Colington Cafe

We never go to the Outer Banks without a visit sometimes twice! Always delicious seafood and other creative dishes. Feels like you walked into a beautiful country French restaurant with the decor and lush gardens. Make sure to save room for desert. It is always to die for and as good as it looks. Service is exceptional and very friendly. Will definitely keep coming back!!

Been coming here for years as part of our annual OBX family trip around Thanksgiving. It's charming and cozy, but they can still accommodate larger parties (we are a group of 7) if you can handle going upstairs, and are ok being up close and personal haha We called a week in advance to have the most flexibility in time and date for a party our size, and they were happy to help us as we needed to adjust a little. Check their website, this time of year I think they only have evening hours, so the phone line doesn't open until later afternoon as well. Everyone here is friendly and the food is delicious! Some of our go-tos are the Crab Bisque, Scallop Rumaki, and Brie appetizers. I always try to get their special that is usually salmon in a light cream sauce, topped with crab and served with asparagus and whipped potatoes of some variety. The salmon is always amazing! This year the special was served with flounder instead. I found it too bland, compared to what I'm used to from them, but perhaps that's just how flounder is?Some other entree regulars in the family are Shrimp & Scallop Napoleon, and the Seafood Pasta. The only catch (pun intended?) is that both are creamy, saucy dishes. Great for taste, but not for having to pick your shrimp. Unfortunately, the kitchen leaves the tails on the shrimp in these dishes, and when we asked about it the kitchen said they do not/would not shell them. Meaning you have to pick your saucy shrimp out and de-tail them yourself. It's a bit messy, especially at a white table cloth establishment, and means you either have to use your bread plate, or you are digging around in your dish and hope you don't slip and send any food flying. If you are looking for fine dining, romantic setting, elevated seafood... Colington Cafe is certainly a delight (aside from the shrimp tails ;))

My brother-in-law found Colington Cafe and made reservations for our party the first night in the OBX.I wanted something on the lighter side so I decided on a Caesar salad with a crab cake on the side. Hubby wanted steak, he ordered the 8 oz filet mignon.I really liked the crab cake, it was super moist and had no filler. I thought the salad was fresh and tasty as well. A simple yet good meal. Hubby thought his meal was just okay. I tried a piece of the filet mignon which was tender but definitely needed salt. The veggies were forgettable as were the mashed potatoes. He was somewhat disappointed with his meal.Dessert sounded really good so we both ordered the toll house chocolate chip cookie pie and enjoyed it. The crust was a little dry but the ice cream and chocolate sauce helped. They were out of the cheesecake which is what hubby originally wanted.Overall, I would say Collington Cafe was more of a 3.5 star but the service was very good so I bumped them up to a 4. The grounds and gardens were also beautiful so we had a nice view from our dining table.

Perfect family spot for a fancy dinner while after a day at the beach. I visited with a group to celebrate a birthday. The server was fun and informative. Food come out quickly and was delicious. Our highlights include:- the crab cakes are meaty and come with a nice lemon caper aioli- the wine process are below market! Get the bottle it is a saving- being able to see the desserts before selecting one is fun. Try the Mandarin orange cake!Be prepared for your visit! Make a reservation, the cafe is cute but small, and if you cannot walk up steps be sure to reserve a first floor table.

Just a great fine dining restaurant just of the beaten path of the outer banks. It's in a classic old white clapboard house set in the lush coastal greenery and old weatherbeaten trees.We were on the island during our anniversary and decided that this was the nicest place for a fine meal. We think that decision was good. In fact, we were completely surprised. We both had Halibut with crab meat piled on top, served over a bed of polenta with a few roasted carrots on the side. Honestly, this ws one of the best meals I have ever had. Everything was cooked to perfection. We had a nice bottle of wine to go with the meal. They have a decent selection and reasonable prices.Service was perfect, attentive but not rushed in any way. The staff was friendly, polite, and informative.There were a few guys in jackets, but overall the dress was nice casual. The place was quiet, not crowded. We could carry on a conversation easily. We did on occasion start a conversation with the folks at the next table and we completely enjoyed their perspective as they lived on the island.I don't think you will find a nicer upscale place to dine on the OBX. Certainly not for the price we paid.

Colington Cafe is our go-to up-scale place in the Outer Banks. It is not a tourist seafood place on the strip. It is a fine restaurant off the beaten path. We have tried many different entries and they were all great. The service is outstanding. The ambiance is delightful - it is an old house with a few different rooms for dining. This is a great place for special occasions or for dining with special friends.

We had the most perfect anniversary meal here. The food was incredible and we loved everything we had. We started off with the autumn harvest salad and pimento cheese, both of which were so good I forgot to take a photo before we ate it all. We then ordered the seafood pasta (AMAZING) and the salmon and crab special (also amazing). The seafood is fresh and cooked to perfection. We ended the night with the best crème brûlée I've ever had and a huge slice of coconut cream pie. In lieu of a dessert menu, they bring you this beautiful platter of all the desserts and you get to choose which ones you want.The atmosphere is also wonderful. Each room is beautifully decorated like a southern coastal bed & breakfast. Staff are very friendly without being overly attentive. Like I said, this was the perfect, romantic dinner for two. Can't recommend it enough.

Call at 3 pm 2 weeks ahead for a reservation. Great food and a beautiful restaurant the price is very fair the employees are great. We visit yearly from Pa.

Reservations we ready right away. Folks were extremely nice. Service did get off to a slow start. I think she was sat back to back to back. Very busy for one waitress. Ordered app and entrees and food come within a reasonable amount of time. All food was good but slightly just a tiny bit over cooked. Not burned but a little extra char on the meats. Everything was quite good. Just slower service than usually.

The seafood pasta was fantastic! Host and staff very friendly and engaging. Service excellent! Ambiance enchanting- very quaint French cottage vibe. Great dining experience.