Black Pelican

Great restaurant that even Guy fieri came! If you're looking for a laid-back spot by the beach to indulge in some delicious seafood, this place is a must-visit! The po' boy sandwiches here are fantastic crispy, flavorful, and packed with fresh seafood. The buffalo shrimp are a standout as well, perfectly fried with just the right amount of spicy. The service is friendly and attentive, making for a great overall dining experience. Plus, there's plenty of seating. Whether you're a local or just passing through, it's definitely worth checking out if you're by OBX.

I returned here and sat inside this time.Pita bread was served, which I do not recall having my first visit. This was tasty and very light.I had the tuna Nagano ($23). It was thinly sliced Cajun sesame Ahi tuna that was seared and chilled. It came with Napa cabbage slaw, pickled ginger, soy sauce, and wasabi with crispy wontons. This was not bad. The Cajun seasoning on the tuna was great, but there were only four pieces of it, which was very disappointing to see. The wontons took up half of the plate. The slaw was a good combination with this dish, but it was unfortunate to see so little tuna. I also tried the fisherman's risotto that had scallops, shrimp, crabmeat, and bacon with tomatoes, corn, and baby spinach with a garlic risotto. This was alright. There was a good amount of seafood present, but something seemed to be missing. It needed a fresh element or an additional type of seasoning.

Interesting building with history. Was greeted and seated immediately upon arrival. There is a full bar with interesting suggested drinks. The menu is primarily fish. I ordered the pecan encrusted salmon with green beans which I enjoyed. Service was good and checked back periodically.

This restaurant came highly recommended but the food wasn't great at all. We ordered the shrimp and grits, crab cake entree, and salmon entree. The shrimp and grits were the worst I have ever tasted. The sauce covering the shrimp and grits tasted like straight Frank's red hot sauce. I could only eat two bites and I was done. The crab cakes were decent. There wasn't anything special about them. Initially, the salmon I ordered was raw in the middle so I had to take it back. They were nice enough to cook me another piece of salmon. However, there was no seasoning on the salmon. Because of the raw salmon, they gave us a free dessert. We ordered the brownie sundae. That was the only delicious thing we ordered.The service was outstanding. Our waitress was extremely attentive and friendly.The ambiance was family oriented. It was very crowded but the restaurant itself was spacious.

Delicious food. Wonderful waitress, Alexandra). Fun place to sit and enjoy view, unless it's raining but then it's great to watch everything whipping around. Plenty of parkingI had a tuna melt. It's served open faced with fries. Best tuna salad I've ever had. Ever.My husband had a tuna steak served with black beans, corn salsa and rice. He said he would definitely order it

My friend and I had been out Christmas shopping and decided on lunch here. The parking lot was packed so we almost turned around, but once inside it was pretty open dining. The waitress came with menus promptly, we both chose the goat cheese and cranberry flatbread pizza (wasn't an appetizer) it sounded so good. It arrived about 20 minutes later, and when put in front of us it looked like more of an appetizer, not because of the size but it had absolutely no presentation. The taste combo I was hoping to experience wasn't there, it had absolutely no taste, it was so average and plain, we both were extremely disappointed. The server also was anxious to take plates away when we weren't finished. Not a great experience unfortunately. We won't be going back anytime soon, disappointing since it's a popular local restaurant and has been for years.

Our family of 7 went here on a sunny and windy day off season. We were seated in the corner of the sunroom facing the dunes. Service from Jacob was impeccable! He's energetic, happy, attentive and always smiling! 5 stars for him!Food: 4.5. Apps of fried calamari and Cajun fish bites. Calamari (needed a dash of salt and pepper) was tasty and very tender! Fish bites, although tasty, it is glazed with some tobacco prior to battering. My only negative is that it was very soggy (perhaps fried at too low a temperature?)Kids ordered the land lovers lunch portion pizza (decent size for $9.5), chicken tenders and fries (3 tenders and fries over a Frisbee plate for $10) and fish sticks with fries ($10.5), but the fish was overly fried and hard. The battered fries were delicious though!Adults ordered tuna melt, crab cake sandwiches and blue plate of meatloaf. The meals were all a generous serving and could easily fed 2 each. Hubby said the crab cake sandwich was quite delicious. Although the flavor of the meatloaf plate was decent (wished it was fresh green beans instead of canned), the serving size was huge! Super affordable prices with incredible service. We will definitely be back!

We visited the Black Pelican around 3pm during the week (we actually went because the power was out at Hurricane MO's), plenty of seating at the upstairs (outdoor bar). Walter was super nice and helpful. Positives: Restaurant is well decorated, great location and the food is amazing! Negatives: Lots of steps to get up to the restaurant, parking was crazy when we were trying to leave and the prices are really high. I got the crab and shrimp bake, I was disappointed to see the portion I was served, it was very small and for the price it was definitely sad to see. However, I will say that it tasted amazing and came with rice and a veggie, which were also delicious.We ended up spending $100 (with tip) on a few bottles of beer, salad, crab, Rangoon, and my dish. Would possibly go again.

Constructed in 1874, the Kitty Hawk Lifesaving Station was one of the seven facilities of its kind existent on the North Carolina Coast.Originally, the station was manned by one keeper and a crew of six surfmen whose sole purpose was to rescue those who succumbed to the dangerous waters along the Banks. These courageous men continually risked their lives to maintain a routine patrol of the restless Atlantic shoreline.They were not alone in their valiant efforts. The constant vigil of the lifesavers was accompanied by yet another brave soul of a different kind...The Black Pelican. This rescuer matched the unselfish valor and steel determination of all the crew. Shortly following the station's opening, the Black Pelican was initially sighted during what was to be the first of many violent storms the crew members had to contend with. Known as a "Nor 'easter," the storm forced the ocean to grow fierce as powerful winds ripped across shore. Visibility was poor. The crashing surf and ominous clouds cast a black curtain over the water. Any notice of potential distress was all but impossible to see. The Black Pelican circled the shore and caught the nervous attention of the crew. With magnificent wings parted and sleek body extended, the Pelican swooped down upon the men to warn of the distressed vessel dangerously approaching shore.Now it's a world famous restaurant featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives TV show with Guy Fieri.

Starting to become a family favorite! Food is amazing. Service is great, and it's always such a friendly atmosphere and ambiance and kid friendly. Was our 2 or 3 time and we are starting to always hit it up every time we are here. From the rich history of the Wright Brothers to serving the kids food on frisbee! this place is a MUST! (I would give it 10 stars but I'll settle for 5) the food is worth it!