For the first time ever, we had some disappointments at Black Pelican. We have lunch or dinner during most of our twice-per-year visits to the area. It has always been good, and we definitely won't let this deter us from returning. Ms T had her usual Shrimp basket lunch. The issue was that the shrimp were not cooked through. They were still translucent. We totally understand not wanting to overcook shrimp, but these were not quite done. On the bright side she commented on how good the slaw was. I have been on a kick to try barbecue at restaurants that are not barbecue joints per se, to see if I can find some hidden gems. For example, both Sam & Omie's and Wanchese Marina serve a good barbecue sandwich. Black Pelican, at least on this day, does not. I must say, the serving was huge. This was more than enough for two meals for me. The barbecue was dry and not well flavored. The texture and flavor was more like dried out beef that has been over-roasted. This is not something I would order again here. All that being said, I am leaving the rating for Black Pelican as it is because we have always had good meals here. I accept that it can't be 100% perfect every time and sooner or later we will run into something that is less than stellar. We will continue to return. I just know this not where I will have barbecue and we are sure the shrimp thing was just a one timer. read more

Black Pelican - Rockfish Lunch Special - Seafood Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

I wanted to love this place because it seemed like a local favorite with the wait being an average of 45 minutes to an hour and who doesn't want to have dinner right next to the ocean. We made one last attempt on our last day and were seated within 20 minutes. The nautical themed restaurant had a large menu with LOTS of options - in my opinion too many options. We ordered onion rings, Philly's Pecan Crusted Mahi, and Fried Flounder and Shrimp. I was a bit underwhelmed but it all. Giving this a 3 because overall the service was great from the hostess to our server it was a wonderful experience. The food however missed the mark. read more

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Originally the Kittyhawk life-saving station, at one point it was a Western Union station from which the Wright Brothers sent their initial telegram of powered flight. This was one of the few places that when we called around, didn't have a crazy long wait time so we ended up going here for dinner. The risotto was really good! The flavors were excellent and the seafood tasty. The portions were decent and I can see why it's one of their best selling dishes. I would totally get this again. The woodfired pizza was good but nothing to rave about. I got the Aloha one with pineapples, chicken, scallions and a white sauce. We got the bruschetta as an appetizer and that was really good - it also came out pretty fast. The rest of the food took a while to come out. The service was also not very fast. I might recommend this place from an ambience and historical perspective and maybe the food, but definitely not the service. read more

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Enjoyed a lovely girls dinner here last Friday! We tried to make reservations but were told that they do not accommodate reservations so we decided to go around 5PM and were told 45 minute wait, which we were expecting. Much to our surprise, they sat us in 25 minutes! For starters, we shared the coconut shrimp, wood fired flatbread, and the caprese salad. All three were delicious. The coconut shrimp were large, juicy and very flavorful. The flat bread, though looked unassuming, was absolutely delicious! The combo of the garlic oil, pepperoncini, feta, romano and parmesan cheeses made for a perfect bite every time and you can never go wrong with a caprese salad. For entree; I got the fish duo with came with one grilled fish, one blackened fish topped with grilled corn salsa, fire roasted vegetable rice and chipotle cream with a side of broccoli. It was okay. The fish was overcooked and a bit dry and the corn/rice combo was very basic. That said, we ended the night with the coconut cream pie which was 10000/10. I would go back again just for the pie! All in all, a historic spot with cool vibes, great views and decent food. read more

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Tried for 3 nights, but finally got in with a very small wait. It was definitely worth it. Our server, Angelo was great....attentive, with spot on recommendations. My uncle's crab cakes were delicious, and my Fisherman's seafood risotto was the best I've ever had; great seasoning without a heavy sauce to detract from all the amazing seafood. read more

Black Pelican - Crab, scallops, shrimp, spinach, risotto - Seafood Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

Fantastic experience here! The wait wasn't too long, the service was efficient and friendly, and the food was divine!! The shrimp and grits were some of the best I've had in a while. You can't come here and not get dessert. I got the coconut cream pie (to-go) and it was insanely good. We always love to come here on vacation. Highly recommend. read more

Black Pelican - Coconut cream pie - Seafood Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

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Black face "art" was the first thing I saw when I sat down. I lost my appetite and left before I could order drinks. read more

Black Pelican - Black face "art" in restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

A regular stop for us while here in the OBX b/c the food is so consistently GOOD! Tried their version of a white pizza and it didn't disappoint. Wood fired thin crust with bacon and extra mozzarella.....perfect! Oh, and sampled their basket of fries and WOW....huge basket ! read more

Black Pelican - Wood fired, white pizza with bacon and extra mozzarella---smell the smoked bacon! - Seafood Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

Love this place. Have been coming here for a few years, I know I have more photos than the salad im going to post in this review, which was absolutely delicious. Service is always friendly, I usually sit at the bar and have gotten to know some of the staff and they remember me when im here (not a local but visit in the off season). The vibes are good, coastal and relaxed. A favorite for sure. Also love the Chesapeake location. read more

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This place was really good and would be even better with a few changes. First of all the hummus appetizer was excellent and would recommend! The chicken salad was bland. The fries are the good coated ones. Grilled chicken sandwich was solid and the margarita pizza was outstanding. The bar drinks were good but kind of small for the price. No actual view of the ocean with the dunes so high but we walked over to take a peek. Good lunch place! read more

Black Pelican - Hummus appetizer - Seafood Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

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Wonderful service on a sat night for a party of 8 We had a variety of appetizers and I had the nuts and berries with grilled chicken - pita bread with Brie was such a superior flavor and very easy to spread read more

Black Pelican - Nuts and berries salad topped with grilled chicken with balsamic dressing - Seafood Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

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Upstairs bar 'runs out' of souvenir 17 oz cups, doesn't tell you, makes the drinks in a 12 oz cup and the bartender tries to charge the same and says it's the same amount. Called them out on it and they "took it inside" to add more rum and use a bigger glass cup, but sure does taste like they added a lot more mixer. Either dumb or purposefully scamming you. Not a good look. $36 for two 12 oz watered down drinks. This place used to be better. read more

Such a beautiful location. Very quaint and lots of menu items to choose from. The marinated crab was a little bit of a miss for me. We also ordered the calamari and fried shrimp. Both were well seasoned and very fresh tasting. Fresh from the ocean right in BPs backyard. Service was friendly and fast. There is ample parking but fills up quickly for lunch and dinner. Just a few miles from the Wright Brothers Museum and a few steps to the ocean. Happy Eating Yeeps!!! read more

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We ended up at the Black Pelican by accident but what a happy accident! My friend and I made plans to spend the weekend in the Outer Banks. We arrived on a Friday evening and after checking in to our hotel, headed out for dinner. The place we originally planned to go was under construction so we randomly went across the street to the Black Pelican. It was busy but we were seated without a wait and immediately a server stopped by for our drink order. The menu was varied and everything sounded so delicious, it was hard to choose. I ended up having the Scallops St. Jacques. Ohmigawd, what a culinary delight for the senses! It actually brought tears to my eyes. I savored every bite. My friend ordered the prime rib and she was equally as excited by her meal. And dessert? Yes please! Incredible! Service was attentive, the place was clean and tables weren't left dirty (a big pet peeve of mine). The prices weren't cheap, but neither were they exorbitant. I felt the food was well worth the prices. This was my first time in the Outer Banks and I now understand the hype. I can't wait to go back and I guarantee the Black Pelican will be on the list of places we will visit again. read more

Kill Devil Hill, NC Good Service and Fantastic Onion Rings, but everything else was just terrible. Oyster Po-Boy was pretty much inedible. And the $8.50 Pie we thought we were ordering was average at best. I say, "...we thought we were ordering" because the tags were mixed up in the Pie Case at the front. We were a group of 8 and really no one cared for their food... shame on us for taking a recco, and not reading the reviews. Guy F should be ashamed of himself. read more

I don't often write bad reviews, but I feel compelled to warn others. We stopped here as our first dinner out in OBX. Party of 6. We arrived at 5:30 pm thinking the wait would be shorter. We were told the wait would be 40 minutes. I gave my cell phone number to be paged when seating was available. After 70 minutes, I asked the hostess where we stood in the line and she said our time had already passed and we didn't respond. Come to find out the hostess wrote down the wrong cell phone number. She then said we could be seated upstairs, only to wait an hour and half to get our meal. I ordered the ribs and blackened chicken. The chicken was tough and the ribs were barely cooked and certainly not "fall off the bone". Chewy. What a disappointment! I should have known. No apologies from the waitress for the long wait. The other members in our party said their meal was good and hot. But I recommend you stay away from the ribs and chicken. The Black Pelican has now made my black list. read more

We ate at this restaurant twice while on vacation in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Fantastic food, we ate a pasta, shrimp, scallop special. The sauce was so good. The service was good, and staff were friendly. The restaurant was very lively and busy, but it was worth the wait. read more

I want to start with the service- it was phenomenal. The food however, is beyond sub par. It's not awful. But it's not good. At all. The rice and veggies are frozen. The flounder is straight breading. I did not get a single full bite of fish. The shrimp was okay. Fries were great. My issue is the price for the quality of what you're getting. I would never come back to this place read more

We had a good visit to the Black Pelican. Service was a little slow but still got the job done. Food was very yummy! We had the crab Rangoon and those were the best thing we had!! Both entrees were delicious as well! read more

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The food was absolutely horrible and expensive for what it was. The host was incredibly rude so we should have left at that moment. Our waitress was nice and the only good part about this place. read more

Staff was nice. Blackened Mahi-Mahi was very good. Ambiance was okay, a little noisy. It's a bit of a touristy spot but still enjoyable. read more

Black Pelican - Seafood Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

I used to come here quite often around 5 years ago, but I just went recently and was not pleased at all. The food that we typically ordered was completely different and seems to be out of a freezer. I was so disappointed as this used to be a favorite stop for us when at the outer banks. The service was also extremely slow. read more

Oh how the mighty have fallen. I remember coming to this place amost 10 years ago and have been visiting every few years since then. Last year the food was horrible. We decided that it may have been a bad night. Decided to try it again this year hoping the restaurant would restore our faith. Sadly disappointed. Family of 8. 2 kids that ordered the peperoni pizza. Mediocre for kids pizza. The bbq ribs were chewy. The walnut encrusted mahi was underseasoned and the sweet potato mash was without flavor. My mother in law ordered the Chicken Marsala. Her words- 'they grilled the chicken and poured a bottled marsala sauce on top'. The appetizers were lack lustre ( calamari and the shrimp dip). The dip was 90%cream cheese with mild shrimp flavoring. We come to the outerbanks every year and look forward to sampling restaurants on the island. We are going to stay away from the Black Pelican. I suggest you do the same until the quality can improve. read more

The black pelican by far is the best seafood restaurant we found. When we got in they told us it was a 30 minute wait we only waited about 10 minutes. The place was packed. The servers are hustling. I started off with the crab and shrimp dip appetizer that was so delicious. My meal was the shrimp and crab broiled in a Bernaise sauce. That was also the most delicious thing I had all week! Lastly, we all got dessert because everything looks so delicious Keylime pie, banana pie, brownie sundae and peanut butter pie again best thing we had all week even our neighbors at the table next to us We're trying to get us to share our food! So they ordered all what we ordered because it all looks so good. They did say that the cheesecake was not that great. Our waitress was very attentive, came around and gave us drinks checked on us often and was always right there to clean up empty plate plates. The parking lot has plenty of spots to park in and if you do have a long wait, there's a bar outside with a patio you could sit and watch the beach. Go there and enjoy! read more

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Soooo awesome. I moved here a few months ago and I can't wait for somebody else to stop by and ask where the best food is in town. Awesome service awesome owner so don't miss out on this magical piece of Mexican food, in the middle of nowhere...wink wink read more

Entree was amazing. Catch of the day was swordfish. Wait was shorter than expected. Ambience was fine. Service was solid. They have a specialty collab beer with the St. George Brewing Co. which was good. read more

My wife and I have always had a "good bye" steak on the day we leave the OBX. We've done it for years, and always at the Black Pelican. This was be the last time. We had a black and blue and a filet. Neither was a good cut, lots of gristle. The only taste the meat had was salt (and a ton of it). The potatoes had no cheese we could taste, and the green beans were incredibly undercooked. Used to be great, but not so much anymore. read more

10/10 food and service :) we love this place but I took a picky eater here last night and he loved what he got. I got the Florentine pizza and he got the chicken and BBQ. Also, the oysters. A great dinner choice read more

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It's peak season for these restaurants so we waited about 45 minutes that typical. Let me start with the food, food was great all around. Our whole party enjoyed the food and appetizers. Service was not so good. Server was rude and forgot silverware for 5 minutes, forgot several items the whole night. read more

Black Pelican - Seafood Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

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Came here for lunch and we ordered the pulled pork sandwich and the fried oyster platter. The pulled pork was yummy with lots of meat in it and the fried onion rings had a nice batter to it. The fried oyster platter was just ok. read more

Black Pelican - Fried oyster platter - Seafood Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

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This place never disappoints, friendly service and food is always good. I have e been coming here for over 10 years and never had a bad meal. Specials are always amazing. Will continue coming back. read more

The restaurant was able to accommodate our large group with reservations. The grilled flatbread was delicious. I ordered the Greek salad and added a grill shrimp skewer. The portion was sufficient for an entree and very delicious. Another guest ordered the nut & berries salad & split with their spouse--it was huge! Ample portion sizes and delicious seafood. Great ambiance with bar and table seating. Friendly and attentive staff. There's a small gift shop at entrance. read more

Black Pelican - Greek salad w/grill shrimp skewer - Seafood Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

I returned here and sat inside this time. Pita bread was served, which I do not recall having my first visit. This was tasty and very light. I had the tuna Nagano ($23). It was thinly sliced Cajun sesame Ahi tuna that was seared and chilled. It came with Napa cabbage slaw, pickled ginger, soy sauce, and wasabi with crispy wontons. This was not bad. The Cajun seasoning on the tuna was great, but there were only four pieces of it, which was very disappointing to see. The wontons took up half of the plate. The slaw was a good combination with this dish, but it was unfortunate to see so little tuna. I also tried the fisherman's risotto that had scallops, shrimp, crabmeat, and bacon with tomatoes, corn, and baby spinach with a garlic risotto. This was alright. There was a good amount of seafood present, but something seemed to be missing. It needed a fresh element or an additional type of seasoning. read more

This place was great. Mahi was cooked to perfection. My family enjoyed all their food. At the end of service they had a magician come to our table and my kids loved it and it was a perfect finish to a good meal. read more

Cute place, friendly staff, but food was very meh. We got the buffalo shrimp on happy hour which was decent, not great by any means. The Shrimp and crab dip, which two staff members told us was the best thing on the menu, was truly not enjoyable. Way too much cream cheese, minimal crab, lacking flavor and had Colby jack cheese smothered on top that really took away from the rest of the dip. The Chesapeake pizza was mediocre. Know this place is loved by locals but would not recommend (sorry!) and ate less than half of food we ordered and left the rest. Not worth boxes and not worth the time. If you try it, maybe go with the fresh steamed seafood, as we didn't try this. read more

Black Pelican - Buffalo shrimp - Seafood Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

Great food, very good service, neat coastal decor and atmosphere, so it is a popular location. Also, didn't realize it was featured on Guy Fiery's Triple D. Got the dish he tried, the Wanchese risotto, was not disappointed. Green beans that came with prime rib entree were cooked perfectly and so were the steamed shrimp, plump and juicy. Planning to come back to try other things! read more

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I thought the place was okay. We ordered quickly and had the calamari as an appetizer which was delicious. We then all ordered our entrees and everything came out quickly. My son in law ordered a medium rare steak and it came out still mooing! He sent it back 3xs and they couldn't get it right. I had the wanchese seafood risotto and it was delicious! Our waitress was super sweet and did her best to get everything done. The atmosphere is very nautical bc it's a decommissioned lifesaving station. I give this place 3 stars because the waitress forgot to bring my husband his coffee, and the kitchen couldn't cook a medium rare steak. The manager did take it off the bill and because it was my birthday she also comped my dessert. read more

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I wish I could say something fantastic about this one but sadly only thing good was the waiter. Food was not what I expected just bland. Even the dessert was bland . Not what a beach town is expected. Poor excuse to have you travel thru a gift shop when you leave . Money grabbing read more

The main course was a big disappointment, the app of calamari was fresh and good. The main course were chicken Marsala, the pecan crusted mai and the chefs pasta. The chicken marsala was a huge let down, not at all how a chicken marsala should be made and didn't take good. The pecan encrusted main was also not good or tasty. The chef pasta was great, the shrimp and scallops was done perfectly. Our waitress was polite and courteous. The setting was ok. read more

Black Pelican - Nope. - Seafood Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

This restaurant came highly recommended but the food wasn't great at all. We ordered the shrimp and grits, crab cake entree, and salmon entree. The shrimp and grits were the worst I have ever tasted. The sauce covering the shrimp and grits tasted like straight Frank's red hot sauce. I could only eat two bites and I was done. The crab cakes were decent. There wasn't anything special about them. Initially, the salmon I ordered was raw in the middle so I had to take it back. They were nice enough to cook me another piece of salmon. However, there was no seasoning on the salmon. Because of the raw salmon, they gave us a free dessert. We ordered the brownie sundae. That was the only delicious thing we ordered. The service was outstanding. Our waitress was extremely attentive and friendly. The ambiance was family oriented. It was very crowded but the restaurant itself was spacious. read more

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