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Local Eats: Brunchin’ It, Island Style

 In Features, Food & Drink, Winter 2025

Like Breakfast without Rules

By Jes Gray

When we’re not in the rush of summer, trying to maximize “beach time” or busy at work, it’s nice to take time to enjoy a leisurely meal with friends and family. Brunch is the perfect answer for a casual early get-together, especially on those rainy weekends or in the cooler months. Luckily, one sunny side of the “off-season” is that several restaurants add a brunch service to keep things interesting as the pace of business slows.

Brunch, the Outer Banks way, is highlighted by locations with beautiful views, creative specials, and delicious drinks. Local seafood is often a feature as well for expertly executed brunch classics. Whether you’re in Manteo, on the Northern Beaches, or on Hatteras, there are several locations to sample this special blend of breakfast and lunch. The list that follows is not comprehensive, and brunch availability is subject to change, so check before heading out.

The Blue Point: As one would expect, the talented crew at Blue Point brings their usual excellence to the brunch experience. Their somewhat elusive scheduling adds to the specialness when the opportunity finally arises, so don’t let the chance pass. With specials like their take on shrimp and grits with stone-ground cheddar grits, crispy pork belly confit, red eye gravy and marinated tomato or their crabcake benedict with Old Bay hollandaise and aged ham with a mixed green salad, they expertly showcase the area’s fresh seafood with a beautiful view overlooking the Currituck Sound.

The Saltbox Café’s crabby Benedict, featuring chilledcrab, poached eggs, English muffin and hollandaise, paired with mimosas. Photos courtesy of The Saltbox Café

The Saltbox Café’s crabby Benedict, featuring chilled crab, poached eggs, English muffin and hollandaise, paired with mimosas. Photos courtesy of The Saltbox Café

Rundown Cafe: Can brunch be just a bloody mary? At Rundown it can, and it’s definitely not just a spiced tomato juice and vodka concoction. While not technically a full brunch experience, I would be remiss to not include the stacked bloody marys the Rundown Cafe features every Sunday, year-round. Topped with a mind boggling variety of pairings, these specials have included king crab legs with drawn butter, mini cheeseburgers, chicken and waffles, grilled cheeses, and even smoked BBQ ribs, all stacked and skewered atop their delicious Bloody Mary. Their all-day menu is available, along with Sunday’s NFL Ticket, so whether you’re admiring the view or cheering on your team, Rundown makes for a great brunch option.

Pony and the Boat: With a new brunch specials menu each Sunday, the chefs at Pony and the Boat mix it up for the off-season folks. Offering a wide variety of both breakfast and “lunchier” options, from pancakes to Reubens, their talented chefs devise fresh new skillet creations every Sunday. Chef and owner, Tommy Karole emphasizes that they take great pride in preparing all of their food from scratch, and as often as possible, feature local ingredients, and brunch is no different. They take no shortcuts and even make “big fluffy homemade biscuits”, served a la carte, as a base for their chicken and biscuit Bennie, topped with chipotle hollandaise, or one of their many biscuit sandwich options.

TRiO: Not just a wine and cheese shop, you can fully immerse yourself in their expertly curated environment with a variety of dine in offerings. Unlike many on this list, TRiO offers their brunch all year long both Saturdays and Sundays. The menu features their cured meats and cheeses like their TRiO Benedict with prosciutto, balsamic roasted tomatoes, and a fried egg topped with mornay cheese sauce and Ricotta Toast with grilled sourdough with ricotta cheese, sauteed wild mushrooms and arugula, with a fried egg. The drink menu is impressive as well with their amazing selection of wine and beer and crafted cocktails like their espresso martini.

TRiO’s NC Grit Bowl, featuring roasted corn and smoky cheddar NC grits, local seasonal veggies, topped with a fried egg. Comprised of both a gourmet retail market and a full-service bistro, TRiO offers the best of the worlds of wine, beer and cheese for enjoyment on premise or in the comfort of your home. Photo courtesy of TRiO

TRiO’s NC Grit Bowl, featuring roasted corn and smoky cheddar NC grits, local seasonal veggies, topped with a fried egg. Comprised of both a gourmet retail market and a full-service bistro, TRiO offers the best of the worlds of wine, beer and cheese for enjoyment on premise or in the comfort of your home. Photo courtesy of TRiO

Chilli Peppers: As expected, Chilli Peppers brings brunch with a little heat. A breakfast chimichanga, huevos rancheros, and breakfast tacos spice up the menu, but don’t worry, their signature margarita and mimosa options will help you cool off. Not a hot head? No worries. Classics like omelets, French toast, and pigs in a blanket meet with house specialty topped Byrd Mill grits and sizzling stuffed skillets on their Sunday only menu, so there should be something for everyone in your brunch bunch.

The Saltbox Cafe: Located under long standing live oaks on Colington Island, the Saltbox is a bit of an island unto itself. Offering their seasonally changing brunch all year, their menus stay as fresh as the food on offer, but options like smoked salmon hash with a buttermilk biscuit, poached eggs and rosemary hollandaise or apple pie french toast with vanilla and cinnamon battered toast topped with roasted Fuji apples and cranberries are sure to satisfy. Catch their holiday brunches in the winter featuring musical accompaniment, or if summer is your season, there’s also live music from Memorial to Labor Day. Specialty mimosas and sake bloody marys make sure you know it’s not just breakfast, and invite you to relax and enjoy the talents of chef and owners Randolph and Amanda Sprinkle.

Noosa Beach Grille: One of the newer kids on the brunch block, the Australian inspired establishment has plenty of fans already. Winning Gold in Coastal Life’s most recent Readers’ Choice BEST of OBX Contest, Noosa lets you play mixologist with their Bloody Mary Bar filled with tons of options to create your own gold medal beverage. Rather leave it up to the experts? Check out their winning talents with the Devil’s Detail, a cocktail with Outer Banks Distilling’s pecan rum, orgeat syrup, fresh lime juice and raspberry powder to accompany your meal. Hearty breakfast platters, steak and eggs, and their signature Big Breakkie, a nod to their Australian roots, are combined with their full lunch menu to make sure everyone leaves stoked.

Mulligan’s Grille: Enjoy your brew with a view! Whether it’s freshly brewed coffee or ice cold beer, brunch is that special meal where the two meet. Want to try something a bit different? Mulligan’s offers any of their signature crushes topped with champagne, a.k.a. a “crush”mosa or their savory bacon bloody mary topped with olives and pepperoncini. The many drink choices are matched with the variety offered from both brunch and full menus, currently available on Saturdays and Sundays from 11am until 2pm. While you may be familiar with the Mulligan’s classics, their brunch offerings range from build your own omelets, with toppings that include steak and crab, to shrimp and grits, with andouille sausage in a Creole cream sauce, and even chicken and waffles, with mac and cheese and veggies. So many choices, but there’s plenty of time to try them all, as their brunch is available year-round.

The Captain’s Table: With a new name for an old favorite place, Owens’ has become The Captain’s Table, and on select days their all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet becomes a brunch buffet! So, if you like sleeping in and breakfast buffets this is your answer. Gather your family and friends to leisurely sample their breakfast and lunch options staffed with smiling faces. Options include brunch staples like eggs, home fries, chicken & waffles, and lunch choices like meatloaf, turkey, and fried chicken. Not a buffet person? Order an a la carte specialty like the Lobster Bennie, two lightly poached eggs atop English muffins finished with silky hollandaise, fresh lobster with spinach and a side.

Firetender: Located in the recently restored Hotel Manteo, this “new place in an old space” offers stone oven pizzas and hearth fired skillets for dinner Tuesday through Sunday. Though the restaurants moniker is new, it’s Weeping Radish Taproom brings a familiar name along with its eponymous brews. They say that at Firetender “every night is a party,” but Sundays from 10am until 2pm it’s time for brunch. Offered year-round, their brunch utilizes their stone oven to create brunch pizzas like their Woodville pizza with white sauce, prosciutto, fried egg, mozzarella, parmesan, scallions and black pepper or skillets like their cast iron frittata with Nueske’s bacon, Calvino’s sausage, and Ashe County gouda.

Mulligan’s Grille’s Avocado Toast, featuring an everything bagel topped with house guacamole, parmesan cheese, crispy bacon, sliced tomato and an over-easy egg. Photo courtesy of Mulligan’s Grille

Mulligan’s Grille’s Avocado Toast, featuring an everything bagel topped with house guacamole, parmesan cheese, crispy bacon, sliced tomato and an over-easy egg. Photo courtesy of Mulligan’s Grille

Also featuring flat top favorites like french toast, their brunch smashburger and a variety of omelets, they’ve even got a menu “for the littles.” For the adults, a full bar in addition to their taproom offers specialty mimosas, spiked cold brew, and you can even add a shrimp and bacon Roanoke Island bloody mary.

Stripers Bar and Grille: Located in Manteo with beautiful views of the Shallowbag Bay Marina, Stripers offers its brunch both Saturday and Sunday from 11-2. With the addition of creative specials, the brunch menu features classic morning meals like omelets, french toast, biscuits and gravy, egg combos, and breakfast quesadillas. On the more lunch side, steamed seafood and veggies and the daily lunch menu are available, as well as rotating options like the football watching friendly Sunday Funday menu. Plenty of drink options are also available to punch up your brunch, whether it’s a cold beer, mimosa, or specialty cocktail. So, whether your team is on the TV or you’re admiring the boats in the bay, Stripers looks like a great time.

Froggy Dog: Located in Avon, this long standing establishment offers brunch from 11-4 every Sunday. One of the few year-round restaurants open on Hatteras Island, they change their brunch menu with the seasons, but always ensure there is a variety of choices to please the pickiest patron. Dishes like their stuffed french toast with brioche bread, cranberry-apple cream cheese filling dipped in a traditional french toast batter or harvest hash with sweet potato, butternut squash, peppers, onions, cherry tomatoes, fried egg and spring mix with a honey vinaigrette are just two examples of their many creative options. Featuring a full bar and excellent wine selection, their seasonal brunch menu also includes cocktails especially created to pair with your choice.

Noosa Beach Grille was recently awarded GOLD for best cocktails in Coastal Life’s BEST of OBX Contest. In addition to their Build-Your-Own Bloody Mary Bar (available during brunch), Noosa offers a wide array of cocktails and mimosas.Photo courtesy of Noosa Beach Grille

Noosa Beach Grille was recently awarded GOLD for best cocktails in Coastal Life’s BEST of OBX Contest. In addition to their Build-Your-Own Bloody Mary Bar (available during brunch), Noosa offers a wide array of cocktails and mimosas. Photo courtesy of Noosa Beach Grille

Cafe Pamlico: Located in Buxton overlooking its namesake sound, this “casual fine dining” destination will not disappoint. Offering the highest quality ingredients presented with their signature hospitality that comes from running their adjoining inn, they bring their best to their brunch, offered Friday through Sunday 8am-1pm. Reservations are recommended, and large parties can be accommodated. Just reserve online or give them a call. They offer five different bloody marys and a large selection of specialty mimosas, a craft-your-own mimosa kit, and mimosa flights.

Brunch favorites include their southern belle omelet with country ham, peppers, onions, pimento cheese, scallions, and hash browns, their smash burger with grilled onions, bacon, fried egg, provolone, lettuce, tomato, pretzel bun with fries and the avocado toast trio with rustic whole grain toast, bacon, fried egg and pico. Other items include shrimp and grits, a fried chicken sandwich and many a la carte options to ensure a perfect brunch for any diner.

So, whether you’re down on Hatteras Island, in Manteo or up on the Northern Beaches, there are excellent brunch options for you and yours. Some seasonal, some year-round, all are delicious places to enjoy a casual weekend, mid-morning meal. Whether it’s curing that hangover with bloody marys and burgers, savoring small bites while sipping mimosas, or just spending a weekend morning with friends and family, when brunch calls, the Outer Banks answers.

Outer Banks Coastal Life 2025 Winter Dining Specials

Jes Gray
Author: Jes Gray

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