Bland fish tacos with overcooked dry fish. Such a disappointment because we read great reviews. The seasoning on the rice and beans was okay but left a strong taste in my mouth. 3 out of 4 of us weren't thrilled with our food and only ate half. read more

This was a great surprise on vacation. We had a party of 11, 6 adults and 5 kids so it was kind of tough but they accommodated us within about 30 minutes. They have 2 volleyball courts, cornhole and a great back area that kept us occupied until our tables were ready. We started with conch fritters, wings and crab dip. Crab dip was amazing it was more of a pico type dip which really made it so good because it was mostly crab. I had the Pork Antonio which was a jerked pork chop. It was excellent! It has a sort of gelatin on it that was the jerk flavoring and I couldn't get enough of it. Everyone in our party loved it and our plan is to go back today. read more

Their house margarita, made with orange juice, is fantastic! Long wait but we said we would sit at the bar and only waited about 10 min. Place was clean and the service was standard. The outdoor atmosphere and bar are the reason to go read more

First time here. I'm local. Ordered the tuna bites and over cooked and tasted old. My husband got wings and they were good and flavorful. Our friend got jerk chicken and for my tastes a bit too spicy and too smoky. The island fries were the bomb. All in all not wowed. read more

I had the dinner special of yellowtail with potatoes and beans. Sounded better than it ended up being. The fish was perfect but it wasn't very much food. Mostly I had buyers remorse because I tasted the jerk beef and the fish tacos. Outstanding. read more

We had the fish tacos with rice and beans and the crab cake sandwich with fries. The fish tacos were excellent with plenty of fish and great toppings. The crab cake sandwich was good, although crab cake and bread tends to just be too much for me, so I ended up eating half the crab cake without bun, lettuce, and tomatoes. The fries were very well seasoned which I love! We finished it off with key lime pie which was just perfect. We will be back! read more

Tortuga's Lie - Seafood Near Me - Nags Head, North Carolina

This spot was nice and cozy. Drinks were good. I have the jerk beef and It was quite good. We originally went because It was on Diners Drive In's And Dives ...It did not disappoint. read more

After half a day at the beach staying at KDH (cool way to abbreviate Kill Devil Hills lol) we ventured off to get a late lunch. We stumbled upon this restaurant close by to where we were staying, with a pretty crowded parking lot. We got seated quickly since we avoided the lunch rush. We ordered the Craw daddy app because we were hungry! Generous amount of sautéed crawfish tails, in a spicy Caribbean sauce. It came with 3 pieces of huge garlic bread to soak up the delicious sauce. Very fresh, and the veggies with it was a great crunch to the tender crawfish meat. To be honest, this was a meal on its own. I ordered the steamed spicy shrimp. It was delicious, although some shrimp were over cooked because it was a bi tough for me to peel the shells off. It was still delicious, and the shrimp were really big! We also tried the burger topped with crab meat, it was their lunch special for the day. There was so much fries and the burger was huge and juicy! My only complaint was we wished they topped the burger with MORE crabmeat. This place is good for groups and seemed like they had a very lively bar. Definitely worth trying and we enjoyed everything we got! read more

Tortuga's Lie - Seafood Near Me - Nags Head, North Carolina

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Great food at a great price! Had the crab cake sandwich with chips and a side of hummus. The crab cake was delicious on its own and warrants a return trip! This beach restaurant is one block over from the beach and has a very laidback feel. Servers are attentive and very sociable. They really put customer service seriously! read more

Tortuga's Lie - Seafood Near Me - Nags Head, North Carolina

One of our favorite places at the beach!!! The wait can be a little long, but you can grab a drink and people are usually playing volleyball in be back if you want to watch to kill time! The salmon salad was delicious as well as the crab spinach and artichoke chip (a special). Would highly recommend, worth the wait. read more

Tortuga's Lie - AMAZING salmon salad. - Seafood Near Me - Nags Head, North Carolina

I ordered the salad special. It had pineapple, strawberries, and some sort of vinaigrette on it and some other stuff that I unfortunately don't remember. It was amazing. The best food we had in the OBX. read more

We loved this hidden treasure!!! Great food, amazing service and we LOVED the outdoor volleyball courts. With 7 teens/preteens in our group they loved playing on the court and we loved that they could burn off some energy!!! We will definitely be back!!!! read more

Love this place! The front porch bar makes any wait time go by quickly. Had the fish tacos, coconut chicken and the humus appetizer this time and all were spectacular. The service was courteous and did a great job! Highly recommend. read more

I'll make this simple: The best restaurant I've found in OBX. Great vibe, always awesome staff, good drinks and the best good! Go. Here.

Guy was right the jerk chicken rocks! The tuna is delicious too. Food is full of flavor! Clean and friendly. The portions were perfect. We also got the peanut butter chocolate pie. So creamy & not overly sweet. They also have an outside hang out with volley ball & lawn games. read more

Tortuga's Lie - Tuna, cream sauce, lump crab meat, green beans, & mashed potatoes. Yummy! - Seafood Near Me - Nags Head, North Carolina

Really cool place!!! We had the crab cakes sandwich with a side of fries! Both excellent. The steam shrimp were over done but everything else was great. read more

Tortuga's Lie - Seafood Near Me - Nags Head, North Carolina

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Does not catch your eye from the outside at first but is a must for any OBX local or visitor. Fries are super tasty. They are speedy to serve. The Creole Crawdads have a nice kick to them. Wonderful service and worth every penny. read more

Excellent food and worth the wait ! I highly recommend this restaurant it's quite unique in obx

Simply the best there is. Not just in the OBX, Tortugas has been my favorite restaurant anywhere for as long as I can remember. THE BEST VIBE THE BEST FOOD THE BEST SERVICE. Have been coming here for 20+ years and it is as good as it has ever been. They don't miss, everything is so good. Amazing specials, amazing perfectly spiced steamed seafood, THE BEST FRENCH FRIES OF ALL TIME. Tortugas for life. read more

After many trips to OBX, we finally made it to Tortuga's Lie. The food and the service were great. I had the fish tacos and they were great. Loved the fries! read more

Delicious food, amazing dessert, great beer and wonderful service by Patrick! We eat here at least twice each year when we visit. Thanks for everything! read more

Definitely get the conch fritters. Unlike many places, they are loaded with actual conch. We had yellowfin tuna with mashed potatoes and the largest black bean and fish burrito on this or any other planet. It had to weigh at least a pound. The mixed drinks are varied and reasonably priced (try the Naked Turtle Punch), and Loose Cannon (the house draft) is flavorful. The staff did well to serve a very full house in the off-season. read more

This place was not that great. Another tourist trap! So many flys landed on my food... should be called Tortuga's Flies!!!! Yes!! I'm a Foodie- saw Guy on TV before our vacation. I guess the few dishes he advertised... TL let us know they had 2 servings left at 4:55 pm. Very disappointing- don't trust Guy or TV at this point. Should not be surprising! We live in NC and disappointed with a few places we visited after seeing this Guy show on TV. read more

Fantastic food. Highly recommend the chili wings and jerk beef or chicken - food is delicious and the staff are great!

The best place to eat in Nags Head! The food is always amazing and so it the service. A must go if your visiting!

The food was decent and it was super crowded. I'd expected stronger drinks and better food for all the hype. I was slightly disappointed.

I had the steamed shrimp & veggies for dinner. The shrimp was seasoned well and the veggie were just ok. The other 2 adults in my party had the fish tacos and they were OK. The kids grilled cheese was perfect though haha based on other reviews, this place didn't live up to what I expected. read more

So, let me start with this... the food was awesome. But that was about it. We went to Tortugas tonight, in the day of COVID. We asked to sit at the bar, there was a wait so we gave our phone number. We got the text that bar seats were available. When the hostess went to seat us, a local had walked into the bar, actually NOT wearing the required mask, and took one of the seats that were for us. The hostess apologized and we went back to wait. While we were waiting, we noticed another man, walk into the bar and take a seat. Again, the hostess texted that seats were available and when we came inside, the man who had taken the seat was noticeably upset that we were taking a seat that he wanted for one of his friends. Now, there are 4 men, 2 different groups sitting without a seat between them. I asked to speak to a manager - she told me that they all knew each other so that was ok. Interestingly, the 2 groups did not speak to each other and neither group was on the waiting list. While we were eating, we saw one of the men go to the restroom not wearing a mask, and eventually saw one leave without a mask. What I learned tonight is that if you are local and go to Tortugas, you do not need to wear a mask and you are able to sit at the bar if there are seats, even if there are people waiting. So, we are not visitors, we live here too... I asked the manager if we came and sat at the bar with open seats and did not wear a mask, would that be ok? She said, they would not do anything about it. So, bottom line - make your own decision. Is this a place you want to frequent? I don't. I learned that if you are a regular local, probably yes, you don't need to wear a mask and don't need to follow the rules that everyone else does. read more

This review is being written because this restaurant is deceptive. Actually they Lie as their name states. They had on their website that they have " sushi night" on Wednesday night in the off season. It stated that off season starts on October 15th 2019 We drove some distance and arrived early because their website indicated they get busy. When we entered it wasn't actually busy and they weren't serving sushi. We left. The place is a dive and if you want to pay for overpriced food and sit in a bar this is the place for you. I thought it was against the law to false advertise. They don't seem to care. We live here and will not ever go back. Not a place for locals. If you want to go there for Sushi on the " off season " call before you go because their website " Lies " read more

Evidently the turtle does not lie... this place was the highlight restaurant of our escape from DC weekend! My girl friend and I mozied over one afternoon on our bicycles, "fruit punch" in plastic cups, ready to put our names in and wait. On a warm sunny afternoon, the outdoor covered patio was perfect as any a place to sip our punch and chat up our excitement for dinner. Once in, we got a cute corner spot away from the main bar area, which was perfect. This was one of those nights neither of us was interested in making friends. The menu is fairly simple and straight forward, and why anyone would get anything other than seafood is beyond me. We ordered up a conch fritter ($10) starter followed by two local tuna (yellowfin) specials ($25). The conch fritters were in fact loaded up with yummy conch although the batter itself was a bit dense and heavy. Ethereal they were not, but you can't really go wrong with fried clam dough balls. The tuna special was excellent. Seared to our specification of medium-rare, the tuna was fresh fresh fresh! The fish is locally sourced and came topped with crab meat and a lovely tropical salsa. Ultimately a simple dish, it was well executed and delicious. We so enjoyed our dinner we came back two days later for lunch. Same story... quick, fresh and reasonably priced. Just make sure you city folks set your standards accordingly. ******************************************* A side note on fish tacos. Look, you're in the Outer Banks. What the hell anyone this side of the US has any business claiming Baja fish taco-ness is beyond me. I tried many fish tacos at many different places... for baja fish tacos, they all sucked. Were they fresh and delicious in their own right? Absolutely. And for the price, our lunch fish tacos were massive and completely edible. read more

Ok yelpers. You steered me wrong here. Ya'll did me WRONG. I came here expecting good food and great service. Especially on this little island; I should have known better. there's little selection in terms of food on this little island... ya you get where i'm getting at. Anyways, coming here I was really excited, because this place did have really good reviews. The hostess greeted my family and I and told us it'd be a bit of a wait. What pissed me off was when I was standing on the side and told my mother to sit down on a seat that looked like it was for the WAITING AREA. One of the girls that worked there gave us attitude and said "NO YOU CAN'T GO THERE. THAT TABLE IS BEING SET UP." ok FIRST OFF YOU RUDE GIRL: We weren't going to sit at your freaking table. and secondly WE WERE IN THE WAITING AREA. That was the incident that ruined the entire experience at this place. The waiter that was assigned to our table was NOT friendly and welcoming to our table as she was to other tables. What? Did you have a problem with our table or something? Now.. onto the food. I ordered everything that was popular via the yelpers: the fish tacos were dry and bland the conch fritters were WAY TOO DOUGHY. Where the hell did the conch go?! the crab legs were alright. I expected better especially since this place was right on the beach. Where the fresh seafood at, yo?! Overall. this place is HYPE HYPE HYPE. I will never come here again especially because of the service I received. Funny how ONE girl can ruin an entire experience huh. read more

When we first got there the hostest was extremely rude to my party. The waitress came over and promptly got our drinks but it was all down hill after that. She brought our lunch out before clearing our appetizer off the table so we all had to hold empty plates while she put our food down. She forgot my friends fries and could not be found for awhile. Then when we reminded her she brought them after we were done eating. Later that night my sister got food poisoning and was sick for 24 hours read more

In a beach town that has a short season, the sign of a good restaurant is seeing a packed parking lot during offseason. Tortugas Lie is a small locals spot on the beach road in Nags Head, and its tiny parking lot is usually packed from lunch until dinner. My wife and I ate here twice during our vacation and enjoyed it both times, but in consulting with others who attempted to dine here, we found that both the food and service are consistently inconsistent. The decor follows the somewhat tired "cover every surface with kitschy personalized license-plates" and affix random stickers where needed. A large bar dominates the room with around 15 stools and a smattering of tables along the exterior. Several benches out front house the overflow as people wait for a table. The personality of the joint seems to be a bit schizophrenic with Grateful Dead logos alongside Dropkick Murphy's stickers, one television shows random content and another is permanently tuned to an all-skateboarding cable channel. The servers are mostly crusty dropouts and quasi-hippies and our hostess maintained the perfect blank stare that hovered between disinterest and disability. On the two occasions we dined here, we were seated once at the bar and once at a table. From our experience, the bar is definitely the way to go for the best service. The bartenders patrol the perimeter often, while the wait staff only manages to pass by the tables once every 10 minutes or so. As a side note: a family member also on vacation with us attempted to dine at the Tortugas Lie a couple of days after us and had a horrible experience. The hostess promised them a table for four a number of times, but each time she managed to forget to call them and seated other parties ahead. After an hour long wait, they finally complained to the manager who brushed them off and practically encouraged them to go somewhere else. Be forewarned, this is not the most professional or courteous management, so your mileage may vary. As far as food, this was also a mixed bag. I ordered the house drink which was a fresh orange juice margarita and found it to be extremely bitter and unbalanced with the tart orange juice overpowering the tiny amount of tequila and rum. My wife ordered a regular margarita on the rocks with salt and also found there to be hardly any tequila in the glass. My wife greatly enjoyed everything she ordered from the steamer, including the clams and vegetables and I really loved the Bajan Burger (honey habanero BBQ burger with bacon and cheddar), though I was perplexed by the side of "island fries". What makes them Island Fries you ask? Why, sea salt and pepper of course. Most people call those fries, but here I suppose they are Island Fries. The conch fritters were enjoyable, but the grilled fish of the day sandwich (fresh tuna) was lackluster and poorly paired with melted cheddar cheese. The highlight of the whole affair was the "bite of the day" appetizer, which on this occasion was chunks of fresh tuna fried in a light crispy batter and served alongside a fantastically subtly honey mustard sauce. The wife and I talked about it for days afterwards. The verdict? Well, to be honest, beach towns are filled with over-commercialized crapholes eager to shovel shit down your throat in exchange for your vacation dollars. This might not be consistent, it might not be world-class food, but it's a place that is off the beaten path and has a little more charm then most anything on the main drag. Give it a shot for lunch if your in the OBX, pony up to the bar and you might be surprised....then again, you might be ignored entirely. Your mileage may vary. read more

First night at the beach. Had the Crawdads were interesting. Pretty good but spicy!!! Had the infamous fish tacos and a key lime pie. Worth the trip from the beach!!! read more

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This place is a bar with a restaurant on the side. It was noisy and jammed with people. They did have additional seating in their "turtle" area, but that was only an overflow area for their bar This was evidenced by the folks in the table next to us that were fully liquored up and cursing. The best part of TL was the food, since we were there to eat not drink. All the food tasted wonderful. It wasn't too spicy and the lime flavor throughout the entrees we had were great. The service was very good and did a good job getting the food out to us and checking on us. Unfortunately, my wife didn't make it off the island until she was projectile vomiting the entire meal. There was "something" in the food, that had all the members of my party feeling ill, but it was my wife that barfed. Good food. Too bad it made us sick. read more

A little over priced, but tasty! You had to flag down your waiter to get things, but extremely nice and friendly.

We stopped here on vacation for a quick lunch after a day of drinking beers and well because we are big DDD fans so we just had to try it out! Food was delicious and at a reasonable price. I had a mixed drink and he had a beer, both were nice and cold and hit the spot. Food came out quickly. This is a quirky little place with a laid back vibe, nothing fancy but they do food right. We were seated on what seemed to be a patio converted into a dining area, it felt a little cramped but it was fine for just the 2 of us. Parking can be an issue as the lot is small so be sure to get there early, not sure if places around it allow parking. Sushi night seems to be a big hit here as well. read more

So happy to have found this off the beatem path gem. Lots of locals were present which tells me the food and service are consistently good, and my experience echo'd this. The place has a very hawaii'n/surf layed back feeling. It was sushi night when we came so we didnt get to try any steamed seafood, however still managed to walk away stuffed and satisfied. Conch fritters were delicious, especialy with the sweet sauce they add for dipping. Excellent mediterranean salad with lg chunks of feta. My Habenaro BBQ burger was excellent. Fries exellent. Very happy with beer/wine selection. Tons of bottles with local and imports on tap Good dessert menu with lots of pies. Service was excellent, they even went out of their way to brew a new pot of coffee Kids meal and attention to 1yr old was excellent. Nicest bathrooms in OBX, I swear. So far 5.5/5 . I will be returning. read more

The food was good. We were at a table near the bar, so the seating was a little crowded and noisy, but I would definitely recommend it.

The food here was amazing. I loved it. It has such a cool vibe as a local place. I didn't feel like I was going into a tourist trap. We had to wait a few minutes for a table but that was no problem. We just got a couple beers from the bar. After we were seated our server was on point. We had the steamer clams and conch fritters as a starter and they were very good. My wife had the fish tacos and they were the best I have ever had. The fish was so fresh it was amazing and the portion size was very good. I had the blackened tuna with a cream sauce and lump crab meat. It was cooked perfect and was very very good. We got a couple desserts to go and loved them a little later in the evening. I can't wait till the next vacation to the OBX so I can come here again. read more

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