Pirate’s Cove Dockside Restaurant

• 715 Pirate's Way, Pirate’s Cove Marina, Nags Head/Manteo Causeway
• Manteo
• (252) 473-2266

Pirates Cove Dockside Restaurant offers a great view of the Pirate’s Cove harbor activity and charter boats. You can dine outside on the second-level covered porch or indoors in the spacious restaurant that’s surrounded by windows. Fresh seafood, steaks, chicken, pasta, sandwiches, burgers, fish tacos, shrimp or scallop burgers and children’s items are on the menu, and the full menu is available for both lunch and dinner. Dockside has a full bar and occasional entertainment in the summer months. Lunch and dinner are served every day in season. The restaurant closes in December and January.

Pizza Hut

• 264 U.S. Highway 64
• Manteo
• (252) 473-1945

You probably know what you can get at Pizza Hut — pizza, subs, Italian entrees and a salad bar. It is located right across from Ace Hardware on the corner of Sir Walter Raleigh Street. If you’re looking for a late dinner, this is one of the few places on the island to get it. Hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. weekdays and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

Stone Oven Pizza

• 7575 S. Virginia Dare Trail, Nags Head/Manteo Causeway
• (252) 441-7775

Stone Oven is a convenient stop off the causeway and features great pizza, calzones, sub sandwiches, a variety of appetizers including chicken wings and mozzarella sticks, plus salads, sodas and beer. They’ve got a beautiful soundfront location, and you can eat on the deck while overlooking the water. You can also take it to go. They offer free delivery all day within Nags Head and Pirate’s Cove (in the less busy times of year, they’ll deliver to Manteo and farther up the beach; just call and ask). They close from December through February.

Subway

• 218 U.S. Highway 64, Chesley Mall
• Manteo
• (252) 473-4544

This locally owned franchise of the national chain features the quick, deli-style sandwiches with all the fixings that everybody knows. But it probably has the friendliest service of any Subway you’ve ever been in. It’s open for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. Hours are 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week, making this a good place to get a late meal.

Sugar Shack

• 7340 S. Virginia Dare Trail, Nags Head/Manteo Causeway
• (252) 441-3888

Sugar Shack is located right next to Sugar Creek Soundfront Seafood Restaurant. This is the place to pick up the freshest seafood around. Choose from steamed seafood like shrimp, lobster and king crab legs, or pick up a steamer bucket with a variety of steamed seafood. They also serve fried seafood. In fact, the fresh fish sandwiches and boats (including Shack chips and slaw) they make here are some of the best we’ve ever eaten anywhere! Everything is cooked to order. You can dine inside or out, and either way you’ll have a fantastic view of the sound. They also stock beer. The Sugar Shack is a great way to feed a crowd at home, and they deliver within a 6-mile radius.

Tale of the Whale

• 7575 S. Virginia Dare Trail, Nags Head/Manteo Causeway
• (252) 441-7332

Owned and operated by the same family since 1980, Tale of the Whale has made a legendary name for itself on the Outer Banks dining scene. On a beautiful soundfront location along the Nags Head-Manteo Causeway, Tale of the Whale attracts a loyal following of repeat customers who are on a first-name basis with the friendly owners. Of course, they also come for the casually elegant setting, that water view and the expertly prepared seafood, pasta, steaks and chicken. Tale of the Whale proudly participates in the Outer Banks Catch program and serves locally harvested seafood. All of the desserts are homemade. A full bar is available, and you can sit outside on the deck with your cocktail if you choose. There’s often live music in the waterfront gazebo in season; call for more details. Tale of the Whale’s popular early bird special starts at 4 p.m., offering 20 percent off any entree. The restaurant is open for dinner daily in the summer; call ahead for off-season hours. Tale of the Whale is an excellent space for private waterfront events such as rehearsal dinners, wedding receptions and more.

TL’s Country Kitchen

• 812 S. U.S. Highway 64
• Manteo
• (252) 473-3489

Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, TL’s offers great home-style food. Breakfast is served all day long. The regular menu features home-style fare, steaks and seafood, plus there’s a salad bar and numerous lunch and dinner specials. The cakes and pies are homemade. The staff and the clientele of local regulars are friendly and welcoming, in true Southern fashion. TL’s is open every day but closes at 2 p.m. on Sundays.

Top China

• Chesley Mall, 218 U.S. Highway 64
• Manteo
• (252) 473-6660

Top China features Cantonese, Hunan and Szechwan style Chinese cooking in a small storefront in Chesley Mall. You can eat in or get your order to go. A lunch buffet and several chef’s selections are available as are low-fat selections and combination plates. Top China is open for lunch and dinner every day. Delivery is offered on Roanoke Island.

Your Best Picks for Roanoke Island Picnic Spots

• Various locations on Roanoke Island
• Manteo

We thought you might enjoy knowing about the locals’ favorite picnic spots. You can get take-out from most the restaurants we list here, so why not grab your feast and head out for a true outdoor dining experience!

1) Manteo Waterfront Boardwalk
Manteo Historic Waterfront Area
All along the Manteo Waterfront there are benches and tables that invite an outdoor meal. You can also sit under the gazebo, out on the pier or just plop down on the edge of the boardwalk and let your feet hang out over the water. At George Washington Creef Memorial Park, next to the Maritime Museum, there are picnic tables and grills. There’s also a great playground and swings along the boardwalk.

2) Fort Raleigh National Historic Site
1410 U.S. Highway 64/264
Low-slung live oaks, perfect for climbing, tall pines and grassy expanses provide the perfect picnic setting at Fort Raleigh. There are a few picnic tables, but you can also just spread out on the grass. Have a picnic dinner here before The Lost Colony, which starts at 8:30 p.m.

3) Old Swimming Hole
Airport Road next to the North Carolina Aquarium
After a visit to the aquarium, head over here for lunch and a swim. There are picnic tables and grills, restrooms, playground equipment and a volleyball court.

4) Roanoke Island Festival Park
Across from the Manteo Waterfront
The grounds at Festival Park welcome picnickers with picnic tables and a wide-open lawn. The best time to picnic here is just before or during a performance at the Outdoor Pavilion.

5) Freedmen’s Colony Road
At the northernmost end of the Manteo Bike Path
At this little park-like area, there are a few tables, a sandy beach by the sound and some benches surrounding an interpretive exhibit about the Freedmen’s Colony that lived here during and after the Civil War. There is parking for cars, but it’s more fun to ride a bike here, stop for lunch and a stretch on the beach, then ride back home. It’s about 3 miles from downtown Manteo.