Now open for the 2023 season!
Reviews
"The best food for the price in an Outer Banks Restaurant!" - Southern Living Magazine
RATED IN TOP 20 OF ALL NC RESTAURANTS BY ONLY IN YOUR STATE
Excellent Food and Service
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Must have a reservation! Smaller restaurant, quant, with great food. Was recommended by a local resident. Cannot go wrong here. She crab soup was terrific along with filets and shrimp or crab. My wife and I also had bread pudding. It was light and tasty. Our server Courtney was tops and attentive. Will go back whenever in the area.
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Qericb Reviewed July 23, 2022
Best on the Beach
Excellent in every respect.
We always eat at Colington Cafe when on OBX and have done so for years. Our favorite is the rare Yellowfin Tuna served rare. My wife enjoyed the tilefish which was cooked perfectly. Another person in our party decided on coconut shrimp, which was also delicious.
In the last two weeks, we have eaten here three times. Various salads are excellent and we have tried about all of them; the same for appetizers. Desserts are the best on the beach and all are wonderful. The creme brûlée, berry cobbler, toll house pie, and coconut cake stand out (well, to be honest, we only ordered these four, others looked just as good).
Service is impeccable, prices are reasonable (not cheap) and they welcome our daughter and her 13 and 10 year old boys, both of whom love to go here.
You can’t go wrong when you dine here. It is an exceptional place.
Jack W. Reviewed August 24, 2022
The Best Upscale Place to Dine in the OBX
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If you're tired of burgers and the obligatory mediocre tuna dishes from the beach area restaurants, you MUST eat at the Colington Cafe. It was our second time there in two trips to OBX. They don't disappoint. We had pear salad and scallops rumaki for appetizers. The scallops were perfectly cooked and the bacon wrapping was tender -- not crisp or rubbery -- tender! For entrees, we had grilled tuna and the grand trio (filet mignon topped with shrimp and lump crabmeat). Both were perfectly cooked and delicious. Desert brought their cobbler and tiramisu which were outstanding (although the cobbler could be a tad smaller -- it was a very large portion for desert). With a bottle of wine, the meal was complete! And their wine prices have very low mark-up compared to other fine dining restaurants. Service was timely and attentive. Our only issue was parking, which is scarce and hap-hazard. Nonetheless, we shall return for what I consider the best food in Kill Devil Hills!
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wiz_d_kidd Reviewed October 18, 2021
Situated in an old Victorian home with a gazebo which can be reserved for dinner. Went with a family of 9 including toddlers and our experience was excellent from greeting to completion of our meal. Excellent food and service. Definitely deserves a try and our family will definitely recommend and return.
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Sandra G. Reviewed on July 11, 2021
A cozy setting with friendly service & really good food.
Our house is in Duck, and with some of our regular restaurants closed for the season & those that are open, only at 50% capacity, I thought it would be a good time to try something new. The Colington Cafe has always had good reviews, and they were taking reservations, so we went for dinner tonight. It’s in a Victorian house, and tucked back off 158. The service was warm and friendly, the menu had plenty of variety, and there were some daily specials. Whitney was responsible for our table, and was knowledgeable and welcoming. We all enjoyed our selections, especially the tuna and the rockfish and scallops special. We were too full for dessert, but Whitney sent a serving of the bread pudding home with us anyway. We’re happy to have found a great addition to our list of restaurants! Thank you for a lovely start to 2021.
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CapsFan81943 Reviewed January 1, 2021
5 Stars in Every Way
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Best dinner I've EVER had in OBX! The hostess greeted us promptly and had our table ready right away. Our server, Angelique, was super-friendly, knew everything about how everything was prepared, was efficient and on-point, and she had the warmest personality - just wonderful! My husband and I split the appetizer platter. It was all very good, but our favorite was the scallop rumaki, which were absolutely succulent. For dinner, I had the shrimp & scallops tropicale, which was cooked to perfection, and the presentation was beautiful. Husband got the special and was equally impressed. We were stuffed by the time Angelique came back to show us a platter of all the dessert options, but we couldn't resist ordering the Tollhouse Pie. OMG, I thought I'd found culinary heaven! Honestly, the service, the atmosphere (very homey, almost "country" feeling), the presentation and deliciousness of the food was ALL so amazing. Colington Cafe is my new favorite OBX restaurant! I can't believe I've been vacationing in obx every year for decades and am just now finding it!!
Sue T Reviewed August 2, 2020
Just go and enjoy some good food!
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On a short getaway and decided to go here for dinner. Parking lot is small and can be difficult to maneuver in a large vehicle. It seems to be a house converted to a restaurant. The outside is cute with tables and plants. But the most important thing is the food. Great service and food was amazing. I had shrimp and scallops. Servings were perfect and emptied my plate. My husband cleaned his as well. Had the dessert of cobbler with ice cream and again wasn’t disappointed. They have a limited wine and beer deflection. Had a very generous pour of wine.
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I’d come back in a heartbeat. Staff was friendly and our waitress was very good. Definitely worth a stop.
Great date night!
I made reservations midday of the day we wanted to go, and I'm glad I did. We got the last open table for that evening. I love how quaint the dining room is. It's cozy, but there's enough space between tables to still have your own conversation.
The food was top notch! My wife's scallops were cooked perfectly, and my tuna was as fresh as could be. We did not have dessert, but were certainly tempted by the decadent looking options.
The next time we go back to OBX, this will be on our short list of places to eat at again!
A hidden gem!
We have been coming to the Outer Banks for many years and it was during our last trip that someone we met at a BBQ restaurant told us about the Colington Cafe and we tried it then (4 years ago). Last week we returned to the Outer Banks and we knew that we wanted to visit the Colington Cafe again, and we were not disappointed. We made a reservation as other reviews suggested. Whitney, our server was very helpful and her suggestions were wonderful. We started with a Salade Composee and She Crab Soup both were delightful. My wife had the Shrimp and Scallop Tropical and was delighted with it, I had one of their nightly specials, a flounder with scallops and roasted brussel sprouts which I enjoyed very much. Finished off the meal with a slice of coconut pie. We were very satisfied with our meals and the Colington will be a stop whenever we return to the area.
basekane Reviewed September 3, 2019
Came here for our anniversary dinner and I'm pleased to say that all the positive reviews are right. This place is beautiful and the food was amazing.
I got the crab bisque to start which was so creamy and delicious, plus you could really taste the crab. My husband got a cheesy crab dip which was also delicious. I chose a special that day which was salmon with lump crab, broccolini, beurre-blanc sauce, and goat cheese mashed potatoes. The salmon was cooked perfectly and I loved the big chunks of crab (without having to do the work myself!) The goat cheese mashed potatoes were amazing but I could put goat cheese on anything and love it! My husband got the tropical shrimp and scallop dish which he also really enjoyed. We took home chocolate cake with raspberry sauce which tasted homemade and very fresh.
Definitely recommend for a date night or special occasion. When we went it was already dark but the grounds looked lovely and had romantic lights out front. Reservations definitely recommended.
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Elise B Reviewed November 1, 2022
First time in OBX and was treated to a wonderful dinner here with family. Sat upstairs in the pink room which was perfect for 7 adults and 2 kids. Our waitress, Suzanne, was so friendly and a total hit with the toddler!
We enjoyed the She Crab Bisque which was so creamy and had a lot of crab chunks with just the right amount of Sherry. For dinner, we split the mixed grill which included their catch of the day, filet mignon, mashed potatoes, and a medley of fresh vegetables. I wasn't planning on having dessert but they brought this insane tray of all their desserts and just couldn't say no. If you do have room for dessert, the blondie brownie with ice cream is perfect.
It is such a great place with excellent service that now I understand why we drove the 55 minutes from Corolla to dine here! Definitely a must at OBX.
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Wendy A. Reviewed September 8, 2020
I came to Colington this past Sunday and I have been day-dreaming about it ever since. It's tucked back on a side road and you kind of stumble upon it. It's an old house turned into a restaurant.
BF and his family have a tradition of coming here every time they come to Nags Head. My BF and I are coming up on year 5 but this is the first year I've ever been able to make it! They all rave about it so I was so excited to finally be here.
We ordered two appetizer samplers for the table. They came with crab dip, coconut shrimp, bacon wrapped scallops, and crab cakes. Most of us also ordered the she-crab bisque. They have lots of daily specials that sound delicious, but I went with the filet and crab cake topped with a béarnaise sauce. It was served with garlic mashed potatoes and a veggie succotash. This steak is easily the top 3 steaks I have ever had... perfect medium rare and melted in your mouth.
The icing on the cake (literally) came at the end when the waiter came around with the dessert tray. BF was being stingy and didn't want to share dessert with me which meant I got a whole piece of banana cake for myself (guess that worked out, right?)
As you can see, I have nothing but good things to say about this place! Price point is what you would expect at a place like this, I would venture to say very fair (entrees around $30 or so) I can't wait to come back
"Colington Cafe is nothing short of magical. My whole family had a great experience!"
Travelingdeb 8/2/2018
"Please do not leave OBX without having dinner here! This is a quaint atmosphere with absolutely amazing food."
Annmarie 8/15/2018
"I am a HUGE foodie. And I really recommend this place. A MUST go when in OBX or near here. #delicious"
Kristen H. 8/20/2016
"When my wife and I want a really special dinner in the OBX we look no further than Colington Cafe. We have been enjoying there food for 21 years now"
J David 8/16/2013
Our State Magazine
November 23, 2015
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December 1, 2014