The Paper Canoe

Upscale dinner spot on Duck Road, closed Sundays

(1,011)

$$$$Duck, NC

About

The Paper Canoe is an upscale dinner spot on Duck Road, in a stretch of the Outer Banks that's built a reputation for restaurants worth planning an evening around rather than treating as a quick beach-day stop. At a $$$ price point, this is the kind of place to book ahead for a proper night out — good for an anniversary dinner, a date night away from the rental house, or the one meal of the trip you don't want to leave to chance.

Duck itself is a compact, walkable town, so dinner here pairs naturally with a stroll along the soundside boardwalk on Currituck Sound before or after the meal, or a wander through the boutique shops nearby. The restaurant is closed on Sundays; specific hours for the rest of the week aren't listed here, so it's worth calling (252) 715-2220 ahead of a visit, especially during the Memorial Day-to-Labor Day stretch when Duck's small footprint means tables fill quickly. Shoulder-season visitors in April, May, September, or October will generally find it easier to get a table without much advance notice.

For current hours, menu details, and reservations, papercanoeobx.com is the best source for details that shift season to season and are best confirmed directly with the restaurant.

Reviews (1,011)

See all on Google

4.7

1,011 reviews

Google Reviews

Write a review

Den

3 months ago

Top of the list for best restaurants we have been to! The chef is definitely a genius and an artist. From the outside this place looks ordinary and unpretentious, weathered wood siding, stone parking lot and outbuilding scattered with seafaring gear. Arriving at the steps the entry is surrounded with potted flowering plants and very welcoming…just inside the lobby is tiny and the hostess is there to greet you. The inside space is nice, nothing fancy but comfortable for sure. A mix of tables and booths fill the room, many with Sound views. The service is excellent. The cocktails are generous and creative. The menus is minimal but covers it all…seafood, pastas, meat and vegetarian. The food is truly amazing! Beautifully presented and so flavorful…def made with passion and skill! Go Here.

Jesse White

3 months ago

One of the best meals we’ve had during our stay. When you walk in, the atmosphere is warm and the staff are welcoming. We sat in the bar area and had a great view of the sound. The food and drinks were on point! Great spot for family of a date night out, highly recommend (make reservations)

Jen Garone

a month ago

The food is mostly excellent. The bread is amazing. The oil and balsamic is really done well. Everyone enjoyed their apps - 2 salads and 2 fried fishes. The entrees were strong but the Chicken Kiev was dry. The wagyu was worth the $99. The location is near the water but cars park between the building and the water. So, it’s nice if you park there and not off the road. We caught the sunset because of where we happened to find a spot. It’s loud in the place. Music is loud. Little sound mitigation. Finally, the service. Dishes were left long after we were done. Entrees were brought out before apps were cleared. Then they started clearing entree dishes before everyone was done. Needed to ask for new knives. The waiter really didn’t care much - clearly he isn’t an unemployed actor who can act like he cares. For some reason, he seemed sad to find that I was in charge of payment. LOL The Paper Canoe could be excellent. But it has a ways to go.

Niah Grove

2 months ago

My husband and I just went here for our honeymoon dinner. Food was amazing and our server Milan was extremely kind and welcoming. Milan is the best! Cannot express how great out experience was with the restaurant as a whole. They even fit us in when we requested a reservation for our honeymoon dinner when there were no reservations available. We had the ribeye and gnocchi and it was incredible. Drinks are top notch as well. Highly recommend!

Sean Evans

2 months ago

We had 6:45 reservations and were sat at our table right away. The place was much smaller than I expected and was packed. The tables are pretty close together and the noise level in the restaurant made it difficult to have a conversation. I was unfortunately blasted in the face by the sun for about 45 minutes before it moved enough to my buddy to my left. Minor inconvenience but they don’t have and blinds to help block the sun. On the flip side we did see a beautiful sunset which was nice. Everyone’s food was all amazing so not sure you can go wrong with any dish. I had the scallops that no longer come with risotto which was a bummer. They are now served with farro which I didn’t enjoy. The vegetables and one blistered tomato were great though to the point I would have just had an entire plate of that with a few scallops on top. We didn’t get dessert but from the look at the table beside us their desserts look really good.