissapointed because we had such fond memories. We're hoping it was just a bad night. Worst was the desert (we had a peach/blueberry cobler with vanilla ice cream) it was overcooked and pretty dissapointing. The wine list was very good and we were happy to see some pretty good wines by the glass. I had the Sonoma Cutrer chardonay and my husband had the pinot noir which he enjoyed. All in all the excellent apps made up for the mediocre mains, but the price was steep and we had two other meals on the island we actually enjoyed more. We'll still go back again to the Back Porch, though, so many years of memories can't be erased by one so-so experience. read more

Been coming to this place for years. Wonderful place, fantastic food. I believe is ranked as the only four star restaurant in the outer banks. Dining area is one big screened in porch. This can be bad if it is hot with no wind. In season, expect to wait to get in, but well worth the wait. Always the most awaited meal of the vacation. You need to give it a try. read more

Back Porch Restaurant - The Back Porch - Seafood Near Me - Ocracoke, North Carolina

Our dinner at the Back Porch was bland and hot. The porch isn't air conditioned so if it's hot out you may want to ask to sit inside. My husband's steak was ok but my menu choices weren't great. The Dragon Bowl was full of soggy overcooked veggies and a tiny bit of sauce. The flourless chocolate torte was flavorless and covered with a thick layer of raspberry sauce. If you're expecting fine dining go to Dajio instead. read more

Keeping Flying Melon on its toes. Back to its original greatness. Tie for first place on Ocracoke for quality dining.

We love the back porch ! The food is great and we just get small plates and a meal so we can try everything ! We come a few times a year and Always look forward to going here ! The food and atmosphere bring us back. But the BEST thing about The Back Porch which absolutely puts it over the top is BEETLE ! Every time we come she remembers what we drink ( Fernandez Sauvignon Blanc )and we have very pleasant conversations while she hustles serving everyone. She actually is a great server and person. We appreciate good food and service and therefore we continue to return and pleasantly await our meal with Beetle ! Thank you all !! read more

The Crab Beignet was fantastic as our starter. We both ordered the Filet with vegetables. The vegetables were great, and the steak was cooked to temperature. The bad news was, the steak was absolutely terrible, possibly the worst Filet either of us has ever had. I have had better steak at Western Sizzler. My dinner date ask me to not say anything to the waitress because she was very nice. The waitress even questioned if we were actually done, because we pushed the plates aside with well over 3/4 of the meal still on the plate. On the way out we mentioned to the hostess that the steaks were terrible, she insisted on getting the owner, who was there having dinner. We told her we didn't want to hassle her with it while she was eating, so she brought the manager over. We informed the Manager of our complaints about the steak, and that our waitress was wonderful. We were told they were sorry and that they would pass it along to the owner. In conclusion, the steak was horrible, and not just horrible because we paid $30 each for the entree, but because it was fundamentally a bad cut of steak. I do not know who is making the decisions on procuring their beef, but they need to reconsider where they are sourcing it, or get a decent butcher on staff. I just don't have any desire to return. read more

Here's the thing: We went to Back Porch about 15 years ago, and it was awesome. Great service, crowded, great food, delicious drinks. Nice ambience. Our friends who owned on Ocracoke for 20 years at that time recommended it. We went back again about ten years ago and it was so-so. Menu was not as creative, service was only okay. Called today at 4 p.m. (before they open) for reservations for our anniversary, since website says nothing and we're not on social media to see what might be posted there. Lady who answered was not friendly, when I said we were coming next week for our anniversary. Interrupted me to say, "We don't take reservations", that was it, no hint about "what night are you coming, I can tell you when it might be good to come with no wait", nothing. I then tried my friendly self again, asking if they would be open that night of the 14th of October. I got a "What night is that?" and told her it was a Friday. I got a "Yes, we will be open that night." No word on their hours, nothing, so I asked if the hours published were correct as 5-9 and got a "well we often close early if it's not too busy..." Not a real endorsement. Decided to say we'd try them and see next week, to which we got an "Okay" instead of "Looking forward to seeing you" or "Happy Anniversary, glad you are coming our way", nothing. Weird. Just not the reception we're used to from Ocracoke folks. Not doing the island any favors, that's for sure, and we'll go elsewhere to eat, too. read more

Excellent restaurant! Service, ambiance and food all excellent. Highly recommend the pecan-crusted Drum, hoisin-glazed Tuna, mini Crab Cakes w lemon caper sauce! Our server was very accommodating and attentive to the needs of our party of 10. Our best meal in the last three weeks in Hatteras and Ocracoke. Will probably return tomorrow night. read more

They don't call it "The Back Porch" for nothing. Seating is mostly in a screen covered deck area. Plenty of ceiling fans however. Now, with that said. YOU have to go here for some great seafood! My plate was a fresh cobia in a lemon sauce w/veggies. BEST damn Cobia I've ever had anywhere. Wife went for the filet w/veggies. Cooked/prepared just to her liking! Food here is wonderful. I don't say this often, but it is very good. We skipped dessert & headed out. Yeah, I'll be back. read more

Dear Daphne, Sometimes one simply knows that it is not worthwhile to complain for a second time and simply elect to cut his or her losses and walk away. Such was the case last Friday night. You can choose to believe whatever your sever, who was very hard to understand due to her poor English, may have told you "after the fact" instead of visiting your tables and taking the pulse of your own establishment. You can also choose to further insult a former customer by making false statements and rationalizing your poor management skills. Say what you will about the potatoes, they were not fully cooked even after nuking them. I did not eat my potatoes. My wife picked at some of the thinner pieces that were done. Her plate was sent back with only two or three bits of the steak missing and at least three fourths of her potatoes uneaten. I did eat the fish, but not the mango chutney. I was very hungry after a full day on the beach. I did not eat my potatoes. The bread was good. The wine was OK. The vegetables were unremarkable. The melted pimento cheese dip appetizer was greasy - and yes we did eat that dish as we were famished when we sat down. The fact is we did not eat most or even half of the food on those plates. You may have comped a glass of wine. I did not ask for that. And I really don't care. I would have paid the bill, regardless. It's not about the money. It's all about quality food and great service. I was so dissatisfied with this experience and lack of attention that I created a Yelp account just so that I could voice my opinion. I will respectfully choose not to re-visit your restaurant where a guest must complain at least twice and/or ask for replacement side dishes in order to be "responded to accordingly." read more

Have been going to this restaurant for years, and it is always lovely. The food is cooked perfectly and tastes wonderful. Always look forward to their menu. The atmosphere is the other plus for me. It's true to its name. Elegant and laid back with amazing food! read more

Great food, great service. The porch was a little hot in August, but I guess that's just part of the island experience.

Wonderful island restaurant with mostly screened porch seating for a classy but laid back vibe. We started our dinner with the scallop ceviche which was to die for. I had the mixed seafood platter with the special inland fish Spanish Mackerel which was not at all the oily fish I expected. Delicious. My husband's flounder was unfortunately over cooked and a bit mushy. Dessert was a yummy cobbler made from fresh fruit. Wine list is excellent and service was friendly. read more

What a delight! The porch atmosphere, fans buzzing, attentive service, fine specialty cocktails and satisfying craft dinners all combined for a wonderful family dinner! We started with the Poke which melted in your mouth with a lively but not overpowering wasabi sauce on the side - beautifully presented. We each selected one of the specialty cocktails - I had the Ginger Martini but when I go back I may have the cocktail my daughter ordered a Rosemary Gin Fizz. Half portions are available. My son ordered the Spanish Mackerel Broiled and took half of it home. The house salad was refreshing. As we left we saw a family with young children entering - they do have some nice entrees for children I noticed - it's not a children's menu at all, things like buttered Parmesan noodles. Prices were fair for portions and quality. read more

Wow ... Many folks told us that the Back Porch was the best restaurant on Ocracoke - though now days there are a few in the running. We went there on a very special occasion and got there at about 8:45 pm (after a trip on the local sailboat Windfall). It is rare for me these days to be snubbed by a waitress especially when ordering the 2 tuna steak dinners with a bottle of wine and all the extras. Since I have found that Ocracoke restaurants close down around 9-9:30pm so I guess the waitress was ready to get home and had no time for us. The 'grilled' tuna steak looked and tasted more like a steak cooked in a frying pan with some 'grill burn' lines added to it - nothing special and not much seasoning. The Cesar salad was a plate of chopped iceberg lettuce with parmesan and dressing. Just a note to those heading this way - go early or prepare to be treated like 2nd class citizens. read more

Perfect everything! We had the seafood platter dinner special bluefish. It was cooked to perfection, as well as the scallops. We also had the chicken bourbon and the chicken was was moist and juicy, the seasoning was very balanced, even their side dish of veggies and Jasmin rice was done right. We also tried the flame broiler ribeye ( medium) and it was phenomenally cooked. Lastly we had the blueberry peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream to top it off and it really made our night! We dinner inside. Definitely will come back. And the prices were modest. Hail to the chef and our server Trish was so sweet and helpful. read more

we ordered takeout , seafood platter and was not satisfied with the portion or the taste we feel like if we had eaten in we would have gotten a better bang for the buck! sorry will not refer anyone ‍ read more

Found this restaurant on Yelp on the first night of our vacation but we were really displeased with the service tonight. We were seated and ignored. After about 5 minutes the hostess came back and filled our water glasses but no water was poured for our 4 year old son. She didn't offer specials and when we asked about a kids menu she said ask your server for the bar menu it has smaller portions. Why not bring is one? Why not offer beverages? Probably almost 10 minutes later when the waitress still hasn't arrived oyr older son went to the hostess stand to ask for the bar menu. They never apologized for the wait or offered anything to help move things along. I wish we had walked out then. What kind of restaurant in NC doesn't have Sweet Tea? They certainly aren't kid friendly with no kids menu to speak of and they don't even serve milk. We ordered some potatoes chip nachos, just to get food on the table, and they could have been good except for the gallon of green salsa that covered the whole thing and the waitress didn't mention it was spicy until serving it. $7 for some butter spaghetti noodles seems high and my older son who likes shrimp had to order a $20 entree because they don't seem to believe in kid portions, the half portion would have been $17. Lastly my husband ordered the Dragon Bowl with shrimp and couldn't finish it. It was lacking in flavor and the rice was under cooked. Waitress was no where to be found when we were ready for the check. Did I mention there were empty tables around us and the server for the other table didn't bother to acknowledge our lack of service either. We won't be back. read more

After reading the menu for Back Porch, we were very excited about our visit. Boy were we wrong. I visited with my husband and 2 adult daughter. We were told a 20 minute wait, on problem. Couldn't get a drink in the bar, not the bartenders fault. She was the only one for them entire restaurant!! Even in October, the place was crowded, one poor bartender was not enough. Once we got our table, we did order drinks, but no one could drink them! The margaritas were a joke, tasted nothing like a margarita. The other 2 were awful, even when we added sugar. Our waitress was kind enough to being us other drinks at their expense. Our dinners were ok, but the pecan encrusted Red Drum (doesn't that sounds delish?) was pretty tasteless. The poke bowl my daughter ordered had so much sesame oil that she literally could not eat it. The single saving grace was the crab bineighs. They were amazing! But my recommendation is of you are going to spend over $200 on dinner for four, go elsewhere. ​​ read more

It seems like if you ask 10 people where to be sure and eat the Back Porch is mentioned most often. So we had to go there. It was good too and a really nice place with good staff. I would certainly go back again. I was not really very hungry since we had lunch at the food cart so I got fried shrimp. It was delicious and came with no tails on the shrimp, I have never seen that before. Was it local shrimp? I doubt it, but most shrimp here is not local (the truth). But who cares, it was fried perfectly! My wife got scallops which probably were local and she loved them. Great place that should not be missed. read more

Back Porch Restaurant - They seated us on the screened in back porch of the Back Pork. It was September and was cool in the mid 70's so it was nice there. - Seafood Near Me - Ocracoke, North Carolina

Today is Thursday night the 29th. Showed up at 6 with my wife for a nice dinner. We have always enjoyed the Back Porch. Had a 30 minute wait. No problem. Went to the bar. Stood at the bar for 15 minutes. Just wanting 2 beers. The bartender told me she put the menus with my wife who was at a table in the bar area. I know what she wants to drink so no need for the menus. Anyway I stood there at the bar to get the beers. The bartender ignores me and starts taking orders from a party of 6 that came after me. When she came back in my general direction I asked her if she could get me 2 beers. SHE SCREAMED AT ME saying that SURE YOU WILL GET YOUR BEERS FIRST. I told her to forget it. Told the hostess what happened and went to the Flying Melon and gave them my $150.00 tab. Even a guest told the bartender that yes I was waiting a long time to get a beer. The issue here is the extreme unprofessionalism of the bartender not the long wait to get served. I understand restaurants are short staffed. You have to be polite to all patrons. I have been in the hospitality business my whole life. Employing someone like this is a liability. One of the guests called her Bettlejuice? I come to this island twice a year and will never visit this restaurant again. The Flying Melon was also packed. But very friendly. And we had an awesome meal there. read more

I got blackened fish when I was here along with bisque soup. I was so pleased that I bought the cookbook. I learned that once during a hurricane so bad that everything was shut down that this place fed the island. read more

We enjoyed a nice meal on the back porch. The hostess was nice enough to sit us in an area where the kids (7&2) could play without bothering others. Meals were fantastic. I got the Dragon bowl with tempeh and my wife go the sautéed scallops. It is a go to spot for a nice dinner in Ocracoke. read more

Have been about 4 times in the last 3 years. 3 times have been in the summer. Have even waited for quite a while for a table. Meals weren't bad but our LAST time this evening was a disaster. My husband's ribeye was a poor cut for $26.95, very greasy. The house salad was lovely. The fish Vietnamese had a very weird blend of favors & the trout was very fishy. My husband was sucking on the ice in his coke & was never offered a refill. The waitress was not very attentive, I guess off season is not the time to go, plus the fact that we didn't order cocktails probably added to our unfriendly service. Perhaps everyone's entitled to a bad night . read more

The cobia special was awesome as was my Moms pecan crusted chicken. The beet and arugula salad was to die for and their clam chowder was so good we took some home. Also make sure and try the sticky toffee pudding. Even my toddlers chicken fingers were clearly fresh and handmade not frozen! read more

Ordered take out while on vacation and it was terrible. Our fish was dry and under seasoned. The crab beignets were doughy and oily. Even the mashed potatoes were tasteless. Only gave them a star because the girl on the phone was pleasant. Would not recommend this at all read more