I love Kellys! Our family owns a house in Corolla and we travel every time we visit down here to Kelly's. The food is amazing! The services is very good and if you get they have a lot of private seating. We actually had our wedding reception here. They were very accommodating and helped to plan a lot of stuff. They were also VERY affordable. Try the vanilla creme brule!
Review Source:We took my Dad here for Father's Day and we had an excellent meal. We were seated promptly in a nice booth and our waitress was great! Â She was very outgoing and funny. Â They have an excellent variety on their menu. Â We got a combination of the "early bird" *and* Father's Day discounts which resulted in really deeply discounted price for dinner. Good food, good service, good prices. Highly recommend!
Review Source:Had dinner at Kelly's last night with my wife and four friends. Â Sara(h), our waitress, was very helpful. Â She knew the menu very well, was very good at answering our questions and helping us with or choices. Each of our dinner selections were very good. Â The quantities were just right and the quality was very good.. Our menu selections were, scallops, flounder and tuna, all of which were done very well and tasted very fresh. Â If in the are again I will go back again.
Review Source:A marathoner friend had put out a post on FB about meeting up as a group for dinner after running the Outer Banks Marathon 2012. I should have read the Yelp reviews on this place, since it turned out to be a bit too fancy for me. Not that I am complaining, but I would have liked to have been prepped first before coming.
We all finished the Outer Banks marathon that day and were celebrating our accomplishments. For me personally, it was my 50th lifetime marathon finish and 30th state in my bid to run a marathon in all 50 states from Hawaii. The ambiance was quite nice: intimate and quiet. Something you don't get too much if you are more into the noisy hustle and bustle of chain restaurants and the like. The part that stuck out like a thorn on a rose was the prices. I didn't expect it to be as high as it was, but I went ahead and splurged a bit, since I reached a milestone in my marathoner life and felt the need to just go for it.
I started off with a blue moon beer and the Cajun spiced oysters to start. Those oysters were on the half shell and it was smaller than I expected. Still they were good and an ideal way to enter the main course. Of all the entrees I had to pick, I had the 16 oz prime rib again, seeing all those seafood delights on the rest of the menu made me regret a little bit now.
The steak I ordered was medium rare, which came out pink middle, moist, tender, and above all, chewy. Tough steak ain't good. It was served with dinner salad and bread rolls, which I took a few before digging into the steak and salad. The salad can be improved, but the steak was pretty spot on and that was awesome. The service was good and the evening was just simply a great end piece to cap off an epic weekend of running and vacationing on the eastern seaboard.
I would recommend this place to those of you who enjoy great food and great ambiance. Not sure if I would categorize this place as upscale dining or not, but this place can sure seem like it. Whether or not I realized this, my tab came out to be $50, which is possibly the highest dinner tab I have seen in recent memory and its for myself. Indulging can suck sometimes, but it was great celebrating.
Support local!
B+
WARNING: Kelly's puts a $75 HOLD on your CREDIT CARD above the cost of the meal.
While we've been going to OBX for decades, this past Sunday was our first time at Kelly - and our last.
In looking at our statements for the long weekend getway, we noted a $75 hold on our credit card that was above the cost of the meal (which was only $65 before tip).
We called Kelly's, and the person on the phone said that their credit card processor places holds on cards, that they get these calls every Monday, and that if its not released by Thursday to give them a call. Unacceptable.
The sad thing is that my chicken alfredo was very good, several diners who ordered scallops enjoyed their meals, and the mac-n-cheese for my son was some of the best.
PROS: Nice atmosphere, very good food
CONS: Slow service, extra $75 HOLD on your credit card.
YUM YUM YUM!! It was my first time to come here and I enjoyed it a lot!! I've had sweet potato rolls for the first and it was sooo yum!! Our food was good. My boyfriend had a steak and i had a mixed grill that has equal portion of tuna, swordfish and shrimp -- VERY good and not bad for a vacation dinner either (we paid $62) Our service was good and our server even gave me some potato rolls to-go. Will come back for sure!!
Review Source:The food here was pretty good, the service was too! I came here using a <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2FRestaurant.com&s=0aab4cbd731f3d3b0d1453050d3abc56a8c80bd214e25469c7555b750dca8a51" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://Restaurant.com</a> certificate $10 for $25. Marine theme inside the restaurant, low lighting, plenty of seating. They start your meal with some complimentary sweet potato rolls which are delicious! I can't remember now what we ordered a few weeks ago but I remember it tasted good. I did feel the prices were a bit high for the quality of food and I probably wouldn't go here without a coupon/certificate of some sort. As we were leaving they were checking IDs at the door for their bar/dance club (it was a Saturday night) and the place was hopping! Apparently it's a pretty sweet hangout if you want to have drinks and party. I didn't realize their was even a dance club until we were leaving because the dining room is quietly separated from the bar area.
Review Source:Went to Kelly's last week while on vacation in the OBX with my husband and his family. Â Kelly's seems to be a standby locale for dinner out while vacationing. Â The food was good, I had broiled flounder. Â Salad and sides come with the meal which is great especially in these days where everything seems to be a la carte.
The one hiccup was with the first waiter that came by. Â He took drink orders. Â When my husband's uncle tried to order a bottle of wine, he said he could not take orders for bottles, just glasses and mixed drinks. I thought that was interesting. Â The bottle of wine was ordered later and after a lot of confusion between who ordered a glass of wine and who was sharing the bottle of wine, everything calmed down.
Our other waitress handled everything from there and was great with the large party size that we had. Â The Restaurant was not as crowded as I expected and it was freezing in there!
Will probably be back, but this is not a "must go back" restaurant to me.
We have been here twice first time ws great, food was really good, wine was great and service was great. Â Second the food was ok but we ate all the way upstairs at this private table secluded in a tiny room by it's self at the top of a very narrow staircase- a little wierd. We were a party of 8 it was a little clostrophobic and the food was ok not as good as we remembered from the year before. Â Needless to say we didn't go on this last trip but i wouldn't totally right them off either. I would try it again in the "regualr" dining room" Â Sweet Potatoe Biscuits were amazing!
Review Source:Went to Kelly's with a big group tonight. Â The seafood bouillabaisse had a good flavor but the shrimp and scallops were very overdone. Â Others at the table thought their seafood was overdone too. The waiter was good and quite conscientious but the entrees took 2 hours to arrive. Overall it was just OK but not worth the price ($103 for two adults and two kid meals).
Review Source:Two descriptive words for Kelly's : Awkward, Flavorless
We had been to Kelly's about nine years ago and loved it! In fact my brother developed and addiction to potato skins while there. We decided to return. We found it strange that the parking lot was not packed like in the past. When we walked in, time had definitely taken it's toll. Moldy smell... even had napkins tied around the air condition vents to prevent dripping...?...
We have a 17 month old, maybe that was the reason they took us upstairs... which had no music... and was awkwardly quiet with two other tables up there. We were on edge every time our daughter made a sound.
The waitress was very awkward. To the point that she stayed at the table when she handed the bill and said "I'll take it when you are ready." ...and stayed while trying to make small talk with my dad. In which my dad was trying to end because he needed to look over the bill. She even said if you can't see it I can read it to you. AWKWARD!!! lol!!! During the meal I ordered an extra side of fries... the waitress said, "Who are they for?"... um... does it matter? lol!!!! Very awkward meal.... It became hilarious.
As for the food. Awful. We will not return. Shrimp had a fishy old taste. The drinks were flat, the potatoes had been under a heat lamp which dried them out, the vegetables were not seasoned, the crab cakes were mushy and flavorless, the coconut shrimp were caked in burnt/raw (I don't know how that happens) flavorless batter, the salad was not chopped (my pet peeve when it comes to salads.... esp when you are paying a high price), the greens in the salad were rinsed but not spun so the dressing was watery in the plate, ....on the positive end... the cream of crab soup, the green beans, and the bread was good.
Good bye, Kelly's... sorry we ended on a bad note...
Kelly's was the most amazing vendor that we used on our wedding day. Â
Thank you for the delicious food (the crab cakes are to die for), the attention to detail, the incredible service, and the reasonable price! Â I have spread the word on every message board that I can find but thought that I would add my feelings here too (the guests all raved about the food, and my mom was blown away by the service).
Also, every time we've gone to your restaurant, it has been a delicious and pleasant experience. Â When I told the manager that I had never tried grits, he brought over a big bowl for us to try and share (they were good too!). Â We will definitely be making a yearly trip back - especially for the buffalo shrimp, crab cakes, and BEST balsamic vinaigrette dressing that we've ever had (made in-house, and my dad - aka the world's pickiest eater - wanted to go back to get a big vat to bring home with us).
THANK YOU!
My wife and I visited the outer banks recently looking for a nice romantic weekend. We chose Kelly's as our 'nice meal' out date night. My wife had the salmon and said it was good, ok. Nothing to write home about (or on Yelp). I write today because the seafood platter was HORRIBLE! Order anything but that and you might have a decent dinner. I should have known based on the price, but hey i was looking for a little of everything.
When they ask 'do you want this all broiled or fried?', just change the order. THey literally put the fish, scallops, crab cake and shrimp on a plate and broil it just like that. Now any sensical person knows each of these items require different cooking times, temperatures and methods. I was under the impression only one of the items was broiled, but alas I was wrong. When the plate came out, the scallops were extremely rubbery, the crab cake was soggy, the shrimp were perfect and the fish had a hard crustly layer all around, completely inedible.
THe decorum is over-the-top tacky and it is a quite stuffy joint to eat at. The waitress seemed too busy to be bothered with questions and was indifferent towards us and our meal.
A change of chef would only be the start for this place, but would possibly outweigh the rest of the issues we had. Not worth the price.
I give it 2 stars only because my wife said her salmon was good. Sorry Kelly's, but you need a lot of work.
1 hour waiting ..1/2 to get a salad. Got a 27 dollar seafood plate that  was not worth it husband got a well done steak that was still bleeding the waitress did however give us a break on the price...the best part was the bread!..will not be comming back ...3 hours total from walking in the door to walking out
Review Source:Food is decent at best. Â Don't get the crab cakes - they are mushy and WAY too watery - more like really bad lump crab meat. Â Service was just ok - hostess was sweet but waitress was an honest-to-goodness space cadet. Â She would have forgot her name if it wasn't on her nametag.... But it works - its ok in a pinch and the restaurant is huge so there is plenty of seating. Â And if looking for nightlife I hear it's the place to be... the bar area is huge, and it has a stage for a band with a dance floor and all. Â We popped in on a Saturday about 8pm and there wasn't a soul in there yet.
Review Source:Unlike MS below, I have actually eaten here many times. I would be hard pressed to ever say it was the best place on the Outer Banks to eat, but it is always good. Our group of 4 went last night and we had a fine meal. There was no crowd which was a pleasant surprise since it can be 5-15 min in the summer to get a table sometimes. Service was fast, friendly and Mike Kelly came buy twice to say hi. I was the lone wolf and had just watch a episode of Deadliest Catch and had the taste buds ready for crab legs (no they are not local and I know that). The others had flounder and scallops. I tried a scallop and they were the best I have ever had - sweet and no hint of fishy taste. All was good and we left full and happy. And oh man are those sweet potato biscuits the best - no need for desert with these around.
Review Source:RUDE. I'm writing for brides who might be considering Kelly's. I haven't even eaten at this place, so I'm not sure it's a fair review, but I wanted to warn you all. My wedding is scheduled for 09/2012 and I contacted Kelly's to schedule a tasting and had 3 very unpleasant conversations with Mary.
A) Mary insisted that there would be a fee for the tasting, which is absolutely UNHEARD of. Caterers should be bending over backwards for your business, especially if they know they are competing with at least 5 other companies.
B) Mary also insisted that I choose items from the menu before the tasting, but then when I called the day prior to the tasting with my selections, she copped an attitude saying that it was too late, and she didn't have time to accomodate me. PLEASE NOTE: I had scheduled 5 other tastings with other caterers within 1-2 days notice and they were ALL accommodating, nor did they insist that I MUST send items ahead of time. If I did not provide selections, the caterer just presented me with a platter of their more popular items. It's a wonder that this place gets any business at all if person Mary is always answering the phone.
I told Mary to take my wedding off her schedule, and I took her off the list of potential caterers. My relationship with vendors should be easy for my big day, I don't care how cheap the food is, it's not worth the stress.
I'm a thirty something bride from the DC Metro Area.
After reading lots of reviews about this place I knew I had to check it out. We came for the nightlife and I came for the poles.
We came on a Thursday night when Lloyd Dobbler Effect was playing - pretty good band. But we were surprised at how dead the place was. Compared to a bar we went to on Sunday night that was packed, we were expecting the same for a Thursday. Kelly's does have a nice open layout though and getting a beer was easy.
As for the poles, if you're just a girl who just wants to be seductive and grind on it, these poles are for you. I, however, see it as a playground and like to do tricks on it. If you're a pole fitness girl like me, these poles will disappoint. They are only 5-6 feet tall which means there is barely enough pole to climb and inverting will be tricky (even for a short person like me). They have 2 behind the stage which were blocked by the band's gear and lights, then there's a third up on a platform that you have a to climb a ladder to get on. Then it's just open on top.
They do have games off to the side - I only recall seeing shuffleboard and pool. They also have an upstairs for when it does get crowded. And the dance floor was huge which is a plus. I hate places that give you a 5x5" area to dance on. By their schedule it also seems like they pull in pretty good bands. We almost saw Carbon Leaf who played a few night priors. They also have lots of TVs for you sports fans.
I was disappointed mostly because Kelly's wasn't at all crowded. I wouldn't write that against them, maybe it was just a slow night. I wouldn't mind checking this place again when I'm back in OBX but at least I know not to expect much with the poles.
Kelly's is one of the few places to go out late night in OBX. It has a hilarious local crowd mixed with summer vacation visitors. I've never eaten dinner here but the after hours scene is always a surprise.
Live music, karaoke, bikini contents, what more could you want after consuming Corona all day on the beach. If you can afford the steep $5 cover, I highly recommend checking it out.
My husband and I vacationed in The Outer Banks for the first time and decided to go to Kelly's as it had been recommended to us. Well, we were definitely NOT disappointed! We arrived early, around 5:30 as we were told that it can get quite busy later in the evening. Going in June, it was also not the height of the season, but the restaurant was filling up rather quickly when we left.
The food and the service were just incredible. We were promptly greeted and seated by the hostess. Our server Bill was very friendly and nice and quick with bringing everything. He was very attentive without being overbearing. Our appetizers came so fast it didn't seem like they had enough time to prepare them. We had the calamari and the shrimp cocktail, both delicious. I enjoyed the abundant use of horseradish in the cocktail sauce.
Bill brought out the salads and some bread which included Kelly's famous sweet potato rolls. They were melt in your mouth delicious. Bill was so nice he gave us an extra 8 to go (no charge) plus the recipe! Â The salad was very good and Kelly's makes all their dressing from scratch, super yum.
A table near us was a large party that had a toddler who was a bit fussy. Nobody likes a screaming kid at a restaurant so Bill offered to bring out some French fries for her to snack on and keep her occupied while the adults sipped their drinks and decided on what they wanted. Well done Bill for being attentive to your customers and keeping everyone happy. Â
My husband ordered the Seafood Norfolk with shrimp, scallops, and crabmeat. It was unbelievably delicious and scrumptious! When adding lemon to the scallops, they melted in his mouth. Â It was served with a rice pilaf and green beans. My husband, who never eats vegetables, finished the green beans. I don't know how they made them that good. The portions were very large and definitely a good value.
I ordered a special of the evening which was a seared ahi tuna topped with crab meat and a wasabi slaw. It was also served with rice and green beans. The food was delicious and they were generous with the portions. The tuna was cooked a bit more than I am used to, I prefer it more rare. But it was cooked well and was still very moist. The crab meat was definitely more than I expected and the slaw gave everything a nice zing of flavor and an extra crunch. It was a good combination of flavors and textures.
We were so full that dessert was out of the questions, but I have heard wonderful things. If the rest of the meal was an indicator, the desserts would be delicious too. I would definitely eat here again!
I went here two nights in a row because my friends wanted to go out and "party" and there doesn't seem to be many nightlife options in the area.
I went during Memorial Day weekend and it was mostly a young crowd (20-somethings). Â Lots of cute, well-dressed ladies. Â It got pretty crowded, but I was still able to move around just fine. Â They had a live band both nights (some cover band) that was decent and a good DJ. Â The music is super loud though- I had to take a few breaks for my ears. Â Decent sized dance floor and there were a few stripper poles that ladies took advantage of. Â Â
I ate some mini corn dogs and nachos (with real cheese, not the nacho sauce) and both were tasty for late night options. Â The bouncers here are super nice. Â I think the cover ($5) starts at 10:00. Â Only issue was that my friends encountered a rude bartender that wouldn't serve them.
Love Kelly s, especially in the summer. they have great bands on the weekends and the people who go there are always fun. I would recommend seeing Krunch perform there because they are great! Always get fast service at the bar and food has been delicious every time. Great spot to visit if in the area.
Review Source:My family and friends have been going to this Restaurant and Night Club for over 10yrs and it has never failed to please. The restaurant itself is very interesting architecturally with it's contemporary design and seemingly endless levels of rooms.
During the summer season it gets busy so you may want to make reservations. Make them before 8pm on the weekends if you want to avoid the Night Club crowd that starts coming in to a separate area around 9:30pm.
The staff has always been helpful and pleasant and on one occasion Mr. Kelly ( the owner ) came to the table where my husband and I were dining to introduce himself. I always think it is a nice touch when the owner personally comes to your table to thank you.
The wine selection is vast with excellent selections of affordable table wines to expensive vintage reserves. The bar also has a nice selection of martinis and tropical drinks in souvenir glasses.
I can not ever remember having a bad meal here. There are always Daily Specials of surf and turf and an appetizer. Two of our go to favorites on the menu are the Fried Oysters and Prime Rib.
As for the Night Club...I LOVE IT!!
There is a minor cover charge of $5 the last time I was there but if you have dinner the cover is waved.
The bar has two levels. The downstairs has a huge dance floor that is packed by 11pm most weekend nights a large bar and a pool table area. The upstairs level opens after 10pm and has a smaller bar, flat screen T.V.'s showing sports and tables overlooking the stage and dance floor. This is a good place to hangout if you do not want to be elbow to elbow with the unwashed masses downstairs.
On the weekends there is usually a top notch band playing tunes from the 70's to current rock and dance music. When the band goes on break a DJ. is mixing popular dance tracks. Shout out to DJ. Fresh!! Heyyy!!
This club is not for just the 20 somethings. I have seen all (legal) ages frequent this club including one lovely couple who are in their early 80's. They are truly an inspiration and I hope to still be dancing when I am their age.
If you are going to an Irish restaurant to be blown away by cuisine you shouldn't complain. Â Irish food is to the beach as is California cuisine is to Savannah, it just doesn't make sense.
Food is average at best.
Service, terrible. Â Nothing worse than average food and servers and bar staff who are inconvencienced by having to do their job.
I almost never leave 1-star ratings on Yelp, but I had absolutely no doubts about this one:
This place and it's management is that they DON'T LIKE YOU PEOPLE, THEY ONLY LIKE YOUR MONEY!
When we came there yesterday, we called ahead of time and were promised a 15 min wait. When we got there they said the wait was 20 min. We were greeted by a guy who's name was Mike and who turned out to be the owner. He was the rudest person we met in a long time!
He saw that we have 2 babies in our hands and he made us wait for over 50 MINUTES because he kept sitting people who came after us. I think he did that just to piss us off (we kept asking him about the wait time).
What was really disturbing to me is that he made no attempts to apologize or compensate us anyhow for the long wait or to make the wait more comfortable. He kept telling us to leave if we are not happy with the wait.
We ended up ordering the food to go because the babies got so overtired of a long wait and THE FOOD WAS VERY AVERAGE. The chicken was over salted, the lobster was dry. Definitely not worth the high prices that they are charging.
There are so many good seafood places in OBX, please go somewhere else! Places like that don't deserve your money!
As if the excellent food wasn't enough, the friendly and helpful service of not only our wonderful waitress, but also the hosts and manager were outstanding. There were 8 in our party and everyone had something different and everyone in our party was very pleased with their selections. Â I'm not a big seafood fan, but on vacation at the beach, I decided to be open-minded. Â The clam-chowder was the best I ever had and the Crab Linguine Alfredo was amazing. Â
A little on the pricey side, but it's a treat you can't pass up! It's no wonder they've been an Outer Banks landmark for 25 years, the food is top-notch and so are the people! Â We had a truly memorable experience - highly recommended for a nice night out.
Can't say enough great things about Kelly's!  We eat here every time we visit the OBX.  Our visit this past week was wonderful like always.  Great atmosphere, great food, and great service.  I was torn between their crabcakes and the scallops and they were having a bit of a slow evening so the waitress managed to talk the kitchen into giving me an entree that had both and the food was awesome.  My husband had their creamy crab soup and I had to steal a few bites, it was great. Their french onion soup was only ok., oh and don't forget  the sweet potato biscuits - best anywhere!!
Review Source:My parents are transplanted locals and always talk about Kelly's, so we decided to give it a go on our last trip down. For the price, I think you get a very fair amount of food. Service was above average and they had a nice atmosphere going with some Xmas lights and such. Â Mind you, Kellys is probably 10x busier during the summer. I had crabcakes for an entree for the first time in my life and was not disappointed. I don't think this is on the menu yet, but it is going to be added soon. Â Desserts were absolutely delicious! Â Bar area was large and probably gets some wild crowds going during the summer.
Review Source:Wow!!! With some of the "just OK" reviews, I can't say anything bad about this place. Great food and the prices aren't too bad.
I had the Creamy Crab Soup and the NC Seafood Collection. The entree was broiled flounder, shrimp scallops and crab cake. It really was the best seafood meal I have had in a long time. I went with three other people and ALL were very satisfied with the food and service.
Our server was constantly filling our water glasses, along with the wine. The owner was at the door greeting people as they came in. When we were leaving a band was starting in the sports bar, which was roomy and looked like a good time.
It was not dark, but there are no windows in the dinning area. There are several stained glass windows. I wish we could have stayed for some bar action but it is not a good idea to drive back to Corolla drunk. It took us about 50 minutes to get back to our beach house. The bad thing about Corolla is that everything is in Duck or Kill Devil Hills.
Weird place. From the hostess that looks you up and down like its a fancy restaurant to the duck and fish decorations on the walls to the guy outside in shorts who asked you how you liked "dining with us" and handing out coupons.
Scallops were crunchy with sand and the fettuccini alfredo was literally so salty it was practically inedible. No complaints on the filet but it certainly wasn't a very exciting piece of meat.
I had my very first prime rib experience here when I was 11, and it changed my life forever. Unfortunately that's the only positive thing I have to say... Â I won't be back for my next trip to the OBX.
This is definitely one of the premier nightlife hangout spots. Â They have a DJ and dance floor, decent bar, pool, foosball, and tables to sit. Â On a good night it can get pretty crowded.
Monday night is the bikini contest.
FYI, every third Sunday of the month is gay night complete with a drag show. Â My brother and I found that out the hard way.
Ok, I don't eat fish so I can't speak to that but my friend's parents enjoyed it. Â It felt like I could be anywhere in this place, totally dark, no windows. Â Seemed odd to be so closed off when we're so close to the beach and good views. Â The waitress was a bit unfriendly but not bad. Â Overall- not bad, not good.
Review Source:While it's called Kellys Restaurant, and good food is served here, Kellys tavern is the premier nite spot in the OBX, Every night is Music nite. This is where the locals go. A very good singles spot. Good entertainment and good food. This is where you will probably find me on a Friday or Saturday night.
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