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    Sea Chef Dockside Kitchen

    4.8 (33 reviews)
    Open 11:00 am - 8:00 pm
    Updated 1 month ago

    Sea Chef Dockside Kitchen Photos

    SEA CHEF DOCKSIDE KITCHEN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Dogs allowed
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Sea Chef Dockside Kitchen

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    Outdoor dining
    Courtney K.

    BLUF: Local seafood from a James Beard awarding chef served in a super casual atmosphere over looking Oregon Inlet. Sea Chef is where fresh, quality seafood, a full bar and a casual atmosphere collide. If you don't know much about this spot you may be surprised to find such high quality food served at the local fishing inlet. I went for the shrimp burger and it didn't disappoint. Large shrimp are somehow formed into a patty and served on a potato roll with a somewhat spicy sauce, fresh julienne carrots and arugula. On a good weather day it's easy to sit outside on the second story deck and watch the people, boats and tides come and go. If the weather isn't cooperating, there is seating inside too. To extend your stay, order a drink from the full bar or opt for an ice cream sandwich made by local Surfin' Spoon frozen yogurt company. The logistics are that you order at the counter and then find a table. Soft drinks are self serve and a server will bring your food to the table. Parking is plentiful. The restaurant is located on the second story of the Oregon Inlet Fishing Center. It is handicap accessible via the elevator inside the main lobby/store.

    Banana pudding
    Emily W.

    We met Chef Mac and Jeff in OBX when they were catering a private dinner for the rental house next to ours. We inquired, and although it was too late for our vacation week, I found them on social media and followed along as they opened this brick and mortar restaurant. Naturally, next year when we came to OBX for vacation, we came in to Sea Chef for lunch. It was incredible! The seafood was so fresh, well seasoned, and delicious. The restaurant is cute with an outdoor seating area overlooking the inlet area. There is a bar and a handful of tables inside as well. You order at the counter and then sit with a number and they bring the food to you. This place is definitely worth checking out if you're in OBX!

    Jillian S.

    Wow, this place blew me away. We stopped in for takeout after a long day of fishing. The restaurant is relatively new and located right inside the fishing center. Fresh is as fresh does. The fried shrimp was challenging to resist and I'm glad I didn't put up much of a fight. The crunchy shrimp was cooked to perfection and seasoned just as well. I also couldn't leave OBX without another Surfin' spoon ice cream sandwich. Looking forward to returning in the future!

    Fried shrimp
    Mark W. S.

    While visiting Nags Head we drove down to watch the fishing boats come in at Oregon Inlet. We ran across this new restaurant which was a pleasant surprise. We decided to have lunch and it was really good. It's in a new building at the Oregon Inlet Marine. It's really nice inside with some original fish prints for sale. Everyone ordered seafood as it doesn't get any fresher. The fried shrimp was outstanding. Another hit was the tilefish. Our server was really good and she explained the menu and options. Everyone was really impressed with the total package of this eatery. Can't wait to return.

    View and the boil
    Maureen B.

    The food is so good. Ridiculously good. We're camping across the street and were excited to try Sea Chef. We've now come twice in a few days the food is so good. Sorry repeating myself but it deserves multiple mentions. The shrimp burger is amazing as is the boil. They're both so good we've had a hard time trying something else on the menu. For the quality of the food the price is great. So happy this place opened here. The views and ambiance are great too. Fun to sit and watch the fishing boats come in.

    Must visit! What a gem along the highway . Staff is friendly, quick and helpful! Food is made from scratch and delicious and the prices are reasonable. Anything you choose you will love. Please try it is a wonderful break from driving, love the ambiance! Try the homemade ice cream sandwich, screw the diet!! See you next time

    Captains Platter

    Everything was perfect. Yummy food, amazing dessert (ice cream and banana pudding), clean environment. The staff were extremely friendly, sweet, and attentive. Underrated place :') I'd love to come back

    Trout special & scallop carbonara

    Great service and food, however the menu options and prices reflected a finer dining experience than you'll get at this establishment. The design of the website made us think this would be a romantic date night location - which it is definitely not. There's 10 ish tables crammed into a small room, counter service, and the other customers were primarily drunk men in sweaty tank tops and flip flops. Despite the atmosphere, the food really was good and made the visit worth it. The only food complaint we had was being served dessert in a to go container that we could've grabbed from the fridge ourselves when we had been dining at a table. Our dessert could've been easily plated for the amount of money we spent on just 2 people. Great place to grab a bite, but don't dress up.

    Spicy pickles and a jalapeño margarita
    Vanessa M.

    This place is on the newer side and Google maps had an issue getting us the right spot. Very little exterior signage yet. So go the back side of Ocean's Edge bait and tackle and you'll find it. That said, the food absolutely made up for the extra driving around in circles. I ordered the crab cake BLT and a jalapeño margarita and hefty side order of spicy pickles and my boyfriend had the burger. He said it was excellent. And he didn't offer me a bite so I knew it had to be. My margarita was super fresh and had just the right amount of spiciness. The crab cake BLT was perfectly balanced. Very crispy bacon, fresh tomato and the cake itself was simple, moist, well seasoned, and not overly breaded. A hint of mayo and the brioche bun pulled all together. The pickles were good and definitely had some kick! The fries were thin, crispy and nicely salty. They also came with a great spicy aioli for dipping. Definitely worth the stop while driving to Cape Hatteras. Next time we'll try the desserts

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    2 months ago

    Great lunch spot. Efficient. Good quality lunch menu. Excellent service. Best views from this restaurant.

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    1 year ago

    Food is awesome! Service was great! The view from the deck is spectacular. Do yourself a favor and eat there.

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    1 year ago

    Possibly the best calamari I've had. The shrimp burger and crab fritters were very good too. A must stop if you're in the area.

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    Ask the Community - Sea Chef Dockside Kitchen

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    Claire’s Cakes

    Claire’s Cakes

    4.2
    (5 reviews)
    9.0 mi

    Unfortunately, we must leave a negative review. Claire's Cakes canceled on us 5 days before our…read morewedding. We hired Claire's Cakes in September 2025 to make our wedding desserts (6 dozen cupcakes and 3 cheesecakes). Everything seemed to be running smoothly until a few weeks before our wedding when her communication with us began to slow. We had arranged to pay extra to meet her on the Friday (11/28) before our Saturday (11/29) wedding to pick up our desserts. We confirmed this pick up date multiple times. On Friday, 11/21 (at 8:25 pm), she emails us: "I'm able to deliver on Wednesday 11/26/25 at whatever time is most convenient for you. As we get closer to the date, I'll provide an updated delivery window. I am currently out of town for the remainder of the weekend on business and will be back on Monday." So, despite multiple confirmations that the order was to be picked up on Friday, she now has the wrong pick up date. On Saturday, 11/22, we responded: "Enjoy your weekend (even if it is on business)! We had talked about delivery on Friday, November 28th (not Wednesday, 11/26). Let us know if that Friday still works -- we are at your disposal on that Friday (11/28) to meet to pick up the cupcakes/cheesecakes at whatever time is most convenient to you!" On Monday, 11/24 (at noon) -- the Monday before our Saturday wedding -- she writes us: "I wanted to reach out regarding your event. I've just been informed that a family member I am caring for has a scheduled surgery, and I will be unavailable for at least three days following Thanksgiving. Due to this family emergency, I am unable to work or dedicate the necessary time to create these items. Unfortunately, with the short notice and circumstances, I will not be able to accommodate your desserts for Friday." We find it a little odd that, between late Friday night and by noon on Monday (the day she returned from a business trip), a family member she is taking care of would suddenly have surgery scheduled for the day before Thanksgiving (or even the week of Thanksgiving). Given that she tried to change the pick up date to the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, was out of town on business until Monday, and then, at noon Monday, used a family member to avoid providing deserts the Friday after Thanksgiving (which was the agreed-upon date), it seems the most logical thing is this .... When she made the commitment to make the desserts, she did not realize it was Thanksgiving week and that she would be making our desserts on Thanksgiving for the Friday delivery. And, when she realized the promised Friday was the day after Thanksgiving, she used an excuse that garnered the most sympathy/understanding (family member surgery). We hate to sound uncaring about her situation or that a family member needed surgery, but it just seems like a made up excuse. If it is not, our prayers to her family member. If she had at least given us some advance notice that she was taking care of a family member or had circumstances that may interfere with her ability to make the desserts for our wedding, we could have made a contingency plan. For example, our caterer could have made the deserts with a little more notice. As it is, we had to scramble -- my daughter made 3 dozen cupcakes the night before the wedding and we ordered plain Harris Teeter sheet cakes for the rest. Perhaps the professional thing for Ms. Claire to have done was to call someone she knows who could have fulfilled the order or at least made the effort to find someone to cover for her. OR... if she had said she would need to change the delivery to Wednesday because of the situation, maybe we would have been okay with that (presumably the desserts would have still been okay on Saturday?), but she did not -- she just canceled.

    Amazing key lime cake! Claire is very easy to work with, she is flexible and accommodating- kind &…read morefriendly. You can tell she is artistic is her craft and truly loves baking! The cake had an amazing lime taste and buttercream frosting was fantastic! We will be ordering more cakes from Claire! Loved that She walks the cake to your car- no better service than that!

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    It's All Gravy Trattoria

    It's All Gravy Trattoria

    4.5
    (120 reviews)
    9.0 mi
    $$

    I found this place when looking for a new spot to try. I had the Lobster & shrimp ravioli and a…read moreglass of red wine, which was a lovely dinner, I decided to try the cannoli for dessert which was so tasty! The ambience is clean and simple and the service was great. I will definitely come back the next time I am down in the OBX.

    "Fast, convenient, good takeout Italian sandwiches, entrees, and more"…read more Punchline-- pass on the sandwiches (tasty but not big) and go for the entrees (giant and similarly priced) We ordered some takeout from this place based on positive Yelp reviews. Fortunately, Yelp came through for us! Note, although some things mention that you can eat in, at the time of this review, there were no visible tables inside-- it seemed to be a takeout only operation. Also, some of the online menus are now wrong-- they list all the meals and sandwiches as coming with a drink included, but they do not do so any longer. We opted for sandwiches and dishes, but they do have some desserts too-- we didn't partake this time. Service: very friendly, both when ordering and during pickup. They also warned us as we ordered about the menu/ drink change mentioned above, which helped prevent any unpleasant surprises. Food: Two of us got sandwiches and two got meals. Mozzarella caprese & Italian cheesesteak sandwiches -- both very good. Each came with a side of chips. But my family members who got these finished their food for dinner and found themselves still hungry. Note, these sandwiches cost $14. Lasagna & eggplant parmigiana -- These came with garden salads (though you could opt for bread for the eggplant parm). GIANT. It was a vat of food. I will say that a lot of the weight was the delicious tomato sauce, so there's a reason to consider getting bread. But even still-- I didn't finish my meal, nor did the other person who ordered one. These cost $16-17. Quite a contrast to the folks who ordered the sandwiches. Synopsis: Go for the entrees. WAY better value. And worth hitting up this place more generally for takeout if you want a break from seafood.

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    Meatball sub
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    Sea Chef Dockside Kitchen - seafood - Updated August 2026

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