Pull Over Here for Home-Style Southern Cooking

Fans of home-style Southern cooking are rejoicing now that Simply Southern Kitchen has reopened in Harbinger.

This restaurant, just a short 2 miles from the Wright Memorial Bridge on the Currituck County mainland, has been a favorite stop along Caratoke Highway since 2016. Owner Beaman Hines modeled Simply Southern Kitchen after a former Currituck restaurant known as Pots On In Kitchen, a nearby country-cooking restaurant owned by some of his relatives. When that restaurant closed, Simply Southern Kitchen brought country cooking – with the welcome addition of eastern North Carolina-style barbecue – back to lower Currituck County.

The locals were quickly charmed by the restaurant’s down-home atmosphere with checkered tablecloths, exceptionally welcoming staff and classic comfort food. And before too long Simply Southern Kitchen became an extremely popular stop for hungry travelers heading to and from the Outer Banks.

While the restaurant took a bit of a hiatus in 2023, it’s back and better than ever. Now Hines has more help from his family. His daughter, Annaleigh, and his son, Beaman Jr., along with a dedicated staff, are working with him in his business of running four restaurants and a catering company. In addition to Simply Southern Kitchen, the Hines family owns Sooey’s Barbecue & Ribs in Nags Head and Corolla, Sandtrap Tavern in Kitty Hawk and Shipwrecks Taphouse & Grill in Kitty Hawk.

Simply Southern Kitchen is where Hines embraces his Southern cooking roots. These are the recipes he grew up eating in Stumpy Point and Kitty Hawk and learning to cook from his relatives: fried chicken, Salisbury steak, fried chicken livers, pork ribeye, fried shrimp and oysters and all the tasty sides like mashed potatoes, collard greens, fried okra, baked beans, buttery corn on the cob and mac and cheese. The pulled-pork barbecue and ribs served here are pit-smoked at Sooey’s, and the hot hushpuppies are the same recipe that is so popular at Sooey’s.

Plus there are influences from the Hines family’s other restaurants, such as the beloved Carolina crab cakes from Shipwrecks and the Pickle-Brined Chicken Sandwich from Sandtrap. For something on the lighter side, Simply Southern Kitchen also serves salads. On the weekends they serve home-cooked breakfasts with biscuits and gravy, omelettes, country fried steak, French toast and breakfast sandwiches.

Simply Southern Kitchen is a very family-friendly restaurant. They have a children’s menu plus pet-friendly outdoor seating with outdoor games for kids to play while waiting for their food or while their parents enjoy a leisurely meal and a beer or glass of wine.

If you don’t have time to stop for a meal, Simply Southern Kitchen offers online ordering, take-out and even deliveries. Yes, they will bring their tasty country cooking right to your door! They also offer catering for events of all sizes.

Since reopening, the staff has been overwhelmed by the reception from the community. They didn’t realize how much they were missed! A few of the comments:

“So happy that they reopened. Expanded menu, reasonable prices, very convenient for southern Currituck.”

“This is so good. Food here has been so good. If you haven’t been yet you better go. You won’t be disappointed.”

(252) 491-8100
8627 Caratoke Hwy, Harbinger
simplysouthernkitchen.com