This restaurant was recommended to us by our host. Needless to say, the food was outstanding! My husband had the beer can shrimp and I tried the special which was a steak burrito with queso, avocado, rice, and roasted corn. There is live music which is nice to listen to while eating and visiting. There was also indoor and outdoor seating depending on your preference. The hostess, Kimberly, was outstanding! She helped us choose items since it was our first time dining there. We ended up taking the Atlantic Beach Pie home. It was so good with the perfect balance of sweet, salty, and tartness. Everything on the menu looked delicious. This is definitely a repeat stop when we come back to Emerald Isle. read more

Gaffers - Beer Can Shrimp - Bars Near Me - Emerald Isle, North Carolina

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Went to Gaffer's today for lunch with work colleagues. Staff were super friendly & attentive. We sat outside because it was so beautiful. It was a little chilly but they did have heat lamps so that was nice. My Garden Pasta was excellent! Will definitely go to Gaffer's again with my family! read more

Gaffers - Garden Pasta with Garlic Bread - Bars Near Me - Emerald Isle, North Carolina

Very nice lunch on the patio. We each had the Cobb salad, and we ordered the crab dip for an appetizer. Everything was delicious, generous serving sizes and excellent service! read more

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Have you ever been to a restaurant where you can't decide if you like it or not? Gaffers is one for me. I was visiting family in E I North Carolina and we needed a place to have dinner. Gaffers is "in the neighborhood", so that's where we went. Gaffers has a tropical decor. It was very hot outside but we sat outside in the Tiki Bar area because there was a loud live band. I guess we didn't care much for conversation because this was toward the end of our trip and we were kind of talked out, could just about shout our orders to the very nice waitress. The kid wanted onion rings as an appetizer . It was a large platter of good size rings with a creamy dipping sauce. They were very good. The Southwest Egg Rolls, with a creamy dipping sauce were very good as well. Fish dominated the menu and according to my dinner partners the tuna and salmon dishes were very good. Cheeseburgers were cooked according to request. The MAHI taco wasn't as good as expected, the fish was too chunky and not very flavorful. French fries were hand cut and very good. So Gaffers is good. Not great and I don't know if I would return next time I'm in Emerald Isle. They do serve breakfast and lunch, maybe if I sit inside and there is no loud band I will try breakfast. It is right in the neighborhood. read more

Amazing food and service. Well worth the stop. Come up every now and then for their sandwiches. read more

Gaffers - Club sandwich and onion rings. - Bars Near Me - Emerald Isle, North Carolina

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Food was mediocre and way overpriced especially for kids meals. They add upcharges on sauces and charged an adult price on addition of shrimp to a kids meal. Total kids meal price came to $25 for a small cup of pasta with alfredo, a few tiny shrimp, and an applesauce cup! Would have been better off ordering two separate kids meals. The tortillas in the fish tacos did not taste fresh and mahi was served in long pieces on top of taco which made it challenging to eat. Prices of specials were not disclosed and explanation of menu options were not provided in a helpful way. Interior seating area was uncomfortably hot and crowded. read more

So disappointed. Haven't been here to eat in a year. Still a fun place to eat with outside tables, great music, and ambiance but the food this time was just mediocre. They were out of chicken. How does any Resturant run out of chicken? No salads with chicken added, no chicken entrees, only chicken available was chicken wings. I ordered those with bbq sauce and they weren't very good. Had a lot of breading and sauce with little chicken. Ranch dressing and celery cost extra. Who does that with wings. We were a party of 6, everyone ordered and had there food but the person who ordered a salad with Tuna. There's came 10 minutes after everyone else. This was my favorite Resturant until last night. I'll try again when we come back to the beach but I sure hope they stop going downhill. read more

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Love this place. I always get the shrimp and grits and am never disappointed. Nice beer selection as well with selections from around North Carolina. Service is always good. On our most recent visit, Ashley waited on us and she was fantastic. Highly recommend this place for lunch, dinner or just to grab a beer and an appetizer. read more

The hostess was awesome. She helped us find a seat in the sun and was attentive and fun. We didn't know how big the plates would be until after we ordered so we got the seafood omlette, shrimp and grits, and biscuits and Gravy. Let me just say, that was the best mistake I have made in a long long time. There was way too much food, but between two adults and a toddler, we managed to clean all three plates. I have to say, those biscuits somehow surpassed anything I thought biscuits and gravy could be. The shrimp and grits was absolutely breathtaking, and the seafood omlette sent our taste buds smiling. We came here not expecting much, and left with our expectations blown away. If we are back in town, or within 50 miles, we will visit again! read more

Gaffers - Seafood Omlette/Biscuits and Gravy/Shrimp and Grits - Bars Near Me - Emerald Isle, North Carolina

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Delicious seafood pasta, the service was amazing. I wish we had asked for her name. Oh and the live music added to the ambiance.

Let's start with the great: we were sat right away at 5:30 on a Wednesday night and it was pretty packed. Our server was very nice and attentive even though she was clearly busy and the food came out quickly! Why 3 stars? The food was over cooked, over sauced, and unfortunately just pretty bad. Four adults and a 2 year old, none of us, including the very hungry baby ate more than a bite of our main meals including the lobster stuffed mahi, fish sandwich, fish tacos, crab cake dinner and fish bites for the little one. We did enjoy our sides of green beans. The food isn't cheap, anywhere from $25-$39 per main dish. If you have very low expectations for the food and maybe stick to the appetizers (although we didn't try any), and beer, you may be ok! read more

The service was great and the prices pretty normal for the island.. the kids meals were a big let down. Super expensive for literally noodles with marinara no meat and even the marinara was an up charge. If you're going for a date night or out with adults it'll be great just don't recommend for kids! read more

Everything about this trip to Gaffers was great. Sat on the patio, which was awesome. Our server was very attentive, without being bothersome. The cocktails were SO GOOD! We started with the Beer Can Shrimp which were perfect. Hubby ordered the Southwest Egg Rolls (a pretty nice sized Starter!) and I got the Down Sound Shrimp & Grits. Both of these menu items were outstanding! Would LOVE to come back to try that NC Shrimp BLT!!! All good here folks... read more

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Dined on Sunday 5/4/25 - The service was extremely!! slow. The food was cold when served(had to send back to rehea). From order until food served took 35 minutes. "Eggs Benny"(overcooked), "Home fries"(burnt), had to beg waitress for refill on water & tea. I will not return here again. Bad experience all around. read more

Good service, charming ambiance, disproportionate pricing compared to what you get. The potato casserole is an up charge to an already pricy breakfast burrito but I will say it's a delish potato side. read more

Gaffers - Breakfast burrito and potato caserole - Bars Near Me - Emerald Isle, North Carolina

One of my favorite EI places! Our server, Ashley, was fantastic! Cheerful, knowledgeable, informative, efficient! I had my usual wedge salad, and it was delicious! Highly recommend. read more

Went for late lunch on a friday afternoon, sat outside near the bar, bartender was our server, super friendly, food was great, drinks were delicious, not overpriced will definitely be back! read more

Gaffers was fantastic again tonight. They have great service, all the staff are so very friendly, and for a Friday night full of waiting customers, they worked through everyone so efficiently. We had the shrimp nachos --HUGE, with all the good stuff layered throughout -- this NEVER disappoints. The shrimp and grits, fish tacos, and grilled Mahi sammy were all great too. With music and games outside, this is a fantastic and lively atmosphere for dinner. read more

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Great staff, Food was a B+. Wedge salad was fresh and tasty. Very loud inside, forced to sit outside on a cool night with not enough heaters for all patrons. read more

The food was absolutely amazing! I had the special of the day which was a crab cake and it was the best crab cake I have ever had! I would highly recommend Gaffers! read more

Good seafood and nice atmosphere! We had the fish sandwich, tacos, scallop basket and my youngest had a chili burger. Everything was pretty decent. We are going back for my daughters birthday. The waitstaff was really friendly too. We are outside and it was a beautiful day and a really great vibe outside! read more

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Service was great and so was the food! We also got the crab dip and flounder special it was amazing! Live music and great atmosphere! read more

Gaffers - Fried Scallops - Bars Near Me - Emerald Isle, North Carolina

We look forward to Gaffers every year -- the food and service are always incredible. This year we were fortunate enough to go twice and both times Ashlee provided fantastic service, she was friendly, helpful, and great with our children. We (a party of 6) have been coming for 4 years and every single thing we've ever ordered has been fantastic. In addition to excellent appetizers and meals, I also appreciate that the kids menu includes real food (grilled shrimp and fish, not just chicken tenders), they have high top table high chairs for toddlers, lovely outdoor seating, and that they have delicious non alcoholic drink options. read more

Torn between 2 visits...feelin' like a fool. We were headed out for a weekend adventure and decided to try a new place for breakfast. Gaffers had outdoor seating, which was appealing to us, along with breakfast seafood options. I had scrambled eggs, grits with cheese, bacon and biscuits. The hubby had a seafood omelette with grits and a biscuits. While we weren't crazy about the hockey puck style biscuits the rest was pretty darn good. We left full and happy. We returned again and ordered a couple of simple breakfast including scrambled eggs, bacon and grits. The eggs were over cooked, the bacon appeared to be warmed from leftovers from the previous day and the grits required a spoon because they were so watered down. When asked how our food was we conveyed this to the waitstaff. A manager came to the table, agreed the food looked undesirable and then told us she would relay this information to the kitchen. And that was that. So, does one try for 2 of 3 or run for the hills (or in this location, the ocean)? read more

Gaffers - Overcooked eggs and bacon, along with grit soup. - Bars Near Me - Emerald Isle, North Carolina

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Second time here and it was good! Food: I ordered the Mahi tacos and OMMGG I could eat those for DAYS!! So good. Atmosphere: Was very crowded but the employees were working hard! My only thing that kinda bothered me was that one of the girls at the host stand was chewing gum with her mouth open, I could see her gum, I don't mean to be rude she seemed very nice but it's just not a good look. Will come back again on our next vacation! Thank you all read more

Gaffers - Mahi Tacos - Bars Near Me - Emerald Isle, North Carolina

Ok I absolutely love gaffers. As a local I love to eat there and watch the live band. They have great mock tails for kids and lovely service. The Mahi mahi is so good!! 10/10 I recommend. Might be really busy during the summer due to tourists though. read more

I cannot recommend this place more... Alex was our server and they were slammed!!! Our drinks were on time and food was as well.. Cool atmosphere we loved it!!! read more

Meghan chace was our waitress and the service and food was amazing I can't wait to come back!! read more

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Dinner here is great, so we figured we would give it a try for brunch. They should just stop doing brunch. Luckily I have dinner here because otherwise I would give a 1 star review. French toast with hot honey fried chicken some of the worst I've ever had. It is soaked in a Tabasco hot honey that is 15/16 Tabasco and 1/16 honey . And as you can see the French toast is SOAKED in it - would have been ok if it was a slight drizzle and probably pretty tasty. read more

Gaffers - Bars Near Me - Emerald Isle, North Carolina

Ashley is the best server! Great family meal out on vacation! My family enjoyed the seafood and I had a great burger and pirate punch.

Have you ever had the pleasure of eating at Gaffers in Ocracoke, well they moved to Emerald Isle and have recently opened. They serve a rocking breakfast....and for my followers, yes, they have good coffee!! I want to start off with saying it was fun meeting Awesome Ashely A (or as me and the boys have dubbed her...Triple Aces) our waitress. She rocked not once, not twice, but three breakfasts in a row this week. The breakfasts have been fantastic. If you saw my write up on Jimmy T's in DC last month I wrote how impressed I was they offered old style corm beef hash with generous portions of corn beef, well the planets must be aligned, Gaffers had it too. My friends had the steak and blue cheese omelet, BLTE (eggs) breakfast sandwich and classic scramble eggs and toast. Each meal was fantastic. The service was great, the food came quickly, Ashely A was all over us and the place was Covid safe. Its my new favorite breakfast spot in Emerald Isle and I highly recommend it. ....p.s...Day 4, Ashley provided excellent service again, and the food was awesome. The best was the staff sang happy birthday to Matt. read more

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We picked this place on recommendation from our Airbnb host and it did not disappoint. A fellow patron recommended The Gaff and definitely passing that on as a go to (get the mahi blackened). The final touch to making our meal a great experience was thanks to our server Alex who offered helpful input on menu choices and whose service was attentive and super friendly. read more

Gaffers - The Gaff (pro tip: order the mahi blackened) - Bars Near Me - Emerald Isle, North Carolina

The food selection is a variety ranging from shellfish, fish, chicken, steak, and select soup, salads, and appetizers. The service is hit and miss. The bar tenders seam to be less polite and give more attention to the 'regulars'. Some visits are above and beyond expectations and other times it seems like customers are a bother and interrupting the servers day. Price to quality and quantity is fair. Expect to spend at a minimum of $50 for two between main course and drinks. Parking is an issue at peak times. read more

Went there to meet a friend for my birthday today. ALL of the staff including food runners said happy birthday to me and all had smiles. Such a vibe and made me feel so great as I am also a server! Will DEFINITELY be back with more people read more

We had very high hopes for this establishment only to be treated very poorly by management/owners. Manager Sammy is very condescending and the owner (didn't catch her name) is quite hostile and very rude. Our server Ashley was great and did everything in her power to try and make our meal enjoyable. Our party arrived at 5:15 on a Wednesday evening, a large party of 10 adults and 1 child and were split between two tables. This was not an ideal situation however completely understandable given the floor-plan set up of the restaurant. At the beginning of the meal, I passed an additional tip along to the manager Sammy and told him we were celebrating a birthday as well. Obviously that was my mistake in the hopes of extending goodwill towards the staff. I had to grab something from my car and the manager Sammy, referred to me a "sweetie" in passing. I'm sorry, that is a very disrespectful thing for a strange man to say to a woman he does not know. That interaction put me on defense and on guard with that man. Meals came out in pieces vs having each table served as a whole. Honestly quite disorganized. We raised concerns when large parties sat after us were served entrees prior to us. That did not bode well with the manager Sammy. He offered no solution and said he is not in charge of staffing-My response was-You have two hands and should be helping your staff to make sure all customers are happy. We explained our frustration and his solution to was send over "the owner". Not really sure who she was, but she came in "hot and heavy" acknowledging that meals are sent out at different times and tables are not served together. Her exact words were "happens all the time". She was very aggressive in an attempt to put me in my place. I matched her very hostile energy, with her last words that they "lost a cook that night in a car accident" and then stormed away. Obviously her last statement was an absolutely terrible thing to have happened. One would think that the management would have came around to each table to inform guests that the kitchen was running behind or to just double check drinks/water were filled as a proactive way to properly manage the expectations of guests seated in the establishment. All around a TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE and I can think of many more places that will at least treat their customers with respect vs hostile energy. Food wasn't even that good- not worth the $50 per head price point. read more

One word - LOUD! It was so loud, I had to yell my order at the waitress and she was standing right beside me. Not sure why restaurants think eating in this kind of environment is enjoyable because it's not. We were visiting friends for the weekend and wanted to try this place... so after driving around the parking lot 6 times trying to find a parking spot, we put our name on the list. 45 minutes later we found out the hostess marked our number off the list and seated multiple parties that arrived after us. The hostess seated us next but I suppose we got seated at one of the worst tables on the patio when the band was playing. It was so loud I installed a decibel meter on m y phone just to see how loud it was and it peaked at 112 dBs and steadily stayed over 100 dBs! We couldn't even have a conversation with our friends. That was the bad... so here is the good. The service and the food. Ashleigh was incredible, nothing bad can be said for her service, she was fantastic. The food was very good. Here is what all we ordered: onion rings, fish tacos, southwest egg rolls, burger, and a cobb salad. The only issue on these was the cobb salad isn't your typical cobb salad, it was more of a chef salad with a boiled egg and crumbled bacon placed on top. We will definitely go back... just not when they have a band (my ears are still ringing 3 days later........). read more

Food is from the sea and burgers etc Thursday nights are prime rib and amazing but today when I went we had the gaffer it's huge for a lunch meal and cheese balls which are a Kim to cheese curds but betta !!! read more

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Great service, great food, great crowd. Definitely a stand out here on the island. However, it really angers me that they nickel and dime you by adding a higher price without explanation without anything if you use a credit card. What gives? Are we really gonna be so greedy? Are we gonna be so tricky as not disclose clearly that this is the practice? I condemn this. read more

Went out with some friends. Pretty good food but the flys outside were annoying but that's life

Their onion rings are the best! I'm also a big fan of the bloody marry buffet they host occasionally.