Hatteras Restaurants

From Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo, Avon, Buxton, Frisco and Hatteras Island

Dining on Hatteras Island means that you can expect restaurants with originality, personality, fresh ingredients and even some secret family recipes.

The best thing about dining on Cape Hatteras is that you won’t be eating at a lot of chain restaurants where you know what sort of experience you’re going to get. Dining in Hatteras restaurants is an adventure. They reflect the laid-back personality of the island lifestyle in a variety of ways, but you can rest assured that the owners, chefs and staff are quite serious and very professional about the fare they serve and the experience they offer.

Most Cape Hatteras restaurants put a major focus on the bounty of the sea. Local menus tout Hatteras Island specialties as Gulf Stream fish (yellowfin tuna, wahoo and mahi-mahi), inshore fish (trout, flounder and drum), succulent crab meat, oysters, clams, scallops, mussels and more. Restaurants will let you know what’s in season, and therefore the freshest, when you’re on the island. If it’s soft-shell crabs, don’t miss a chance to taste these delicacies! Fried seafood is no longer the staple of local menus, but you can get it if you want it. Most Hatteras restaurants feature more healthy preparations, like steaming, grilling, sautéing, blackening or broiling.

Find Every Hatteras Restaurant Here

If you’re not a seafood lover, don’t worry. Even the seafood-centric Hatteras restaurants offer a wealth of other options like beef, pasta, chicken, pork and vegetarian entrees. Hatteras restaurants aren’t seafood shacks either (though they do it so well!). You’ll find down-home North Carolina barbecue joints, Italian restaurants, plus pizza places, delis, ice cream shops and bakeries.

Meals are priced fairly on Hatteras Island, and dress is very casual. Most Hatteras eateries close for some portion of the winter, though there is always something open, even in the dead of winter, to serve the growing population of locals. If you’re dining out from November through March, it’s best to call ahead to make sure your restaurant of choice is open. We have listed the Hatteras Island restaurants alphabetically within their respective villages, from north to south, starting in Rodanthe and ending in Hatteras Village.

Hatteras Restaurants by Location or Category

Rodanthe, Waves & Salvo | Avon | Buxton & Frisco | Hatteras Village

Diamond Shoals Restaurant and Seafood Market

Hatteras Restaurant
46843 N.C. Highway 12, Buxton
(252) 995-5217

Diamond Shoals is a family-owned restaurant that has been serving visitors and locals for 30 years. It’s open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner and welcomes large groups. Breakfast is full service and hearty, including omelets, platters, hotcakes and more. At lunch or dinner, be sure to try their award-winning clam chowder and crab bisque. They are well known for having the largest fish selection...read more

Diamond Shoals is a family-owned restaurant that has been serving visitors and locals for 30 years. It’s...read more

Froggy Dog Restaurant & Pub

Hatteras Restaurant
40050 N.C. Highway 12, Avon
(252) 995-5550

This long-established, freshly updated seafood-oriented restaurant is committed to serving top-quality, scratch-made fare in a friendly setting. In the ship-themed pub and dining room, diners enjoy lots of seafood, burgers, sandwiches, steaks, pasta dishes, gluten-free items, vegetarian options and kids' offerings. The full bar has a focus on craft brews and North Carolina beers, and their in-house sommelier has gathered wines from around the world into an...read more

This long-established, freshly updated seafood-oriented restaurant is committed to serving top-quality, scratch-made fare in a...read more

Good Winds Restaurant

Hatteras Restaurant
24502 N.C. Highway 12, Waves Village Watersports Resort, Rodanthe
(252) 987-1100

Whether you’ve worked up an appetite kiteboarding on-site or you just want a meal with a water view, Good Winds Restaurant is an excellent choice on northern Hatteras Island. Good Winds serves tasty and inventive beach cuisine, fresh-caught local seafood and the widest selection of wine and regional craft beer in the Tri-Villages. Located above Kitty Hawk Kites on the second

...read more

Whether you’ve worked up an appetite kiteboarding on-site or you just

...read more

Muffins and Scones

Hatteras Restaurant
40126 N.C. Highway 12, Avon
(252) 986-5109

Muffins and Scones is the perfect place to start or end your day. With more than 17 varieties of fresh New York-style bagels, freshly made pastries and handcrafted coffee drinks, it’s a great place for breakfast, a light lunch or a gourmet dessert. If you're looking for a special occasion cake, look no further as they custom make almost any cake. Their lounge area is a comfy...read more

Muffins and Scones is the perfect place to start or end your day. With more...read more

Rusty’s Surf & Turf

Hatteras Restaurant
47355 N.C. Highway 12, Buxton
(252) 995-4184

Rusty’s Surf & Turf brings the bold flavors and colors of the tropics to Hatteras Island. Owner and chef Rusty Midgett, a native who left the island and honed his restaurant and kitchen experience in some of Philadelphia’s top restaurants, is inspired in the kitchen by the places he has traveled on surf trips – the Caribbean, the Mexican Riviera and the Pacific Rim. Let...read more

Rusty’s Surf & Turf brings the bold flavors and colors of the tropics to Hatteras...read more