BEADS & BEANS OBX

Beads & Beans OBX is a small cafe and bakery on NC-12 in Rodanthe, one of the tri-villages at the north end of Hatteras Island. Alongside coffee and baked goods, the storefront also carries clothing, making it as much a small clothing shop as a coffee counter. It's a quick, counter-service kind of stop — good for a coffee and a pastry on the way to or from the beach rather than a sit-down meal.

Hours run mornings only, daily from 8 a.m. to noon, so it's a before-lunch stop rather than an afternoon one. Pricing is on the lower end ($). There's no phone number on file, so the shop's Facebook page is the best way to check current hours — worth doing here, since Hatteras Island floods and NC-12 closes more readily than the beaches farther north, especially during hurricane season (roughly August through October).