Rodanthe Restaurants
Hatteras
| Route 66 | Cities | Beaches |
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Rodanthe Restaurants Hatteras |
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Rodanthe is the wildest part of Hatteras Island. It'ss a strip community merged with the villages of Salvo and Waves on the narrowest part of the island. In storms water washes over and cuts new channels. Currently, on Route 12 you'll cross one such inlet over an Army Corps of Engineers emergency bridge. In calmer times, wind drifts sand across the road, and bulldozers and steam shovels are constantly clearing it away. Wind has sculpted high dunes into surreal shapes. Beaches are wide, gentle and smooth. Rodanthe is a surfing, windsurfing and kitebosrding center. Because the town is hemmed in by park land, it cannot grow, so fewer people are here, reducing the number of restaurants. But there are four good ones plus a pizzeria and Dairy Queen. The novel Nights in Rodanthe was set here, and the Richard Gere movie was filmed in and around the famous house at right. Fishermen love Rodanthe because of its famous fishing pier, surf and marsh fishing, and charter boats which go out on the Sound and the Gulf Stream from the Oregon Inlet Fishing Center, barely visible to the left of the Bonner Bridge seen above. |
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The Atlantic Coast Cafe opens at 7 am daily. Its breakfasts, especially the dollar pancakes, are pretty good. But this may be the best lunch stop you've ever seen. They feature four kinds of Reuben Sandwiches. The Crabcake Reuben and Shrimp Reuben are among the best creative Reubens anywhere, and the ACC Classic (corned beef, kraut, Swiss cheese, sauce, grilled on rye) is the best traditional Reuben in Carolina. There are nine Wraps, led by the Shrimp Salad Wrap and the California Wrap (turkey, bean sprouts, Swiss cheese, bacon, avocado, sweet chili sauce, tucked into the wrap and then grilled). This is the best wrap we've tasted on the Carolina Coast. There are other sandwiches : the Spicy Tuna Burger, Crab Cake Sandwich, Beef-burger and Tunaque (barbequed tuna burger). Supplementing this lineup is a board of yuppie beverages : teas, coffees, cappuccinos, lattes, mochas, a Vanilla Chai Tea Latte, freezes, and smoothies. In 2010 they opened a second location in Avon. |
| The Down Under is an Australian themed restaurant but don't let the boomerangs and Waltzing Matilda music hide the fact that there is some very good food here. There are two MUST TRY items on the menu. The first is Kangaroo. Low in fat, calories and cholesterol, the hoppity marsupial is grilled and served with a special dipping sauce or packaged as a Rooburger with cheese. Second is Great White Shark. The cook grills it, adds black beans, and wraps it with jalapenos, cream cheese and homemade salsa. Other than these two specialties, the dinner entrees are fairly standard : steaks, seafood, chicken, pasta and the usual sides of baked potato, fries and hushpuppies. Other than the Roo and Shark, we like their Shrimp Rodanthe (shrimp stuffed with crab meat and broiled in lemon pepper), Shrimp Down Under (shrimp stuffed with cream cheese and jalapenos, wrapped in bacon and broiled), and Shrimp & Scallop Fettuccine (shrimp and scallops sauteed with mushrooms and garlic, served on linguini, topped with alfredo sauce). For lunch, try the Cheeseburger Dundee (ground beef, crabmeat and cheese), or the Vegemite, an Australian favorite. |  |
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The Top Dog Cafe is a classic beach shack with half a mile of trees between it and the beach. They're not open for breakfast, but there's a pretty elaborate lunch menu. They claim to have the biggest burgers and wraps on the island, and after eating there we believe them. They begin with The Big Kahoona (half a pound), and proceed through the Tidal Wave (one lb.), Sunami (1.5 lb.) to the Cyclone (2 lb.). Then there are the Steak Wrap, Jamaican Tuna Wrap, Cajun Crab Wrap and Sw Wrap. You can even get a half pound hot dog that very few kids can finish. You can order one of six special toppings for either the burger, the wrap or the dog. Dinner begins with the appetizers, of which our favorites are the Bacon Wrapped Scallops, Cheddar Poppers and Beer Battered Onion Rings. Of the entrees, we like the Crab Cake, Jamaican Jerked Grilled Tuna, and Cajun Mahi. There are six pasta dinners and various seafood, chicken and steak items. Five seafood baskets, seven salads and three desserts complete the menu. Top Dog Don't Do Takeout. |
| The BoardWok South is a different kind of Chinese restaurant. More than half the Chinese restaurants in America right now use the same standardized menu, with their name and photo on the cover and 150 items inside. You can take one of the menus from one restaurant to the other, since the item numbers are identical. But not at The BoardWok. This small second floor establishment offers eggrolls, soup, 10 appetizers, five house specialties and 13 entrees. Period. They focus on this limited menu and do it very well. We especially recommend the Crab Soup, a creamy sherry based concoction topped with scallions that joins its Southern rivals as one of the island's best soups. The Eggrolls are filled with sliced cabbage, celery, Asian roast pork, and shrimp. Among the appetizers we like the Crabmeat Cocktail, a large dish of jumbo lumps chilled. The General Tsao's Chicken (boneless chicken breaded and sauteed in sweet spicy sauce) is the best of the house specialties. There are Ribeye, Filet Mignon, Stiry Fry and Chicken Teriyaki, but seafood entrees lead the menu. We like the Panko Scallops, Crab Cakes, Tuna Steak, Garlic Shrimp Scampi and Steamed Crab. |  |
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Leonardo's is Rodanthe's pizzeria. It's mainly a takeout place, with only a few tables inside and out. They keep it simple. You choose from 16 toppings and either small or large size. The alternate menu offers Calzones, Lasagna, seven kinds of Subs, two fish sandwiches, two salads and and nine sides, of which the Jalapeno Poppers are the best. There's a Cheesecake Flavor Of The Day. Leonardo's takes pride in hand tossing its pizzas and making everything fresh daily. You don't have all the gourmet frills of New York or Boston outlets, but if you're looking for good old fashioned pizza after fishing, surfing or kayaking, this will fill the bill quite nicely. |
| Rodanthe may be able to claim America's smallest Dairy Queen. There are turnpike toll booths bigger than this tiny building just off Route 12. Hidden by the hedge are several picnic tables and the parking lot holds four cars. But they've got the whole menu : cones, cups, shakes, sundaes, banana splits, and all the trimmings. |  |
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