Changing Eats
Incorporating local lore, traditional beach fare, and influences worldwide, the newest restaurants, bars, and breweries popping up on the beach are bringing the Outer Banks into the culinary future.
A few things hold up the Outer Banks: stilts, tourism, and a smattering of family beach restaurants that clusters of tourists return to year after year on their summer vacations. These are the beach staples- Hurricane Mo’s happy hour, Fish Heads view from the Outer Banks Pier, and Awful Arthur’s laundry list of oyster dishes. A group of innovative imports and locals are working to change the eating and drinking scene on the island. Incorporating local lore, traditional beach fare, and influences worldwide, the newest restaurants, bars, and breweries popping up on the beach are bringing the Outer Banks into the culinary future. So if you’re looking to kick your sandy feet up with a local brew and ocean view or take a trip down under within a stone’s throw of Harris Teeter, look no further.
Ask any local (especially one under forty) where the happening spot on the beach is today, you’ll likely get rave reviews of a place that tops our list without even having a kitchen. Tucked beside Island Dyes’ dye shack, the spot is a warm-wooded, sleekly designed beach bar and bodega cleverly named Swells’a Brewing.
The not-so-subtly surf-themed brewery has quickly become the island’s watering hole, a place in which you cannot step foot without knowing a handful of people both in front of and behind the bar. Swells’a oozes local charm and creativity from every pore of the business. Pints of beer with local namesakes and Sweltzer (house spiked seltzer) is slung by island musi-cians, artists, and long-time bartenders. Live music spanning seemingly infinite genres graces the large wood-grained interior that, in summer, seamlessly merges with the brewery’s lush side yard. It seems every detail was wrestled with and talked over between Swells’a’s unapologetically quirky founders—Sam Harriss, brewer Brad Fitzgerald, and Alex and Laura Wolcott. And this is the beauty of Swells’a. The sociality of the brewery lends itself to the unique feel of the place. It feels as though the crowd you see at every cool bar, and dance floor on the beach got together to cut out the middle man and start serving each other drinks.
Move it on down the road a bit, and suddenly you’ve stepped foot into the land down under, but don’t go looking for a vegemite sandwich.
Noosa Beach Grille, the seventh love child of restauranteurs Aussie/Ohioans Susie and Rob Stanovsek, seeks to fuse coastal Carolina cuisine with Queensland’s finest. Their menu covers all the beach classics, calamari, buffalo shrimp, crab cakes, and fish and chips, but these are not the crown jewels. Instead, it is the New Zealand rack of lamb, chargrilled octopus, and their take on shrimp and grits (which incorporates crispy North Carolina pulled pork from the barbie) that steal the show. The cocktail list is no slouch either, with maybe some of the most creative offerings on the beach. Sip on a Campfire Fool, a smoky mezcal drink with grilled pineapple cordial, hot pepper tincture, and ginger beer, or their refreshing and spritizy Born on the Bizou, a gin cocktail with champagne, elderflower, and grapefruit.
If you’re in the market for someplace a bit more intimate, or perhaps you’re looking for a side of history along with your epicurean experience, meander to downtown Manteo.
Nou Vines, a small but swanky wine bar in the historic neighborhood, offers hand-selected wines from around the world, expertly paired with exotic cheese and charcuterie. Manteo’s old-time charm is mirrored within the establishment as patrons sit and sip on flights of wine at the Buffalo City bar,
a fine-crafted statement piece once housed on Al Capone’s yacht. Nearly the entirety of their wine selection comprises small-batch, certified organic, and sustainably grown offerings.
While in Manteo, be sure to try Wabi Sabi. Located on Highway 64, between Food A Rama and the post office. It’s a small place that offers up big flavors! Wabi Sabi, known by Manteo residents for their fresh sushi, which is some of the best around. But amazingly, you’ll also find a cajun menu that includes Cajun Crawfish Alfredo, Shrimp Creole, Crawfish Etouffee, and get this, Shrimp and Alligator Cheesecake!
Mahi Mahi’s —not to be confused with similarly named Mahi Mah’s of Virginia Beach— takes their new home from New York pizza and grimy dance floors to beautifully crafted local seafood dishes with a Latin flair. The cooking and managing triumvirate of Alejandro Rodriguez, El Salvadorian “Chef Alex” as he’s known on the beach, kitchen manager Chris Radtke, and general manager Alfredo
Landazuri fearlessly adapted the local fare to create a dynamic menu with flavors of our shores and those of Latin America. The Chupe de Mejillones, a dish of sautéed mussels with fresh herbs, cream sauce, and crusty garlic French bread, fills the nostrils and the now surprisingly airy interior with smells of a seaside garden. A sweet potato flatbread unintentionally turns up its nose at the joint’s former pizza-slinging days, bringing the space and the food served in it a refreshing and necessary newness.
Shine On Juicery lives up to its name as the glittering star of the former Pit complex. Bottling the freshest ingredients to sell holistic and nourishing juices and milk to the healthiest members of the community. Fitting in perfectly with the newly wellness-themed building, Shine On serves as the literal nectar amongst a collective of shops of-fering Reiki healing and yoga and a sustainable bulk goods co-op. The interior of the juicery feels like the main lodge of a mountain cabin, all warm dark wood and quaint crocheted and tie-dye touches. The refrigerated cases house the day’s fresh pressings. A humble menu touts unique salads and sandwiches made from equally healthy and well-crafted fixings. Owner Amy Landes’ heart bubbles to the surface in every dish and juice she prepares. So whether you’re there to treat a hangover, cure a cold or get yourself a decadent treat, she ensures you and your body will appreciate her gifts.
There are so many new places springing out of the sand here. They cannot all be showcased with so few words. It would be criminal, however, not to mention a few others.
Holy Cow Creamery, tucked into the Lifesaving Shops on the beach road, scoops up dozens of flavors of homemade ice cream from its clean and unpretentious store-front.
The Pony and The Boat is spearheaded by Tommy Karole and Chef Eric Anderson of the Paper Canoe in Duck and boasts an eclectic menu that fuses Southern comfort food and new-age culinary creativity in a beautifully rustic space.
Author: Emily Moliken
