The Dunes Restaurant
Brewery & Bar

The Dunes Restaurant

A morning-into-midday bar and restaurant on Croatan Highway in Nags Head

(3,775)
$$$$Nags Head, NC

About

The Dunes Restaurant sits on South Croatan Highway in Nags Head, part of the steady run of restaurants, bars, and shops lining the Bypass corridor between the Atlantic and Roanoke Sound. It's classified as a brewery and bar as much as a restaurant, and the posted hours back that up: the doors open daily at 7 a.m. and run until around midday, with a slightly later close of 12:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. That's a morning-into-early-afternoon window, so this reads as a breakfast-and-brunch stop on the Nags Head strip rather than a dinner destination.

It falls in the moderate ($$) price range, which fits the casual, drop-in feel of most Croatan Highway restaurants in this stretch of the northern Outer Banks — the kind of place you can grab a meal on the way to or from the beach without planning ahead. A full bar rounds out the food service, which makes it as workable for a casual drink as it is for a meal before or after time on the sand.

Reviews (3,775)

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4.5

3,775 reviews

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I LOVE the Dunes! They have the BEST food and BEST prices. I searched around and they were better priced than other places. It is a very pretty resturant with comfy atmosphere yet elegant. Dress up or down all works. Well maintained, very clean, and of course amazing food. I know one of the cooks so I know your in good hands. I loved the food so much I ate it all before I got a picture lol. The scallops are really high quality and perfectly cooked. The chicken and waffles looked so yummy. Nice variety of sides too including perfectly seasoned veggies and cheesy grits. *Everything looks great [nicely plated] and tasted great*. They have lots of options so everyone can find their favorites. I also really liked the attached shop. *It has nicer things than most of the local stores.* They have really cute purses 👛/bags, mugs, glasses and much more. I bought this really pretty sand dollar ring holder-great price on that too. Honestly I liked the store so much im likely to go back to buy more. I think ppl should go from both breakfast and dinner or lunch. The wait staff were very quick to refill drinks and always kind. I really enjoyed going there and plan on going back very soon. The only thing I can think of that some might not like is that they dont have any outdoor seating but I prefer indoor seating myself. The beach is a very short walk so you can easily walk off your meal after. Finally they have many options for alcoholic beverages. There is a bar area as well with lots of seating.

Vycki Midgette
Vycki Midgette

5 months ago

Omg best seafood ever. The chef cooked my seafood perfectly and just enough seasoning. I didnt even have to add any cocktail or tatar. My husband steak was perfectly cooked. Our waiter a very nice guy from Russia. He was amazing. If you go ask for him you wont be disappointed.

Eric Ballance
Eric Ballance

4 months ago

Nice atmosphere. Family friendly. Server was attentive and polite. The food was below average. It was served on plastic trays. Ordered the Outer Banks seafood omelet and it fell flat. The pancakes were thin and large but just didn't have that thick, fluffy appearance of a 5 star breakfast. Hashbrowns were good. Coffee was good. Great atmosphere but the food was sub-par.

Petrica Antonio
Petrica Antonio

a month ago

The best restaurant in OBX, the food is so delicious and all the staff is very friendly, there was also a great photographer named Berat who took me and my friend some cool photos

Jim Sorokes
Jim Sorokes

2 months ago

A great place for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. They turn around tables quickly at breakfast so the wait time are short! I had the country ham breakfast. It was great! Our server was in training but she did a good job. We will be back!! January 2026 update: We have moved into this area and are now only 2 miles from The Dunes. We plan to be here often for breakfast and dinner (when they re-open for dinner in the spring). Their wait staff is awesome and add to the enjoyable experience. Check out the crab meat omlette. July 2026 edition: Stopped in for breakfast this week. Had the Belgian waffle platter. It was excellent as always... and very quick!!

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