I hate to do this, but I have to reduce the star quotient for this place. Came here for lunch today...in town for the OBX Wedding Expo. My friend and I were hungry and needed something. Pro: they were still serving breakfast at 12:30. Con: They weren't making waffles. My friend wound up getting a BLT and fries.
I had a bigger issue with my order. My original choice (linguine with olive oil and garlic), I was informed, was on the dinner menu and they didn't serve dinner at lunch. No where on the menu was this made clear. Next I asked if it was possible to get a grilled fish sandwich instead of fried...they don't grill stuff at lunch, either. Honestly...WTF? I finally had to go with a house salad. I asked the waitress to double it. She did try to get me to try one of their other salads...all of which had meat on them. I had to tell her I don't eat meat. After my salad came, she did ask me if I'd like some fresh mushrooms to add to the salad, so I jumped on that. She also brought out a hard-boiled egg, which I hadn't asked for, and although I appreciate what she was trying to do, I had to turn that down as well. (Even if I still ate eggs, I always disliked hard-boiled eggs immensely.)
I think I messed with the waitress' head or something...not only was she not very helpful with my order, she kept trying to take my friend's plate away before she was through with her meal. Twice. At any rate, we were not impressed with the service or the food. The only reason I'm giving the place two stars is because it's open in the off-season.
If I had had more time to research ahead of time, I would have made a concerted effort to make sure I found some options that were open for lunch during the winter. As it is, I don't think we will be returning to the Jolly Roger. It's just not worth it...there are many better places to eat in the OBX.
My friends and I ate here after a long trip down from NY and we were hungry for a late dinner. The decor was humorous and didn't really offend. The food on the other hand was awful. We ordered a platter of seafood to share. Since they were all out of the crabs that we really wanted, we ordered shrimp, crab legs and clams. The clams were small and dried out, with no flavor. The shrimp had no taste and seemed to be previously frozen (maybe?) The crab legs were okay.
The waiter seemed to need some help, since he kept asking us to do things for him. He also seemed to be having an argument with one of the waitresses, in front of us. Not a good impression!
Stopped here on our way in to our vacation house. It was not busy at all and we were seated and served right away. The waitress was just ok, nothing special. She did her job. The restaurant itself seemed old and could use a little updating.
We all got some kind of fried seafood basket. Two of us had fried oysters, one had the fish and chips, and one had the seafood platter. The oysters were excellent! They were lightly battered, not overly greasy, and tasted delicious. The fired fish was just ok. I was really turned off when I found lots of bones in my fillet. My husband's fish didn't have any bones in it. In the seafood platter, there were 3 fried shrimp and 3 fried scallops. The scallops were really small and you couldn't taste the scallop because it was so small. The shrimp were big and good though. I would definitely go back for the fried oysters.
I had not been here in years because the last time I came the food was not so good. I might have to reconsider after this visit.
I gave it a 2-star, but would have given it a 2.5 if there was such a choice. Â The place is one of the original restaurants on the beach road, and the minute you walk in you can feel the history of the place. Â But it's also super-kitschy! Â The lobby and front dining room has ceilings covered with some type of silver foil and hanging christmas ornaments, the servers dress like pseudo-pirates, and the place is dark with low ceilings. Â The booths are great though! Â High back and plenty of room for 4.
I don't think I'd go here if it weren't for the Buy One Dinner Get One Free coupon that is in the Sunny Day Guide and OBX Visitors Guide. Â They used to have the same deal for locals every Monday night without a coupon.
The pasta is plentiful but not big on flavor. Â The marinara sauce is on the sweet side. Â The portions of the other entrees vary from time to time. Â Chicken piccata was served as two full breasts one visit, then two peices of one breast another...sauce also varied between oily and thick on different occasions. Â I have heard the seafood lasagna is delicious, but I have yet to try it myself. Â Garlic bread is so great. Â I have been here for dinner a few times over the years when we didn't want to spend much, and didn't want to travel down to Nags Head or out to Duck and Corolla. Â Looking forward to trying it for breakfast to see if it is any better.
I hate to give the place two stars because the service and ambiance were great. Â Unfortunately the food was really horrible. Â
The positives? The ceiling itself is impressive, from it dangles about a million shiny christmas ornaments leaving you with a happy spirit. Â The waitresses, who have probably been there most of their lives, were very experienced and well-mannered, dressed in Pirate costumes. Â A little gift shop in the front too selling pirate gear of all sorts. Â It was fun.
The negatives? Â We ordered the standard sandwich, a famous bloody mary, I had the special the "elvis presley waffle" (bacon waffle with peanut butter sauce), and a seafood basket. Â The sandwich and seafood were very run-of-the-mill. Â The waffle was a disaster, a very salty waffle with a salty peanut butter sauce... Â I understand the charm of the name and general concept but they really need to take that item off the menu or revamp it entirely. Â I honestly can't give a good review of the bloody mary since I'm not much of a drinker, but it seemed very salty too.
For the cost you pay for the food I'd say.. best to stick just with their gift shop and leave the food to the rest of the tourists.
I lived on the OBX i will say they do look out for the locals there you get food half price in the winter.Its a hit and miss kinda place.some times excellent food and sometimes not so good.i wish the placewould get renovated.You feel like the place is going to fall apart at any time.If you visisted there 20 years ago and you came back in i dought not one things has changed.that can be for the good and for the <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fbad.it&s=79a25e7241c2ec42282ac17790cc141a957076166fdf524a9fb34fae99956805" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://bad.it</a> is one of the few places to get ilrallion food at there.
Review Source:Went there on a recent trip to the OBX, Â food was not good. Â Fish had bones in it I thought I got one stuck in my throat. Â The scallops were not cooked all the way and the breading was gross. Â It is expensive to me and is everything down there. As many tourist and the prices they charge all these places should have good food, but they know your stuck and have to eat. Â The thing that made me the most mad about here and other places is they don't include a drink with the kids meals and the kids meals are very expensive and the drinks are completely to much for a childs drink.
Review Source:My friends and I only came here because we were starving and looking for something walking distance to our rental home. Our first and second options were a no go so we ended up here.
This place is very kitsch and there's pirate stuff all over the place.
The server was friendly and enjoyed flirting with us a little too much, but at some points he seemed kind of rude. I don't know, maybe that was his flirting technique, or he just thought we were annoying tourist girls. But aside from forgetting to bring me my cocktail, he seemed to get everyone's orders right and thankfully split the check for us.
The food was mediocre. Here are your options: boring salads and super heavy filling meals. There's no middle ground. I ended up with an Asian salad as my healthy "I had 2 hot dogs on the road trip here" option and while it was good, it wasn't all that exciting. I will say their garlic bread was awesome and we totally took extras home to snack on (or maybe eat as breakfast...)
Overall I didn't really like this place and it wasn't memorable.
The worst of a dive bar and tourist trap rolled into one. Good luck getting served if you're not a local. Once you are served your meal, though, you might feel that they were doing you a favor by withholding it - the sandwich I had here constituted a "feeding." Truth be told, I should have held out for the Cliff bar in the car. It had been a long day, though, and, once you can get the bar staff's attention long enough to be served, the two dollar Miller high lifes make it worth stopping in. Just know what you're getting into.
Review Source:My hopes for dinner here weren't very high when I walked in to see tacky decor all over the place and the less than excited servers with what looks like homemade pirate outfits on. However I have to give the food 4 stars. They have a little bit of everything on the menu - seafood, italian, etc. So I went with a seafood/italian mixture of stuffed flounder with a creamy tomato sauce and was pleasantly surprised! The fish was delicious and lasted 2 additional meals. I would definitely go back here again for seafood but for that reason only :)
Review Source:Jolly Roger is great! Love the pirate gear and coming from a local I have never had a bad food experience there. The breakfast is delicious and lunch is great too. The prices are affordable and everyone who works there is friendly and will go out of their way to offer you a great experience.
Review Source:I've been meaning to write this review for awhile, but just haven't gotten around to it. Â I don't know if it was because we ate there in the off season or what, but it. was. awful!
We were in OBX for the Outer Banks Half Marathon and needed a place to carb up. Â We chose Jolly Roger. Â Wrong! Â 1) We had to wait like an hour and a half to get a table. Â 2) Once we got a table they brought out cold garlic bread. 3) They took our order and then we had to wait another hour for our food. Â When the food finally came out my friend's pasta dish was burned an inedible and mine looked like they took a can of tomato sauce and dumped it out onto the plate. Â We had to send our food back along with pretty much all the other tables in the restaurant.
I don't know what happened at Jolly Roger that night but needless to say; I'm not going back. Â
On the plus side,our waitress was very patient and trying to do her best; she did keep our water glasses full. Â When we told her about the food she gave us a 20% discount and took the burnt food off the bill.
Looks like a good tacky place for people on vacation, but the food is not really that good and the hygiene is suspect. Â Ate breakfast there, not that badly priced and got huge portion. Â Food was OK. Â They advertise a lot around here so the get decent business. Â Creamers and half and half were on all tables at room temperature which will cause them to spoil quickly. Â Anyone with basic food safety knowledge should know this. Â They say keep refrigerated. Â Did not try the bar we had more than enough people and beer at our place, but may be better for bar.
Review Source:Went on a Sunday afternoon- and was pleasantly surprised by the food. Had a crab cake sandwich, tasted like it was a Maryland style crab cake- definitely real crab meat. Fresh made bread- it was quite good. The seafood platter was huge, somewhat plain but good nonetheless. And the prices were great. The bartender makes a great margarita too! The service was also attentive and fast.
Review Source:If you want loud, rollicking fun and karaoke, go to Jolly Roger's. We didn't know what we were getting into when we came through on a Friday night. Greeted by a pirate costumed server and blue light decor, we laid back and did what the locals do, ordered our food and enjoyed the music. The food is decent, rich in some cases and plentiful - when you order a side of fries you get a huge plate. We were so moved by the karaoke, that we stayed after dinner to listen to some more. The staff were incredibly friendly and all the singers were so talented. It was a nice treat for my family to hear some old tunes and definitely worth coming back.
Review Source:On this visit I was there for breakfast on a Saturday morning. Â The place was busier and I got to enjoy the experience more. Â Enjoy as in I sat in the Christmas ornament room. Â This is something you have to see to believe. Â Enjoy as in looking at the pirate inspired outfits of all of the staff - even the bus staff. Â Enjoy as in the ample breakfast portions. Â Enjoy as in a most reasonable price.
Next Outer Banks trip I hope to experience lunch or dinner!
If atmosphere is important to you, then you might not like this place. Â The decor is downright weird, with Christmas wrap and ornaments plastered to the ceiling. Â As for me, who cares about atmosphere -- I'm here to eat. Â The Crab Norfolk is absolutely INCREDIBLE. Â As in downright decadent. Â I could eat this dish three times a day and never tire of it. Â The stuffed flounder is huge, with the emphasis on STUFFED. Â The crab imperial packed into the flounder is almost pure crab. Â But the best part is that it has the largest menu variety on the OBX, which was always a good thing with my picky kids.
Review Source:Dear Jolly Roger,
I miss you. I can't live without you. Though the miles keep us apart now, I have the memories to keep me warm until we meet again.
At night, when I need a place that everybody knows my name, where the drinks are strong and the women are easy, you are there. When I need to flex my vocal muscles in Karaoke prowess, you are there. Oh, and Michelle is there too, in all of her Karaoke Jockey splendor. God love Michelle, the Alan Ross Karaoke Road Show, and you, dear Jolly Roger.
God love you for the blue concoction served in a carafe. Though the receptacle should be used to serve a family of 4 orange juice, you fill it with an iced down blue beverage that puts a Long Island iced tea to shame, and a single straw. Similarly, God love you for calling Coastal Cab post-blue beverage-facto.
Thank you for $1 Miller Lite nights.
Thank you for Rudy.
Thank you for Jojo.
Thank you for Dee.
When I roll over in the morning, and that glorious Outerbanks sunshine comes peeking in to my beach cottage window, and the remnants of last nights cocktails still linger on my lips, thank you for my hangover cure. Your breakfast is the BEST on the beach. When the urge comes over me to face-plant atop your wooden tabletops, your year-round Christmas decor keeps me focused. Your limitless coffee, kitchy IQ games, and fresh baked bread quench my parched tongue, get my creative juices once again flowing, and fill my topsy turvey tum-tum with nourishment.
Just knowing you are there awaiting me with open arms helps me sleep at night. Mile post 6 is a better mile because of you.
Until then, keep the cocktails a-coming, the Karaoke a-jamming, and the Christmas balls a-swinging. There are few left quite like you my dear friend, Jolly Roger.
Your biggest fan,
Dana
My friends and I ate here twice for breakfast. It was within walking distance of where we were staying, so we decided to check it out. On our first visit, we were seated immediately. Our waitress was friendly, and the extensive menu kept us busy for a few minutes. I opted for all sides - scrapple, grits and fresh fruit. Everything was good, but the fruit was delicious! It was a fresh mixture of strawberries, blueberries and melon...then again, it was like $4 so it SHOULD have been that fresh! When we went back the next day I ordered a sausage and cheddar omlette, with raisin toast and the fresh fruit again. That breakfast was even better! The omlette was good, just a little undercooked, but the thick sliced raisin toast was to die for! I'll definitely go back when I'm in OBX again!
Review Source:I was in OBX for a week with a group of friends, and we decided to go out to eat one night instead of cooking. Â Jolly Roger was the third place we walked in and out of (Awful Arthur's had a ridiculous wait, and Goombays' menu looked unappetizing). Â Every person at the table had a great, filling, undoubtedly-bad-for-your-heart meal. Â The fried calamari appetizers were fresh and solid. Â I had the "beef and reef" of prime rib and broiled shrimp. Â Despite its being an unusually fatty piece of meat and totally over-salted, the steak was tasty and tender. Â The shrimp were well-cooked and tasty as well. Â The baked apples on the side were nice, but I wouldn't recommend the vegetables, which were overcooked and also over-salted (overabundance of salt seems to be a recurring theme). Â My friends were also really happy with their meals, service was good, decor was cute, and they split our check 6 ways without complaint. Â Prices were about what you'd get at most good seafood places in the area. Â Overall a good, satisfying meal for everyone that just missed the mind-blowing mark.
Review Source:When we first arrived, we were told that there would be a 30 minute wait. We went and sat outside on the benches with all of the other waiters and after 45 minutes of not having anyone called, we went inside to check on our wait. Our name had been crossed off, and we asked why. The hostess claimed to have come outside to call us, even though we knew she didn't.
The hostess seated us quickly after that, and we were added to a server who was obviously working too hard. Luckily the service was fantastic. Our waitress was funny, nice, and as quick as she could be.
The food portions were HUGE - my dining companion had the seafood lasagna, and it came with a side of spaghetti with marinara sauce. I had the fried combo platter - which was enough food for at least 5 meals. We started with the steamed shrimp, which was tasty.
Overall, a good place to eat, but the initial impression probably sends some people away.
The portions are HUGE and its pretty inexpensive. Although at times it can seem a little "dirty or barlike" it's a fun place with lots of character-- It's an experience in itself.
You can basically walk in right after a day on the beach and get a table and hang out for hours. Late night dinners here are great. It's mostly an Italian based menu and the eggplant and chicken parmesan are awesome. They have tons of fresh seafood too.
We decided to take the kids out for lunch one day, and Awful Arthur's parking lot was completely full, so we decided to give this place a try. Â The decor was kitschy pirate/whatever crazy crap on the wall that's standard now. Â Luckily (?) we were seated quickly in the Christmas room so the kids had a good time playing eye-spy till the food came. Â
However, they didn't serve any broiled seafood for lunch(?!?!), only fried, so the wife and I opted for the crabcake sandwich platters and soups, clam chowder and crab bisque. Â Both of our soups were the consistency of yesterday's gravy, and tasted like the chef spilled the salt shaker into them.
The crabcakes were big, but had a lot of filler. Â The buns were stale and crumbled apart before we could finish our sandwiches. Â The fries were fries, not much to say there. Â
The kid's menu was OK, it's pretty hard to screw up corn dogs and chicken fingers, although my pasta-loving daughter had to order spaghetti from the adult menu during lunch.
One last note, they bill themselves as an Italian restaurant, so possibly the Italian food is really good.
Theres something about Jolly Roger. Â I cant quite put my finger on it. Â
Is it the pirate manquines strewn around the place? Â Maybe its the Christmas tree ornament bomb that exploded in the dinning area. Â Could it be the nick nack monster that vomited all over the walls?..... Â im not sure.... but its tacky. Â Tacky in a good way. Â Tacky in a "is this place for real?" kind of way.... tacky in a way that puts "chotchky's" to shame (this place has more flare than Liberachi)
I went t visit my boyfriend's paretns who live in Outer Banks and as we got ready to head down to Jolly Roger for some breakfast, I was frettign on finding something to wear that would be respectable for breakfast at a family restaraunt. Â My boyfriend and hsi parents said, "you dont need to look respectable here" Â and boy, oh boy....were they right!
They serve something called Scrapple? Â Now me, being from california...i figured it was a southern thing... when I asked the waitress what it was....she grimmaced and said, you dont want that....and you dont want to know whats in it... Her honesty won me over!
I had a corned beef hash and eggs and I must say, it was fanstastic. They had these mini flavored creamers for thier coffee and just something wonderfully homey and warm about the place. Â I wish I could see more places like this.... The food isnt 5 star, but its just got that tacky goodness that makes the experience enjoyable.
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