Wish we read other reviews before coming here. Was not very clean and smelled bad. Waitress was only nice once we were leaving. Not helpful in answering questions as she was walking away. Food was not what we were expecting, but that may have been our fault. The food we did order was tasty and the kids meals came with the frisbee it was served in. They had fun. Food was expensive. read more

Went there on our last night in the OBX. A party of 10 we waited about 30. The place was very busy. They had some drink specials and food specials reasonably priced. I had the pecan crusted Mahi. It was delicious !! Some people had steak and they liked it too. My food was served very hot. Our waitress Lauren was very nice and efficient !! I will definitely go back. read more

A great piece of history, along with great food and amazing ocean views. The menu has a broad selection of options ranging from steamers (clambakes) to burgers and gourmet pizzas. We shared a gourmet Greek pizza (vegetarian) and full pound of snow crab. Only "negative" is that I ordered a Moscow mule and it came in a plastic cup (I still drank it!) read more

An old OBX standby. Never fails to deliver good service and fresh food. Their gourmet pizzas are the best on the beach with a funky, beach vibe. Gift shop is full of fun items for browsing while you wait with that pager for a table to open up! We locals enjoy BP in the off season too, when there is rarely any waiting! Try their crab cake sandwich, always pleasing. My favorite is the Prima Vera Pizza, just the right balance of veggies and cheese with a crisp crust. Bring the whole family, very kid friendly. And I hear the bar is great too! read more

We are regulars here, favorite restaurant in the area. Great wood burning oven pizzas. I like the primavera with mostly veggies and pine nuts or the florentine with bacon and spinach. Boyfriend swears by the pepperoni and must have it at least once a month. Pretty good seafood (a lot seems to be frozen not fresh but still gives you the "seafood fix" you might want while at the beach.) If you like jalapeño poppers you have to try theirs. It gets crowded sometimes but staff is pretty good about keeping up with the pace. Always a good sign that they are busy and open year-round though. They have a nice casual place to sit outside under a covered deck and overlook the beach but it's rarely taken advantage of which is shame- probably because most restaurants can't serve food outdoors around here. You can bring your drinks up there yourself though and hang out. read more

Off season not the best choice. Drab atmosphere and dark inside. Help was just ok. Would like to try again when the back deck is open. Food was nothing to write home about. read more

We tried it for lunch on a Monday (today). No wait. Good service. Refills came timely. I had the tuna salad on salad, and my husband had the pulled pork with onion rings and cold slaw. The tuna salad was good; it had very small pieces of red and yellow peppers in it and quite tasty. Not to much mayo although no celery. The pulled pork was good - perhaps not as finely pulled as some places but good. No vinagar-based sauces available but the two they provided were good. Cold slaw was just like what we had at another place the day before and very good. By far, the highlight was the coconut cream pie - to die for. Good prices. read more

Not a big pizza fan but went to have their white seafood pizza. It was topped with lots of scallops and shrimp and tasted great. Service was great. read more

We were looking for a place to eat around 10PM. Everything else was closed so we stumbled upon the Black Pelican. The food was really good. The Chesapeake Bay Pizza was really good. The desserts are also really good and large portions. read more

We search for "local" spots and the Black Pelican was suggested to us. All I can say is that I am glad we took the suggestion! We sampled several appetizers - the fried green tomatoes are wonderful! Our server - Cara - did an excellent job selling the menu! Shrimp and grits, stuffed flounder, crab cakes, and the banana oreo cake were enjoyed by all! Great local draft beer as well as cool kids menu served on a frisbee makes a good choice for all ages! read more

We have been visiting the Black Pelican for years. And each year we make it a tradition to visit the Black Pelican! Our dinner this year was no exception it was fantastic. My youngest enjoyed the Jumbo Crab legs which he devoured. The rest of us ordered several of the pizzas which were also very good. The service was friendly and courteous to our large boisterous group. All was fantastic. This is a definite OBX experience! read more

The food was amazing! We went there twice, once for lunch and once for dinner. Both meals were really great. The service was also really great. Both waitresses were very friendly and able to give us great recommendations. The manager even came to check on us during dinner. She was also bussing tables, which I think says a lot about how she runs her business. read more

We were in obx for a week and this restaurant was the only one we went back to for a second meal. Friday nights in the offseason they have a prime rib special, but its not really listed on the menu. The baked brie appetizer was very tasty. read more

Best crab cakes I've had in a very long time! The grilled shrimp were also fantastic. We'll definitely be making return visits.

Great location and awesome food! The crab and shrimp dip is a great starter along with the calamari. We had a large party and tried everything from the pizza to the seafood risotto and other seafood dishes. It was pretty loud but doubt anything can be done to avoid this from happening. read more

Awesome restaurant. Stopped in for lunch today and was shocked at the speed of service and quality of food, being Memorial Day weekend. We ordered pizzas, cheese and Greek, amazing crust and super fresh toppings on the Greek. Our server was quick and attentive during our entire meal. Location, couldn't have been better, ocean view seats from inside and they have a bar overseeing the beach as well. A must stop if you're in the OBX. read more

Enjoyed the Cajun shrimp and grits. Greek salad was better than most Greek places. Food is high end with a casual environment. Great value. Repeat customers. Craved since last visit 4 years ago. read more

Food was just okay. Pretty surprised with how highly recommended this place came. Possibly just an off day, view was amazing.

After agonizing over a final night's place to eat, a friend suggested this place. We arrived at 5:30 PM and were seated immediately. Our waitress was prompt, courteous and friendly. She was very attentive and glexible-cheerful too. Our food came out in 15 minutes. It was well prepared and tasted great. Everyone was satisfied and well-fed. The prices were decent and for a good amount of food. Everyone stuffed themselves and barely had room for the excellent cream cheeses we ordered. The chef here is to be complimented! read more

Food was amazing, a little pricey but worth it! Servers were friendly and attentive. Atmosphere was nice. Great experience!!! We will be back read more

This place was just ok. Was not impressed. I had the seafood risotto and my wife had the shrimp and crab dip. The desserts looked delicious but we decided to pass on those for the evening. read more

Neat place with cool decor and a good vibe. A group of us sat at the bar to eat on Thursday night because there was a wait for a table. Both bartenders were friendly and attentive. The others all ordered the shrimp and grits and loved it. I ordered the Margherita Pizza because one of my friends highly recommended the wood-fired oven pizzas. It was not at all what I expected--they used "house cheeses" instead of fresh mozzarella and I just didn't notice that on the menu. Every single wood-fired Margherita pizza I've ever had in the past (and it's my favorite so I've had it a lot) has been made with fresh mozzarella. I should have read the menu more carefully. If you're not a wood-fired oven pizza snob and you enjoy a more American-style taste (vs. Neapolitan), you might love their Margherita pizza. I didn't. If you're a shellfish eater, I recommend ordering the shrimp and grits. My friends talked about how much they loved their meal for days. read more

Black Pelican is a super restaurant with a diverse menu and friendly staff. The prime rib special on Fri night is a great value. Their shrimp and grits are excellent, as is the flounder/shrimp dinner. read more

We sat right by the front windows so a damn great view. I dug their plant based options - hummus and veggie pita! Boyfriend got lie rubbed mahi - yum read more

Fish and chips. Regular beach fare. So why does the fish seem to be non existent in the fish and chips? I am guessing this restaurant has become touristy. And it appears to me that quality food is off the menu read more

The food was good but the service was pretty slow and that's on a Wednesday night. The decor is a little outdated. I went there with 7 people to celebrate a birthday. I bought a cake through 'Just Desserts' and was told by the lady who runs the dessert business that I could bring it into the Black Pelican no problem since she caters for them all the time. When I asked if they could bring it out with the candles lit I was told no. In fact they were going to charge my $15 just for bringing the cake in but we're going to provide nothing in return besides plates and silverware. I spent almost $200 at this restaurant and you're going to charge me $15 and provide absolutely nothing?!?! That disappointed me. However I'm not going to completely ding the Black Pelican...it just needs some upgrading and maybe some better customer service! read more

This is a family-type beach restaurant with surprisingly good cuisine, especially seafood. Great vegetarian platter for my wife. Portions are large. Genuinely friendly and attentive wait-staff. The fact that the building really was the Life Saving Station associated with the Wright Brothers gives it a special character. The upstairs bar has great sea views. read more

Food, service and view were fantastic! Crab cakes were delicious. Key lime pie was outstanding!

Not a terrible experience but not great either. I asked the bar tender if they had a drink menu, she told me no and redirected me to the wine/beer list on the menu. Half an hour later, I overhear her offer a drink menu to another customer. I'm hoping she just misunderstood me when I asked, but this *really* rubbed me the wrong way. Even if I had asked about happy hour specials or something, offer a customer a drink menu! Then, the fried oysters I had with my dinner were soggy and not crispy. Similar to reheating fried foods in the microwave. So as I said, not great but not terrible. Not really worth the hour wait though. read more

The estimated 45 minute wait was exactly that. The restaurant provides outdoor seating with games like cornhole in addition to the bar seating. The wait staff was very friendly and knowledgeable about our party's gluten free needs. Bacon scallops were large and tasty. The Wanchese risotto is highly acclaimed and for good reason. The gluten free wood fired oven barbecue chicken pizza was excellent. Gouda mashed potatoes were outstanding. We were fortunate to be seated in the front room where it was less noisy. read more

Just ok. Nothing special. Good beer selection, but fish was overcooked.

The pizza was really good. The BBQ pulled pork was very spicy (i like spicy so it was good). The kids pizzas come on a Frisbee which made for some fun on the beach. My reason for 4 stars instead of 5 is that you couldn't order a larger Pizza. They only come in one size 9 inches. But very delicious. read more

What to say? Amazing!!! The Black Pelican was just the authentic type of seafood restaurant that we were looking for. Not only was the service,decor and menu excellent, the oysters (from Maryland) & mussels were top notch. The Pelican nut brown ale on draught met my husband's high expectations. As for me, I was really impressed by the daily special of swordfish & wahoo grilled with asparagus spears over couscous. The chef had a light but deft hand with spices. I have had similar dishes in other establishments that ended up tasting like a muddled mess. My husband's entree of pan seared rockfish over rice was also quite tasty. The Black Pelican was a wonderful place to eat on New Year's day. There is also a sweet little gift shop with some unique souvenirs. read more

This was the best meal of our visit to OBX. Lots of selection and seafood. Hard for me to choose, so, we will comeback for sure. Specials on menu were good too added to difficult choice on what to have. A very good thing. Waitress really helpful too on adjusting order for food allergy too. read more

We were looking for a Mid day drink and appetizers today. My wife found this place and we decided to try it. The second story deck overlooking the ocean was amazing. Mike the bartender provided some of the best service we have ever had on the OBX. In Peak season I highly recommend the deck and ask for Mike! read more

We both thought the pizza and dessert were amazing. The wings were a good size the flavor was only so-so.

I have no clue why some of the recent reviews were negative. I eat here every trip to the OBX because it's good and tonight was no different. Prime rib was cooked perfectly with great flavor, smoked Gouda mashed potatoes were on point. Other party got fried shrimp and crab legs. They agreed it was great. One commented that the green beans were the best they had ever had. Service was phenomenal. So for anyone apprehensive because of a few recent, low reviews...don't pay them any attention. read more

Noisy, crowded, 20min wait on weekends. Terrific food, good service. Our steak and blackened crab cakes tonite was super. Last nite's baked shrimp and crab entree was likewise delicious, plenty of meat, fresh, sweet. Wine is inexpensive. read more

If my cousin were writing this, he'd give it 6 stars if possible. I, however, have a somewhat different opinion. The food here is good, and the atmosphere is excellent, not to mention the outstanding service. However, the wait is almost always ridiculously long. The last time I ate here, we waited for (and I'm not exaggerating here) over an hour and a half to be seated. I was thinking of replacing myself with a doppelganger and fleeing, but I couldn't find anyone who looked like me near the restaurant. It's a good establishment, but if the wait is too long for you to handle, then feel free to go somewhere else. read more

Decent food and servers that work hard. Good for kids. You need to be patient to deal with the crowds, though. I would welcome a return visit during off-peak season or hours. read more