First time visiting Pop's. We, group of 6, ate outside on picnic tables. We could not have had a better experience. The waiter was awesome, she'd been working there for 10 yrs or more (good sign!), The bus boy was attentive and polite. We enjoyed all the food, from tuna bites, blackened shrimp to the Rockfish? sandwich. Keep up the great work Pop's!! read more

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My followers know I am sucker for dive bars... Pop's hit the spot. A great local joint that is small but a great place for a meal and few beers. We stoped in one day for lunch while we took a pause form shopping and beach activities... I had the fried clams, both of my young adults had Crab Cakes and my wife ordered the fish sandwich... To person it was all good... Our waitress did a greta job of keeping up with our adult beverages. I love places like Pop's because they are so unassuming and they enjoying being a great place to eat and hang out.... I did not find out to later that some of my wife's family, who was on the island at the same time, also went to Pop's and they have the same option of Pops that I do... A great place.... read more

Great local hangout with super shaded, mostly enclosed but still nice n' breezy porch for dining outside. Fresh off the boat seafood and cold beer. What more can you ask for? read more

Pops is a great local hangout. Prices are fair and service is great and really friendly. A hidden gem. Ask for Donald so Jack will give him a raise ;-) read more

Pop's Raw Bar & Restaurant - An epic moment in Pops history - Seafood Near Me - Buxton, North Carolina

WE LOVE POPS! We went twice on our recent trip to the OBX. The ambiance is a true beach "dive bar" with friendly service and patrons, great music, great food, really good pours in my gin drink and great beer choices and prices. We had the peel and eat shrimp both times. The cocktail sauce will knock your socks off! If you've ever been to St. Elmos or Harry and Izzy's in Indianapolis, and like their cocktail sauce, you will LOVE Pops! Oh, and the Hushpuppies were some of the best we've ever had!!! Just two little negatives, 1) we wanted to sit at a picnic table in front but it was right underneath a really loud speaker. I'm a drummer and can take volume but this was a little over the top. I asked if they could turn it down slightly and was told the boss says they can't touch it. :-( 2) Both times we were there, halfway through our meal, a really strong smell of Bengay or Tiger Balm overpowered the whole place. Other customers mentioned it too. It wasn't the workers. We said it was the ghost of POP! Anyway, we can't wait to go back on our next visit. read more

Pop's Raw Bar & Restaurant - Total beach dive bar on the inside and out! We love it! - Seafood Near Me - Buxton, North Carolina

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The beer was ice cold, the cocktail sauce was spicy, and my lunch was delicious. I ate inside at the bar but they have outdoor seating too. They had two barmaids/waitresses and the service was quick and friendly despite a big lunch crowd. This place was recommended to me by a local and I was treated like a local. I would definitely recommend this place. read more

Don't expect anything fancy here. Do however, expect some delicious seafood! This is a little hidden gem. Offing bottled beer only, and wine served in tiny Woodbridge bottles. There isn't much seating, and the AC is powered by two window units. The food.. is great! Not only is it fresh, the portions are huge.. and the price is unbeatable. We had the grouper, and the trio and I must say this was probably our favorite dinner of the whole trip. read more

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Love this place, great food, drinks and staff. Make time to visit, you will not be disappointed read more

Pop's Raw Bar & Restaurant - Tuna bites - Seafood Near Me - Buxton, North Carolina

Enjoyed the bartender. She was quick and poured mean drinks. Good Bloody Mary. The crab bites were great. Tasty. Sat at the bar and loved chatting with the locals. Always better than a table. Not a fancy place but food and service were great. Would come back but we have moved on. Headed home to the west coast. read more

This place has great crab and oysters! If you want a sweet little local dive raw bar this is it! We sat outside and enjoyed the front porch vibes! read more

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Noisy, small probably local hangout that's full of seafood and teaming with animated conversation. My companion's trigger fish platter (grilled)is amazing. My trigger sandwich tasted great but came with 80% less fish. Would have loved better info from the waitress. I understand she was busy (the only server in sight)). A little more patience on her part would have made the experience here more positive. And yes they serve wine although I didn't see it listed on the walls or in the menu. Bar seemed a bit full in this time of COVID. I think the greatness of the grilled trigger will motivate me to return. It's that good. read more

This is a place the locals go. Food is great. Drinks are cold. And, it's a typical bar that you "belly up to" to drink and eat. Clean, cool and inviting. Surrounding the bar are several "2 top" tables and for larger parties there are 2 picnic tables outside. Service is quick, efficient and inviting. A visit to Pops is to come eat and drink. We arrived during lunch - it was a combination of local folk (fisherman, etc.) and visitors in the know. We ordered the Lunch Special of Fried Shrimp and an Oyster Poor Boy. Seafood was fresh! French Fries, Onion Rings and Hush Puppies were perfectly fried and not oily. A point to note, the Fried Shrimp are only lightly breaded. I guess it makes consuming a dozen Fried Shrimp healthier. read more

Love this place. It's low key, local dive bar vibe. Their fresh seafood is fantastic. We had tuna bites, shrimp, clams, raw oysters, and fish sandwich special. Enjoyed it! FYI-not the best place for dining with babies/toddlers. Has a main bar with 15-20 seats. And 5 small tables, 2 4 seaters and most are 2. read more

Pop's Raw Bar & Restaurant - Menu - Seafood Near Me - Buxton, North Carolina

Not following safe practices. I can't leave a review for the food. I went inside to order and the tables were very close to one another and fully occupied. Not all the staff was wearing a mask. I left and had dinner elsewhere. read more

Pop's is always great! Been a couple years since we had been down to Buxton but food is superb. The crab wasabi balls were a huge hit with our group. So much so someone suggested they make them a meal portion. I had the fried flounder and it was perfect. Breading was light and the fish was moist and tender. Service was good as well. The place is definitely a local or regular joint for a lot of folks as we came in at the tail end of lunch time and by the time we were done the place went from packed to empty. Server seemed to know folks as well. read more

Our favorite dinner while visiting Frisco, NC! The seafood was SO good. We had the fried oyster dinner, crab cake dinner, steamed shrimp, and fish bites. The fried oysters were definitely our favorite, but it was all delicious. The cocktail sauce is spicy and ON POINT! The fish bites were blackened tuna, which we got medium rare. This will be our first choice for seafood if we're back in the area! read more

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Always our go to. Love the tuna bites! Was there a week ago after a disappointing visit a few weeks prior. This visit will Probably keep us away for awhile; usual thick hand made burgers are now the typical frozen "hockey pucks ", tuna bites ordered blackened and rare ( 2 orders specified identically), both so overcooked could hardly choke them down . Took two visiting friends there after talking up how good the food is and then major embarrassment. Been in the food service industry for 50 years so I know a little about it. Get it together Pop's!!! read more

Their fried shrimp is delicious. This was the first time I've had fried shrimp that wasn't coated in batter and I loved it! The service was great. I like that Pop's looks like a place where local residents go to eat and drink. read more

EXCELLENT HIDDEN GEM; Diamond. Fresh seafood (menu also has options for those who don't do sea). Seems a trend in this area people; bar tenders, servers true "southern hospitality ". Had three dozen oysters & Tuna bites 10/10 will be back. Dive bar type spot, unassuming when you drive by. Clean, busy & delicious. read more

We had really high expectations based on the reviews, and maybe that set us up for disappointment. First off, the place is pretty small and loud - not a lot of room for any group over 4. However, we totally didn't care about that if the food was good. The fried food was good enough. In things like the clam strips, there were just a lot of small breaded pieces that didn't have any clam. The mini crab cakes and the fried oysters were good. The big disappointment was the lemon butter scallops. I know that scallops are frequently faked and made of something else, but we expected the scallops at a seafood restaurant at the beach to be real... we're pretty sure they weren't. They all looked very uniform like they were cut from a cookie cutter, plus in addition they had a really bad smell. They were nice enough to take the scallops off the bill, though, since we didn't eat them. Overall, it was fine I guess if you order the right thing. Don't think we'll make a trip back though. read more

Pop's Raw Bar & Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Buxton, North Carolina

In the off season, not many restaurants open for business, especially dinner. After searching for a bit and finding 2 places closed, we ran by here and stopped. Small dive bar but we think this was the best seafood we have had since we came to Ocracoke then Hatteras. It was fresh and served fresh and hot! Delicious, lightly/barely breaded shrimp and a fried platter with clam stops, scallops, and shrimp. (Clam strips were chewy but they are most places). Definitely would recommend. read more

Pop's Raw Bar & Restaurant - Wall decor - Seafood Near Me - Buxton, North Carolina

Omg the seafood!! Had lemon pepper scallops, crab legs and raw oysters. AMAZING. I moved here a month ago and am so glad to be living only 5 minutes from Pops read more

Pop's Raw Bar & Restaurant - Lemon pepper scallops, raw oysters, crab legs - Seafood Near Me - Buxton, North Carolina

We were exploring Hatteras and passed this place on our way to the lighthouse! I knew right away we would have to stop in on our way back! We love finding little local places like this on our adventures! We bellied up to the bar & ordered a cold one while we perused the menu. My husband had the special fish sandwich. It was blackened triggerfish & oh my goodness, it was so tasty & melted in your mouth (I stole a bite! ) I had the 1/2 peel & eat shrimp & it was tasty as well. Service was great & it was fun to nestle in with both locals & other adventurous tourists! read more

Pop's Raw Bar & Restaurant - Exterior - Seafood Near Me - Buxton, North Carolina

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Buxton, North Carolina --- "Pop's" is a local hangout bar - a "Run-A-Way Bill" kinda bar! Friendly staff & interactive customers ... my grilled tuna bites were tasty-riffic!! "Run-A-Way Bill" was here! 10.28.19 read more

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A pretty small, dive looking joint, right beside the road on 12. The place was empty, it was about 11:30 in the morning. I don't think there was an empty seat by noon. This little gem didn't disappoint! I got the oyster po boy and it was fantastic. Great service, great food and fair prices. Seemed to be the favorite among locals. They got a really good thing going there. I would definitely recommend this place. We went big with shrimp, oysters and some fried pickles. I enjoyed it all! If your driving by, do yourself a favor and stop in! read more

Pop's Raw Bar & Restaurant - Steamed shrimp, oysters on the 1/2 shell and friend pickles - Seafood Near Me - Buxton, North Carolina

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Pops slaps. This is hands down some of the best seafood I've ever had. I came here with a friend three times in a six day vacation stay. We ordered something different each time. Every item--a banger. Steamed shrimp--healthy portion and well seasoned. Amazing purchase. The fried seafood is clearly fresh. This isn't Long John Silvers. Perfectly breaded and flavorful. Pops advertises the coldest beer in NC. They might not have anything on draft--but they definitely have the coldest beer. Perfect after a day of kiting. You know it's a great restaurant when the locals are all hanging out here. Don't miss Pops on your next stay! read more

This hit the spot. As others have mentioned in their reviews ... nothing fancy but truly good food and friendly service. We sat outside and enjoyed ourselves ... shrimp po boy was great and the oyster lunch platter was an awesome deal and may be the very best friend oysters I've ever had. Cole slaw is really good too. Like a lot of places in the area, it doesn't look like much but the food is great and the atmosphere inside very inviting and friendly. read more

Pop's Raw Bar & Restaurant - Outside - Seafood Near Me - Buxton, North Carolina

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It's not much to look at but the food was really delicious!!! And I am not a fan of fish, but as I said the food was great!!!

Good people, beer and food will be back!!!! The blackened mai mai sandwich is to die for!! read more

Pop's Raw Bar & Restaurant - a car parked outside - Seafood Near Me - Buxton, North Carolina

Our favorite spot in OBX!!! Local spot with amazing fresh fish. Their crab cakes are my favorite and the cocktail sauce is a must!!

My three year old likes songs on the radio. When he hears one he particularly likes, he calls it a bop! Well, Pop's Raw Bar is an absolute bop! No better way to put it. My wife and I went for a mid day lunch recently. We had been looking for good seafood, specifically, my wife wanted crab legs. Finding crab legs in the Outer Banks is pretty easy. Finding them in the middle of the day, not so easy. Finding them in a low key, relaxed atmosphere in the middle of the day? Impossible! Or so I thought until we discovered Pop's. Pop's is a classic dive bar. They have kitschy signs on the walls, super small 2 top tables, and the central feature is the bar itself, which dominates the tiny room. So we were seated right next to the entrance, which, surprisingly, didn't bother me, despite the steady stream of customers in and out. It appeared to be a good mixture of both local residents, who bantered with the staff, and wide eyed tourists, trying to figure out what to order from Pop's focused menu. My wife and I, as we are prone to do on our only dining out experience on vacation, went a little ham. I started with 6 raw oysters, she had the cheese sticks, and we decided on a whim to split a half pound of steamed shrimp, and a few beers. Beyond that, my wife ordered the aforementioned crab legs, and I went with one of the board specials, the trigger fish, blackened rather than grilled. About ten minutes passed, and our appetizers came out. The cheese sticks appeared to be, well, cheese sticks. Nothing at all wrong with them, I just... it's my wife's favorite, and we literally get them everywhere, so I am just over it. I'll say these were better than most. The oysters are from the Hatteras Sound area, and were just what you'd want in a raw oyster. Briny little bits of deliciousness, served on ice, wedge of lemon, a few saltines, and the obligatory Tabasco. Cold, chilled, perfection! The shrimp, old bay dusted, wrapped in their shells, were delightful as well. Maybe could have used a touch of heat, but honestly, that's a real nitpick by me. They were great, and I honestly got all the heat I craved from the house made cocktail sauce. Weird how a little thing like cocktail sauce can steal the show, but damned if it wasn't sublime! Sweet, tomatoey, not ketchup, fresh grated horseradish. Delicious! So on to our entree's. The snow crab was beautiful, delicate, sweet. It was served with drawn butter, and nothing else. What else do you need? But my absolute favorite thing was the trigger fish. Served with fries, a few hush puppies, coleslaw, tarter sauce and more of that cocktail sauce, this was an absolute symphony of flavor! I'll show what a tourist I am first... I had never heard of a trigger fish. I had to look it up later to see what it even looked like. But my goodness, I'll never forget it! Blackening spices deftly applied over possibly the best prepared fish I have ever eaten in my life. Slightly spicy without being hot, the fish holding its texture, remaining moist, but yet flaking away and melting in my mouth. My only regret is we went the last day of our vacation, or I'd have eaten that darned fish dish 23 times in the week we were there. Absolutely epic! Go to Pop's. Get the fish! You will not regret it. read more

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We got a dozen oysters and the tuna bites. I got them grilled and cooked rare. Soooo good!!!! For only $9.99, I could eat those every day! The oysters were madly price and were $21 for the dozen. Fun vibe, small place, we sat at the bar. read more

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Amazing fresh raw oysters that were pulled out of the ocean that morning just up the road! We enjoyed the steam bucket for 2 and everything was delicious from the crab legs to the sides of fries and hush puppies. Be prepared that it is very much a bar environment inside with tall bar stools that are not suitable for the handicapped, but they have picnic tables outside. The staff was as accommodating as possible, and we appreciated their efforts to make us comfortable. read more

Cute little dive bar style seafood place in OBX. I got the crabs and onion rings, which both were fantastic. The burger was really good as well, the lettuce on the burger was a bit dry though. The seafood is fried in the same oil as the fries so we couldn't get them. Altogether it was a nice little place to go to if you're a local or not. read more

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Food was excellent. Service was great and attentive to our needs. Just the kind of local dive I love! Really enjoyed the tuna bites and peel and eat shrimp. We'll be back for sure! read more

On our way to Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, stopped in at pop's to get some lunch. The raw oysters were good but a little small given the early season. I had the special trigger fish sandwich and it was incredible. The space inside is a bit tight but not uncomfortable and it's your standard bar. Service was also a bit iffy. We were only checked in on once and would have liked to have ordered some additional drinks but decided not to after the wait. A nice little dive with some good food. read more

The food was good. The service was food. There is not very much seating inside. We set out side and the flies were unreal. They were everywhere. It was hard to eat because you were swatting flies. Other then that is was good. read more

Perfect dive beach restaurant. So good that we came 2 days in a row. Beer was extra cold and seafood super-fresh and delicious. Enjoyed raw oysters, shrimp tacos, hush puppies, crab cakes, blackened triggerfish sandwich, tuna bites, all outstanding. read more

Great local bar, fresh seafood, best burger deal on the beach! I think my cheeseburger was $7, came with fries, and was plenty of food. Woody's up the road charges more than that for a smaller burger that only comes with chips. It's a small place so don't expect to seat a large group. Pull a stool up to the bar or grab a small table and enjoy the locals giving you long stares. LOL read more

Pop's Raw Bar & Restaurant - Great cheeseburger. Great price! - Seafood Near Me - Buxton, North Carolina

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Service dogs beware. You are not welcome. I was told they only allow service dogs in the restaurant for people who are blind. The manager said that's the rules. This restaurant definitely needs to brush up on ADA and federal laws for service animals and disability's. They may find themselves in a law suit. read more