I use to live at the Outer Banks and I had always wanted to go to the dunes restaurant. They have a shining reputation here and I've always heard the most positive things. Right when we walked in through the doors we were greeted by two smiling employees behind the counter. One of the employees names was Karen and I sadly did not get the other employees name (she had long blonde hair)You don't see this kind of energy anymore at eating establishments and it was very refreshing to see it early in the morning. Our waiters name was Joe and he was very fast and professional with providing service. The food at the buffet was excellent and the fruit was very fresh. My family is going to make it a tradition that whenever we come to the Outer Banks we eat at the dunes restaurant. Karen, Joe, and the other employee deserve recognition for providing such a positive atmosphere at this restaurant and for going above and beyond when providing an optimal dining experience for customers. read more

Came here two days in a row while visiting. The food was pretty good, the service was wonderful (wait staff was AMAZING but the check out clerks could be more knowledgable) and the merchandise in the shop is SO cute and well priced, I wanted to spend hundreds in the shop. The french toast was made very well - my kids were happy with the buffet - although I would have liked to see a little more selection there - but hey - the kids were pleased and ate well! Will come again before we go home! read more

Last weekend was my first time there. I ordered the shrimp & grits which I thought was delicious. Yes the shrimp were small but you could still taste them, and honestly with a dish like that, I want to be able to taste all the flavors, not just shrimp. My husband got the steak and eggs. He ordered his steak medium, but it was clearly well done. Also we sat in the bar area, which only had one bartender/waitress covering all the tables in that area. I ordered a water and didn't once get asked if I needed a refill. Overall not sure if I would return. I did like the food, but service was not that great, and based on other reviews it seems kind of hit and miss. read more

This place has about average food. It's good, not sure it's worth the price but it was decent food. Average adult entree price was around $20 for dinner. Kid's meals were $5.99-8.99, very small amounts of food with most of the kid's meals. Chicken tenders were good sized. Comfortable atmosphere, very family friendly. It was a little bit loud but that's what we wanted with a 5 year old and a 1 1/2 year old, didn't have to worry about disturbing people as much. read more

Awesome breakfast!!! HUGE portions, exactly what you want to get you started for a day to the beach. Carol (the bartender) is AWESOME. Everyone here is friendly and kind and we loved it. Also... they cook their hash browns in bacon fat. SO GOOD. read more

Love the breakfast buffet so much!! The eggs and bacon really are to die for , perfect every time. Such a great place for the whole family to go for breakfast. read more

WOW! We hadn't eaten here in a couple of years, the food had been good but not great. Boy has that changed! The restaurant looks fantastic after its recent remodel, the bar was great for a drink while we waited, service was fantastic (thanks Kendra!) They treated us like family, and the food to quote my wife "Oh my God, yum!" An utterly outstanding meal, the hushpuppies and homemade butter...devine, North Carolina filled eggrolls...delectable, shrimp for me and meatloaf for my wife...delicious, and to top it off chocolate cake...decedent! We could be going back tomorrow for lunch, enjoy! read more

I have eaten here previously before all the recent changes and I was not impressed. The service was attentive with refilling drinks, but not friendly. The food was ok, but really nothing special. The salad bar tasted not so fresh and some of our food came out barely warm. The rolls looked to be something I could buy at the local grocery store. Not quite sure if we would enjoy it if we went now. read more

Fantastic breakfast! Had the shrimp and grits, awesome!! Home fries were the best my husband ever had!!

For a Saturday morning in the summer the service was good and fast. The food was plentiful. The buffet was ok, but priced right at $11. I would rate the food at 3, but the fast service moved it to 4. read more

Great hometown family restaurant always come here when we come! Overall good tasting food.

We always enjoy The Dunes and were glad they were able to reopen this year. Good choice for large or small parties. Nice selection on the menu and a full bar. Fantastic hush puppies with yummy butter. May have a wait depending on the size of your group, but we always have a good meal with friendly service. read more

There is no meal at any restaurant at any price to which I look forward as much as breakfast at the Dunes. We've been going to OBX 2x a year for decades, Each visit we hit this place 4x for breakfast and we're in heaven. Not the buffet, which is fine but by far the way to go is bacon and cheese omelet with biscuits, hash browns, and a side of grits. There's so much food you'll have enough to take back for next day and day three, repeat. Great coffee, very reasonable prices. People are extremely nice...maybe that's just part of driving south, Going again in two days and cannot wait. I think I just drooled on my keyboard... read more

It's was OK. Went in the morning and got breakfast. Their system of payment at a center counter doesn't work efficiently because we got caught standing behind people waiting to pay when we wanted to sit down. The older woman working the counter was in a mood and it showed. Food was good but again, big portions. read more

We ate here for dinner. Although the restaurant was crowded we were quickly seated. Had the crab legs which were flavorful. Our waitress was excellent and very helpful. Will definitely return. read more

So a 3.5 is accurate for this restaurant. We ordered steamed shrimp as an app. 10.99$ for a pound of the most flavorless shrimp I've ever had. No seasoning, no lemon, no old bay. Simply watery shrimp. Server was friendly and attentive. Mahi fish tacos were awesome, but came with tortilla chips but no salsa of any kind... Which I found very odd. Crab legs were delicious. And hush puppies were out of this world!! read more

My wife and I had a great experience at The Dunes. Eating at Outer Banks can be tricky since my wife is allergic to seafood! However the executive chef of the restaurant and I communicated via email a week before and he assured they would prepare her food separate. Furthermore, he came and personally met us when we arrived at the restaurant. Great service from him! As far as the food, the hushpuppies are great. The spread for them are margarine, honey and brown sugar. I got the flounder and crab cake combo. The flounder was OK and the crab cake was very very good. My wife enjoyed chicken tenders. We would easily come back on a future trip to Nags Head! read more

Go here for a traditional breakfast, the dinners are only ok. The omlettes pancakes and biscuits are particularly good. We have not had the buffet (in season) but it always looks good. In season I suggest going early- before 9- since the tourists to roll in. read more

Terrific breakfast buffet! Great biscuits, fresh fruit, bacon, grits are awesome, sweet potatoe biscuits, good coffee, chipped beef, sausage gravy, etc... service was great also. Definately a place we will be returning to again and again. read more

First time eating here no complaints I got the special of the day it was teriyaki tuna with mango and pineapple and I'm very satisfied and full! Got some shrimp and they was over cooked but they fixed others with no problems very satisfied will recommend! read more

What a nice place. Our family of four arrived at quarter of nine; we weren't aware they stopped serving at nine. The nicest, most cordial server, Patrick, told us to come in and have a nice meal, regardless of the time. He could not have been more accommodating. The food was great. Best soft shell crabs ever. Carolina BBQ had a perfect smoked flavor, and the Mahi Tacos were delicious. The food came quickly, our drinks were always filled, and the conversation and hospitality was awesome. We'd recommend it to everyone. read more

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

Restaurant was not full. Had to continue to ask to be seated after wait time passed. No server came to table - had to ask for server. Ordered food immediately. Other tables seated ordered and served food. We still had no meals. Had to ask several times. Manager comes out and gives us a plate of fried stuff to eat while continuing to wait which no one did. Finally after waiting almost an hour we finally get our food. Food average. Service terrible - not server fault. Very disorganized restaurant. read more

15 years ago this was the Restaurant to go to for breakfast. Large homemade biscuits. Took my family there this summer and the breakfast meal was cold, and gave us the wrong food. My family came down over Thanksgiving and I thought I would try again. Never been more disappointed. I will never recommend or eat at the Dunes again. 3 tries and you are out. read more

We stumbled across this restaurant while in town. Their google listing showed that they were closed, however this was not the case. Staff was very friendly and seated us right away. Within minutes of being seated our waiter, Patrick, was at the table taking our drink order. Patrick was super friendly and made suggestions for dinner and they did not disappoint. The food and service were incredible. Would definitely return. read more

My husband and I had our wedding reception at The Dunes on June 12th and we have nothing but great things to say about the food, staff, and restaurant. We worked closely with Patrick to get all of the details worked out and he was so accommodating and helpful. The night turned out perfect and everyone raved about how delicious the food was and how courteous and helpful the staff were. We also went here for breakfast twice and loved it, especially the breakfast bar. I would hands down recommend this restaurant to anyone; it is now my favorite place to go while in OBX. read more

The food is pretty good. I know the appetizers we ordered (calamari and crab dip) were a huge hit with my non-seafood eater kids, and they ate my fried clam strips and fried fish. But honestly there's nothing too special. this is two days later and i struggle to remember what i ordered that night. Front of store is a goodies (beach related) store and some of their stuff is pretty cute. read more

Love this place. Kind of a funky design with a gift shop near the front but the food and service are both great. Crab legs and she crab soup are awesome. read more

I am currently sitting at a table in the resturaunt, looking at no less than 6 open tables. This is noteworthy because I am also staring at a pager, waiting for what I was told to be 20 minutes to get a table. I am just as confused as the other 30 people who are sitting around waiting on something to happen. Is this one of those joke places whose whole gig is to make you wait a ridiculously long time for poor service? I would love to leave a review of the food. I truly would. If I crack the code of how to actually get served here, I will make sure to update my post. *Update* We were just "seated." There are at least a dozen empty tables in this room. I am still confused. read more

The best brunch in the area! Loved the buffet and the omelet dishes. Super quick (and friendly service). Very much Cracker Barrel vibe, with a beachy twist! read more

I received the food I ordered and my coffee was warmed or refilled two additional times. She delivered the check quickly after I finished eating and wished me well. I for one do not like to have my check before I have finished my meal. She appears to be well trained. The eggs were cooked to my request, the country ham was excellent in taste and not tough in texture as it can be at times. read more

Came here for breakfast. It was incredible. I sat at the bar and the bartender was a wonderful woman. The omelet was so fresh and the toast was slathered in butter.. so nom nom. They were pretty busy but the turn around time was quick so we didn't wait long at all. read more

I have visited The Dunes Restaurant over the years, and have never once been disappointed by the food. Their breakfast buffet is the best on the outer banks hands down. The food is always hot, fresh, and delicious. I have ordered from the menu quite a few times as well and the servings are generous and expertly cooked. The wait staff is very very good!!!! read more

We have been coming to south nags head for years and we finally ventured in . 7 people .. all foodies .. Great food ! We order almost one of everything .. nicely done .. quaint place with cute beach trinkets everywhere . read more

I am not a hush puppy fan and theirs are to die for! Had crabcake dinner which was almost all crab very little filler. Service was excellent. Had breakfast there before which was good. Glad I made a return trip for dinner. Excellent meal at a reasonable price! read more

We ate here for dinner one evening and it was great, so we tried breakfast on our check out day and it was even better. Waiter was slow catching our glasses being empty but food was great & portions were huge! read more

My initial review of this place was 4 stars. I docked a star after our last visit here. My wife and I went on our anniversary. When we walked in they were super busy! Thankfully, we got seated pretty quickly as it was just the two of us. Our waitress was...ok. Nothing to write home about or make me desire to come back because they provided great service. She took our drink order and left for a bit. She dropped the drinks off and left again for a bit. When I saw her again I asked if we could put an appetizer order in (not sure why I had to ask that but it goes to the overall experience we had). I also had to ask for the delicious hush puppies I had been longing for since our last visit. We got the hush puppies and the appetizer (jerk chicken wings). Both were phenomenal. We ordered our meals. I got a chicken sandwich and my wife got the seafood Norfolk. When we got our dinners, my wife's was...decent. She said it was not a $28.00 meal. My chicken sandwich was not edible. I ate one bite and knew this would likely be our last visit to this establishment. Between the really pricey main dishes, the sub par service (our meal was about $80.00 with tip and I had to ask for multiple things...hush puppies, refills, a box...you get the point). This experience just left me feeling like I had been robbed. I love the hush puppies...but that's all I loved this visit. read more

We come in here every year for breakfast and it just keeps declining. We always ask for the same waitress, Debbie, as she is always super nice and they would not let us wait to sit in her section...very disappointed. Also we could hear a gentleman yelling at the staff, a manager I am gathering, and that was a VERY uncomfortable situation! The food prices are going up and the food quality is going down! read more

Close to our cottage so we tried it out on arrival night. The almost donut like hush puppies were good. I thought prices are a little high for what we got. I ordered the chicken dish. Which was a fried chicken breast with cheese, mushrooms, and onions on top. It was kind of small for 20 USD. You pick two sides. The standard potatoes and veggies on order. The place was clean. read more

I visited The Dunes while on vacation. I loved my boyfriend's meal, but mine? Not so much. First, this place was packed on a Friday night. Lots of families and large groups. We were seated quickly though. Because it was a Saturday night some drinks were ordered: the margarita was decent, although standard, and the Mai Tai was nice and sweet. We were brought out a basket of small sweet potato biscuits and some hush puppies. I ordered the Seven Sisters platter, with grilled chicken topped with cheese, with a baked potato and mixed vegetables (broccoli, zucchini, and squash). My chicken was a bit tough but it did have a good flavor. The potato was good (pretty hard to ruin a baked 'tater!) and my zucchini/broccoli/squash was overwhelmed by black pepper (and needed salt). My boyfriend got fried chicken tenders, the veggie mix, and french fries. His tenders where obviously frozen then deep fried but were satisfying after a busy day. We skipped dessert and additional drinks because it was getting a bit noisy. I wouldn't mind returning to The Dunes if we come back to Nags Head next year, just to try their breakfast. read more

This was a wonderful place to eat. Me and boyfriend decided to try here on a whim and I'm glad we did. You get complimentary hushpuppies which surprisingly taste like funnel cake! Its served with what taste like honey butter. We ordered an appetizer which was an onion blossom. I ordered the seafood alfredo (yummy) which came with a salad and garlic bread and my boyfriend ordered a burger and fry. They didn't have Italian dressing so I got the balsamic dressing which was tasty. This place was great our waiter never left our cups empty for more than a second.Our food came out relatively quick. Our waiter and the other one working were both super polite and accommodating. We will definitely be eating here again! This was what awesome service looks like. read more