Breakwater Restaurant has one of the most beautiful views I've ever seen! It is the best place to watch the sun set on the water in all of Cape Hatteras (as I was told by several different locals). I would recommend requesting a table on the outdoor patio. I went to Breakwater with my mom and aunt for a sunset dinner. The view of the colors in the sky reflecting in the water was breathtaking. It is indescribable. You have to see it in person! The food was also superb! The three of us split several different appetizers and a dessert. We ordered the crab dip, steamed clams, seared ahi tuna topped with chili sauce, and the firecracker shrimp. All four appetizers were delicious and very different from each other. As we watched the sun disappear, we finished the night off with a glass of wine and a slice of homemade key lime pie- which was also incredible. Last but not least, the service was fantastic. Every single employee was so kind and welcoming. I will certainly be returning to Breakwater the next time I am in the Outer Banks! read more

See all

Our favorite restaurant in Hatteras! The service and food is always amazing, and even for our large group the staff was very quick and accommodating. read more

We were where at the Breakwater in May. We loved everything about the place. The atmosphere was great, live music and casual gatherings at the bar. The food was even better. The tuna nachos were an unexpected hit. I would almost describe it as a poke style fish dish with tortillas chip. read more

Management. Arrived at 6:45pm and had only a short wait for a table for two. That's where the good news ends. Once seated we didn't see our waitress for 15 minutes. We finally ordered salads and an entree each. After a half hour the wedge salad came out with romaine rather than iceberg as expected. Not a big deal, but we were informed they had run out of iceberg. Another half hour went by and we were told they were out of the Spanish rice. Again not a huge deal. Another 40 minutes went by and we were informed that the kitchen was so backed up that they had not started our entrees yet (fish tacos and mahi-mahi). We were dumbfounded because the majority of tables were empty. At that point we decided to settle our bill and leave. Unfortunately everywhere else was closed by that time, so we ended up back at our rental and had sandwiches. As for ambiance, the outside seating looked nice, but the inside is nothing special. In short, we will never set foot inside that establishment again. read more

We sat at the bar and had a lovely visit with their staff. My husband has been craving grouper and the grouper bites did not disappoint! Sauce was delicious as well. The homemade chips and sauce were on point. Can't beat the view! Staff was super friendly! Will definitely come again! read more

Very busy and popular restaurant. Waited a bit for our table and cocktails, but we kept ourselves entertained by enjoying the live music while people watching. Our orders varied all over the menu and there were no complaints on portion size or taste. Our only complaint was every special (and we mean every dish) was sold out. So, we settled on dishes from the menu with most of our dinner mates enjoying the Grouper, which was fresh and tasty. read more

The food at this place continues to be amazing. The Famous Tuna Tort is what reeled us in for our first repeat visit, but everything else on the menu is excellent as well, especially the pasta dishes. The acoustics of this place can make it very loud, but when your plate arrives, you'll likely be too into it to care or want to make conversation. Plus, if you need a break, you can step out on their lovely back porch that overlooks the dock. read more

Breakwater Restaurant - Pasta with Scallops al Greco - Seafood Near Me - Hatteras, North Carolina

The food is good. The view from the dining area was fabulous. The hostess working when my party arrived was the rudest food service worker I have encountered in a long time. She wasn't just rude to my party, but every party I watched enter the establishment. I have not confirmed if her former employer was Dick's or not. read more

The food that we ordered was good, but not really our choice in seafood. The menu was scaled down quite a bit from posts that we read. Not a huge selection. There was live music outside on the patio area but we were seated inside. read more

We love this place, it is one of our favorites when eating out. The best crab cake and also the shrimp is cooked to perfection very lightly breaded,. Always fresh. good choices of wine and amazing views of the sound. It doesn't get any better than this. read more

It was busy on 7/10/21. No mask on staff or customers. No social distancing. Just a report on what I observed. We were told outdoor dining for party of 2 required 30 min wait. We were offered to sit at the bar to get some drinks. We also ordered seafood sampler. The server was kind enough to check on us regularly. We were given a dining table on the deck by the stair where we could still observe the sea (Sound) and the sunset. We then ordered tuna tort, some salad and crab cakes. Personal tips, do not order salad out door if there was string wind from the ocean. Yes, our green was blown and we were able to somehow control it. That was quite embarrassing. The tuna was not at the greatest quality expected for the price because there were fiber among the tissue. We ordered a medium rare but a better restaurant would offer fiberless tuna meat. And similar tuna meat quality you may find at some Japanese sushi restaurant. That was the only down side. Oh, the bar servant came out for the bill on the drink and the starter. Ok, I paid what I consumed but I was kind of expect putting the bill on the dinner too. That's fine but there is room for improvement to better customer service. Just saying it. Not my business if it's not problem. read more

Breakwater Restaurant - Mojito by the deck - Seafood Near Me - Hatteras, North Carolina

We love this place. The food the service the atmosphere inside and out! We love that you can have drinks outside and see the sunset. David the outside bartender is wonderful good drinks and makes sure the music doesn't stop after the live group stops. Food is amazing as well. Can't go wrong at Breakwater read more

Good food! Excellent decor and atmosphere. The only issue was the steps to get to restaurant had lots of door olé waiting to get it and converge small area inside door. Overall delicious food! read more

Great dinner on the deck the service was fantastic, the food was delicious and the music ws great read more

Breakwater Restaurant - An anniversary celebration - Seafood Near Me - Hatteras, North Carolina

My parents have been coming to Breakwater for several years, while this was my first time. What a fantastic restaurant! The food was unique and delicious. The service was 10+ stars. We got there right at 5PM when they opened and were seated right away. Service was fast and our appetizers were out very quickly. We're so glad we chose to come to Breakwater this year - they did not disappoint! read more

Food and drinks were very good. Service excellent! Very noisy but overall experience was great!

Excellent food, get the oysters! Shrimp and grits are a must! We stopped in on a whim and boy were we pleased. read more

See all

A lot of restaurants were closed on the Sunday we were in the OBX. We decided to drive here from Buxton and were not disappointed. We sat at the bar and the bartenders were amazing and hustling and were busting their keisters and keeping a cheery disposition! The she-crab soup and mahi tacos were excellent and my wife had the crab cakes which were loaded with fresh crab meat and were a 10 on her very discerning scale. I commend Laura and the entire staff for working in such challenging times and doing their very best to keep their customers satisfied and providing excellent customer service! Definitely recommend and will be back! read more

My family visits the Breakwater each summer and it never fails to satisfy. The staff is very friendly and attentive. The atmosphere is great! Nothing like looking out over the sound while enjoying a great meal. All of the food is delicious, never had a bad meal yet! We will continue to visit the Breakwater every summer and we always recommend it to friends and vacationers we meet. read more

Pretty big disappointment, honestly! Wish we'd listened to the Yelp reviews. The place is pretty nice view wise and the wine list is pretty descent...a couple of good choices from the homeland (Sonoma County, CA). Unfortunately, the service sucked bad! The food was not great...at all. But definitely the worst part was the lack of service. The place wasn't busy and we are pleasant engaging customers, both of which have worked in the industry, and this was bad. Just go to Dinky's instead! read more

Great Service! Nice ride down Hwy-12 to see the sunset! And eat yummy food! We sat on the patio and it was a breathtaking view! Peaceful!

Our group of 6 found out about this restaurant after parasailing, whose main office was on the first floor. We had a great experience with our waitress, Melinda (haha, try to guess her age), and enjoyed the food... some of which Melinda recommended. I had the Clayhouse Cabernet Sauvignon with Chicken Marsala, and split both the Peanut Butter Pie and Apple Pie Cheesecake for dessert, which were both decadent! The live music and sunset views on the deck made the location perfect. Though the menu can be pricey, it was worth treating ourselves on our last night in Hattera. read more

Breakwater Restaurant - The Peanut Butter Pie was my favorite! - Seafood Near Me - Hatteras, North Carolina

Sorry. Our visit to Breakwater on Friday night was the worst meal of the week. I ordered the crab cakes while my wife had chicken. Neither tasted exceptional. In fact, they both had a strange taste. At least the red potatoes and seasonal vegetables were good as was the cheesecake. We had much better meals (for basically the same price) all week at the other area restaurants. Dinky's (MahiMahi/filet), Howard's Pub (East Carolina BBQ), Sandbar (blackened wahoo), *Rusty's (swordfish/prime rib), Hatteras Sol (tuna special). *best meal of the week It was also the slowest kitchen by far. They weren't even busy compared to the other establishments. I enjoy the decor and atmosphere at Breakwater, but Dinky's and Hatteras Sol were just as nice. Dinky's has a nice view. So does Hatteras Sol. Everyone cites the view at Breakwater. Yes, it has a nice one, but it's nothing extraordinarily special compared to the others. Not sure if I will be back. read more

Breakwater Restaurant - Crab cakes - June 10, 2016 - Seafood Near Me - Hatteras, North Carolina

Basically the only positive thing I can say about this place is that there was a besutiful view of the sunset. We understand it is hard to find good help due to Covid, but it is hard to be understanding when while being completely ignored for 30 minutes (except by the mosquitos,my fault I forgot to spray). No one even said "I'll be with you in a moment". We watched a bus person clear a table nearby but removing two items at a time. I bussed tables in college and was probably the worst ever but I could do better than that. We watched a server bring out 2 drinks, one in each hand. Apparently no tray service here. When we eventually got our orders, the food was cold, not even luke warm. We are pretty old, and I have to say that in our lifetimes, that has never happened before. My husband had trouble getting a second beer, I guess the server didn't hear him when she walked by and he asked for one. When we asked the server if someone had called out sick, she said no, but there were some new people just starting. The poor server was clearly frustrated, perhaps she was never told that our table was hers. If the food and live music had been great, we would try again. A local had recommended this place, so perhaps they were just having an off night. But I would say go here for the view, get your drink at the bar and take it outside, but eat somewhere else. At a small table next to us, we noticed a customer who must be a regular- she brought a book with her. read more

See all

Breakwater is a hidden gem that seems to fly under the radar. So much so that it took us three years of owning our place down in Frisco before we made it here for dinner. First, I believe Breakwater is the only restaurant on Hatteras Island (or at least south of the Tri-villages) that has outdoor water-view seating. The menu is slightly upscale to typical Hatteras restaurants; about on par with nearby Hatteras Sol and Dinky's. Food was excellent. Fish was fresh and prepared perfectly. Crab dip was delicious. The waitress was great with out antsy 3 year old and brought his food out right away. It will definitely be added to our restaurant rotation. read more

Nice views.. however never got a table waited over 2 hours and still was never seated. Highly disappointed. Wouldn't waste your time.

FANTASTIC food and cocktails. The scallops appetizer was by far the best I've had, very good price for the quality. Fried calamari was delicious as well. The young ladies working at the bar are extremely professional--we were impressed with how efficient they were behind the bar, taking orders and making drinks during a busy time. Too often you see bartenders on their phones, talking amongst each other, or worse yet, drinking and ignoring customers. Not the case here. Excellent work all around. Good beers on draft and a great view, too. read more

I love this place, food drinks and view are awesome. Definitely my favorite spot in hatteras village

My dinner was delicious. However a friend asked for ckn parm with no Alfredo and was served ckn with Alfredo. He sent it back and they brought the same ckn back with Alfredo again. When this was pointed out the waitress asked if there was an allergy. Ultimately 50% was taken off his meal but the ckn he did get was super small. It's too bad everything else was so delicious- I'm not sure we'll be back read more

The restaurant is just beautiful. This is the second time we visited, this time we my parents. The food was delicious, the location, customer service, the cleanliness, and the experience in general is worth five stars, the taste of the water has not improved since we last visited. One of the few restaurants on Cape Hatteras, where the water tastes like dirt. Is this something that you could please improve? read more

I have eaten at the Breakwater a number of times and I've consistently had excellent meals. Very friendly staff with the exception of the hostesses. Bartender is great and so are the servers. Why hire the only 2 pretentious people in Hatterras as your hostesses? Oh well. Nice looking restaurant with a great view of the sound. Good drinks and sunset. Grouper bites and home made potato chips were great appetizer at the bar. Mahi specials were awesome. Fried trigger fish was well done and big portion. I don't think it's trigger fish, likely cod. Not expensive but not cheap. I think it's worth it, which is why I go back when in Hatteras. read more

This place was amazing! Best seafood restaurant I've been to. And to top it off, they had my favorite cider, Rekorderlig!

I would say that this is the best dining experience you can get on the island. The service was good and the food and selection + quality makes this a must for anyone visiting the area. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a terrific seafood experience. read more

Breakwater Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Hatteras, North Carolina

Didn't get to eat there. Yelp and other places show this place is dog friendly, however, it is not. The pet friendly section should be updated to say no pets. read more

Service was excellent. Our wait attendant Kelly was very attentive and extremely hospitable. The food was also very good. The calamari was one of the best I've had. Not too greasy not too overcook, just right. Tuna special was fantastic and the shrimp tortellini special was also excellent cooked. Keep up the great job. Highly recommend. read more

Breakwater Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Hatteras, North Carolina

See all

Great deck, great atmosphere and great food! We definitely will be back. The deck and sunset were our favorite!

Had dinner tonight and started with the crab dip and calamari, both were delicious! Our party ordered the scallop tortellini, the asian tuna special and the bolognese ravioli- everyone loved their meal! Would definitely recommend, nice atmosphere and great views. read more

See all

We arrived when dinner hour was in full swing. The place was packed with locals and visitors. we had to wait for a table but agreed to eat outside, even though it meant working around the setting sun. for starter we had the crab dip-lots of crab and not too spicy. Had the swordfish, tasty and not overcooked, and salmon, prepared well but very small portion. Our server was friendly and had a good sense of humor. We adored the veggies. They were well prepared and served, not just an afterthought. read more

Dined at the Breakwater tonight with family, our server Hannah was amazing, she was very knowledgeable and friendly. I highly recommend the restaurant as well as the server. Will definitely be returning before we head back to Louisiana at the end of the month. read more

Great location with plenty of parking Good drink specials Vegetarian options as appetizer and entree read more