I have always heard amazing things about this place so we decided to go. When we got there we were told a 20 minute wait. They have corn hole boards outside so we ventured out there and started to pass the time. 10 minutes later we got a text our table was ready so that was awesome! I opted to get a bowl of clam chowder (broth based). It was super disappointing because there wasn't much clam at all, literally there were teeney tiny pieces that blended in with the huge chunks of bacon. I wouldn't recommend. I actually took it to go and my daughter said the same thing. Where are the clams? $4 for a cup and $6 for a bowl. Pita bread bites and butter was given as a little appetizer when we were seated and our drinks. My husband got the wood grilled pepperoni pizza. It was $13.95 I believe. It appeared the crust was the same pita bread. It was okay, the wood grill made it bump up to a little better. Now I decided to get the special for $25.99... big price jump. It was the fried mahi mahi, oysters, green beans, and rice. The fish and oysters were delicious! Seriously so good.. I asked for some malt vinegar and YUMM! The green beans weee super good with a slight crisp. The rice was okay, I would probably see about a different side next time but since I ordered the special I went with it. The waiter was good. They were busy but everything was steady. We will definitely be back! read more

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LOVE the Black Pelican! The restaurant is enormous with a combination of seaside decor and Wright Brothers art and memorabilia due to this being where the telegram acknowledging their successful flight was sent from. This makes it a great post-Wright Brothers Museum destination. The staff does a great job keeping things moving. The lobby is like grand central station with a gift shop just to the left. They work effectively to keep it clear. Service is fast. Our server was wearing a boot on her foot and still took our orders, served us and got the check ready more efficiently than any other server all week. Kudos to her. I had an elderflower mule with gin, which was very refreshing. The crab Rangoon appetizer had 5 enormous pieces that were very tasty. I ordered the seafood risotto. My husband ordered the chefs pasta, which featured a mix of seafood as well. Both were HUGE dishes. The sauces were perfect with lots of seafood. The kids ordered pizza from the kids menu which was served in frisbees with the Wright Brothers first flight on them. It was an adorable historic touch. We took a slice of banana cream pie home to share. It was also enormous and very decadent. The Black Pelican is a must visit. read more

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This restaurant was one of my favorites but recently the quality of the food has not been good we order a bucket of crab legs corn clams etc and it had a very bad smell we believe it was the veggies it smell like the food was left out of the refrigerator for a long time it was not good. It's sand because my family and I we used to have many lunch times in this place since it holds a very special place in our heart hopefully the management can be more aware of the quality of the food they serve. Staff is always nice and friendly read more

I was really excited to eat here but after waiting 20 minutes after we were told a 15 minute wait we were then told by the hostess that they would not be able to seat us but that we could go up to the upper open air deck, which is apparently first come first served and would have been nice to know as an option from the beginning. We went up there and ordered the caprese salad and pesto primavera pizza, salad was very good and pizza was fine. The service however, they closed at 9 and we clearly knew it. Chairs were going up at 8:50 garbage was being taken out, floors swept and all while I was trying to enjoy my food. Don't feel like we were treated well or valued for our money. read more

The Black Pelican is always a go to while we are on vacation. The food is consistently good. Service was very good. My recommendation is to go early. It gets very crowded. read more

This was the second time going to this restaurant. The first time we had 5 star food, atmosphere and service. This time the food was a 4 star. It was good but not as good as before. The service was a 2 star. Our waitress was more interesting in pointing out the specials but not listening to us. She was not overly nice or interested in making our dining experience fun. This was not the type of restaurant she should be working. The picture below shows on disgusting the floor was near and below our table when we sat down. Not picture was other garbage on the floor such as napkin and a plastic straw. Eventually they made a weak attempt to clean by our table but it still wasn't clean. The napkin and straw remained to the end of the meal with numerous employees just walking by it. I would not recommend this place. It was hard to get by the stuff on the floor. read more

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

The night started out with our reservation for 18. They refused to seat us until all 18 were there. Then we sat for an hour waiting for our bread basket. We finally had to ask the manager for it. Our orders weren't even taken until 3 appetizers were delivered. Then we waited another 30 minutes for our entrees. Mind you we had 3 children with us under the age of 3. What a horrible experience...the service was sub par and the food was even worse. Our bill including tip was $800! The worse money I have ever spent on food! Don't waste your time or money in this restaurant! read more

The food was almost inedible and overpriced. I ordered the "Carolina Combo," which came with fired oysters and pulled pork. The oysters tasted like they were going bad so they fried them to mask it. The pulled pork was so salty that I couldn't finish it. The outer banks isn't known for its food, but this was so bad that I feel compelled to leave a review. read more

Terrible food.... Steak was completely undercooked, and shrimp was dry, rice and potatoes also felt like they were microwaved right before serving. server tried his best but due to him being the only one serving, service was slow. completely overpriced for the bad food and lackluster experience. read more

This place is amazing. Even if you have a large party, the place is so big you may not have a long wait. I've been there a few times and their pizzas are great. I recommend the white seafood pizza or the Chesapeake. The service has always been good, their gift shop is good. read more

It is a well known VERY busy place. We arrived early at 4:45, and it was already full. You cannot make a reservation, not unusual for the Outer Banks, and we were lucky not to have to wait. My wife and I were initially seated in a dark corner table for 4 without an outside view over an AC vent. We saw a nicer table for 2 that was slightly cramped but had window views, and they moved us without issue. The waitress was attentive, and service was good. But she was rushing and VERY busy. The bread basket consisted of a warm stale pita cut into sections. The onion rings appetizer was greasy, and some had batter that was not fully cooked. My wife's grilled shrimp with side dishes was very good. My mahi with corn salsa was tasty, but it was overcooked; the fish was "tough". This is a moderately expensive restaurant, and we expected something more. My 4 rating is a bit too high, but a 3 rating is too harsh; a 3.75 would be about right. read more

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Been coming to Black Pelican for years, worst experience ever. Waitress was awful. Walked away while we were talking to her. Asked for coffee, she said it was made at 3 in the afternoon, it was 8:30 p.m. Requested that fresh be made. It came out cold and like water. Risotto was crunchy and potatoes served with Filet Oscar were cold. Requested a desert before dinner and was told there was plenty and of course when we were ordering it to go there was none left. Worst waitress that I have had in a long time. Having been a server myself I always give them the benefit of doubt and tip well. Sure hope the tip amount gives her a hint. read more

We began our vacation in Kitty Hawk at the Black Pelican and would never go back again. The inside of the restaurant smelled of urine and bad fish. Luckily, we were seated outside. The food was quite expensive and absolutely terrible. My tuna was overcooked and my husband's dinner was boiled and absolutely flavorless. Our daughter ordered corn on the cob that was overcooked, tiny, and discolored. It was definitely not a shade of yellow. Our other daughter ordered plain pasta off the kids menu, and it was chewy. Our bill was extremely high, and we couldn't even finish our meals because the food was so terrible. Fortunately we were able to dine at other restaurants for the remainder of our stay and they were delicious. read more

Excellent wood fired pizzas! I had the Aloha dinner pizza with bacon. My husband had the white seafood dinner pizza. The dinner pizzas are about 9 inches and more of a personal sized pizza, or they could be great to share with a salad or appetizer. We also had the stuffed jalapeño pepper appetizer. These were really good and really spicy! COVID-19 times: We ordered takeout and did the drive-up pickup. Food was ready within 30 minutes and this was an excellent pickup experience. read more

Black Pelican - Aloha dinner pizza with bacon - Seafood Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

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The services was really nice. My husband food was great chicken something. Pizza was great. But my seafood risotto was banale, plain with only 3 shrimps and 2 clams for $28.00 . A total never again place. read more

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

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This is a popular place, so come early if you are a walk in like we were. We were told we had an hour wait when we arrived at 6pm, but found room at the bar and were fine with the wait. It ended up only being 35 minutes, so a great start. Very reasonable prices for spirits and beer at 6pm! They sat us at a nice table, but just know that none of the tables in the dining room have an ocean view. More like a view of the sand dune. The upstairs bar was closed due to time of year and lack of personnel and it likely has an actual view of water. For dinner, we both opted for the Southern Fried Flounder and Shrimp. I added a crab cake. It was very good. It says no substitutions, but our waiter (good service at the bar and table btw) was happy to change the rice for fantastic fried okra (small up charge). The shrimp and crab cake were especially delicious. The crab cake was one of the best I have tasted - very little filler. The fried flounder was ok, but a little dry. Very hard to get a thin fish fried without drying it out I guess. read more

Found this by searching for local DDD. What a great place. Covid-19 protocol in place. You check in at the parking lot and they will call you when your table is ready. We sat outside on the deck. I had grilled Trigger and my wife had Po boy. Excellent and we will be back read more

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Calamari was awful. And we had to eat it with our fingers since our waitress forgot to give us flatware. Mahi was dry. Salmon was good but the seasonal veggies & rice with the salmon tasted like they were placed just to the side of a heat lamp in the kitchen. The add-on auxiliary dining room must have water damage behind the walls because my eyes were popping out of their sockets after 20 minutes. The women's rest room had no toilet paper. Can't wait to try it again -NOT! read more

I hate giving out low scores but this place was just not good. We arrived around 8pm on a Friday night. The wait was about 30 min. We had a party of 3 and a party of 4 came about 10 min after us but were sat before us. When we asked the hostess why, they said that party arrived before us (not accurate). Unfortunately the subpar experience continued. Our server, Caiden, was very sweet and provided good service. However, the food was very disappointing. The free bread seemed super undercooked. The pizza description listed "sweet peppers" but they were just bell peppers (which I wouldn't have wanted if I know that was the case). My friend got a side salad and the bell peppers seemed spoiled. My two friends ordered a margarita and it was very bad; the tequila was so strong and tasted like bottom shelf (Aristocrat or something similar). The veggie pasta was just OK. On the plus side, my friend liked the coconut shrimp. Lastly, we ordered a piece of the Reese's cheesecake. It was just OK, didn't blow us away. All in all we weren't impressed and wouldn't recommend this restaurant. read more

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On another food adventure in the Outer Banks, Fat Man Reviews made its way to the Black Pelican Oceanfront Restaurant in Kitty Hawk, NC. Black Pelican is a laid-back eatery with ocean views. I tried the Kitty Hawk Quencher, made with Kill Devil Pecan Rum, peach purée, fresh lemon juice and club soda. It was very soda forward but sweet on the very bottom. The peach and lemon linger on the tongue. I also tried the drink special of the day, the Dirty Pineapple. This is made with Captain Morgan, pineapple juice and Sierra Mist. This is very sweet but the rum and pineapple mixed well, it almost had a butter cream frosting finish. We had the Coconut Shrimp with Sweet Chili sauce for an appetizer. The sauce is out of a jar but not bad, very sweet. The Coconut comes through in smell and when you bite into the shrimp it melts like butter, but the bite finished with a burnt taste. Unfortunately the Coconut was overcooked. I also sampled the Hatteras Clam Chowder. This is made with clams, potatoes, celery, carrots, onions and clam juice. The broth is clear and had a good clam flavor, but a touch oily. The clams were cooked perfectly. Over all the chowder needed salt and more clams and vegetables, it was very thin. My fiancé had the Wanchese Fisherman's Risotto, consisting of scallops, shrimp, lump crab, bacon, tomatoes, corn, spinach, garlic risotto and crispy sweet potato. The risotto was cooked perfectly as were the scallops. The dish severely lacked flavor and seasoning, it was bland. The bacon was flimsy and the sweet potato crisps were burnt. For my entrée I had the Philly's Pecan Crusted Mahi-mahi. This came with a red wine fig reduction, Kahlua mashed sweet potatoes and seasonal vegetables. The fig reduction was excellent, it was sweet with a slight tang. The mash was sweet, creamy and delicious. The mahi was a bit overcooked, the pecans were not very crunchy, and the vegetables looked old, and they were overcooked and mushy. Black Pelican has a very large menu offering surf, turf or vegetarian dishes. The wait staff is very friendly, and they have a full bar. The Fat Man says that the Black Pelican Oceanfront Restaurant is Not Fat Man Approved. read more

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Food was good but the wait staff was the star of the show! They were very friendly and made sure we had everything we needed. Seafood was fresh and tasty. read more

We had an early dinner at the Black Pelican this evening. Don's sister and her husband spent most of the day with us and joined us for dinner too there. I'm sorry I didn't think to get the waitress to get a group photo. Tim forgot to ask too. We got there early enough to take advantage of the Early Bird Specials so Tim, Jon and Don could get their lightly steamed oysters. They were great ones and nice big ones so they were happy. Sadly Don's fried flounder and fried shrimp dinner was a big disappointment. The fish wasn't good. For my appetizer I ordered their Oysters Orville which is their version of Oysters Rockefeller. They were delicious! I got their Baked Shrimp and Crab and it was yummy. I think most enjoyed their meals. And Jon's friend, Ed, got a slice of their cheesecake with a strawberry topping and shared a little bit of it. Then we all came back to the house and visited some more before Angela and Marty left. They couldn't stay the night. Don got a dozen oysters. He had already eaten a few. The price wasn't bad during the special. Summer Gray you would have loved them! In fact, we ordered another dozen they were so good! I should have taken the picture before I had eaten all but this last big one. These were the Oysters Orville. I can't eat them like the guys do. I like them this way and fried with tartar sauce. Don's fried flounder and fried shrimp platter. It looked good till parts of the flounder was down right mushy in texture. Yuck! The shrimp were good. My baked shrimp and crab. I really didn't like the rice. Next time something comes with the rice I will see if I can substitute their gouda mashed potatoes for it. I like them. read more

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Seated quickly for Sunday dinner for a party if 6. Server said they were waiting on the filet and the food would be right out. Right then I knew my prime rib was sitting underneath the light cintinuing to cook. I was not wrong. My medium rare came well done. Mashed potatoes...just gross. I've always had great food at the Chesapeake location. I'm sure what happened to the Kitty Hawk location. read more

First time here in NC location. We are from Vientiane beach and decided to stop here because we are familiar with the quality of food and service. Very rustic decor and super location right on the other side of NC dunes. Greater and editor were very free madly and knowledgeable about the menu. We chose some classics. Food was super and we will be back again. read more

Ok so the tuna bite appetizer was amazing! I ordered baked shrimp and crab hubby got fried flounder and shrimp both came with rice and green beans! The beans were delicious! The rice was a little bland. My 4 year old got cheese pizza and it was NOT good! The sauce was disgusting (her words) so needless to say all she ate was bread out the basket with butter. Her pizza came out on a frisbee that she got to keep and she loved that! Our next trip we will definitely be back but my 4 year old will not be getting pizza lol read more

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Busy place by the beach, average food at upscale prices. I understand it's a a tourist town during peak season. I accept the hour plus wait for a table of four. Hell, I even accept the menu being basically the same as the other 10 places in Kill Devil along the beach road. I don't accept the astronomical prices for sub par food. I have had better meals at Chili's for a quarter the price. I have no issue with paying money for a nice meal (try JK or Noosa in KDH) but having been here twice I am not impressed. The service is very good. Our waitress Hailey was great. They also have very good pita bread. My criticism of food comes from a steak being over cooked and green beans being nearly raw. Maybe the beans are a matter of preference, but I expect a $40 steak to be cooked how I ask. Lastly, they ran out of several menu items midway through a Sunday night. read more

We're up from Pennsylvania and we were expecting more tasty seafood, I'm not saying the food was bad, it was meh, average, bland. The service was fast and pleasant. There was a lot of people there. I had steamed mussels and fries.! The mussels were just that...steamed, no flavor at all. The ambiance was like a family diner. It was just okay. read more

First time to visited. Had appetizer's and a drink at the bar. The DrunkenCrap was so good. Calamari was tender and was also good. We played trivia while we ate! We are only spend one week in Nags Head so this place will be on our list to go again! read more

We were planning on eating at a place at Duck- but it was closed so we came here instead. Seems to have worked out for the best. Came on Sunday, and I'm guessing outside of the high season. The place is kinda qwerky and I'd be had places to find a anything level. Seems everything was a somewhat of at a slant and it worked. Staff was great and knew the names of the regulars. It was a late lunch so kept to appetizers. The Brie cheese was good, the buffalo shrimp was top notch. It's a very cozy and welcoming place.. read more

Awesome, great food and AMAZING service. Shout out to server Steven P! We came in with a big party, lots of kids, and he was on top of everything! This is the place to go at OBX! read more

Pretty much every decent restaurant in OBX has at least 4 stars. This one doesn't... Food for thought. Anyways, we were riding on our bikes on a semi-busy roadway and I had an emergency call that I had to take. We pulled into a parking lot which happened to be for this restaurant. No, not the customer parking lot. The employee parking lot which was half full with absolutely no one coming and going. While I was desperately trying to finish my call, do you know these a**holes came across the street (where the restaurant is located) and asked us to get off of their property?! We're on bikes. In a basically empty parking lot. Taking a call. No one coming into the lot or going. Bunch of a**holes. Don't go here. read more

Horrible service.. my girlfriends and I were in town from nyc and went there a few nights ago. The female bartender was incredibly rude. Walked past us at least 3 times. She looked a bit older and miserable and had an attitude. Not what I would expect from someone in the service industry. Thankfully the other bartender who was a male took care of us. She was the worst. read more

We were craving some seafood, and decided to give the Black Pelican a shot based on their impressive menu. We visited relatively late - around 8pm on a Saturday. There was no line (still offseason) and we were immediately seated... and then immediately ignored by our waiter for over 10 minutes. No water, no checking in, nothing. Apparently, we should have sat at the bar so we could at least have ordered a drink while we waited. Our server, after finally showing up, took our drink and food orders. No apologies for the wait, he couldn't care less. He brought out the two waters, disappeared for a few more minutes, brought out a can of beer, and before I could ask for a glass, disappeared again. We got our bread, and my glass, a few minutes before the food came out. While we were waiting, the table next to us apparently had ordered something a la Oscar, and the hollandaise was cold and disgusting. (Great... I also ordered a la Oscar) When our food came out, it was okay. I was probably biased after the poor service and other patron's complaint. The swordfish a la Oscar was good. The hollandaise was okay - but not even close to the best I've had. It had very little flavor. My wife had scallops, and again, they were okay. I'm not sure if this restaurant is just turning out mediocre food with poor service in hopes that quantity beats quality, but I know there are better places to eat in the area. Overall, the poor service probably impacted my thoughts on the food more than the meal itself. But I wouldn't recommend this place, and definitely wouldn't wait in line for a meal here. read more

Black Pelican - Swordfish a la Oscar - Seafood Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

Pretty good foot and fairly priced! We started with the Coconut Shrimp which came with a great chili sauce. For the entrees we got the Mahi with vegetables and the scallop risotto. Both were pretty good. The only thing I noticed was that my meal had a bit of a underlying burnt/ off taste, hard to exactly explain but to me it seemed they just reused a pan from cooking a different meal. The service was relatively fast. Not a bad place to stop in for a quick affordable meal. read more

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We had very bad experience here. The waitress just did not look like she wants to be there. On to the food... the mashed potato was cold. The seafood risotto came out about 5 minutes after everyone's food and it was lukewarm. The rice was undercooked and tasted crunchy. The salmon was ok and so was the ribs. The ribs however was not tender enough. read more

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They told im us that it would be a 35min wait, but it was only 10 minutes. Kayla our server was very friendly and attentive. Our food was soooooo good!! My husband got swordfish (fresh catch). I got the fisherman's risotto. Everything came out very quick and the flavors were on point!! If you are visiting Kitty Hawk and need a delicious dinner, this is your place!! read more

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So it's really not any better than it has been The Mediterranean/ Greek salad was the only thing that was of decent quality etc. it was actually very good. The chefs pasta special was a pasta with shredded veggies with shrimp and scallops. It really wasn't a scampi sauce as it wasn't garlicky and there were no veggies. The crab cake is a weird crumbed and deep fried version. This place really just lives off its old reputation read more

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If you can manage to get in early, it's probably great. We walked up around 7:15 and were told it would be an hour and a half wait. We managed to wait at the upstairs bar and snag a table at the top bar overlooking the ocean. When it took 24 minutes (yes, I paid attention) for someone to come and take away the old plates and drinks - we should've known it wasn't going to be great. The margarita I grabbed as we were waiting. Amazing. The rest? Not. So. Much. Ok. That's unfair. The view was also amazing. The bacon wrapped scallops were a B+. The oysters were getting a C because they tried really hard at the end of the semester. THE REST? Terrible. We waited for our one appetizer for 40 minutes. We waited for food for another 44. When it arrived everything except for the fish and scallops were ice cold. We would've told the staff except there was literally no one to be found. No one at the bar. No one at other tables. I did see the hostess cleaning the toilets but no one else. Not once did anyone come to check in on us, refill drinks, apologize for the delay, or anything. It also would've probably taken an extra 39 minutes to heat it in the microwave for a minute. They had also run out of everything from Tito's to tortilla chips. Seriously. They ran out of vodka and chips. I understand the busyness of places at the beach. I understand places being understaffed at the moment. I understand food taking a bit longer because of all of these things. But this was next level bad. It was also very expensive for a very poor experience. To quote my husband? "The best part about that was the view and that we never have to go back." Go anywhere else. McDonald's sitting on the beach would've been a better idea. read more

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

This restaurant is right by the kitty hawk beach so you can hang by the beach if you are waiting. We were originally told it might be an hour wait but it was about 40 mins. They took our number and texted us when our table was ready. We hung out by the beach and walked around. They give you a free pita basket which was good. I ordered a Hattaras Clam Chowder which is their own version of Clam Chowder (I personally would not order it again - it was a broth based clam chowder that had spices in it) and the fish duos (dinner special with salmon, swordfish, a piece of shrimp with broccolini, rice pilaf and a corn salsa with crab) which was cooked perfectly although slightly too salty but would definitely reorder this. Waitress was very attentive - came about twice to refill our waters and checked on us several times throughout the meal. read more

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Family of 6 ate here. A few drinks. $240 was the tab and not a single item was remarkable. Nothing worth coming back for. Frogmore clambake was amazingly bland. Shrimp were supposed to be spicy, but weren't. Sausage was good. Hatteras chowder (we had a bowl and a cup) had zero clams. None. Flavorful broth. We told the waiter and he didn't seem to care. Had a wrong item delivered. He didn't offer to take it off our bill. There was a $15 price difference! Waiter said it was only a few bucks but he would charge us for the cheaper one. He didn't until we asked. Scallops were overly seasoned in Old Bay and wrapped in soggy soft bacon. Salads were nothing special. We were served very ordinary pita while waiting for food. Just generally indifferent service and food not worth going back for. Nothing awful but nobody was really pleased with their meal. I think you'd do better at Hurricane Mo's across the street. Cheaper and much more flavorful. Only positive was one member of our party was gluten free and there were several items marked. read more

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