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Rundown Cafe

4.1 (574 reviews)
ModerateSeafood, Caribbean
Closed 11:00 am - 10:00 pm

Rundown Cafe Photos

Business Info

RUNDOWN CAFE ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Casual
Outdoor seating
Good for groups

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Recommended Reviews - Rundown Cafe

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Reviews With Photos

Crab cake sandwich
Paulina D.

This is very cute place! The decor is really authentic and the food was good as well as the service. I ordered the crab cake sandwich which was good and my husband got the fish and chips and let me tell you that his was a 10/10 I would come back to get that everytime. I wish I had taken a picture tho.

Key lime pie
Troy H.

We sat upstairs on the open deck on a warm autumn day. The waitress was patient as we questioned the menu options and returned when we finally decided. She ordered the drink special which ended up being very sweet so she settle for a gin and soda and I had a nice spicy Bloody Mary. She ordered the jerk burger medium rare and I ordered the coconut chicken. The burger came out overcooked and was returned, the second burger came out just as overcooked and the jerk sauce was overly sweet. The fries are very good. The Coconut chicken on the other hand was amazing. Not only was the chicken moist all the way through, the crusted coconut on the outside was flavorful, the chicken had a wonderful coconut flavor all the way through. For the end she had Key Lime pie that she enjoyed and I had an extraordinary slice of cinnamon roll cheese cake

This is the wall where the mural used to be. Please bring it back!
Holly S.

We couldn't wait to see the renovations. So glad we went to the bar to have drinks and hors d'oeuvres. The service and staff are as awesome as they have always been. The thing we missed the most is the mural on the wall in the bar. Everything is so vanilla now. They need to add a little bit of color back to the walls.

Hawaiian Mahi Sandwich
Dan M.

I came back here for another sit-down meal. I had the Hawaiian mahi sandwich. It also came with a side of fries, which came out hot and seasoned nicely. There was a nice crisp to them too. The sandwich had a blackened mahi loin on a brioche bun with lettuce, tomato, grilled pineapple, and a Cajun tartar sauce. This was well put together. The ratio of filing to bun was ideal. The piece of mahi was seasoned appropriately and was a nice size. The pineapple added a little sweetness to it. I was expecting more from the tartar sauce, but not a big deal as I enjoyed the sandwich as a whole. I also tried the rundown fish burrito which had grilled ahi tuna, tomatoes, cheddar jack cheese, black beans, jalapenos, and BBQ sauce. I was hesitant to try this because of the presence of the BBQ sauce, but it was not really tasted because of the rest of the flavors incorporated. The fresh jalapenos on the half I tried were extremely spicy. Besides that, it was well received.

Burger and fries
Dave U.

This is a re-review based on a recent visit. I brought my guests here for a light lunch. My wife and I usually eat here and the food is usually good. This last visit fell short of my expectations. I brought 5 old friends here to enjoy a nearby lunch. Light lunch was our intention. We ordered beers and they were fine. Food was not fresh. I had a. Arafat salad that was served with "soggy" croutons. Not sure how this could happen unless the salad fixings w ere preserved and refrigerated. The others ordered light meals such as the tuna bites and the tacos. Nothing memorable. Hope this was just an "off day"

Tuna Burrito
Pyro C.

We stopped here for lunch after visiting the town of Duck, home of Duck Donuts. Not sure what to expect, but we enjoyed the entrees offered. Although the menu is somewhat limited to the selections, all of our dishes were well prepared and presented. The interior was decorated with a island theme. There are two main seating areas, ground level and an upper level. Like other popular establishments in Outer Banks area, it can get crowded during peak lunch and dinner hours. You may want to visit outside the normal peak hours.

Menu as of March 2024
Rich M.

We were in the mood for seafood and Rundown Cafe had high reviews. We came here early afternoon, it was not busy at all. Our server was friendly and attentive to our table. The ambiance is a chill spot and ironically isn't 'rundown.' At the time of our visit their rooftop deck/patio was under renovation. The food we got was exactly what we were looking for. It was delicious! The crab cake burger was so good. They serve their dishes with a chipotle tartar sauce and its boss! Overall this place was a total win and we'd come back in the future!

Shrimp tacos
Mary Lynn J.

Food was delicious. I had the shrimp tacos. There are lots of shrimp on the three tacos. The coleslaw and avocado added great taste and texture. My husband had the mahi blackened sandwich. We would both order the same again. Our waiter was friendly and attentive. The only issue was that it was ridiculously cold in the restaurant. It was 58 outside but was probably 55 or less inside. Maybe the goal is to sell their sweatshirts.

Chips queso and salsa

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3 years ago

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9 years ago

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5 years ago

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3 years ago

Delicious! So glad they brought back the coconut chicken! Everything we had was so tasty and flavorful. One of our favorite spots to visit.

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4 years ago

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3 years ago

Rice was served room temperature and had hard, dried up rice mixed in, green beans were luke warm and coconut shrimp were barely warm.

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4 years ago

We were on vacaton and tried this place. Great food service was great prices reasonable for the area.

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7 years ago

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9 years ago

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4 years ago

We ordered takeout our first night in Kitty Hawk -- jerk chicken sandwiches, jerk burgers -- all delicious!!

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3 years ago

Excellent meal. Would definitely go again! Everything we had was fresh and tasty. Great stuff!

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4 years ago

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Page 5 of 15

Ask the Community - Rundown Cafe

Did this place shut down? We stopped by several times end of last week and this past weekend and it was closed (8/26-8/29)?

They're temporarily closed

What time do they switch from lunch menu to dinner? so we'll know which menu to order from for takeout. Are they doing takeout right now?

Lunch specials are available until 3. The regular lunch menu is available until the switch to dinner at 5.

Do they allow dogs?

Back has tables with umbrellas . Our boxer loves the food!

View All 6 Questions

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Hurricane Mo's

4.0
(511 reviews)
2.4 mi
$$

Stopped in for lunch and was greeted by an unfriendly, somewhat nasty attitude hostess. Service…read moredidn't get much better at the table. Our party of 6 split up to avoid having to wait 45 minutes for a single table to sit us all. We were a party of 4 and another table of 2. We had different waitress and the one table was almost finished their meal before the other table was served even though we sat down at the same time. I was informed the scallops were chewy due to being over cooked and the soft shell crab was fishy tasty like they were not fresh and they cut a small one into two not coming close to filling the taco shell. The peel your own shrimp were also over cooked making it difficult to get the shell off. I will however say the clam chowder was delicious, the she crab soup was a little too rich for me to finish my bowl but was very tasty. The blackened tuna bites were amazing. However despite my meal being good the over consensus was not good.

Casual restaurant and we went for happy hour. The server was great and everyone was friendly. The…read morerestaurant wasn't dirty. We went for happy hour. I didn't taste a lot of alcohol in the painkiller, but it was delicious! I did feel the three I drank! At happy hour you fill out a card with how many of each special you want and then you order more as you go. The wings were VERY good! We got them naked and couldn't stop eating them. The shrimp were good, though work for peeling and cleaning. We didn't care for the beef in the tacos. We also got crab dip, a small side salad and onion rings. Everyone enjoyed all of it. The side salad was a good size as well. I will go back and try other food. It was a lot of fun and yummy.

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Nice vibe
Nice vibe
Seared Shrimp Platter
Seared Shrimp Platter
Hurricane Mo's

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NC Coast Grill & Bar

NC Coast Grill & Bar

4.1
(471 reviews)
5.0 mi
$$

What a great place. It is bright and airy. They do have outdoor seating and even though it was 55…read moredegrees with a 25 mph wind, there were people eating on the deck. Our waiter, Carlos, is great. Smiling, friendly and polite and makes great recommendations. My husband had the fish and chips (salt and vinegar). I had the gumbo and a side of sweet potato fries. So really good. My husband also had the Screwball expresso martini. Wowza!

NC coast has a great view of the sound. We were seated quickly upon arrival and discussed dietary…read morerestrictions (pork) with the waiter. He was initially warm and as we ordered, asked that he let us know if we inadvertently selected a dish containing pork. The dishes arrived with astonishing speed. The Caesar salad had some unidentified fried object on it and when I asked the waiter, he let me know it was pork rinds. He did not acknowledge that it was an error and flippantly suggested I remove them. I asked for a plate to put them on. The waiter's demeanor turned cold after this (what I considered innocuous) exchange. Regarding the dishes, everything was beautifully presented and arrived hot and fresh at our table. I would not recommend the fried cauliflower as it was very bland with some chili sauce splashed over top. The scallops were very well prepared however. NC Coast is a nice spot for a special meal, especially with the view. Just hope the service is more consistent with other guests.

Photos
Sitting outside
Sitting outside
Delicious  tuna appetizer
Delicious tuna appetizer
Patio view

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Patio view

Rundown Cafe - seafood - Updated June 2026

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