If you’re heading to Hatteras Island this summer, there’s one thing you should know before you even cross the bridge. You’re going to want to try the clam chowder at Diamond Shoals Restaurant.
Just north of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, in a restaurant that’s been quietly doing things the right way for more than 30 years, there’s a bowl of New England-style clam chowder so good that people plan their day around it. They drive out of their way to get it. They pack frozen quarts of it into their coolers to take back home.
This chowder is made with a proper roux, real cream, tender clams and potatoes and fresh thyme. No shortcuts, no skimping. Just a rich, balanced chowder that is built slowly and simmered to perfection and so good it has won awards and earned a loyal following. It even has the seal of approval from Diamond Shoal’s Northeast customers, people who order chowder almost everywhere they go.
“They try it here – and they come back,” says Keith Gray, who owns the restaurant with his wife, Angela.
In fact, Keith is so confident you’ll love their chowder that he’ll give you your money back if you don’t like it.
But there’s so much more to love at Diamond Shoals.
The restaurant is home to Hatteras Island’s only sushi bar, which also has a loyal following.
Keith, who describes himself as more than a little particular about sushi, has spent years refining it. The fish is fresh. The flavors are clean. The rolls range from classic to fusion-style rolls that you won’t find in any other sushi restaurant.
Whether you start with the chowder or the sushi or both, don’t fill up because the regular menu and specials are equally tempting. With Keith procuring most of the seafood from local commercial fishermen, you can taste the flavors of the Hatteras waters in the grilled tuna, fried fish sandwich, steamed shrimp, crab cakes and more.
Diamond Shoals serves three meals a day: a hearty and unpretentious breakfast and classic seafood-forward lunches and dinners with something for everyone. With outdoor seating, space for big groups and a private celebration room, Diamond Shoals has the flexibility to make it easy to gather.
Because what Diamond Shoals really does best is take care of people.
It’s a family-run place, owned and operated by a longtime islander who has spent his life working in and around the water. Keith grew up in the fishing industry, worked as a commercial fisherman, served in the Air Force and came back to Hatteras to build something of his own. Angela runs the front of house, keeping things moving with the kind of ease that only comes from years of doing it. Their son, Aaron, runs breakfast and lunch. Their daughter, Kayla, helps keep the dining room humming. Their restaurant family is also made up of many loyal longtime staff members, including their manager, Edith, a familiar face at the restaurant for years.
It’s not just a business. It’s a family tradition. And on an island where life is not always easy – where weather, distance and the harsh realities of coastal living shape everything – that kind of consistency matters.
So go try that chowder. And the sushi. And the seafood and the breakfast. Go the first time because we told you to, and we know you’ll go back. Because once you know, you know.
Restaurant: (252) 995-5217
Seafood Market: (252) 995-5521
46843 NC Highway 12, Buxton
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.
