When Hatteras Island locals Julia Taft and her son, Blake Taft, bought the legendary Froggy Dog Restaurant & Pub in Avon in 2019, the entire wine list consisted of two reds and two whites.
Fast forward to 2025, and the restaurant has one of the largest wine lists on the Outer Banks, monthly wine dinners and an in-house wine cellar stocked with hundreds of wines from around the world.
“The Froggy Dog may not have been thought of as a wine restaurant in the past, but we have changed that,” Blake says. “We have put a lot of effort into putting ourselves on the map as a wine destination, and we are really proud of our wine program and how it is continuing to grow.”
Originally a hot dog stand that evolved into a seafood restaurant, The Froggy Dog has been a Hatteras Island staple for more than 50 years. When Julia and Blake first purchased the restaurant, they were excited to bring their restaurant and event management experience to the table. Their shared love of food and wine allowed them to get creative in figuring out new ways to update this timeless restaurant.
As the third owners, Julia and Blake’s impact has been to elevate the offerings while keeping the welcoming neighborhood atmosphere locals and visitors have come to love. They renovated the interior, added new event spaces and stepped up the level of service. They kept favorite menu items and added new ones and committed to making almost all the menu items in-house. With Executive Chef Brandon Powers at the helm, The Froggy Dog serves seafood, steaks, pasta, burgers, chicken and even vegan and vegetarian offerings.
Blake, a certified sommelier, loves that he can incorporate his passion for wine into the easy-going island restaurant, opening up the world of wine to everyone and disproving the notion that wine drinking is elitist.
"My personal approach to being a sommelier is all about humility,” Blake says. “My goal is for people to explore and learn about wines in the restaurant. I love finding nice, affordable wines that drink like expensive bottles and bringing those to the restaurant for people to try. For me, it’s more fun to find a wine that has value and gives people an opportunity to enjoy it.”
The Froggy Dog wine list offers familiar names and varietals alongside wines from smaller producers and lesser-known regions.
“I just want to have great offerings so people can enjoy and learn about wines,” Blake says.
Blake is especially proud of The Froggy Dog’s new climate-controlled, walk-in wine cellar. Designed to safely store and age wine, the Cellar at The Froggy Dog means that Blake can expand the wine program by getting allocations of certain vintages and aging them in house. It also allows him to develop a portfolio for customers interested in buying wines from small producers.
Customers can also enjoy tasting wine in the wine cellar. Starting this summer, regularly scheduled wine tastings and seminars will be offered inside the new Cellar at The Froggy Dog. This will be a new offering that will allow people to taste various wines from around the world and learn the steps and secrets of formal and blind tastings. The schedule is available on the restaurant’s website, froggydog.com. The Cellar, which seats eight guests, is also open for enjoying flights or glasses of wine.
“This is a unique offering on Hatteras Island,” Blake says.
If wine is not your beverage of choice, The Froggy Dog offers a standout beer selection with 12 draft beers, domestics and more than 20 craft cans and bottles. Their beverage program also focuses around craft cocktails and mocktails made with fresh-squeezed juices and homemade mixers.
The Froggy Dog is a family-friendly spot serving lunch and dinner daily and is always freshening up its menu. The culinary team is constantly coming up with new offerings and special menus. From Valentine’s Day to Thanksgiving, their seasonally appropriate specials are sure to have something for everyone. The Froggy Dog serves brunch every Sunday until 4 p.m., and the menu changes season ally to reflect the freshest offerings.
The Epic Froggy Dog Wine Dinners
Wine lovers will be happy to know that The Froggy Dog is now offering its popular wine dinners monthly instead of just a few times a year. What’s cool about these two-hour, five-course dinners is that Blake first picks the wines he wants to feature, and then Chef Brandon creates a menu that goes well with the wine – a reversal on how wine dinners usually work. Be sure to check the website to see the upcoming dinners, and do not delay on signing up as they always sell out.
(252) 995-5550
40050 NC Hwy 12, Avon
FroggyDog.com
About the Author Molly Harrison
Molly Harrison is managing editor at OneBoat, publisher of OuterBanksThisWeek.com. She moved to Nags Head in 1994 and since then has made her living writing articles and creating publications about the people, places and culture of the Outer Banks.
