Came here months ago but forgot to review and just remembered since I'm back down in Nags Head. Me and my mom headed to the dunes for an early dinner. It wasn't crowded and the place looked clean and I liked the atmosphere. I got chicken tenders which are good but nothing spectacular. My mom got popcorn shrimp. The shrimp didn't really have a taste at all it was quite weird. We got a mixture of different sides but nothing really stood out to us at this place. Everything was just okay. They do have a few things you can buy, kind of like a gift shop right as you walk in so we bought something from there. I heard this place can be good for breakfast but for dinner it's nothing really special, probably won't be back for dinner. read more

First, check the time! We arrived right at noon & were unaware they were closing until 4:30 pm however they sat us. Please be explicit in asking for a larger table if you have more than 3-4 people. We had 4 with a high chair & were shown to a 4 top however I asked to be moved to a bigger table as that is way too small for 5 people to eat. We were politely taken to a large booth that was perfect for us. The hostess "forgot" to bring the high chair so the waitress gladly brought us one. We ordered: waters, hot cocoa, & a mimosa. All were good. The cocoa was brought out for the kids to mix themselves which they enjoyed. We ordered two kids sandlot dishes (hot cake & egg) with added bacon to one (the portions were large & tasty), a whaler (eggs, bacon or sausage, hash browns or grits (I ordered both) & choice of biscuit, hot cakes, or toast (I chose biscuit which was huge), a pork scrapple (pork, eggs, hot cakes, & hash browns) & it was delectable), & the steak & eggs which was a 7 oz ribeye, eggs, & hot cakes. All were delicious & served hot. The mimosa was good & strong! Not a waste of $$! Service was good. Plenty of ample parking. Bathrooms are two stalls & the women's has a changing station for little one's. Clean, affordable, & enjoyable. Would eat here again. Thanks! read more

I'm giving this place a solid 4 stars. The dunes is not right on the water, so if that's what you're looking for...you might be a bit underwhelmed. It's a diner, great food for breakfast with huge portions. We couldn't finish. The hash browns were delicious, as were the omelets. No, the crab wasn't perfect but it's omelet crab. Overall the atmosphere makes it awesome. Go, enjoy!!! read more

What a great dining experience! Patrick was our waiter/bartender as we sat at a booth in the bar area. I had the beautifully scored, fried flounder. The hush puppies were melt in your mouth. The drinks were great. We'll be back! read more

Restaurant was AMAZING! Extremely accommodating, friendly, food was amazing! Great and fast service! Mary Beth was AWESOME! Highly recommend to anyone in the area. read more

Worst pancakes ever. Omelets don't come with cheese unless requested. I asked for the drink special written on the board, the waitress didn't even know what I wad talking about then brought me something totally different. The award winning buffet isn't even priced on the menu. Only person that was happy got the French toast, but bummed that it didn't even come with a slice of fruit. read more

I'm only giving this place 1star because I have to rate it something. Went there for dinner (7:30pm) and although the door says closing at 9 and the website says closing at 9, I was greeted by some guy from the back and told they "were kinda closed". If you're closed, you're closed. Lock the door and put up a sign, but don't let people into the restaurant and wait to be seated only to tell them you're closed... early! The food might be good, but I'll never know because I won't be going back if I ever come back here. My advice: you may want to call to see if they are open before committing to going there- evidently, they close when they want to, regardless of their hours. read more

This was really sad. The crab and jack omelet says "you can only find a crab omelet like this on the coast". What it should say is "you can only find a CRAP omelet like this on the coast" Also the Bloody Mary was terrrrrible! No flavor except maybe like straight vodka with peppercorns ground up in it then dyed red. Blah My friend ordered 3 eggs over easy and the hot cakes with pėcáns and chocolate chips. The waitress says "ok, hot cakes". I chime in, just in case she can't hear certain pitches since his voice is a little deeper than mine, "with chocolate chips and Pėcáns" "oh" she chimes in "with pĒcAnds".mmmmmhmmmm pēcands lady... thank you. We wait about 7 minutes for our food and have our coffee refilled about 30 times. Yessss food comes! She sets down the eggs my hot man orders and two eggs... hmmm "the other egg is coming". Weird. Ok Overall, the coffee was good and got refilled as soon as you took a sip. read more

The Dunes Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Nags Head, North Carolina

Very enjoyable dinner with great service. Both granddaughters that has Spaghetti loved it and finished their entire bowls. The younger granddaughter had the kids pizza with applesauce which she loved. The fish chowder was also delicious. Clams from the menu were succulent. We'd definitely go back! read more

The place was definitely with the drop in. The food was really good. The server was really attentive to our needs. It was brought out very fast considering it was a Sunday and they were very busy. My only down turn on this one was the grits weren't 100% on the b-ball, but still good. I think you might enjoy this. Suncrush..... very tasty! read more

Breakfast was great! We were seated immediately, everyone was very friendly. Eggs, pancakes, and waffles were delicious. The grits were also very good. I got the Whaler which included a little bit of everything. Got the waffle to share for the table. Really hit the spot! read more

We went to The Dunes my first night here this week, and I wanted to get a few places under my belt before writing this review. I am glad I waited, as I probably would have rated it higher than I should have. A two isn't bad and it isn't good... The good: clean, nice layout, friendly staff, hush puppies were moist and perfectly seasoned and fried, fried chicken was damn good. The not so good: exceptionally slow service for a not so busy night (only got one sweet tea refill and had to flag someone down to get it), prices seem high for the quality/quantity of food you get, my shrimp and grits were pedestrian at best...I think they may dumb it down for the non-experienced pallet and the grits, while perfect consistency, lacked any character. So, if you want damn good yard bird and hush puppies and don't mind shelling out a little extra diners, The Dunes is not a bad choice...just not a great one. read more

This review is for BREAKFAST ONLY. Always stop here on Saturday morning for the breakfast buffet before hitting the road back to the real world. I've been coming here the finish-up my vacation for as long as I can remember. You will almost always have a wait on Saturday morning (due to everyone checking out of their cottages at the same time) but it is rarely more than 20 minutes. They have renovated the entire restaurant over the past two years. It's absolutely gorgeous with a new, updated bar area and a well designed and appointed layout. There's also still some purses and shirts and Outer Banks knick-knacks to occupy your wait time. I always go for the buffet because its relatively inexpensive and fills you full for the drive home. For $9.99 you get unlimited scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage (link & patty), grits, french toast sticks, hash browns, sweet potato biscuits, regular biscuits with sausage & red-eye gravy, danishes, muffins, and tons of fresh fruit. There is also the standard breakfast menu which is affordable. I can't vouch for the dinners here but I know they are among the most affordable for fresh seafood on the beach. read more

I went to the dunes while vacationing in the outer banks because I heard it was a bit of a legendary restaurant out there. I also heard that it was being redone and since most restaurants out there are basically fast food seafood or bbq, I was interested to see something a little more modern. I got one of their classic dishes, the large shrimp, which was just fried shrimp with french fries was good...but it was fried shrimp with french fries...I'm pretty sure that would be good anywhere. My husband got crab cakes that came in a creole sauce that was very good. The crab cakes were delicious and creole sauce was a different kind of pairing with crab but it was great! I also liked that they had an extensive cocktail list because I love choosing a fun fruity cocktail that someone else has taken the time to invent :) I got a ginger ale mojito that was excellent! Overall a pretty great meal and a different kind of restaurant from everything else we saw in Nags Head. read more

Once upon a lazy morning at the beach, I gave The Dunes (really close to the beach house) a shot for the breakfast buffet . . . seriously un-delicious . . . in spite of the lackluster food and pretty nasty decor, I gave it a year to get better. This time, I tried dinner - I was pretty hype to hear that they have "the best salad bar on the beach" - woah! Now, I haven't tried every restaurant in OBX, but I'm sure there must be a better salad bar somewhere. I had crab cakes (meh) and other people I was with had steaks, crabs, etc. Nothing was stellar (oh, wait - I think some people liked the hushpuppies - came out sort of cold for my taste - and someone said her gumbo was alright when it was warm) other than the service. We had the nicest lady waiting on our table - she even offered to split our bill up (10 people) however we needed - we didn't have to ask - and kept bringing us pitchers of bevs. What a doll. She was great, but not enough to get me back in there to eat. Oh, did I mention this place is WAY overpriced? Damn them for taking advantage of my vacation laziness!!!!! read more

Oh my!!! 12 years ago my husband and I visited this restaurant on our honeymoon. It was the first restaurant we went to as a married couple. The food was good then. When my husband and I were making a decision about where to eat on our date, I had heard that the owners' renovated the restaurant so I said let's go back and try it. I am SOOOO glad we did. When we arrived, there was a 20-minute wait. We were able to go into the beautifully decorated "R bar" and have a couple of drinks...my husband had the $2.00 Bud Light Draft special and I had an iced tea. When we sat down, we were greeted our waitress Kendra. She was so sweet and very helpful! We ordered the NC BBQ stuff egg rolls with a mustard slaw and tangy sauce as our appetizer. All I can say is YUM! For our meal my husband ordered spicy shrimp, NC rice, and a sweet potato. I ordered meatloaf, sweet potato, and the vegetable of the day (which was marinated cucumbers). Our waitress brought was a basket of hushpuppies with homemade honey butter. Oh my goodness, these morsels were AMAZING. I could have seriously eaten these as my meal. They were light and fluffy...SO GOOD! We ended up getting a second basket. Our meals came and once again the chef hit a home run. My husband's shrimp were large and plentiful. The sweet potato was cooked with homemade brown sugar butter. The rice was light and fluffy. My meatloaf was tender and delicious. I loved the sauce. The sweet potato literally melted in my mouth and the cucumbers were tangy and delicious. The restaurant is family owned and we were greeted by the son of the owners. He greeted us. We chatted for several minutes. We told him our story and he gave us a free dessert. Our waitress recommended the chocolate cake. Once again, they hit a home-run with this amazing cake served with fresh strawberries, whipped cream, and a wonferfully refreshing fruit salad with blueberries, melon, and grapes. Without a doubt, if you are seeking a family restaurant offering you a delicious meal and great service, do yourself a favor and go to Dunes! It is by far the most wonderful meal we have had in the Outer Banks, ever! read more

Cute interior. Friendly staff. Decided against breakfast bar for $10.99; not enough items unless you are heavily into fruit. Menu confusing because Dolphin and the Scrabble were the exact same items but $3.20 difference in price as far as we could tell; eggs, grits or hash browns, pancakes or toast or biscuits. Farmers omelet and Dolphin were tasty with plenty on the plate. Great service. read more

The Dunes Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Nags Head, North Carolina

During our annual vacation to Nags Head we dine here at least once. All our meals were wonderful this time around and the service was really good for a tourist area. Family friendly and have the call ahead seating to limit your wait. I would recommend the All you can eat Crab legs or the BBQ ribs. read more

We were huge fans before the big fire closed this in 2012-2013. Were delighted to see it was open again this year. Service was poor and food was OK, but not great and pretty pricey. The waitress brought our entrees and forgot about the salad course. We reminded her but there was no apology. Eventually the salad showed up, and we ate it with our (quickly cooling) entrees. Ordered another glass of wine, but that took a long time as well - arrived as we finished our meals. Just mediocre. Seems that their mojo was lost in the fire. What a shame. read more

Fantastic! It's got a very nice atmosphere and is wonderfully decorated. The food was very delicious and the staff was very friendly! I highly recommend this place for breakfast. read more

The Dunes Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Nags Head, North Carolina

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We had dinner here on a Sunday night in Mid-May. We experienced three major negatives: 1 - Limited & Busy Wait staff - Even though the restaurant was relatively empty for a Sunday early evening (6pm) they took forever to bring us our meals, drink refills, to go boxes, and the check. We ultimately had to go to the cashier ourselves to get the check. The owners were walking around talking to people but werent helping out i.e. making sure you had what you needed. We had to flag down our waiter or the owner several times. 2 - Prices - Considering the prices of the food ($15-$20 a plate) I was expecting the food would be great. It was sub-par at best. 3 - Limited Menu Options - Although the menu was three pages long, one of our guests is gluten-free and it was almost impossible to find a dish that wasn't deep-fried or baked in bread crumbs. They were limited to two possible dishes. Positives: Clean, spacious, and the staff was friendly when we were able to actually get them to acknowledge us. read more

Marybeth our waitress was great to work with and very accommodating with 11 of us coming in right when they opened. Food was excellent and we highly recommend this restaurant to everyone visiting or traveling in the area. Nice job! read more

Amazing! Loved the scrapple! Perfectly cooked--I'm from MD! The zucchini bread amazing with the eggs. The buffet was great & worth the wait! The service was slow but food was hot & delicious! Will visit again & again!! read more

Caroline was great !! We came here for our friends bachelorette weekend and she was amazing, all the staff was!

We probably won't go here again for breakfast. It was ok, but cold. You could tell the pancakes and biscuit had sat in the back for a while. read more

Sean O Stopped for dinner on a Sunday evening, couldn't have made a better choice. It started with our waitress Heather. She was just awesome. First time dining at the Dunes, she offered good choices off of the menu. Our group enjoyed the Southern fried chicken, the meatloaf and the shrimp and grits. Not a complaint about anything. Don't forget about the hush puppies, awesome. It started and ended with our waitress Heather. We'll definitely be back. read more

We had a nice relaxing breakfast this morning (late Oct 21). Food was good and service was excellent. Brittany was our server and made us all smile several times,. Enjoyed chatting with her and we will be back. read more

Service was excellent! Wilson, our server was very prompt and always kept our drinks filled. Some of the best hush puppies I've ever tasted on the Outer Banks.! Portion size for our pick three mill is shareable and delicious! Definitely recommend this restaurant as I have something for everybody. I will definitely come back! read more

We were in Nags Head for the week on vacation. Woke up one morning and found this spot for breakfast. It was so good that we ended up having breakfast there the next day too! Waitstaff was polite. The food was tremendous. One of those every time you take a bite you gotta say "mmmmm" Biscuits and gravy is what makes this a 5 star for me. Like... better than your moms biscuits and gravy. The biscuits and super soft and fluffy and the gravy is thick and seasoned just right. My other half had the steak and eggs which was cooked just right too. The cooks aren't scared to season their food. I say this is a defiant stop if you're on vacation and looking for breakfast. read more

Get the breakfast buffet with all the fresh fruit you can eat. Everything is hot and ready. You are never left waiting for the bar to be reloaded. Get their early if going for breakfast as it is a popular place! read more

Rachel is the best server there, very personable and extremely friendly. We will be back ! Good drinks too!

I'll just start the show by saying I will most certainly eat here every time I come to Nags Head. We had to wait a few minutes, which is to be expected. We didn't have to wait too long though. The waiting are is very aesthetically pleasing with several browsing options. The bar is close so if you want a pre dinner drink .. not a problem. I noticed that the bar area does server what appeared to be a full menu option so that's nice. Once seated the wait staff was prompt, engaging, and more than courteous. I really wish I could remember the name of the young lady who handled out table because she was extra ordinary. Quite possibly one of the best servers I have ever had. The food was fantastic. The hushpuppies here ... Holy ... hushpuppies. I could have eaten a bucket of them. Our waitress advised against though which is good because having to perform CPR on me could be traumatic for anyone. Now that I'm rambling I'll close with this. Give these guys a chance. I don't think you'll be disappointed. read more

Ate breakfast here the other day and was underwhelmed. The pancakes were average, the French toast was not good, but thankfully the waffle was ok. My wife had the breakfast bar and that had a decent selection, but overall was not impressed. read more

We were stranded with car trouble and could walk here from our motel so we ate 2 breakfasts and a dinner here. Service always pleasant and efficient. Excellent breakfast choices and enough food to feed an army. Very lively place. Second day at breakfast we thought we'd ordered less, from the small menu but it was still a pile of food. Yummy toast. read more

We were looking for AYCE crab legs for dinner and decided on The Dunes. Service was great and drinks were cheap! AYCE crab legs were $39 and included two sides. Comparable to almost anywhere as far as cost. Was somewhat disappointed in the quality of the crab legs and the sides. Corn and vegetables were over cooked and the Crab Legs were a lot of work. Typically when it's difficult to peel the meat from the inside of the shell, the crabs have either been over cooked or reheated multiple times. In any case, it wasn't great. Just okay. Service was great so no complaints there. Seems like a popular family restaurant off of the highway. read more

What a disappointment! We have gone to The Dunes the last 3 times we vacationed in OBX. This time, we went for breakfast on the first day of our trip. Breakfast was just OK. We were told we would have a ten minute wait to be seated and ended up waiting 45 minutes. The food was decent except one person in our party had eggs that were undercooked. Price and selection is good. We went back for dinner tonight (4 days later) No wait, nice atmosphere. There were 5 adults and two children and we ordered fairly quickly. All of our meals were delivered except for one. My dad got broiled flounder (the same meal as my mom) but we were told his would be out in a few minutes because they "had to filet the fish". The other meals we did get were cold. Portions were much smaller then other years, and the quality of the food was mediocre at best. The veggies were hard. Service was sub par. Refills on drinks took forever and he almost gave my dad sweet tea (he's diabetic). Dad didn't get his meal until the rest of us finished eating. The Waiter's solution was to give him free desert, "on him" but we politely declined since he is diabetic and with two small children, we didn't want to spend even more time in the restaurant (we had been there while we ate, then while Dad ate since his meal came so late). The bill was delivered and to our surprise, there were NO adjustments. NONE. We are not ones to complain at restaurants, especially when on vacation with family trying to relax, but I think it is a bit ridiculous that he didn't get his meal until after we finished ours and it wasn't addressed further. I've worked in service and his meal should have been comped, or at least take our iced teas off the bill! If they were behind in the kitchen with fileting fish, the manager could have at least came to the table to make things right. The restaurant wasn't even crowded yet. Given the bad service, cold food, and decline in quality, I don't think we'll go back. We'll find somewhere else to replace The Dunes in our week's routine. It's a shame because the hush puppies with honey butter are to die for! read more

We are in town for a wedding and came here for breakfast... what an amazing find!! The hostess was welcoming, the atmosphere was awesome and friendly and our SERVICE was top notch!! Morgan was our waitress ~ she was friendly, knowledgeable of the menu options and was quick to meet our requests. Her service was outstanding! We would 100% come back here and recommend to all!! read more

On first appearances, this place looks stunning. The interior and exterior of the restaurant are tastefully designed with upscale, modern decor. When you first enter the establishment there is a cozy waiting area and also a nicely sized bar where you can pass the time while you wait for a table. I went to this restaurant on a Sunday evening, and despite the fact that there were clearly open tables, the host took my name and asked my party (of three people, myself included), to have a seat in the lobby or at the bar - pretty sure this was a ploy to get us to sit at the bar and spend some dough before we were seated. When the host saw we were not sitting in the bar area, or looking at any of the various trinkets for sale inside the door, he asked us to follow him to a table. Our server came to our table within a minute of being seated, took our drink orders, and was back with them within 2 minutes. All sounds good so far, right? Now get ready for the majority of the meal... The appetizer - we ordered a bowl of She Crab soup ($6.99) to share. After waiting almost 20 minutes for the soup to come out, I found 6 pieces of crab shells throughout the soup. The soup was cold, gray, and completely unappetizing. Needless to say, we did not finish the bowl of corn starch and sea water we were served. On a positive note, the hushpuppies were stellar, as well as the honey butter they were served with. The entrees - Grilled Salmon (~$22), Broiled Scallops (~$22), and "Seafood Stew" (~$23). The salmon was served completely RAW! There was a bit of searing on the outside of the fillet, but my first forkful yielded a bright pink center that was cold, raw, and entirely uncooked. When I brought this to the attention of the food runner she quickly quipped back, "Well how do you want it done then?" They recooked the salmon (the same piece) and it was sloppily thrown back onto the plate. The mashed potatoes and green beans that accompanied the dish were great when the first came out, but they were not even placed under the heat lamps while the salmon was being re-cooked and were ice cold when they made their way out the second time. The scallops were tasteless, under-seasoned, and chewy. For $22 you would expect the dish to come with premium sides, but they came with waffle fries and room temperature coleslaw (that my mother was afraid to even eat due to how warm the mayonnaise was). The portion size of the scallops was meager - 4 to 5 small/medium sized pieces. The seafood stew was the greatest disappointment of all. The seafood stew is described as follows on their menu - "Pan Seared Scallops, Shrimp, Calamari, Mussels, Local Fish, Simmered with Andouille Sausage, Leeks, Onions, & Corn in a Tomato Potlikker" The stew had one piece of calamari, two mussels, one shrimp, one scallop, and the rest of the tiny portion consisted of the other (filler) ingredients. The stewing sauce was bland, thin, and added very little flavor to the dish. Please do yourself a favor and avoid this overpriced joke of a restaurant at all costs. The service was good and the place looks amazing, but the food is absolutely not worth the prices. Between the raw salmon, $22 french fry platter, and seafood stew that would not have filled a 4 year old, we were very upset with the $100+ check we were presented at the end of the meal. read more

Great breakfast buffet. Pancakes were fantastic too. Can't get mimosas on Sunday until noon-FYI read more

The Dunes Restaurant - Well decorated, large bar - Seafood Near Me - Nags Head, North Carolina

My family and I went to The Dunes for breakfast while on vacation. We chose them as a result of a recommendation. As a party of 10 we were afraid we would have a long wait. That was not the case as they were able to accommodate us almost immediately. Once seated we were greeted by our waitress Brittany. She was great! She was quite friendly helpful answering the groups questions about the menu. Speaking of the menu...all of our food was delicious. The portions were good size. That added with the reasonable prices made this a great value without sacrificing any of the he quality or atmosphere. I highly recommend The Dunes for anyone looking for a nice place to eat. read more