We had burgers they were delicious and well also got a chicken fries special it was delicious as well staff was very nice place is nice not so crowded read more

Overpriced food long waits and poor service, probably my least favorite restaurant I've been to in the OBX read more

Rundown Cafe - Fish and steak tacos - Seafood Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

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We were able to sit upstairs when we came here. It was sunny but the breeze made it not too hot. I got the fish tacos which were AMAZING. They tasfrd fresh out of the ocean and had a delicious sauce that gave it a kick. They didn't have a ton of GF options for my wife but she was able to figure something out. Our server was great (she recommended the tacos in the first place), she was totally on top of things and very attentive. A really great meal! read more

I have been coming to Rundown Cafe for well over 10 years and the first time I have ever been disappointed was this week. I'm sure that the place has had numerous owners since I've been a patron, but it has always been fairly consistent for those 10 years. My two favorite items on the menu were always the rundown soup and the tsunami salad. A few years ago the rundown soup was renamed to "Rundown Chowder". The dish itself was unchanged so the slight name change was something I was able to adapt to. The light, tomato-ey broth with sweet potato, white fish, and lots of spices is the Rundown Soup that I grew to love. Upon my arrival this week, I could hardly contain my excitement for my first bite of Rundown Soup. Out comes the soup, and I stare into a bowl of what looks like creamy clam chowder with coconut flakes. My heart sunk. I'm an optimistic person, so I tried it. Unfortunately it was not something I was able to eat. I'm not sure whose idea it was to change the ever-loved soup of my people, but they need some serious questioning. Thankfully our server was super sweet and offered to take it off the bill after we described how this is just not what we expected the Rundown Chowder to be. Since the tsunami salad is no longer available, I opted for the shrimp tacos. They were fine, not as fresh as the Rundown Cafe of years past. Another member of my party had the coconut shrimp. In years prior, this dish was (as so it seemed) made in house, served with a tasty mango chutney type dipping sauce. The dish we received seemed more reminiscent of the coconut shrimp one might pick up in the Food Lion frozen aisle. Not bad, but again, not the Rundown that many have come to love. Overall, the one thing missing for me is the unique, Caribbean flair that the menu and establishment once had. I fear that today's Rundown is just not the special place that we have come to love. read more

Driving through the Outer Banks looking for a place to get fish and chips and we stumbled on this hidden gem! The fish was fresh as hell, poke was a near rival to getting it in Hawaii, crab in the crab balls was so rich, cleanliness was immaculate, views were spectacular (seated on the upstairs deck, which is outdoors but surprisingly didn't encounter any bugs), and our server Lucas, who doubles as the bar manager, was amazingly efficient, SO incredibly hospitable and friendly, and spot on with his excellent recommendations. If everything hadn't smelled, looked, and then tasted so good we might have remembered to pause to get a snap of the spread. Hot tip: it isn't on the menu but ask for an amaretto sour - Lucas used a homemade sour mix that was to die for, had to cut myself off since my sister shouted the bill haha! read more

I visited rundown cafe, and I must say it was upsetting While the food was surprisingly decent , what truly stood out was the appalling behavior of the manager and the flies everywhere. Lots of black flies were observed going in and out of the liquor bottles in the summertime. While I understand it is impossible to control Mother Nature, more steps obviously need to be taken to prevent pests from entering our food and drinks especially inside! First, the manager was incredibly rude and unprofessional. However, He did put on some sort of act of being friendly to the customers. He had a small greasy man bun and an unsettling demeanor. I witnessed him starting arguments with employees in front of customers, using demeaning language, and creating a hostile work environment. It was clear that the staff was overworked and underappreciated, which made the entire atmosphere uncomfortable. He barked orders at employees and had an air about him that he owned the place. (It was rather obvious he didn't). No one should be treated that way, especially in front of paying customers. I understand that running a restaurant is challenging, but there's no excuse for treating employees poorly or neglecting cleanliness. I won't be returning, and I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone. The manager needs to take a hard look at himself and how he runs this establishment because it's clearly failing on multiple levels. read more

After being evacuated from Hatteras Island for potential flooding from a hurricane out at sea, we ended up in Powell's Point. Stopped here for an early dinner with four adults and four kids and all of our food was amazing! I got the steak and it was phenomenal! 5 stars for sure! read more

Welcome home. A pile of big beautiful fat fried oysters, super friendly, on the ball, & just-laid-back-enough service, unbeatable view (especially upstairs!), and locals dropping in to swap stories & welcome newcomers. This is what people that know mean when we talk about what Southern Shores "used" to be. Juuuust about dadgum perfect. You're welcome, y'all. read more

Rundown Cafe - Picture doesn't remotely do the view justice, but there's ocean as far as the eye can see by & past the houses across the way. - Seafood Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

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Friendly, clean, flavorful, and great portions for the price. We ordered the fish tacos, shrimp tacos, fish & chips, and a chicken burrito. Everything was just perfect and our visit was a wonderful start to our first vacation in OBX. Highly recommend! read more

Dinner at the Run Down Cafe in Kitty Hawk is a tradition for my wife and me whenever we visit the Outer Banks, and Thursday evening, May 23rd was an overdue experience. Unfortunately, it was disappointing. The Tsunami Salad (a favorite) is no longer on the menu, and the recipe for the signature chowder (The Run Down Chowder) has been modified so that it neither tastes (nor does it resemble) the chowder that has been so exceptional. We did not request an adjustment to our tab, but the bar manager insisted that we receive a 50% write-off for our experience. He explained that the restaurant is under new management, and he is hopeful that the shortcomings can be addressed. We will give Run Down Cafe another chance at our visit in September. read more

3:30-4:00 timeframe. Not crowded (maybe 1/2 full) with long waits for service on second floor (inside). First sat us under the splitter, where we froze our butts off, then moved us to the window seat. View was great (except for the flies trying to escape), but the only thing that was good about this place. Took 35 minutes for food to arrive, but we quickly realized that they were steaming the 1 lb. shrimp... for the entire 35 minutes- tough and flavorless would be a generous description. Didn't want to hurt the server's feelings, so asked for a to-go container and threw them away in the back dumpster on our way out. Only able to eat about 4. Sad, as it is close to our house and we were really excited to try. Won't be back. In all, over an hour for steamed shrimp and a salad. Drinks were water and a lemonade. Really need to do better! read more

This was one of our favorite meals in the Outer Banks. We loved the seafood with Asian influences! Covid-19: you can order and pay over the phone. We enjoyed our meal on the tables behind the restaurant. We got the a cup of the Rundown Chowder, the Szechuan Hot Pot with Grilled Shrimp, the Hawaiian Poke Bowl, and the Asian Sesame Noodles (add coconut shrimp). Everything was really good. The Asian Sesame Noodles were hands down my favorite. They had great flavor. Unfortunately it didn't come with much coconut shrimp because I really liked the coconut shrimp. The Hawaiian Poke bowl was also very good. It has quite a bit of tuna too. The rice was perfectly sticky. It was all very fresh. The Rundown Chowder was delicious. Surprisingly, the Szechuan Hot Pot was my least favorite. It was good, the flavor just didn't compare to the other dishes. The portions are quite large here. I never know how big they'll be so we definitely over ordered here and had leftovers. Add this to your must try in Outer Banks list! read more

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Great food, great drinks, and the staff was super friendly. Went twice on our long weekend. Highly recommend!

Great lunch at this clean and professionally run restaurant. Very creative menu, very well done by a very friendly and helpful staff. Mikey have us great guidance and was a terrific server. Kitchen was very on-point. We'll be back! read more

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Service is nice and the interior is casually comfortable and attractive. Unfortunately, the food leaves much to be desired. We ordered the Mahi Mahi tacos and the shrimp noodle bowl. The tacos are poorly proportioned; the [dry] flour tortillas are less than half filled with a small piece of [fresh, albeit bland] fish and [overly sweet] garnish. The rice and beans are the best part of the dish, but not good enough to finish eating. A waste of $20. The shrimp and broth in the noodle bowl were both decent, but the accompanying vegetables were huge and raw. Who wants to bite into large stalks of raw scallions? Cooking or chopping veggies into smaller pieces would go a long way. As it is, the dish is borderline inedible, and that went to waste as well. To top it off, the manager came by asking how our meal was and upon hearing that it was "just ok," she moved on without following up. read more

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I gave this spot two stars because the ambiance and my server were really good. And the seafood soup. It had a coconut milk base and was the best part of my meal...besides the wine. The tuna by itself didn't have much flavor. I had never seen a jerk seasoning that looked like a bunch of cooked greens. It wasn't even spicy. I did not care for it at all. I tried to eat the tuna and jerk paste with the bun to see if that would help it taste better. It did not. I ate the tuna by itself. Nope. Still not good. The yellow rice had toasted coconut in it but I couldn't really taste it. The salsa in the bowl was kind of sweet too. I was super hungry so I was trying to eat anything lol! I ended up going to Wendy's afterwards for spicy chicken nuggets. Those were awful too and I remembered why I stopped eating fast food lol. This place has lots of good reviews so maybe I just got a random bad meal? Based on this one meal, I wouldn't go back. Loved the soup though! And I still tipped my server really well because she was great and she didn't make the food. read more

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Grabbed a quick lunch here and though they were busy, they had a seat available for us relatively quickly. Started out their their Rundown chowder which was unique with its addition of sweet potato and coconut milk. Overall the flavors were pretty good but I wish there were heartier chunks of fish in it. Baja fried fish tacos were a let down since the fish was really overcooked and was served in little bits rather than a full filet. Usually I don't enjoy the rice and beans that accompany these dished but their rice was nicely seasoned and their black beans were tender but still had a bit of bite to them. The warm Thai Lemongrass noodle bowl with grilled Ahi Tuna was decent. The tuna was cooked almost all the way through, but had a little bit of pink left in the middle which prevented it from verging into the dry territory. The fish itself could have used some seasoning but the broth did lend it flavor. The broth lacked an umami hit and I was just expecting a deeper flavor from it. The fusion idea was good but the execution just didn't quite meet the mark. read more

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OMG what an awesome place and the fish Taco delicious. We had lunch on their terrace and the waitress Karen was the best and the food was really really good. My favorite place. read more

Rundown Cafe - Burger - Seafood Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

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This is the perfect restaurant to eat at and have few drinks after a long day on the beach. Very welcoming as soon as you walk in the door! Can't go without mentioning that Paige is the hottest hostess on the OBX! The drinks were really good, served was awesome and the food was great! We will definitely be back again read more

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Stop! Turn around you need to go here instead! What a surprise in a sea of tourists traps a genuinely great restaurant! Started off with the delicious creamy chowder followed by the steamed FRESH shrimp and had the just right Key Lime cheesecake for dessert. Wow! Great meal. The best Pusser's Pain killers this side of Barbados (just needs freshly ground nutmeg to be equal)! Thank you for a wonderful experience! Thanks for the great service Summer. read more

I went here last year with my friends and I gotta say, it's not bad! The wait was short, and the food was good. Refreshing tropical tastes at OBX. Got the coconut shrimp and it was delicious. Very open feel of the restaurant . Good lunch place! I would recommend this to other folks. read more

The service was terrible. We sat for 15 minutes and there was only one other table in the place. All the servers were standing around talking. Then when we finally get the food, the value just wasn't there. My brother and his family were visiting and won't go there again. read more

There is nothing run down about this Cafe... we had an awesome experience from top to bottom on our group's recent week vacation to OBX! It was actually our last meal of the trip, and unlike many of the others was not planned out too far in advance, but it ended up being the consensus best meal we had. Excellent food, friendly service, exceptional value, exciting menu, and most importantly fresh fish! The menu here is interesting. It seems to be mostly inspired by cuisines in mainly tropical climates around the world, featuring inspirations from Polynesian, Caribbean, Mexican, and though not tropical... Japanese dishes. It's a mix of stuff you're unlikely to see often in North Carolina, and believe me, this is a wonderful place to experience it. We had several different things. As appetizers we had some Buffalo chicken dip, jerk shrimp, and mussels. The only thing that was a little off was the jerk shrimp. Nothing wrong with the shrimp itself, just not the jerk taste we were quite expecting. Buffalo chicken dip is hard to mess up, and they definitely did not, and the mussels came in a really good flavorful broth for scooping. Entrees around the table were varied. The most impressive was a seafood Bouillabaisse featuring all manner of shellfish and tuna in a hearty tomato broth. Huge portion of it too. Tuna was the catch of the day, and for those of us who got fish, that's what we go. I had a cold sesame noodle bowl topped with medium rare Ahi Tuna. Incredible taste, cook perfectly, great noodles and spice on the fresh fish! The other interesting dish were the terryaki pork belly tacos the non-seafood eaters got. See my photos for yourself... looked incredible, tasted even better. There is absolutely NO QUESTION that we will return to this place during out next trip to the OBX! read more

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Has some apps and drinks with a large party... buffalo shrimp 10/10, crab dip 6/10, calamari 10/10. Fish burrito 3/10... holy fire! My fault for not reading the description thoroughly but it was not good. Could not even eat it! So disappointed. read more

Mikey was our service and he was great, he was super friendly. Our food was great, the ambiance was very relaxed. BUT there was a dead fly in my drink, then flies were CONSTANTLY flying around our food. We were pretty grossed out because of that. read more

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I was in the mood for a good burger and they didn't disappoint. Our server was very friendly accommodating and apologetic about the wait but it was a lot of big tables so it wasn't too bad. The drinks and appetizers came out right away. Our garlic parm wings were very fresh and tasty. The California burger was good and the fish and chips too. Cocktails were just ok I didn't get much alcohol from the crushes. Mostly sprite. Last but not least enjoy the artwork some of the best on display.not run down by any means fun place. I will return. read more

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Our waitress Shorty was very attentive and was a joy to be around. She made sure we felt welcome with our toddler. The food was very good. We had a red drum sandwich, clam strips and coconut shrimp! Everything was flavorful and we love the house made slaw!! We will be back! read more

Rundown Cafe - Seafood Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

We got takeout, absolutely delicious! The lady that took our order was very courteous and helpful.

This place was amazing! I got a Rundown margarita and The Rundown Burger. Everyone there was so nice and patience with me as I am a first timer to the restaurant. Kaleb the bartender was the best!!!! COME HERE FOR SURE IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR GOOD FOOD AND CUSTOMER SERVICE!!! read more

So location and staff are great. Awesome service and the views of the ocean while having dinner were amazing. Food was not so great. Ahi Tuna fish bites were okay as an appetizer. I wasn't a fan of the breading or how the tuna was done. The slaw it came with was great. Dinner was interesting. We had the Creole Rundown bowl and Mahi Noodle Bowl. The Rundown bowl wasn't bad, but not great. The sauce was heavy and left a lot to be desired. Real issue was the noodle bowl. None of the veggies were cooked and just stuck around the fish and noodles. I thought maybe you're suppose to cut and mix everything up; however, the soup portion was not hot enough and lacked depth and flavor. read more

Rundown Cafe - Mahi Noodle Bowl - Seafood Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

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Totally missed the iconic sesame noodles that I've always come for. It's really the only thing that set this restaurant aside from anything else on the beach for locals that frequent multiple places. I guess I'm glad that someone bought the place and is carrying on, but it's totally a different place and generic to the Outer Banks now. probably not one I will frequent in the future, which makes me totally sad. read more

Went here last night with a group of 30 and the staff could not have been more accommodating. Food and drinks were great and Sydney our main server was awesome. We were upstairs and had so much fun. This is definitely a place to go hang out with friends. read more

Very disappointed with the menu changes. I guess they're under new ownership. They used to have several options for vegans, including a wonderful noodle bowl, but now that's gone. They do still have offer a Beyond Burger as substitute for any regular burger, but that was basically the only plant-based option. read more

LOVE the tsunami salad with mahi mahi at Rundown! Great food and service, too. Their homemade dressing Journey's End (I think is correct) is the absolute best! Have to eat here if dining in Kitty Hawk, great location! read more

Rundown Cafe - Tsunami Salad is the absolute best!!!! Homemade dressing makes the salad!!! - Seafood Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

Great food, friendly and efficient staff. Ate here at lunch on a Sunday. They were busy but we were seated shortly after arriving. We started out with the crab cake Bloody Mary's. They were incredibly delicious. We also had coconut shrimp and a bowl of chowder for an appetizer. Bothe tasted great and came out in just a few minutes. Our meals were grilled ahi tuna sandwich that was cooked perfectly and we also had a salad with grilled shrimp. It was huge. All portions were big and we had enough left over for another meal. Our waitress was friendly, polite, and always had anything we needed without being asked. We will definitely return soon. read more

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I wish i could give this restaurant a better review. It's a very convenient location, and the hostess and our waiter was very kind. The food is as expected, pretty good. However, we were sat outside in summer and had to endure the clouds of cigarette smoke from employees on their break.. read more

Over the years, the Rundown was our go to place on the Outer Banks. This year was different because it has a new owner (who also owns Mulligans, in Nags Head). The menu has a large selection of beach type food, and we really enjoyed the well prepared fried Mahi Mahi with hush puppies, and the crab cake sandwich; they were more than we could eat. Local art works and photography decorate the walls, but the colorful Caribbean island style paintings are largely gone. And the previous Jamaican / Caribbean flavor is also absent from the menu. This restaurant has really friendly staff and good food. It felt busy, but not to noisy to carry on a conversation (ceiling has sound baffles). We hope that the new owner reconsiders the decision to jettison from the current menu the "old menu" Tsunami salads with their flavorful dressing, that helped distinguish Rundown from its beach competitors. read more

Rundown Cafe - Crab cake sandwich - Seafood Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

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Great service, tasty beverages and solid, consistent food. Highly recommend the blackened tuna nachos...lots of great flavor and enough to share. Also had the coconut chicken sandwich special, which was on point...savory, crunchy, and really hit the spot! Big shoutout to bar manager, Lucas, and the rest of the staff for providing a stellar experience! Will definitely return. read more

1230/2021 As usual food is delicious, service is fantastic. This restaurant has been consistently excellent and very popular. I started with the fish bites and Hummus appetizer which were delicious. The Hummus was a little more chunkier than I am used to but one the less delicious. For the main course I hadn't mixed vegetarian plate. I am not a vegetarian but the dish sounded good It came with coconut rice, grilled shitaki mushrooms, black beans, Hummus ginger slaw, grilled Flatbread. Very good. We also had the fish tacos, Hawaiian poke, and the tsunami salad. read more

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We arrived at around 4:45 and there was nine of us and we were seated right away, which we were surprised by. They took our orders and we waited probably another 45 min for our food which was a long time. When the food arrived I was not happy with what i ordered, I ordered the fish and chips and the breading was soggy and the fish had no flavor. Other people at our table really enjoyed what they ordered. The wait for food was the biggest issue with our experience, we used to love coming to rundown but they changed the menu and it seams like it may be going down hill (hopefully not). read more