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 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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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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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

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

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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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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Overpriced, small portions, mediocre food. My scallops were overcooked and small. My date's risotto dinner was a shockingly small portion. The "bread" basket was a joke and all of this was not inexpensive. Don't recommend. Tourist trap. Good service makes this a one star. read more

I walk into the building and I was greeted with a very polite hostess and she said there was a wait for 20 mins. The food was very bland and the "special sauce" tasted like balls. The food was also overpriced like . The place had a gift shop which was cool and there was also a sign that sad " Guy Fieri. And the place was clean. Overall if it wasn't for the service this place is not the best. 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

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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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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This restaurant was highly recommended, by both locals and travelers. I was in a group large with a wheelchair, and we were seated in 15 min which was impressive for a place so popular ( we arrived at 4:30 ). We recieved our appetizers within 10 to 15 minutes of ordering, which again is impressive, 10 minutes later we received our food. While the rest of the people at my party had plenty of food and were full by the end, I was not, this was my fault for ordering pizza, next time I would order something different. However, everyone else in my Party was satisfied. I would recommend and we would go again. read more

Top Tier on the outer Banks. seafood, steaks, pizza. lets go. Get the hummus get the fish bites. its good

I've eaten there many times and it was fine. This week all 3 of us got 3 different meals and all food was terrible. Steak dinner and chicken Marsala both had a brown gravy, same sauce , nothing Marsala about it. Mashed potatoes were cold and hard . Veggies were 10 string beans in the plate, cold and no flavor. 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

Went here for lunch some months ago and didn't really enjoy it... Some friends were headung that way and invited us for dinner. Relunctantly, I went along.. and let me tell you...i ordered the Station keeper, which is a twice grilled ribeye with chimichurri, hollandaise and demi glace, smoked gouda mashed potatoes, with green bean medley, but i substituted asparagus for the beans. OMG!!! WHAT A WONDERFUL CHOICE. The steak was seasoned perfectly, and it melted in your mouth. My husband selected the Black and Bleu ribeye steak, which was a blackened ribeye crusted with bleu cheese and zesty fried onions, smoked gouda mashed potatoes with green bean medley. His was good also, but he was looking in my plate the whole night. For dessert, we chose the key lime pie. Definitely recommend it, and we will be back! read more

Black Pelican - Twice grilled ribeye with chimichurri, hollandaise and demi glace, smoked gouda mashed potatoes, green bean medley - Seafood Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

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Disappointed. Flies in the drinks and they wouldn't replace them. Other customer were upset too.

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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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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My wife and I did take out the other night. My wife had the fried flounder and I had the scallops wrapped in bacon. The food was on point since I have been coming here for years but this is the first time doing takeout. After we finished I asked my wife what the final bill for $83 dollars! I questioned the bill and there was a 15% gratuity added for takeout! My wife said she was informed of the gratuity charge when ordering. I think that paying a gratuity surcharge for takeout is BS! If I had known about surcharge at ordering I would taken my business elsewhere. read more

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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Shrimp & Grits not the best! My party of ten ate dinner at the Black Pelican Thursday evening, July 24, 2025. I ordered their Shrimp and Grits, Dixie's Best, according to their menu. I have had S&G at most every restaurant in the OBX. Never have I tasted anything like the Black Pelican's and that is not a good thing. The watery broth tasted mostly of vinegar and a hot sauce similar to Texas Pete or one like that. The dish consisted of shrimp and red onions; the shrimp were properly cooked, not overdone, the onions were soft. But the overwhelming taste was vinegar and hot sauce in a thin watery broth. A helping of grits had been plopped in the middle of the dish. To me, it was awful. I did not complain to the server because I didn't want to ruin our last family reunion night. Everyone else was very pleased with their variety of orders. Our waitress was the best, which is not always easy with a large table of 10. I was warned by the waitress that their S&G were spicy, which was fine. But oh my, certainly a far cry from Dixie's Best. read more

Great atmosphere and bartenders. The upstairs patio allows dogs too. The food was good albeit a bit pricey

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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Had to get some flounder! Onion rings were great! Fries! Great! Oyster with spinach, cheese and prosciutto!!! Had the brie with pita chips. Yummo!! Get these! Buffalo shrimp were tasty! Inside was light and bright! Very friendly. Bar looked inviting. Sat there a few years ago. Sarah was on top of it all! Drinks filled without asking! Great day. Highly recommend! read more

I have many many crab rangoons in my time- and these are by far the best. I would come back just to order these. Crunchy crispy outside, with a warm creamy inside. I also ordered the Margarita Pizza (without scallions, as I am allergic to onions and don't want to risk it). This pizza is delightfully thin and crispy, with a delicious green sauce and ripe tomatoes. I will hopefully return read more

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

We've been coming to the BP forever. Last year this place was still good, line out the door. Well, they are open on Mondays and they haven't changed their Yelp hours. Crab cakes were all filler and the green beans had no taste. Prime Rib was ordered medium rare and showed up grey and cold. They don't offer horseradish/sour cream sauce. Chicken and ribs were over cooked and the fries were cold. This was our traditional dinner every year. Last year we ate here 3-4 times. Sad! read more

Excellent meal! Good price. Dinner for 4 with drinks 136 inc tax. Alex is great waiter. Service outstanding. For large dining room was not to loud. read more

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Always a good time. Locals love it. Bar is always hopping. Calamari is great. Good crab cakes. Daily drink specials and 3 - 5 happy hrs specials! Come and enjoy! read more

Pecan crusted mahi mahi was scrumptious & good portion size! I'd get this in a heartbeat! WANCHESE FISHERMANS' RISOTTO my wife, nor I, cared for. Very bland and thick/sticky consistency. Service by Alex was very good. Dessert was a banana type pie...mediocre...probably should've gotten the coconut cream. Ambiance is very good for this type of restaurant and price range. I'd definitely come here again. read more

Every year on vacation we eat at Black Pelican for the first meal. This year I tried something new and I don't think I'll be able to order anything else ever again. I had the tuna steak sandwich blackened and cooked medium rare. It was probably the best tuna steak I've ever eaten and I hope to go back again and get it before our trip is finished. The service was great as always and I walked out with a new t shirt and a smile on my face. Definitely order the tuna sammy if you come, but my whole party was satisfied with their array of orders. I wish I could rate this sandwich higher than 5. read more

Black Pelican - Blackened tuna steak sandwich - Seafood Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

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$35 for thinned out mac n cheese with a few shrimp and 4 overly salted scallops which were sliced so my guess is one and a half to two scallops. That was their special. Pizza...eh. Great service! read more

Beautiful little cove of a place. We tried a few items: tuna tataké, mussles and clams, shrimp n grits, and the swordfish. Everything was ABSOLUTELY delicious. The only things i will say is the mussels broth needed more flavor; glarlic or butter. Swordfish was the most perfect Swordfish I've ever had. Great prices. Over all great experience! read more

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

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This one of my favorite places to eat in Kitty Hawk. We usually eat outside on deck but took first available. We ordered shrimp & grits, crab cake sandwich, fried oysters. Everything was delicious. Please be patient with your servers. They are under staffed but those folks are hustling. Cold beer & seafood. What more do you need? Of course, we stopped in the BP gift shop. read more

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

Very beach tourist restaurant. Great fried platters, and a HUGE ceasar salad that we couldn't finish between a couple of us as a side. I'll go back read more

This is a great spot for water views and affordable good food! Reservations are not accepted so we waited an hour and a half. Seats overlooking the beach were available, and we had fun with cocktails before dinner! For starters the tuna tatake and fried coconut shrimp were generous servings and delicious! The scallops St Jacque was served with a flaky pastry that melted in your mouth, and a heavenly broth surrounded the mushrooms and tomatoes! He had the southern fried flounder and shrimp which was enough for two! read more

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The entrees were delish! But, they really needed to step up their game with the sides. Red potatoes, sweet potatoes, steam veggies, and fries were good. The corn on the cob was not fresh and tasted bad. The cheese grits had a great taste, but were dry. The service was very good. Our waitress was on top of things and friendly. The atmosphere was lacking. We were seated in a loud room with very loud children and their loud devices. There is a view of the ocean. read more