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We've compiled the best of the best in The North Carolina Coast - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
Flavorful house drinks like the spicy Inca Mocha and the pistachio-and-cinnamon Lebanese Blonde set this bustling coffee shop apart from competitors. Pair your latte with a spinach ricotta croissant and stick around to appreciate the local art and crafts on display and for sale.
Open since 1984, there is often a long line at the rear of this downtown Manteo institution serving gourmet classics like BLTs, Reubens, tuna melts, and pimento cheese sandwiches. Enjoy your snacks up front in the friendly, honey-blond wood bar or on the waterfront deck around back. Poor Richard's After Hours bar serves pub food in the evening, and live music rocks the house on some weekends.
The drinks extend beyond coffee at this attractive, airy spot for a pick-me-up, from turmeric to matcha lattes, where the sign on the wall reads "Death Before Decaf." There's a small selection of scones and muffins and plenty of room to kick back and work for a while.
This casual lunch spot, tucked away in a strip center, has been going strong for 25 years, specializing in fish and shrimp tacos, wraps, burgers, salads, and sandwiches. There's nothing fancy here, but prices are reasonable, and there may be a line at peak times.
The seafood doesn't get fresher than the fried bounty you'll find at this celebrated food truck. Expect a half-pound of shrimp on your shrimp burger, or opt for seasonal specials like a softshell crab or crab cake sandwich.
This black-and-white-spotted café and ice cream parlor is popular with families. Sandwiches, "cowlossal" all-beef hot dogs, "cowsadillas," house-made caramel corn, and apple pie "à la moo" are served, too.
In the morning, pick up a bagel, a breakfast burrito, and a latte at this downtown hub that's half coffee shop and half wine bar. Grab a sandwich or wrap to go for lunch, and come back in the evening for ice cream or to enjoy one of the Crystal Coast's best wine selections by the glass or the bottle.
When you need a break from seafood platters, head here for smoothies, grain bowls, and tasty wraps and BLTs.
When a large milkshake is the only thing that will do on a hot summer day, this is the place to head for—locals say they are the best on the Outer Banks, or even on the planet. And when you just can't take one more night out at a fancy restaurant, John's will come to the rescue with the best handheld food on the Outer Banks: burgers, subs, sandwiches (including grouper), all-beef hot dogs, and sides. The Dolphin Boat is a must: pieces of mahi (dolphin fish) on a bun, served in a boat (basket), with fries or slaw, sauce, and hush puppies.
There's a line out the door during summer for this bakery's "Apple Uglies," fried amalgams of doughnut dough and apples. There's also a full menu of breakfast burritos and egg sandwiches to enjoy on the patio out front.
The culinary creations here may be free of animal products, but they're certainly not lacking in flavor, from the addictive lentil burger patty melt to a kimchi tempeh Reuben that hits all the right notes.
The breakfast burrito—paired with a cup of joe from their adjacent Deja Brew coffee stand—at this waterfront counter-serve can feel life-changing after a night out on Ocracoke. During summer, they also serve a lunch menu of fish tacos and curry bowls.
