Don't offer an 8:30pm reservation if you're going to rush a table's food and leave rapport building to your hostess alone. Cocktails and bottle of wine were ordered, but food was flown to the table in fast succession, and ask if to go boxes are needed while people are still visibly eating. Very good food. Please work on service or don't offer later tables. read more

The only reason this place is missing a star is the surly attitude of the bartender. We discovered the bar required reservations. Once you know that you can act accordingly. We called for reservations on a Monday. Tommy, the owner said he had something at 6:45. We snatched it up. When we got there the poor hostess was dealing with a party of nine. We were taken to the bar and had not gotten close to where our seats were. The bartender barked, these are reserved. I wanted to bark back "we had reservations". I did not for fear of getting something in my dinner. The food was on the superior side. The flounder was a delicate balance of flavors with just the right amount of seasoning. The crab ravioli had a generous amount of crab meat and the dessert was delightful. It was worth every penny. read more

The food, drinks, and dessert were great but the lack of COVID restrictions were concerning, the room felt way to full to be at proper capacity and the bartenders mask was all over the place. We would have left if not for already ordering our food. This place is the reason I will get a Covid test post vacay. BUT food was great, recommend the key lime pie. read more

Props to paper canoe for accommodating a reservation as large as ours (14 people)! We were seated quickly, our server was awesome and swift, and our orders came quickly, from drinks to appetizers to food! The seafood trio was memorable, with large lump crab, shrimp cocktail, and lobster salad (although they should use less mayo in the lobster salad). Everyone enjoyed their entree - the mozzarella pizza, bacon wrapped filet, various seafood and steak dishes, etc. The salads we got were notably fresh and filling - I recommend sharing amongst a few people if you're intending it as an appetizer. The atmosphere is no-frills, with wood paneling and simple fixtures. My vodka martini was great, although my friend's fruit based drink was really sugary and too light. I'm nitpicking a little - we had a lot of fun here and would return! read more

The Paper Canoe - Happy birthday Kiel!! We had so much fun celebrating at Paper Canoe! - Seafood Near Me - Duck, North Carolina

Nice upscale place for small groups. Really nice views. Friendly service. We enjoyed the lobster ravioli and steak. It's a bit pricey but very good! Great place for date night without the kids. read more

This place is amazing! The service, atmosphere, and food all exceeded expectations. Don't let their lack of a kids menu keep you from bringing the family, my daughters split the Steak and Frites and are still talking about it. The crab dip, duck egg rolls, scallops, and steak were fantastic. read more

Beautiful, sound views, amazing food an excellent service. We go every time we are at the Outer Banks!

Fabulous food and drinks. Book in advance to get a table. Very popular place with great sunset views.

Great food, service, and ambiance! First the service - from locking down our reservation with Kara thru great service from our server - his recommendations were right on target, this was five-star service. The ambiance was just what we were looking for to celebrate MaryAnn's birthday in OBX. Not stuffy, casual with a beach vibe, and seating with views overlooking the sound. The food was excellent. The crab dip appetizer was as good as we have had (the complimentary bread with oil and balsamic was also great). The scallops, one of five main dishes recommended by our server were outstanding. The shrimp stuffed with crabmeat (not one of the recommended dishes) was OK, The shrimp were good, but the crab stuffing was mostly bread crumbs. For dessert, we had the key lime pie. Best we have had. Almost forgot - the wine was outstanding as well. Looking forward to our next visit. read more

The food was absolutely delicious! Best seafood risotto I have ever had! I highly recommend it. The restaurant is very quaint with beautiful views of the water. read more

Best food on the island & amazing cocktails. Go just before sunset and enjoy a cocktail on back porch.

Service was great. Made a reservation. Got a automated text etc. 30 min before get personal text from hostess. We sat at the bar and the bartender very knowledgeable on wine pairings with your food choice. From the bar -Dirty Goose Martini. They muddle an olive as well as your three olives on a stick. read more

The Paper Canoe - Outside the back deck - Seafood Near Me - Duck, North Carolina

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Cozy, intimate and beautiful. Love the atmosphere here. Our server was fantastic. I got the fried oysters, French onion, and split the shrimp and grits, with my husband. Shrimp and grits were extremely salty, but everything else was wonderful. We love this place and we will definitely be back! Highly recommend! read more

Everything was delicious and our server, Milan, was amazing. He was attentive and has a great personality. read more

The Paper Canoe - Dinner was amazing!! - Seafood Near Me - Duck, North Carolina

Perfect place for a sunset dinner. I had the herb roasted chicken dinner and it was tender and delicious. The spoon bread on the side was amazing. A southern delight. My husband enjoyed the ravioli with lump crab meat. Andrew, our server/bartender was great company. It's pricey but worth it. Make sure to make a reservation. read more

Was amazing. Accommodated a party of 11 last second and late at night. The service was extremely good. And the food was excellent--fresh and well prepared. This restaurant is a must try if you are in the area. read more

This is by far the BEST restaurant in the OBX if not one of the best I've eaten at. I arrived without a reservation (do not do this) and was lucky enough to get a seat at the bar. (This was pure luck and I do not suggest trying). Steve immediately greeted me with ice cold water and a smile. I tried the "Chef's Whim" appetizer and it was delicious. Then I had their famous duck egg rolls and it was beyond expectations. For my entree I tried the halibut almandine special ( hard to pick with so many options) and I loved every bite. Finished my meal with homemade key lime pie. From the moment I say down till I walked out the door I was treated like I was the only guest in the house. The service is fantastic and the food was top notch. Do yourself a favor and make a reservation for your OBX trip. You will not regret it. read more

The Paper Canoe - Halibut almandine - Seafood Near Me - Duck, North Carolina

We choose one night out during vacation for our adult dinner night and were not disappointed with out dinner at the Paper Canoe. In fact, we were seriously impressed! Make sure to make reservations or else you may not get a chance to enjoy this Outer Banks culinary hot spot. In fact, we received a call during the day to confirm we were still visiting the restaurant. Nice touch! When we arrived early, they were ready for our party of nine and seated right away. The waiter was EXCELLENT, knowledgable about the menu, wine, beer, dessert, etc. He even provided a tasting of two wines we were debating. Good move, because we bought a bottle. The food was excellent, we had the bacon wrapped filet, the yellow tail snapper, tile fish, silky snapper and scallops. Key lime pie and coconut creme brûlée. All was excellent. All in all, we will be back again! read more

The Paper Canoe - Seafood Near Me - Duck, North Carolina

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The Paper Canoe offers great food, great service, and a spectacular view! We had dinner there on a Friday night and we were seated right in time with our reservation. The waiter was outstanding. He was attentive but not hovering. He gave us time to enjoy our cocktails and made sure our appetizer, entree and desert came with just enough interval to be enjoyed. We never felt rushed. Our food was excellent! We both had Duck and it was prepared perfectly. We are looking forward to our next visit read more

We had a reservation for 7:15 PM. We were not able to find parking in their lot at the time, so we parked across the street. I had asked for a sunset view in my reservation and we were seated at a booth with a beautiful view of the sound and sunset! It was quite loud inside as it was busy. We ordered the fried oysters and duck spring rolls as appetizers and some glasses of wine, a couple of cocktails and a beer. All were brought to our table quickly and were incredibly delicious. We ordered our entrees at the same time as the appetizers. It's a good thing we ordered appetizers because it was 8:30 before our entrees arrived. All of the food was to die for. We ordered the wild catch (which was pompano), the scallops, and the blue crab ravioli. All the fish and scallops were cooked perfectly, and the flavors were great. We ordered a second round of drinks before our entrees arrived but we did not get them until after we finished eating the food, and we were not able to flag down our server. I understand that they were busy but this was disappointing as we ordered wines to pair with our meals. In summary, the views and the food were excellent. The service was slow and not the best. read more

Gorgeous location where you can watch the sunset on the water. We got yummy oyster appetizer and the crab pasta. Even seating at the bar was wonderful. We didn't miss table service. A bit pricey but worth the money! read more

A great addition for those looking for higher end dining options in Duck. The menu and specials offer a lot of attractive selections and there is a superb little soundfront bar area if you just want to stop in for drinks & appetizers to enjoy the sunset. As I write this 4 high end restaurants come to mind as noteworthy in Duck...Blue Point, Paper Canoe, Left Bank and Aqua. There are plenty of other expensive restaurants, but they're not all charging $40 for an entree. Roadside is also excellent. On to the Canoe review... The soup special (red thai curry halibut chowder) was excellent, the clam appetizer was a big hit, and the scallop entree received rave reviews. Fresh bread and olive oil was delivered to the table after our order. The desert options were a nice way to finish the meal. We really liked it. I was skeptical because on their first year (2011) I heard a lot of mixed reviews regarding the menu, portion sizes, prices and service. On this trip (2012) none of that was an issue so they must have gotten their act together. It is a really diverse menu and all the items served were fresh and unique. I heard they don't have a freezer so everything is made fresh in house as needed. Some of the reviews comment that the restaurant is noisy, but who cares? I am surrounded by other people enjoying their friends and a great meal and that is part of the ambiance. If you want to hear a pin drop, there are plenty of restaurants where you can whisper. This restaurant reminds you that you're surrounded with hearty folks enjoying their vacation. The one pet-peeve that bothered me was the absence of salt and pepper on the table and the waiter's reluctance to bring it out. I understand that fine chefs believe that the food leaves the kitchen perfectly seasoned, but that's bullsh*t...all of our palettes are a bit different. Some people like things saltier or spicier while others like things less so. In my case, my high end natural NY Strip special just needed some salt to bring out the flavor. I asked for pepper twice and the 2nd time he joked, "just don't ask for steak sauce." I'm a big boy, I can figure out how much salt and pepper to use on the entree I'm paying $40 to enjoy. As a result of not wanting to bother him with another request, my fault, I didn't enjoy my strip as much as I should have (with a little salt). The waiter was very knowledgeable of the menu and went back to the kitchen a couple times to answer questions, reserve specials and confirm how much of a particular wine was available. We had dinner around 8:00 and was surprised to find that most of the specials were already of limited quantity. Good to know things are fresh, though! I'd go back again for a group meal or even just to sit and watch the sunset. Being a couple miles north of Duck's town center, it is easier to get a seat and a beautiful unobstructed soundfront view (really is the best in Duck). Come. Enjoy. Return! read more

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The food and drinks were amazing and the view of the sunset over the sound was stunning. This is now one of my favorite dining experiences ever! read more

The Paper Canoe - Scallops are fabulous! Perfectly cooked. My friend had the sheepshead wild catch with Israeli couscous which was outstanding!! - Seafood Near Me - Duck, North Carolina

This was the second time at this restaurant, everything was excellent except for the stuffed shrimp, shrimp did not have that wild taste, very little crab meat and very bland sauce. This restaurant which i consider very good should put a little more creativity in this dish, like all the other dishes. read more

Amazing food and a great atmosphere. Our server was welcoming and made fabulous recommendations. Perfect place to celebrate my mom's 74th birthday. read more

While staying in Corolla, we stopped in here for dinner one evening. Service was very friendly, even though the place was packed! We made reservations, which paid off as we were seated as soon as we arrived. They have a very nice menu, loaded with some delicious-sounding entrees an it was hard to select just one thing, but the items we chose were done nicely. For starters, the grilled romaine was very nicely done! Their crab-stuffed shrimp is out of this world! The black grouper was prepared perfectly! The "Chef's Whim" appetizer was a trio of lobster salad, shrimp cocktail and some really tasty crab meat. The lobster salad was INCREDIBLE! For dessert, the custard was PERFECT! The views from the window seat that we had were beautiful, as were the decorations in the restaurant. Restrooms were nice and clean as well. Definitely want to come back here! read more

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Best place consistently in Outer Banks. It's worth the trip from Kitty Hawk! We love the food and love the service! Always the best!!

Had a party of 6, could get reservations online OR leave a voicemail that actually called back and gave us exactly what I asked for. Duck potstickers were great. The shrimp and grits on cast iron fantastic, lots of flavor. All other dishes on the table were equally as good, steak, golden sea bass, seafood ravioli. Then dessert, key lime pie - made in-house. Yum! Great ambiance, terrific little restaurant in Duck. read more

The service was good, it was the last night before they closed for the season, so they were out a few of the entrées and sides. A lovely place to dine on the sound, but certainly go back. read more

Excellent dinner and fine service at this small restaurant with amazing entrees, including the scallops, shrimp and grits, and the tilefish!

Excellent food with a lovely casual waterfront ambiance. We enjoyed every bite of the fish special and risotto.

Easily the best restaurant in the Outer Banks, and I say that confidently without having been to all of them. Outstanding food, slyly strong drinks, friendly atmosphere, nice view of the sound from some tables, and some of the best service a restaurant can offer. We felt like we were visiting friends who can seriously cook. It is REALLY hard to get a table, we just got lucky when we walked in, but if you want to eat here consider making a reservation way in advance. read more

Finally made reservations at Paper Canoe on one of our trips to Southern Shores. After dining at several decently rated 'fancy' restaurants and having very average food - we had fairly low expectations. However, very pleasantly surprised by both the quality of food and the service. You can definitely tell they are making entrees to order and the quality of the food reflects. Scallops and fresh catch were perfect. All negative reviews I see are based on minor service issues and people should have a little grace for an industry that is short staffed, catering to an eclectic/erratic tourist crowd, and doing the best that they can - which is pretty damn good. I'd like to shout out Sebastion specifically for service that was above and beyond. read more

Weather was not great and we were staying across the street so this was a convenient option. Glad I did reservations since the place was busy. We sat at the bar which was nice since it has a sound view. Enjoyed our bottle of wine but Old Fashioned was too sweet and they used maraschino cherries. Grilled salad was delicious but the steak didn't seem quality meat and it was covered in gravy. Did enjoy the bread with oil and balsamic. read more

Had dinner hear with Family while visiting. The place was loud and was hard to hear our wait staff. Presented as fine dining and fine dining prices but service and atmosphere was mediocre. The building was not exactly clean as I would have expected with the price and menu. Booth like seating... too loud to have a conversation or hear the wait staff. Food was amazing though! read more

Food and service were amazing. Great portion size. Great drink and wine menu. Scallops were extremely well made. Lots of flavor. Shrimp and grits are a do again dish. Thank You. read more

Went here back during the summer and forgot to post but had one of the best steaks of my life here!! Only complaint about this place is it's a little dark inside the restaurant. Will be returning next time on vacation! read more

Dinner was fabulous. I see lots of reviews saying they weren't kid friendly, but it was a house full of families. We have three kids six and under and they were super accommodating. They even made a smaller version of the ravioli entree for my kids. The crab dip was amazing and the key lime pie is a must. Wonderful atmosphere, food and service. We will be back. read more

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Food was amazing! Service was Outstanding!! We loved every bite!! The soup was out of this world delicious! Thank you!!

We come here every time we vacation in OBX. It is our go-to special place. We started with the French onion soup, which is a creamier version than we are used to, but very tasty, and the canoe salad, which is fresh and light. We always enjoy the fish specials. Very fresh, well-prepared, with good vegetable sides. The speckled trout was prepared just right. The couscous that comes with the wild catch (today's was pompano) is flavorful and filled with vegetables (just how I like it). The carrots and green beans that came with the trout were cooked perfectly. There is a nice selection of wine. The margherita got two thumbs up. The bread is a good vehicle for the nice olive oil/balsamic plate. The sound view is a highlight. Our waiter was attentive and professional. Getting seated for our reservation was a bit slow due to an inattentive hostess, but that was the only negative of the evening. read more