Fishbones Raw Bar & Restaurant

Since it first opened in June 1995, Fishbone’s has been a favorite year-round haunt for locals. Over the years, it has also become a repeat destination for a growing number of visitors who come every year to the northern beaches. Billed as the Outer Banks’ original Tiki Bar, this eatery and night spot serves creative Caribbean dishes and specialty drinks in a tropical island setting.  An expansive drink menu paired with a collectable tropical souvenir cup. 

For those looking beyond quenching thirst, the food menu offers a range of lunch and dinner choices that goes beyond typical seafood and burgers. A must-try is the restaurant’s clam chowder, which was awarded “Best Clam Chowder on the Outer Banks” in 1995 at the barrier island’s Clam Chowder Cook-Off and has since maintained its mouth-watering reputation. 

Lunch menu choices include Key West Chicken, Blackened Mahi BLT wrap, Black Bean veggie burger, Caribbean shrimp salad wrap, Oyster Po Boy and a “build a burger” Burger Bar. For dinner, options range from Bourbon Pecan Chicken, Seafood Paella, Penne A La Vodka and Crab Imperial. Desserts include Triple Chocolate Cheesecake and Bourbon Pecan Pie.

The wooden bar is gleaming, and there’s a late-night menu available for revelers looking for some tasty nourishment to supplement those tropical drinks. Call for more details on bar menu hours.  This establishment does not take reservations, and with seating for a maximum of 60, it can fill up quickly on a summer weekend evening, so come early if you don’t want to wait. Its 375-seat sister restaurant, Fishbones Sunset Grill & Raw Bar, is located about a mile up the road on the sound.