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Rundown Cafe
Categories: Restaurants American (New) Restaurants Seafood Restaurants Caribbean American (New), Seafood, Caribbean [Edit]
5218 Virginia Dare Trl NKitty Hawk, NC 27949
(252) 255-0026
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
59 reviews for Rundown Cafe
Review Highlights
"This is my favorite Outer Banks restaurant by far."
(in 14 reviews)
"Fish buritto or fish tacos are great too."
(in 12 reviews)
"...recommend the asian noodles with coconut fried chicken."
(in 3 reviews)
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59 reviews in English
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Review from Nick H.
8/21/2011
If you've ever visited the Outer Banks (OBX), then you know that this beachy portion of North Carolina has more restaurants than you could possibly try in a week, or even month...however long your vacation happens to be. So when a restaurant offers traditional beach fare such as fish tacos or fish burritos, it must have something unique and spectacular in order to set it apart from the others. Rundown Cafe does exactly that. The conch fritters are delicious, far better than any I've ever had anywhere else. The fish burrito was spectacular with its thick pieces of game fish as well as burrito sides such as rice and beans.
Aside from traditional beach fare, RC also has unique dishes such as its Asian Noodle dishes. These unique bowls combine fresh seafood (or other proteins) with traditional asian flavors such as sesame, and soy glaze. Add to that some textures from nuts and oranges and you've got a delectable meal. -
Review from Jeannie M.
Bucks, PA
8/14/2011
I totally love this place! The service was fast and pleasant. If you sit on the second floor you can see the ocean which is also a plus! I think the best thing on the menu is the Rundown soup. It's got a kind of rustic feel to it. Slightly creamy with some kind of tomato base. It is a must try! I also had the fish tacos which were equally as good. They serve tuna instead of a white fish (what I'm used to) so don't let that throw you off. It has a slight little kick to it. I wish had more time to go back before I left! We came in at about 2pm and they seemed pretty slow at that time.
I actually didn't see any flies at all when I was there so maybe it's not an actual pest problem and maybe they got in from people going in and out on the 2nd floor balcony? -
Review from Jessica C.
Toms River, NJ
upstairs or downstairs, inside or outside, all is wonderful. You get a decent view of the water from upstairs. We did experience the overly aggressive flies but the food totally made up for them.
I ordered the special "Blackened chicken with strawberries and goat cheese", holy crow was it DELICIOUS! Billy got the tuna and was equally pleased. The best was the blackbean/salsa/rice side that our dishes came with. I could eat that forever! The servings were perfect, I felt a little too full but that's because I ate every last black bean on my plate :) The prices were surprisingly reasonable. Our total with drinks for lunch was less than $30.
The only not so perfect thing was that the service was kinda slow, which is ok if you are in the midst of your vacation and you 'ain't got ish to do' but we were on a slight time crunch.
overall we cannot wait to go back! -
Review from Michael E.
Falls Church, VA
11/18/2011 1 Check-in Here
Great value restaurant. Ordered some soup and a pound of shrimp and I was not disappointed. Not a place I would go for dinner, but definitely for lunch.
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Review from Matt C.
Arlington, VA
7/5/2011
I used to have a high opinion of Rundown. Have been a few times over the years. Ordered takeout the a few Saturdays ago and was very disappointed by the crabcake sandwich.
I was going to order the fried soft shell sandwich. $9.50 for a sandwich that was described in the menu as "... crabs" but I asked over the phone and sadly confirmed that it was but one lonely, soft, lonely crab on the bun. Bad ratio and not worth it to me. So I went with the crabcake sandwich (which I found in my many trips down to and living in the Outer Banks for 2 summers to be a safe bet).
Sandwich facts:
1. Fried to an almost black color
2. Inside the crabcake the texture was similar to spinach and artichoke dip
3. Crabcake was very flat and rounded, like someone had smushed it down very hard with a spatula before frying
4. Could not identify a single piece of crab meat. It was just a mess inside. A mushy mess. Almost disturbing mushiness.
I'm giving the establishment 2 stars because it's a laid back, non-chain local joint with a fun laid-back bar at night. 0 stars for the crabcake. -
Review from Colin S.
Menlo Park, CA
9/13/2011
My wife and I and our kids too are fans. We've been coming here for 15 years. The waitresses are always friendly and full of southern hospitality. Laid back apWe have our favorites and rarely deviate. Ahi or Mahi bites are our normal appetizers (kids love them too). The dipping sauce is nice. The salads are great, especially the Journey's End dressing. Fish buritto or fish tacos are great too. Sometimes, I just get the black/red beans, spicy salsa and rice as the main.
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Review from Ryan W.
7/23/2011 1 Check-in Here
We stopped by on our way out of town after a week on the OBX. It's a convenient location near the bridge. However, it was not a good experience. The conch fritters were huge, too huge, and were kind of chewy. My seared ahi was not very good - lots of membrane and served cold. Dessert was blah - complete with cool whip topping. The telltale sign was the intestinal distress I suffered 20 minutes down the road. TMI? Maybe, but we wouldn't go back.
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Review from Aaron J.
Virginia Beach, VA
10/10/2011
Friendly people, good food. If it's your first time, order the fish burrito.
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Review from Laila L.
Washington, DC
11/12/2010
To start, order yourself some fish bites and supreme nachos. For your main meal, do not miss the stellar, stellar game fish (mahi mahi) tacos or game fish burritos. The coconut rice and black beans on the side are great.
I went with another lawyer, and the waitress happened to have taken the Hawaii bar and she either just sat for or was studying for the North Carolina bar. So we got to chat about land use in Hawaii and native persons' rights.
The hand-painted flowers on the exposed ducts are pretty, but the rest of the decor is a little cheesy. Not hating too much because we're at the beach, man. -
Review from Sue S.
Kill Devil Hills, NC
9/2/2011
This place has a great atmosphere and even better food. Everything we've tried there has been wonderful. Be sure to try the Rundown Soup - an amazing concoction of coconut milk, onions, chiles, tomatoes and yams. The fish tacos are out of this world as is the Humbolt Calamari Steak Sandwich. And all the salads are huge, fresh and delicious. If you have the chance, sit upstairs on their outside balcony and overlook the ocean. Try this place, you won't be sorry!
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Review from Paul L.
Norfolk, VA
7/9/2011 1 Check-in Here
The four of us have been wanting to go here for some time and decided this is the night! We were not disappointed. A very casual, laid-back place with good, California style food( fish burrito for Joe & I, and Shrimp taco's for Dr. J. Perry had the Portabella Mushroom salad. Before the main course we tried several appetizers including the conch fritters and fish bites. All were very tasty and filling. We sat upstairs which offered a nice view(though, somewhat limited from where we sat) of the ocean. I had several Fat Tires while the others tried various things from the bar. Good service, good food, good drinks and all reasonably priced. I cannot ask for anything more! We will be back and I am definitely trying the Asian noodles next go around!
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Review from MT P.
New York, NY
9/5/2011
4 stars -- seriously? The other reviewers here must have had some bad food in their day if they think this was good. The food was probably some of the worst I've had in a very long time -- basically a Caribbean-style Applebee's but worse because the food was terrible!
After reading all the great reviews, we had to try it on our trip to the OBX and were really excited. The atmosphere seemed fun and relaxed and the service was friendly. Then came the food:
First had the Rundown soup which as their special should have been good, but was kind of flat. Edible but that's about it.
Had the Humboldt Calamari for an appetizer, and it was tasteless and rubbery and came with what seemed to be syrup with some spice -- made no sense whatsoever.
The Oriental Sesame Noodles with Coconut Shrimp was over-sauced and way too sweet as to be practically inedible. The noodles were overcooked. The shrimp itself was the only thing edible in the dish, and they were the only good thing the entire meal.
The Jerk Fish (tuna) was completely tasteless, the flavors didn't go together at all, it wasn't even jerk (there was a smearing of pepper paste on top and one slice of canned pineapple) -- looked like it was cooked the day before and reheated. Plus the rice was dry.
Even the fries were bad -- they had way too much salt on them and I kept having to scrap some off to eat it.
I'm giving this place one star for the friendly service even though they got one of our orders mixed up. Otherwise, this is totally a tourist trap -- go elsewhere for good food! Try the Outer Banks Taco Bar down the street -- MUCH BETTER! If you end up here, I would say get a beer and the coconut shrimp and hope for the best. And then get your meal somewhere else! -
Review from Christine R.
Princeton, NJ
5/19/2010
This was our first place to eat in the first stop of our NC vacation- Outer Banks. I read about this place on a road food blog, and decided to give it a shot.
We were somewhat hungry, and we both wanted a place to eat that didn't cost too much, since it was the first stop on our trip. We went in, and opted to sit upstairs, by the bar- the upstairs is seat yourself. We were greeted by our server (looked like Sean Penn's character from Fast Times :) ), quite quickly, who brought us water and told us the specials. Apparently it was fried chicken special night, but we opted on seafood and fish, since we were at the shore.
We started with the conch fritters, which were plenty- 6 fat pieces- nicely filled with larger pieces of conch. It was served by a nice spicy mango salsa. For our mains, we both opted on sandwiches- my friend got the fish of the day grilled, I got the soft shell crab, which apparently was in season. Both sandwiches were big and plentiful. They also give you the option to sub the side with chips and salsa or rice and beans (normally fries). My friend got the rice and beans and said it was good. My chips and salsa were chips and salsa, but they dumped the salsa on top which kind of sucked because the chips got soggy.
Our server was very quick with the food- our appetizer came out super quick, as well as our mains. He also went ahead and split the check for us, which made it super easy for us to pay.
Definitely was a fun ambiance, and it wasn't too crowded since we were still in the pre season of the summer holiday. my meal with the split appetizer, no drinks was about 12 bucks, before tip.
the restaurant itself is tucked away on Virginia Dare st, at mile marker 1- a totally new concept to us since it was our first time to OBX, but you won't miss it since it's brightly decorated and has a nice pond in front. Definitely would recommend this to any guests to the area. -
Review from Kristi J.
Herndon, VA
10/11/2010 1 Check-in Here
We REALLY like the Rundown Cafe. They have the best salsa EVER! They have a variety of very unique dishes with a Caribbean/Asian flare. I personally like the jerk chicken, it comes slathered in jerk with a pineapple on top, served with a side of black beans, sour cream and salsa. It's delicious and good for you too!
I also recommend the JR's Dip, which is a mixture of rice, beans, guacamole, and salsa...I may have forgot some ingredients, but whatever is in it, it's a great appetizer to get you started. -
Review from Ali F.
Arlington, VA
9/27/2010
This a regular hangout whenever I'm in OBX. Almost everything on the menu is great and they have the best fries pretty much anywhere. The calamari points (a steak rather than rings) and the dinner salads are popular among family members. We also love fried chicken night (Mondays off-season) where a 1/2 chicken and sides is only 10 bucks (1/4 chicken with sides is about 8).
The only hit lately is that the last time I had a burger there it was clearly packaged and badly cooked when in the past they used to be fresh. -
Review from Jon K.
7/12/2010 2 Check-ins Here
This was my second visit to Rundown Cafe.
I began with a cup of the Hatteras clam chowder. Uneventful.
Others shared the chips and queso appetizer. The queso was on the bland side.
Lil had 1/2lb spicy steamed shrimp. She seemed to enjoy.
MB and my wife both had bowls of noodles. MB's was hot and had some fish. Wife's was cold and had chicken methinks. The portions were huge. Neither could quite finish. They both enjoyed.
I had the island frier which had coconut shrimp and fried calamari. I like the way they prepare the calamari...flat.
No dessert.
Service was great. -
Review from John S.
Leesburg, VA
8/18/2011
Had the sesame noodles with gamefish. The fish is different depending on the catch but I was fortunate because it was tuna and I like tuna alot. It was peppery and done to a medium rare. The noodles are served cold but have a great flavor taste to them. Service seemed a little rushed but was efficient and friendly. Our son had a cheeseburger which for 6.50 was a much better deal then the 5.95 kids pizza. Overall, a good meal.
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Review from Jeni A.
Pottstown, PA
8/2/2011
We decided to try Rundown because of the overall score on Yelp. When we visited it was for an early dinner, we were the 3rd table seated. There were an abundance of flies that kept landing on us which was disturbing but okay, in general the place looked clean. The house soup is amazing, the had me as soon as I tasted it however they quickly lost me on the giant, chewy, overly spiced conch fritters. We each tried a different entree and frankly it was so-so... shouldn't they be making their own salsa and beans? It was blah and I wouldn't go again. I gave it 3 stars because the soup added a star on its own.
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Review from D T.
Pittsburgh, PA
4/29/2011
Great Quick service and good food. Try the rundown soup. Great chowder style soup with fish. They were out of the specials but everything else was very good. Service was friendly and relatively quick.
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Review from Heather M.
Chambersburg, PA
8/1/2011
I really enjoy this Cafe when I am visiting Kitty Hawk. So far, I have loved the queso dip, the fish tacos, and the fish burrito (which was made with Tuna). I also tasted the Mango Gazpacho on my recent visit, which was fantastic! The children's menu is great. My 2-year-old requested pizza, and I was happy to find it on the menu. My 5-year-old (surprisingly) ordered the Fish Bites and Fries, which he scarfed down!.
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Review from James M.
Dublin, VA
6/14/2011
We ate here our first night on vacation. It's very convenient to walk to from the Hilton Garden Inn (where we were staying). We started with the fish bites, which were delicious. We both then got the oriental noodles topped with a soft-shell crab for me and chicken for my wife. The crab and chicken were good, but the the noodles were just so so. Service was good, and overall a good experience.
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Review from anne d.
Cheyney, PA
4/24/2010
Cute place, mediocre food.
I tried the rundown soup which was OK-- maybe could have used a little bit more spice? And the fish burrito was soggy and loaded with more black beans than fish.
My husband's burger had a stale bun, the burger was obviously a frozen patty, and for a "bacon cheeseburger" it lacked sufficient bacon. Fries were very good but how hard is it to mess up fries?
Service was good for an off season saturday afternoon, but we won't be coming back. -
Review from Dan P.
Wilmington, DE
9/21/2010
This place wasn't that great. We had they queso dip which probably did and tasted like it came out of a old can. My Mahi Burger was nothing special and very dry. They had a salad with frieds eggplant which was probably the best thing we had from them. Came with a nice Ginger type of sauce.
Place is just a beach place for food and would get 3 stars except for the fact that there are a lot of other places like this near by that are better. -
Review from Molly R.
San Diego, CA
3/30/2008
This is my favorite Outer Banks restaurant by far. The Rundown soup is amaaaazing! It's made with yams, fish, tomatoes, onions, chiles, and coconut milk. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm
I usually get the salad with portobella mushrooms, artichoke hearts, and fried eggplant. The salads are HUGE and they have a really good dressing called Journey's End.
The menu has something to please everyone: tuna bites, jerk burgers, garden burgers, coconut fried chicken, fish tacos, hummus with garlic naan, quesadillas, softshell crabs, shrimp with sesame noodles, calamari steak, and lots more.
Do not travel to the Outer Banks without going here and do not go here without ordering the soup. -
Review from amy w.
Deerfield, MA
8/13/2007
The Rundown Cafe is not rundown, but is instead a small and brightly colored restauraunt. And the Rundown soup is incredibly good and worth ordering, even if it is 100 degrees outside, like the day I visited.
Entrees are resonably priced for the area, but for a cheaper taste of their food, go for lunch. Their fish tacos were the best and most authentic I've had on the east coast. My sister ordered their Oriental sesame noodles with chicken, that was not only very tasty but also came with an impressive 3 large skewers of chicken.
If I hadn't waited until the last day of my stay in the Outer Banks to eat here, I would have came back - and will visit again next vacation.
(http://www.thecoastale...) -
Review from M F.
Pittsburgh, PA
6/7/2007
Have to go here!!! The selection on the menu is great...little bit of everything. May I recommend the fish burrito and the tuna bites?
Grab a Guiness here as well, they pour the best one on the beach.
If you are there towards the end of July, say hello to the Z's for me! -
Review from David R.
Harrisburg, PA
9/9/2009
Me and my wife had a great dinner here. We ate upstairs at the lounge/bar area. I was a little surprised when I realized that this area is smoking-allowed (I'm from the North East, where smoking is banned in all public buildings)... no big deal just providing unmentioned information.
I had the Asian Noodle Bowl with Shrimp which was probably the best tasting thing I ate in our week-long vacation. If you like Asian foods, don't let this one pass you by! She had the Big Wave Dave sandwich, which was excellent as well. -
Review from Tommy L.
Arlington, VA
5/12/2009
Staying in Duck, there isn't a whole lot of great food that is also kid friendly. Rundown Cafe is definitely the exception. The food here is awesome! We loved everything we had here -- coconut shrimp rules!, fish burrito amazing!, great burgers, great chicken nuggets, good pizza. Can't go wrong here! And don't forget the delicious brownie sundae -- YES!
After dinner, buys some fish food for a quarter and feed the koi fish outside. What a great way to end a family dinner! -
Review from Maggie T.
Fort Worth, TX
6/5/2011
We really enjoyed our visit to the Rundown Cafe and will definitely return when we visit the Outer Banks again. The food was great and our server was wonderful. The Cioppino was fantastic, and the Coconut Shrimp/Calamari Platter was incredible. Good food for a great price.
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Review from Amy T.
9/10/2009
Warning: The sesame noodles are cold. I believe it mentions this in the menu, but that is an easy thing to overlook.
Everyone went crazy for the coconut shrimp. -
Review from Luke P.
Chapel Hill, NC
6/20/2011
The Rundown Cafe gets about 3.5 stars. I went there for lunch on my way home from the beach after reading about it on Yelp. They have a very creative menu (something I would expect to find on the coast of California somewhere) that features things from conch fritters to hamburgers to jerk fish to their rundown soup. I got a cup of rundown soup which was very good. It apparently had mahi-mahi in it, although I didn't actually see much fish. Either way it was a great call. I also got their lunch special which was the Chicken Caprese Sandwich which was good. It had pesto and monz chesse which was quite tasty. The only downside to the sandwich was that the chicken breast was fairly dry. I would have tried one of their menu items featuring fish but I was not very hungry and had eaten a lot of fish in the previous week. Everything on the menu was very sweet (from the salsa to the noodles that my friend ordered). The sesame noodles with chicken that my friend ordered were tasty, but nothing outstanding. The atmosphere of the place is a knockout 5 stars and the service is also very good. The food is good, just not incredible, although I do recommend going if you are visiting, living, or simply driving through the area.
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Review from Tulani K.
Los Angeles, CA
6/27/2007
This is by far the best casual restaurant on the entire beach. They have excellent dishes with fresh produce, meats and fish...for this area, that's a coup. The variety of choices is terrific and ecclectic. The staff is so friendly they're like family. The decor is a cross between laid-back Jamaica and family dining. They don't take reservations and get packed, so you may have to wait, but it is well worth it.
In the off season they offer fabulous specials for the locals and everyone mourns when they close at the end of the season.
Love, love, love the Rundown! -
Review from Kathy L.
Glen Allen, VA
3/16/2009
I was looking forward to a lot after reading the reviews. I did go in the offseason (mid-March) so maybe that has something to do with my "it's ok --good not great" reaction.
The good: The Rundown soup was unique. It had a very 'Thai" flavor because of its strong coconut milk base. I had a salad with the "Journey's End" dressing which was also unique. Kind of a bizarre fusion of asian ginger dressing with ranch. Good though.
The bad: So the salad had a good part (dressing) and bad (produce). The lettuce was kind of limp, and the salad had a lot of raw cabbage -- more so than lettuce. There were not many tomatoes or cucumbers -- just cabbage. The salad was big, but didn't have variety. My fiance had the softshell crab. He wasn't that impressed either. -
Review from Paul S.
Kill Devil Hills, NC
5/20/2011
We love this place. Seriously, it's good every time. Great food, very nice staff. Excellent views of the ocean (2nd floor is best). Not much more to say.
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Review from David S.
Washington, DC
5/18/2011
Rundown Cafe is good. I had the rundown soup which was fantastic, jerk fish which was good as were the sides it came with. We had coconut shrimp for the table and it was good as well. The waiter was friendly and attentive and we had nice outdoor seating facing the sound. The food was fairly priced. Overall we had a good experience and I would return.
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Review from jessi t.
VA
4/20/2007
Atmosphere: A (comfortable, casual)
Bar: A (entire upstairs and deck area)
Service: A
Food: A
We stayed in the house directly across the street for vacation in April and once we discovered Rundown Cafe, we went nearly every day! They have a good menu for beach vacations... the BOFF (basket of french fries) , peanut noodles, salads, nachos, etc are all delicious. We mostly got carry-out, but we were able to go over a few times and sit in the bar to enjoy their specialty cocktails. I particularly liked the Starburst, which was sweet, but not too sweet.
Everyone that waited on us was super nice and friendly. One evening the bartender let us hang out while he cleaned up for at least an hour after closing time.
I highly recommend visiting Rundown Cafe if you are staying in Kitty Hawk, and the house across the street with purple doors is awesome too! -
Review from ashley w.
Atherton, CA
3/4/2009
I love rundown because the prices are reasonable and the food is pretty good for being a semi-touristy outerbanks restaurant. They are also a bar and that's nice.
Most of their appetizers are quite tasty. My favorites are the conch fritters and fish bites. The rundown soup is also delicious. I'm a sauce person and rundown has sauces for most of their dishes...and even if the dish is sauceless you can always ask for one.
Go here. -
Review from Patti R.
Bloomingdale, IL
8/14/2011
My husband and I dined here for lunch with our one year old. My expectations were for typical bar and grill fare, however the menu was pleasantly surprising! My husband had the fish tacos and I had the tsunami grilled shrimp salad with journey's end dressing (their house dressing). Both were fantastic! The atmosphere is casual, but very inviting. It has a Caribbean feel. The rest of the menu looked delicious as well, with plenty of selection. Service was very good. I believe there was a bar upstairs, but we didn't check it out. I would recommend this restaurant to others. Enjoy it!
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Review from Daniel K.
Tysons Corner, VA
9/1/2010
3.5 Stars, appetizer was Ok, service was slow, sandwhich was fairly tasty and the fries were good, prices were fine, maybe slightly high.
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Review from Bruce F.
Fairfax, VA
7/3/2011
Just ok, definitely just a place to grab a more casual cheaper meal. Staff was fine and inside clean. Food so so....
