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    Fish Heads Bar and Grill

    4.2 (574 reviews)
    ModerateAmerican, Bars
    Closed 11:00 am - 10:00 pm

    Fish Heads Bar and Grill Photos

    Business Info

    FISH HEADS BAR AND GRILL ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Live music
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Fish Heads Bar and Grill

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    Reviews With Photos

    Peter P.

    This was a great spot on the pier to eat and drink with our dogs, who are allowed in the outdoor seating area. It is literally right above the beach with great views of the ocean. The food was also incredible. Servers were amazing (several of them stopped by our table to say hi to our huge dogs).

    Shrimp Basket.
    MeeMaw V.

    This was our first and most certainly not our last time eating at Fish Heads. We got our food to go but had to go inside to pick it up, and wow! This place has an incredible vibe and even better view of the water. It was very busy and you could tell it is loved by both tourists and locals. Despite how busy they were, the staff were very friendly and attentive. We got an order of coconut shrimp, fish tacos, shrimp basket (with sweet potato fries), and fish basket (with sweet potato fries). It was all delicious!!! Firstly, they do not skimp on portion size. The fish and shrimp were all fresh and full of flavor. The coconut shrimp was the best I've had, and I love that they have sweet potato fries as an option. The tartar sauce and remoulade were very flavorful, and complimented the seafood perfectly. I highly recommend to anyone who is looking for a place to eat in Nags Head!

    Beach area out front of the restaurant
    Jack T.

    Definitely a place for the locals but if you are able to journey out to this hidden gem you're in luck! Such a fun and unique waterfront spot in southern nags head. While you wait for your table there's a bar and patio with picnic benches at the front you can sit and wait at with a drink. Once you're brought back, you enter this pier space with dining tables and a large bar along with flags, koozies, street signs, and funny license plates on the ceiling. Pretty large menu with lots of seafood offerings and drinks. Definitely more of a fun atmosphere to grab drinks and maybe some apps and sit on the pier and watch the ocean. Good for large groups and casual dinners with friends.

    Outdoor space
    Sarah K. P.

    This place was nearby Jeanette's pier (which was our next stop) so we stopped by for a bite to eat. We were seated right away and the service was good. It was too windy for me... but that's not a fault of the establishment... the food came out super fast and was tasty. The fries here are bombbbbb (they get cold fast cause of the wind so gobble them up quick!) our server was so thoughtful she brought a tasty of their new sour since most people didn't like it... and she was right it wasn't our jam so we opted for a different drink! Talk about great service! The views from the seat and pier were great! We saw some surfers, families along the beach, and some people fishing! There's also merch inside for sale and bait/fishing equipment. Bathrooms are in the teal building on the right (as you walk up from the parking lot)

    Peel and eat shrimp- yummy!
    Caroline J.

    Excellent: Vibe, the shrimp happy hour special, view and location right on the beach! Not so great: The nachos! Not enough cheese and the pico tasted off! Would come back for the shrimp and the overall vibe!

    Teresa W.

    So beautiful! Only reason for three stars is because the restaurant is closed on Monday and Tuesdays. After I apologized to my stomach for hyping her up to be let down but I will be back on a Wednesday next time. Water is so pretty and everyone that worked was really nice definitely coming back!

    Shrimp tacos
    Maggie M.

    This place is so fun! If the weather is nice, it's awesome big getting to sit overlooking the ocean (but it's all outdoors, so skip it if the weather isn't cooperating). I got the shrimp tacos, which were huge and really delicious. My mom's crab cake was almost 100% crab. Service was really efficient. I can tell why this place is so popular! Casual beach vibes, great food, fun atmosphere.

    Fish tacos
    Rohini G.

    Coming to eat or to be eaten alive? My gosh... the mosquitoes here were insufferable. Went here on a Friday evening. The place was packed and we were given an estimated 45 minute wait but were seated in 25. We walked the pier and watched the folks fishing prior to being seated, which was a nice pass time. The whole space was kind of shack style where there was roofing but no windows closing you in. Mosquitos were just going to town on all the diners. While this in itself was a bother, the wait staff's reactions were what were more disappointing. We asked if we could get bugs spray to which our server said they could not provide any. Yet the table next to us received bug spray from their server. When we went to apply the bug spray, staff told us to spray it elsewhere while the other party at the table over was not given any instruction to do so even as they applied bug spray within the establishment and the mist did spread. Finally our server profusely apologized to the table next to us for the bug situation when they were leaving but completely ignored us when we were on our way out. Anyone paying attention could notice the difference in treatment... pretty blatant racism in my view and definitely would not support dining at this establishment. Food was also not good - on its own it would be a 2.5/5 at best. I tried the fish tacos. The tortillas were not warmed, the pico de gallo was just chopped veggies and not a salsa at all, and the fish was far over salted and extremely oily. Came with a side of rice which was dry, hard, and unseasoned. I did not try anything else, but the menu items were super overpriced as they charge for each add on for burgers and sandwiches.

    BOGUS ORDER PROCESSING FEE....you won't know about it until you get your check!
    Jana S.

    This USED TO BE one of our go-to restaurants on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Food is still decent, but check out the photo of our bill. PROCESSING FEE? And it has nothing to do with cash vs. credit card, because they offer a lower price for cash already. Raise your food prices, if you must. Don't put some bogus charge onto your tickets. There are many other places that will appreciate our business without something like that. BUYER BEWARE, because you don't know about it until you get your check! BTW, it was about 3%, if you were wondering.

    David S.

    There were a lot of positives here and a few negatives but overall it's a solid restaurant! Positives: shrimp happy hour is a great deal! Super messy but wonderful for the price. Their salad bowl was fantastic and staff was very nice! Negatives: parking is definitely a nightmare and you need to get there early to get a spot. They charge for every single add on you can get. I got a crab cake sandwich with non of the toppings but asked for sauce on the side and it was $2, which is ridiculous. The crab cake was good but was pretty small for what it should have been on the sandwich and was cooked pretty dark. Overall, it's a great place for happy hour and good food just be careful asking for anything extra.

    Taco over rice and sweet potato fries
    Jillian S.

    TLDR: Beautiful view, decent food, and okay service. Be weary of upcharges. Often busy so arrive early. We arrived around 4:30 pm and a table for 8 took about 20 min. Food: Okay food. Side salad, taco bowl, and happy hour shrimp were the best items. Fried fish was too sweet, sweet potato fries were overcooked, and the crab cake lacked flavor. The crab cake did have the perfect texture and ample salad to accompany it. Drinks: good flavor, limited options, mainly beer. I liked the agave margarita and pain killuh. We ordered drinks at the outdoor bar while waiting for our table. The bartender was efficient. Prices: reasonable prices for a seafood restaurant in OBX, but with lots of upcharges. Most of the upcharges are listed on the menu. Some we did not realize until paying the check. For instance, one member of our party is gluten free. Fish heads only has a couple gluten free items and use flour tortillas for the tacos. Therefore, we ordered the tacos over rice, blackened, and with guacamole. The upcharges for blackened and guacamole were expected. Then the rice was $2 (even though it replaced the tortillas). Plus remoulade sauce was an extra charge. One of our party didn't receive the toppings that originally came with the item, but was charged extra for asking for remoulade sauce. Location: excellent, you dine right on the pier with beautiful views of the ocean. Plan to bring sunscreen or cover up since you may be seated in the sun. Also some of the benches open up to the water so made sure phones, purses, and other items are secure. Service: okay, they are usually busy so you may need to ask for water refills and forgotten items. Our waitress was nice and our food came out quickly. Parking: deep, thin parking lot located in front of the restaurant. This lot fills up quickly and is challenging to turn around in. Public beach access parking lot adjacent is also usually full. Street parking is available nearby.

    Our drinks
    Tricia S.

    Great experience, best nachos ever and the hummus and veggies is really good too. Very fun atmosphere and a great waiter. Highly recommend

    Seats
    Marie S.

    We loved the View! The food was pricey and we all felt sick after. Service was decent. They only serve beer and wine (not a full bar) Only order what is on the menu- any changes and they charge you! No gluten- charge extra, no dairy want a replacement- charge extra.

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    13 days ago

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    19 days ago

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    15 days ago

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    11 months ago

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    20 days ago

    Amazing food and service! Great prices! Can't recommend this place enough!! Perfect for a beach day!

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    2 months ago

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    2 years ago

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    1 year ago

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    28 days ago

    The service was great, we went during their happy hour shrimp which is 4pm-6pm. The shrimp was well flavored and cooked very well!

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    2 years ago

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    11 months ago

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    10 months ago

    We had excellent service and delicious food. The ambiance was typical beach bar and grill. We will gladly return.

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    1 year ago

    What a great atmosphere. The shrimp happy hour is worth visiting alone. Fun is the best way to describe this place!

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    Page 1 of 15

    Ask the Community - Fish Heads Bar and Grill

    Is this a good spot to watch college football?

    There are TV's to be able to watch sports but if it's busy and you don't get seated by the bar it would be hard to see the tv's.

    Do you need reservations during July?

    No reservations available FCFS

    Do they make conch salad?

    No. I didn't see this on the menu.

    Are well behaved dogs allowed on the pier during March?

    No doggies.

    View All 5 Questions

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    Miller's Waterfront Restaurant

    Miller's Waterfront Restaurant

    4.0
    (1.2k reviews)
    2.4 mi
    $$

    Excellent food and great service in a casual atmosphere and great views of the sunset…read more Be aware that they do not take reservations but they have a bar area and a deck in the nice weather where you can wait. The menu has a good amount of variety and everything was fresh and prepared just as we ordered. Our server Morgan was very friendly and took great care of us. The Oregon inlet tuna was excellent blackened and prepared perfectly medium. My wife had the Trawl Boat combo and everything was great but, everything was swimming in butter. The shrimp and scallops are locally sourced. A little less butter and the dish would have been better. The special blackberry bourbon bread pudding with vanilla ice cream was killer. So delicious. Can't wait to go back. Oh and get the hush puppies!!

    I was so excited to try Miller's Waterfront Restaurant after reading such positive reviews. As it…read moreturns out after many trip to OBX, this is one of the worst restaurants I've experienced. My wife and I brought family from Europe thinking that we would have delicious NC seafood. Instead we had food that was only ok in taste and portions that were laughable. When the server handed my wife a 1/4 glass of wine, I laughed out loud. My $32 dollar dish looked like an appetizer and was less filling. We were 4 pretty small adults who all left hungry after spending more than $125 for our meal. The food was not the only issue. The place feels more like a cafeteria. The service was also terrible. Our waiter had a pretty nasty attitude and either was having a bad day or just hated his job. My advice? Go for the view. Standing outside during sundown was spectacular. Then get in your car and eat somewhere else.

    Photos
    Downstairs bar
    Downstairs bar
    Coconut Shrimp
    Coconut Shrimp
    Outside seating

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    Outside seating

    Fish Heads Bar and Grill - tradamerican - Updated June 2026

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