The owner/operator of Mike Dianna’s Grill Room is named neither Mike nor Dianna. Meghann Pauls, Corolla native, bought the restaurant in 2016 and kept the well-recognized name. “Most people think I’m Dianna,” Meghann says. “I always say, I don’t care what they call me as long as they come in!” Meghann has worked in the restaurant since 2002, starting with waiting tables and working her way to manager before buying the restaurant, so she’s got the scoop on every facet of the place. And from brunch to dinner to an enormous wood-fire grill fueled with local wood, Mike Dianna’s has a lot of facets to draw you in.
New in 2021 and back by popular demand, brunch at Mike Dianna’s Grill Room is an occasion to savor. Running from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m., the extensive menu features everything from pancakes to crab cakes. Locally sourced sausage, biscuits made in-house, fresh juice and bottles of prosecco will tempt you to come in and linger for a dining experience on par with dinner, though if you want to pop in for a quick bite then head to the beach, that’s certainly an option, too. “You can get a burger at 8 in the morning and scrambled eggs at 1:30 in the afternoon,” Meghann says, highlighting the wide variety of selections on the brunch menu.
Many of those menu items are going to be uniquely flavored and prepared at the massive, original wood-fire grill that lends the latter half of Mike Dianna’s Grill Room its name. A blend of maple, hickory and oak, delivered from right across the bridge on the mainland, fuels the grill. The wood is aged and dried then combined with all-natural mesquite charcoal. The chefs working the grill must know how to move the fire up and down and shift the coals, so the food grills to perfection. “It’s kind of an art form for them, for sure,” Meghann says.
Another art form at Mike Dianna’s is the preparation of their high-quality ingredients that lets the grilling be a standout. “We start with a good, raw product and let that shine,” Meghann says. The chefs age and butcher all of their steaks in-house, featuring New York strips, ribeye and filets. Local, fresh seafood is delivered in daily, so when the products hit the grill, the magic happens. The dinner menu changes nightly depending on the seafood and beef that arrive, so you know that whatever you order will be fresh as can be.
While all this elegant attention to detail makes for a delightful, upscale dining experience, rest assured that it’s not a pretentious one. “We know that Corolla is a family vacation spot,” Meghann says. While the dining room features chic white tablecloths, they’re covered in butcher paper so kids can draw on them. With several different dining rooms, Mike Dianna’s is in the position to deliver what you need, running the gamut from a private room that can easily host 20 people to a smaller dining area perfect for an intimate date night. An 8-foot bar area stretches across one dining room and features a full menu. And a fun note to parents: The outdoor patio at Mike Dianna’s is beside the neighboring go-kart track and bumper cars, so it’s feasible to drop off your kids, sit down and enjoy a drink while watching them whiz around! The outdoor covered deck features a bar and a limited menu perfect for drinks, hanging out and watching your kids from afar.
Her name may not be Mike or Dianna, but owner Meghann Pauls has inside knowledge of every aspect of the operations at Mike Dianna’s Grill Room. With her knowledge of the area from living here most of her life, to deliveries of everything from wood for the grill to seafood pulled right from the Outer Banks’ coastal waters, Mike Dianna’s is the definition of local and fresh. Dinners are stellar and will suit what you need, whether it’s a date night or a meal suited to a family reunion. And you can’t beat brunch at the beach; with such a wide variety of menu items available, you may want to come and linger. Reservations are accepted at Mike Dianna’s Grill Room, so give them a call if you’d like a table (or a room!).
(252) 453-4336
grillroombox.com
777 Sunset Boulevard
Timbuck II Shopping Center
Corolla, NC
About the Author Heather Frese
Heather Frese fell in love with the Outer Banks when she was three years old. She grew up camping every summer on Hatteras Island, and her writing is deeply influenced by the history and wild beauty of the area. Her debut novel, The Baddest Girl on the Planet, won the Lee Smith Novel Prize and is set on Hatteras Island. 
