Go for the sunset views, cocktails, and desert. Main course not worth it. Get a reservation early for the stunning views. Worth it but not for the food. For fine dining, every dish was slightly off. Thai curry mussels, too salty. Yes it's mussels but it over seasoned. Shrimp pasta, shrimp was overcooked and too many capers make it too acidic. Tuna with the coconut rice, overcooked mushy rice. Cocktails were amazing. Desert was amazing. Go for sunset, cocktails and desert. Not main meal. read more

Our service was incredible! Our waiter came back often to check on us and was very knowledgeable of the menu and provided recommendations! Food was absolutely amazing! Beautiful sunset views at any seat in the restaurant! Highly recommend! read more

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Just WOW! I've not had crab cake Benedict quite like cafe Pamlico. The service was wonderful and the food... so yummy! Very, very good. I'm so happy I ate local. To me, it's a win win read more

Cafe Pamlico - Yummy crab cakes Benedict - Seafood Near Me - Buxton, North Carolina

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We went down to Hatteras to visit my in laws but we wanted to grab breakfast before and I found this little gem on Yelp. My husband the first bite of the cure was delicious. My husband wanted more. My eggs Benedict were good. Hollandaise needed something I couldn't figure it out. The hash browns lacked flavor. Everything else was good. We will be back to try other dishes. Service was ok. Good idea to make a reservation instead of showing up. Will do a follow up review. read more

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One of my favorite restaurants, ever. Everything is lovely. The location, the view, the gardens outside, the great service, and the incredible food and drinks. The lavender lemonade is amazing. The caesar salad is our absolute favorite. The lobster bisque is incredible. The salmon, shrimp tempura appetizer, blackened scallops... all amazing. When I visited this year, I came for dinner, breakfast, and had take-out- all were spectacular. My favorite item of all time was the almond creme brûlée- it was unbelievable. I will be dreaming about it forever. I adore this place! read more

Hubby and I were excited to have a nice brunch and were very disappointed by the food and service. Despite being mostly empty, the service took over an hour to get food, and over 10 minutes to get simple condiments once the food came. The eggs and sausage are overcooked and pre frozen, not fresh, and portions were extremely small for such a long wait. Definitely would not come back! Maybe lunch or dinner is better, but I'd skip anything on the breakfast menu. read more

Every summer, my family heads to Buxton for our annual beach trip. We've been coming for years and at this point, we've tried most of the restaurants in the area, but somehow just discovered Café Pamlico... and I'm so glad we did! From the start, the service was so attentive. Our server made sure our drinks stayed full (always a win), and they brought out warm bread with olive oil for the table, which everyone loved. I ordered the scallops and they were cooked perfectly--tender, flavorful, and beautifully plated. My husband had the shrimp and grits, and kept saying how good it was with every bite. You can really tell they care about quality ingredients and presentation. The setting is also super cozy and welcoming. It's definitely going on our list of regular spots when we're in town. Highly recommend if you're in the Buxton area. read more

I can't recommend this place enough. We traveled down the OBX south on a Sunday for the day to see the Lighthouses and came across this gem. If ever back for a vacation, we would make it back to Cafe Pamlico again. It had indoor and open air seating. We choose open air seating which air seating which also had live music by Jackie Burns who was great! Service was a little stretched, but they just had a huge wedding night before who was also being served brunch. The staff was in constant communication with us to let us know how things were going. If I changed anything, I'd try to get there before 11 to get their breakfast! Try a mimosa, they are great. Food was great with great portions. Really great vibe, great views and an amazing staff! read more

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Food was fabulous. Husband said the tomato bisque was the best he had and the shrimp tempura and tuna appetizers were amazing. Service was great and was happy to find this gem open on the off season. Dog friendly too. Sat on the patio with an amazing sunset. read more

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Wow what a fun place. Very formal but not stuffy at all. Excellent sound view with sunset for dinner. I got shrimp and grits. Perfection. read more

Cafe Pamlico - Shrimp & Grits - Seafood Near Me - Buxton, North Carolina

We had dinner and went back for brunch the following weekend. Our dinner was delicious which included shrimp and grits, lobster bisque and special scallop dish. Excellent! read more

We visited OBX back in August 2025. This restaurant was one of 2 restaurants which required reservations much in advance. Unfortunately we could not get a dinner reservation but we did get breakfast before we had to head back home. Ambiance is great. The cafe sits right on the bay and offers great views while you enjoy your meal. Service was very attentive. The food was also very nice and we did have a chance to meet with the owner, Steve. We will definitely book a dinner reservation in advance when we visit next time. read more

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Went for a long wedding weekend with young kids and we had a perfect stay! The food was excellent, the kids always had an option they enjoyed too, they devoured french toast everyday! We went for breakfast everyday, the food comes out fresh, so enjoy the wait for a filling & fresh meal. The chorizo breakfast burrito and The cure biscuit were on repeat! The staff is top notch; kind, helpful, genuine, and welcoming. The views are lovely; We had one night with a sunset that was absolutely unreal. The spacing and seating is well spread out and even in the pouring down rain, we had great seats and stayed dry! read more

Trust your map software on this one. It's nestled off the road so just turn when it tells you to and park the. Walk up the small incline to the restaurant. The place has indoor and outdoor dining options and we dined outside which gives a view of the sound. They have windows so you can feel like you are outside but not fight bugs. The wait staff was nice and friendly giving the specials and being attentive without hovering. They even took time to shoot selfies of a large group of diners. The food, I had the eggs Benedict and my wife had the frittata were both awesome. The country ham on the eggs Benedict was not salty so it didn't overpower the eggs and fried green tomatoes. The prices may seem a little more than what you expect but they use great ingredients and don't skimp on them from the bacon in my wife's frittata to her mimosa. read more

Cafe Pamlico - Eggs Benedict - Seafood Near Me - Buxton, North Carolina

We come here 2x a year and always reserve a dinner for Pamlico Inn for dinner and it always delivers! Filets cooked to perfection and the lobster bisque is very good! Can't beat the views at sunset so we recommend later reservations if you can.....recommend getting your reservation in a week before you come if you want a preferred table and time. read more

Cafe Pamlico - Water view - Seafood Near Me - Buxton, North Carolina

The restaurant is warm and friendly from the beginning Aylah the bartender greeted us with a smile & awesome jalapeño margaritas. Dallas are waiter a true professional with attentive customer service. The food was delicious from the shrimp app, lobster bisque and black drum special dinner. The friendly owner stopped by the table to ask if everything was good. Enjoy this hidden gem! read more

Cafe Pamlico - Delicious Black Drum - Seafood Near Me - Buxton, North Carolina

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Last minute reservation on a Sunday night- everything was delicious and our waiter, Cody, was very nice. Excited to come back & maybe stay at The Inn! read more

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This is my go to spot on Hatteras island. The best option if you're looking for something more upscale. Great views of the sound too.

From the view, to the food, to the service...everything was top notch! Very thankful to have stumbled upon this place as we were heading south down the outer banks and needed a solid breakfast spot to fuel us for the day. The service was quick and easy. The view was spectacular! And to top it off the breakfast was great! Thank you for having us! read more

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We had a wonderful dinner during our visit to the Outer Banks. Delicious food, friendly staff and amazing views. Highly recommend. read more

Cafe Pamlico - Sunset views - Seafood Near Me - Buxton, North Carolina

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This may be the best dinner in the area! We came around 6 pm on a Friday night and were told that without a reservation, we would not get a table until 8:15 pm or we could eat at the bar. We sat at the bar which had excellent service and if you swiveled your chair, there was a beautiful view of the bay. Craig, the bartender and our server, was great. As soon as we sat down, he asked us what we wanted to drink. I ordered a blood orange spicy margarita. It was delicious, perfectly sweet and spicy. He even topped it off for me as I drank it - perk of sitting at the bar! We also got the burrata appetizer with tomatoes and grilled portobellos. I don't like mushrooms but they were really nicely cooked and the burrata and tomatoes went with it perfectly. I was really torn on what to get for an entree but ultimately decided on the crab cakes. The crab cakes were almost completely made of crab, not a ton of filler, and really flavorful. I also really liked the vegetables it came with, they were crisp but not undercooked. If that wasn't enough food, I wanted something sweet to finish off, and I can't resist key lime pie. If it is on the menu, I'm ordering it. Even though it was really well done, it was not my favorite because it had nuts in the crust. Personal preference, nuts do not belong in a key lime pie. The filling was great and I still ate most of it aside from the crust. All of the other desserts looked amazing, especially the cheesecake and the flourless chocolate torte. Do not skip this place if you're anywhere near it, it is worth it! read more

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I absolutely hated this yuppy he'll hole. They took a beautiful property and put the most pretentious and rude staff here to ruin the landscape. You're not allowed to order beer during brunch, only dinner. Brunch is exclusively terrible cocktails, and cheap champagne spritzers. I don't mean cheap price, I mean cheaply made, crap. You can't order a Benedict without crab. All we wanted was for them to remove the crab, and serve it plain, but that's not allowed, so you have to remove it yourself when they bring it out. Are they premade? There's a dog that begs for food and lies under your table while you eat. No thank you. The waitress doesn't know the ingredients in the food and blew off one guests allergy concerns. They had an allergic reaction. We were told we couldn't sit by the water because the table was for 6 and we only had 4. Then they sat 3 people there. Yes, there were multiple other 4 top tables open. I can only review what I had which was steak frites...which had less meat than you get in a chicken nugget happy meal. The entire table laughed and offered me some of their food. One Steak "skewer" (more like toothpick) was well done, the other rare. Each toothpick had 3 half inch cubes of steak. I guarantee the owner runs this place with more interest in being king of the castle than running a proper restaurant. The staff seemed scared to death of breaking any rules, to the point the experience was the opposite of laid back and fun. If you want to take some nice pictures and brag about where you ate, this place is for you. I would have given another star, but someone had the audacity to warn us not to feed the dog. We weren't feeding the dog, never wanted the dog there, and would have loved if they put it away. But no, you have to eat with the dog, and be lectured like a child that you shouldn't feed the dog. The way they let this dog roam free and bother everyone, I certainly believe they let it walk through the kitchen and shake off all its fleas and dander into the food. Update to owners response: He's a liar. Your waitress absolutely refused to serve beer during brunch. Anyone can simply look at your menu and see that every ingredient in the dish is not listed so you're a liar again. Everything I said in my review is 100% true. The only person acting like a child is you. You can't stand the fact that your "diamond in the rough" has become a flicker in the dust. The fact that this psychopath stalked my review history and came on here to say I only leave 1 star reviews is completely insane behavior. But anyone who wants more proof this dude is a complete liar, go ahead and look at my reviews for yourself and you will see plenty of highly reviewed restaurants, just not Cafe Scamlico! read more

Another amazing dinner! Fillet Neptune and Thai curry with shrimp! Can't say enough amazing things about this place and their service by Cody. Also, cocktails were speculated too!! Beautiful view! read more

Cafe Pamlico - Filet Neptune! He ate every bit! - Seafood Near Me - Buxton, North Carolina

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George makes an amazing espresso martini . Came here for a wedding! It was beautiful and fun! Loved the vibe, my husband and I shared some apps for dinner - delicious! read more

I'm just seeing the owner's response now. After reading the owner's response, I appreciate that you let the woman continue to play her music, given her circumstances. Besides that woman, there were only two or three small groups of us eating near her. A simple explanation from the server about her music would have been sufficient. As for the servers attitude, I wasn't going to make a big deal about that either. But she did give us attitude. Not so much when she noticed my order was wrong, but definitely when I went inside the restaurant to explain how my son's was wrong. She obviously did not believe me when I told her how specific he was when he ordered. She was annoyed and it was obvious and it made me uncomfortable. Still tipped her well. read more

Made a reservation for 10am for brunch, showed up with the option to sit inside or on the patio with live music. We sat on the patio with very chill live music all Brunch. We started with water, a Mimosa flight and possibly the most delicious Mimosa ever, the Pineapple Upside Down Mimosa. For food, we split a parfait with very fresh berries and flavorful vanilla yogurt, the daily special Frittata and Eggs Neptune. All the food was delicious and will absolutely come back. Service was perfect and so friendly, even got a welcomed visit from Maddie the dog! Cafe Pamlico is a must try local gem! read more

This place was fantastic! No complaints. Good food, good vibes, good views!! Our server was very attentive and the service was fast! read more

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Delicious food. We started with the tomato and burrata appetizer, my wife had the tuna and I had the filet Neptune....she said her tuna was very good and my filet and the crab and lobster on top with the sauce was amazing. Service was terrific. Definitely need a reservation, ask for a table with a view and if you are lucky you will see the sound. read more

Had a birthday dinner with boyfriend last night & we haddddd to come back for breakfast! We had Willow serve us last night & she was just phenomenal ! I recommend (from the dinner menu) the 8 oz.filet or the catch of the day !! Breakfast is also amazing here & the scenery?!?! Forget about itttt it's beautiful!!! read more

Cafe Pamlico - Seafood Near Me - Buxton, North Carolina

Food was very plentiful and surprisingly great quality for a little place in rural Buxton! We had two mains and spit it with our family of four, and had some leftovers still! Very friendly and accommodating servers for a severe shrimp allergy. We took our dog and sat on the patio, took a tour of the grounds beforehand, and had a lovely chance encounter with the CEO, who was absolutely delightful. The view is stunning, and a very laid back and casual vibe. read more

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Cafe Pamlico is always a treat. The staff and meals are excellent. We always make sure we go there when we are in town. A must!!! read more

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We decided to try a more upscale outer banks restaurant. I had the flounder and a caprese stack for an appetizer. The caprese stack was tasty and the presentation was very nice. They included mozzarella in the middle is the tomatoes which was a nice touch. Sometimes places are a little skimpy on the mozzarella. That is not the case here. It was very good. The flounder was cooked perfectly. It was not fishy at all which is a plus for me. I usually get tarter sauce with fish because I need some flavor to sort of cover up the fish taste because I am not really a fish fan. They did not have tarter sauce which turned out to be ok because the brown sauce they put on the fish enhanced the flavor. It was very good without tarter sauce. Finally the server was very nice and attentive without being overbearing. The atmosphere was perfect for sunset. This is a very nice (good) place to eat. The bottom line is this place is special. We will be back. This is 5 Siberian Husky paws up!! read more

Cafe Pamlico - Fresh flounder - Seafood Near Me - Buxton, North Carolina

Ambiance was great. Other than that the rest was quite mid. It took our server 20 minutes to bring us our sodas, mind you it was midday and they had about 4 other tables in the whole restaurant. Food was very plain for the prices, needed a little more flavor. I will be going back while on future vacations to try other things to see if it was just one bad experience or if that's just how it is. read more

This beautiful cafe is tucked into the trees and sits sound side. The view is stunning any times of day and the outside area is completely open. There's availability for large groups and you can use open table. The staff were super friendly and accommodating. High top high chairs are available so you don't miss the great view! The cocktail list is great and there's something for everyone. We came for brunch and were able to sit outside. We ended up ordering the omelet of the day. I hate when omelets are overcooked, dry and/or brown - and this was none of those! It was perfectly cooked and fluffy. Their mimosa was delish and I liked the variety of boozy brunch drinks available. Service was outstanding. I will come here again when vacationing and have already recommended it to several people! read more

We had a perfect dinner and phenomenal drinks at this restaurant. The view was lovely and the open air covered seating was comfortable, even for a very hot day. They were set up for a rehearsal dinner and it also looked beautiful! Our service was also really good. Overall, could not recommend more! read more

Amazing food and professional waitstaff. The Chef is top notch and will give you an experience you won't forget.

Was greeted immediately by a hostess who was very welcoming. We sat on the porch with a beautiful view. Waitress suggested the fried chicken sandwich for my husband & he loved it! I got eggs Benedict & pear (from their own tree) pancakes! Everything was excellent. We'll be back! read more

If you want a delicious dinner by the water, look no further than Cafe Pamlico! From the beginning with cocktails and warm crusty bread to the entrees and then ending our evening with the chocolate Bundt cake dessert, the whole experience was perfect! My boyfriend ordered the crab cakes and loved them with the drizzle of sauce and the accompaniment of garlicky brussel sprouts! I ordered the beef filet that was cooked perfectly to "medium". It came with broccolini and delicious potatoes topped with a great red wine sauce. All of this was enjoyed watching the sunset over the Sound. Everyone was so friendly too! We'll definitely be back! read more

Breakfast and dinner were top notch. Staff was as friendly, courteous, and thorough as the best from anywhere. Great restaurant!

Wife and I went for breakfast the other morning. First time there and we will definitely return! I had the Omelette with Pimento cheese... OMG!!! The patio overlooking the Sound on a sunny fall morning was perfect! read more