Outer Banks Posts

Celebrate 50 years of coastal conservation, community, and connection at Golden Tides: A 50th Sea-lebration, an elegant adults-only (21+) anniversary event benefiting the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island. 🐟
Join us for an unforgettable evening as the Aquarium comes alive after hours with live jazz, fresh local seafood, and beautiful waterfront views. Savor freshly shucked oysters from Cousin's Oysters, indulge in delicious heavy hors d'oeuvres by Café Lachine, and enjoy beer, wine, and other libations while exploring the Aquarium in a unique nighttime setting!

“Carol Anne.. what can I say?? 32 years of dining with you and this lovely lady! Your food is the best at the OBX Jolly Roger - I guess that's why you have been here 43 years!! If you're at Nags Head this year stop by and tell her Hi!!”

Jolly Roger 🏴‍☠️ Restaurant and Bar is open 7 days a week, year-round
Breakfast 🍳 7AM-2PM
Lunch 🍤11:30-4:00PM
Dinner 🍷🍝🥩4PM until close

We are on the Kill Devil Hills Beach Road, MP 6 3/4
🏖️1836 North Virginia Dare Trail
☎️252-441-6530

By the time you finish reading this, you will understand why a restaurant called Surf & Turf on a windy barrier island in North Carolina is not what many think it is — and why that difference is the entire point.

Most people hear the name and picture the same tired plate that has been served in every coastal town since the 1970s: a steak, a lobster tail, drawn butter, and a baked potato. That is the default. That is the expectation. That is the fence I have spent eighteen years building around.

Rusty’s Surf & Turf is not that plate.

It is the food I brought back from the places that actually shaped me. North Shore Hawaii. The coast of Italy. Peru. Portugal. Japan. It is the Italian-American food I was cooking in Philadelphia, filtered through a lifetime of surfing and traveling and running kitchens on the Outer Banks. It is seafood treated with the same respect a fisherman gives it, then finished with techniques and flavors most people on this island have never tasted in the same bite.

That is the first time I’ll say it: we take the world and put it on a plate at the edge of the continent.

The second time: every dish is an argument that a small seasonal restaurant on Hatteras Island does not have to serve the expected version of itself. We can serve the version that is true. The version that comes from actually going somewhere, paying attention, and bringing the good parts home.

The third time: Rusty’s exists so that a person who has never left Dare County, or never left the continent, can still taste what the coast of another country feels like — without needing a passport.

I am not an artist. I am a craftsman who loves the craft. The difference matters. Artists wait for inspiration. Craftsmen show up every day and do the work until the food is right, the room feels right, and the people who walk through the door leave happier than they arrived. That is the only standard I have ever cared about.

So when you hear the name Rusty’s Surf & Turf, do not picture the cliché. Picture a place that refuses to be the cliché.

That is the whole idea.

You can repeat it over dinner:

Rusty’s doesn’t serve the expected plate.
It serves the plate that remembers where the cook has been.

Congrats to the winners 🔥
McGrath's Burger Shack Nags Head - taking both Peoples Choice & Unique
Black Pelican Seafood Company - Spiciest Winner
Garden Deli & Pizzeria - Judges Choice

Vacation dinner plans = handled. 🦐🦀🥔🌽
Book a Catered Seafood Boil or order a Pot To-Go and bring the OBBC experience to your beach house.
We have plenty of openings for this week and the remaining summer season. Follow the links below to book your catered event or takeout pot with us today.

📅 Mark your calendars!
🎣The Community Care Clinic of Dare is excited to announce its 5th Annual Billfish Tournament to be based at Oregon Inlet Fishing Center. This signature fundraising event has grown in popularity over the years and promises a fun day of offshore fishing and an opportunity for the community and visitors to come together to support vital healthcare services. The Captain's Meeting/Dinner will take place on Friday, the night before, at the Pirate's Cove Marina Pavilion. Support a vital cause!

The entry fee is $2,000 per boat. Cash awards for First Place Points and First Billfish caught.

⚓ There will also be a dockside Calcutta:
- 1st place 50%
- 2nd place 30%
- 3rd place 20%

Every dollar raised helps The Community Clinic of Dare (CCCD) deliver quality care to those in need. CCCD is a free and charitable clinic providing essential services, including medical, dental, mental health, and medications to residents and workers of Dare County. CCCD is deeply grateful for the unwavering support of our volunteers, donors, and community partners. See you there!

Mark your calendars because the 20th Annual Watermelon Festival is right around the corner! Join us for a classic summertime tradition packed with family fun, awesome prizes, and sweet treats 🍉
📍 Kitty Hawk Kites, Nags Head, NC
🗓 August 6th | 10 AM – 4 PM

What to expect:
🎯 Classic games & competitions
🎨 Face painting, arts & crafts
🍔 Delicious food & tons of watermelon fun!
🎟 Admission: FREE to attend! (Tickets required to play games and eat)

Best of all, this event supports the Outer Banks Bicycle & Pedestrian Safety Coalition to help keep our local community safe on two wheels! 🚲🚦

This Weekend at Waterside Theatre 🎭 Experience history under the stars at Waterside Theatre.
✨ Join us Friday and Saturday night and come early for the free Native Pre-Show at 8 PM, featuring stories, songs, and traditional dances performed by Indigenous members of The Lost Colony company. Then stay for America's longest-running outdoor drama at 8:30 PM.

The forecast is looking beautiful for a summer evening on Roanoke Island, making it the perfect weekend to experience the most exciting night on the Outer Banks. We can't wait to welcome you!