Crafty Cow Burger Bar

I was intrigued by the other reviews and decided to take the family for dinner. I am giving this two stars because I couldn’t find the restaurant. Maybe it’s good, maybe not. I drove around the building twice, GPS said I was on top of it but I never saw it. Good luck!

Great service, nice atmosphere, good eats. Loved the little sliders for the kids. Will return.

Not impressed.
Had big expectations for a gourmet burger joint… waited all offseason for it to reopen.
Execution left something to be desired, environment is more chucks cheese do to the families and little kids.
It is a burger place trying to meet the needs of everyone in the family… the little kid for chicken fingers and a special burger for dad… as usual when you try to satisfy everyone you satisfy no one.
Go just don’t expect something spectacular.

Hidden gem!
You can’t see this place from the front of the plaza, it’s tucked away in the middle, behind the Dunkin Donuts and Food Lion.
We had take-​out and I was pleasantly surprised to get home and find the burgers were cooked perfectly and weren’t soaked with grease.
Fries were crispy and seasoned well. We had the steakhouse burger and backyard BBQ, which were both delicious.
We had the sweet chili wings, which were good, although not exactly with the price, but it’s OBX prices.
Highly recommend this place.

Before I begin, let me say that we did not eat at the restaurant, but ordered and picked up our burgers. That said, I can give Crafty Cow three stars; there was nothing really special about their burgers.
We had the Backyard Burger, the Jane and the Mac n Cheese burger. In my family, we love our burger joints, so we were excited to try Crafty Cow. Unfortunately, the Backyard Burger was just okay, and I found myself really wanting a 5 Guys burger with the works. The Mac n Cheese burger was way more Mac than Cheese, and the Jane was just «Meh.» We ordered our burgers with a combination of fries and house chips, and those were good. Also, in full disclosure, my cousin did have the Chicken and she enjoyed that.
So, there you have it. Three stars for take out from the Crafty Cow. Maybe we’ll give it the benefit of the doubt in the future and eat at the restaurant the next time we’re craving a burger in the OBX.

Was looking for a good burger joint. This place was decent… I ordered the California turkey burger. The toppings were awesome: avocado & goat cheese. turkey burger: not so much. I should of got a burger. The salad was awesome & the kid sliders were great. The sweet potatoe fries had a cinnamon taste to it (yummy) Ambience is boring but it was quick & easy. Great for kids.

Good enough!
We got carry-​out from the Crafty Cow to take back to our beach house for the last night in town (being careful to go early, as a lot of places overflow the last night because no one wants to cook). We weren’t in the mood for pizza or burritos, and didn’t want to spend more for good seafood.
It’s not cheap, but it was pretty good overall. The selection was interesting, the food was good. We ordered for a group of 7. The fried green beans, onion rings, and good french fries were a hit.

Pros: Great craft beer selection for the area. Pretty good food. Attentive service.
Cons: This place suffers the same lack of character, ambience, and uniqueness that plagues most restaurants in the Corolla area. Also, I find it very strange that at a «craft burger» restaurant you can’t have your burger cooked to temperature. You have two options: medium or well. This, to me, was a terrible first impression. The menu is also very limited, and could benefit from more varied options.
Neither a pro, nor a con, but don’t bring groups larger than four, as you will not find appropriate seating.

Food was good but could’ve been great. Staff is very attentive and great with kids. I really wanted to love this place but food was a little under seasoned and lacked pop. I was really excited for good wings, but the Buffalo Parmesan order was super mild and had hardly any parm on it. Burgers were much smaller in size than expected. Fries were quality but needed some seasoning or something.
Nice beer selection.

Did the make your own burger thing.
Beef, house BBQ sauce, bacon, caramelized onions, with American cheese.
Wow. Best burger I have ever tasted. The egg was cooked perfectly which is important, as well as the meat. This place is amazing and to the point. Very casual environment located in a strip mall. They have a great beer selection. I had the hi-​5 IPA and it was delish. Great place to go for lunch or dinner in OBX. Would love to come back here. Service was excellent!

Yummy. I had the sliders which allowed a taste of three different burgers. All good! Regular fries nothing to write home about tho!

Great service and everyone liked their meals. It definitely was pricey, but it’s vacation and they did have a good selection of special burgers.
I got the caprese burger with a veggie patty. Really different and delicious.

Went and grabbed burgers here the first night of our OBX vacation. It was pretty good, and I’d be ok going again, but I wasn’t particularly blown away.
Service was good. Pretty attentive, although she forgot a couple of our additions. No worry, just had to ask again.
We ordered the fried pickles as an appetizer (on the recommendation of the waitress) but they weren’t all that good. A little too greasy and fairly light on flavor.
I asked to have my burger lettuce wrapped (so it was gluten free) and they said it wasn’t a problem. Unfortunately they just kind set the burger on a piece of lettuce and put another piece on top. It worked, kind of. I realize I asked for something special, but most of the other burger joints I go to really do a great job wrapping it up and presenting it nicely. Even I can do it myself pretty well. Oh well, not a huge deal.
A couple of us upgraded the chips for sweet potato fries. We didn’t know they would be the cinnamon and sugar variety. One person at the table liked them, the other (me) didn’t. I probably wouldn’t have upgraded to them if I had known how they do them.
Overall I liked the menu and options. Its also a really nice, clean environment with friendly wait staff. I just felt the execution was lacking a little bit, and also key information on ingredients for the fries.

Service, outstanding! My mother and I where greater right away. I think his name was Tim? I’m not too sure I could be way off but he was our bartender and he informed us of specials and was very helpful and full of knowledge when it came to the craft beers. I think I had a storm cloud??? Idk but it was amazing
Our apps where great we got the fried green beans and there was a special going on which was buffalo chx dip. So goooood.
The only thing is it is a burger joint and that’s really all you can get there … So if your hungry for a burger that’s your spot!

After a week on the coast even the most fanatical seafood lover is ready for a break and when that happens the Crafty Cow is a good change of pace.
Tucked back in the Food Lion shopping center it’s a task to find… and just about the time you are ready to give up and go to another nearby establishment you stumble across the gastro pub.
The inside is nothing spectacular, a few high tops and booths. It’s difficult for groups over four to sit together.
The restaurant specializes in burgers and while you can build your own they have a wide variety of popular choices listed as specials.
I had reviewed the menu on line and found a burger that sounded promising only to find out that the menu was outdated and the burger no longer available. I did find a spectacular substitution; however, in the Macaroni n Cheese Burger. His do you make an 8 ounce beef burger better? Add mac n cheese, bacon, lettuce, and tomato of course.
The burgers come standard with homemade chips and you can substitute them with another side for about $ 3.00.
The burgers are fresh and the service good.
PROS
— not seafood
— yummy combinations like the streak burger, Asian burger, Mac n cheese, and more.
CONS
–very difficult to find
–pricy burgers…, for six adults it was $ 106 and we did not have alcohol
— online menu does not have current items

Service was quick. Food was hot and delicious. I had the outer banks with their sweet potato fries which were divine. Clean restaurant but I was hard to find. Tucked away between some shops.

We saw the awesome design and checked out some of the reviews for this place. We decided we definitely wanted to try it out. The menu had a great selection of different burgers to choose from as well as great drink choices. The burgers were delicious and just the right size. As for the service, that was great as well!!! Holland was so courteous and helpful. She always had a smile and knew her stuff about the different beers! I would recommend taking a trip to visit this little burger joint.

Simply one of the best burgers I’ve ever had. I ordered a burger medium with the «secret sauce», American cheese, chili and a fried egg on top. Amazing. The burger was cooked perfectly and was full of flavor. Luckily we found this place early on in out trip as there will definitely be a second visit before the week is over.
We also ordered an order of chili and cheese nachos which also were quite good. Out server was very attentive and polite and that just added to our great experience.
Burgers are around $ 13 and while a bit on the pricey end, your options are a bit limited. The quality of your food is well worth it.

Great atmosphere. Kid friendly. Service was excellent. Very good burger with high end ingredients. Sausage sliders with mozzarella, pesto and smoked tomato sauce were awesome! Decent selection of craft beers on tap. Would definitely recommend this place to anyone looking to satisfy their burger cravings at the end of a long day on the beach. Highly recommend this burger joint.
Ray, our server was awesome. Ended up leaving my wallet behind. When I returned Ray immediately saw me and ran over with my wallet. Good people. Great place to eat. Will definitely be going back.

We stumbled on the Crafty Cow looking for a casual, unique place to host a large group. Check on the casual and unique, uncheck the large group.
The Crafty Cow is more of a cozy little specialty restaurant that focuses on great food, distinct beverages and craft beer. There are booths that will comfortably hold a family of four, maybe five, adults and children. There are three hightop tables that can be pulled together and the bar holds about ten adults. A few tables outside will accommodate parties of four.
Our group of six decided to plop down at the bar for a drink and a few appetizers. What a wonderful taste sensation we discovered! The craft beer selection is extensive and so unusual… most everything they carried I had never heard of, but they were delicious. And, if you enjoy bloody marys, you *must* try their «crabby mary.» It is flavored with shrimp and crab and served with a slice of bacon. Yes… I said bacon. It was out of this world!
We savored the pickle chips, the nachos, and the fried green beans. All three were delicious with unique flavors and served with homemade sauces. We met the chef who explained some of the different angles he takes with his recipes, such as adding cinnamon to the chili and other interesting pairings.
It was a really fun place. The servers were all very friendly, helpful and informative. We can’t wait to go back and try some of their fancy burgers. And get another Crabby Mary, of course!
Oh — warning: Google maps (and Unilocal) will direct you to the other side of Ocean Highway. The Crafty Cow is located behind the Food Lion by the movie theater. Just look for the sandwich board on the sidewalk to find it.
And, you might have to ask specifically for the Crabby Mary — they didn’t have it on their chalkboard menu. I saw it on their facebook page and asked about it.
And, yes, as a specialty restaurant, prices are a little higher than average. Check the menu on the website if this is a big concern.
Other than that, thumbs up, Crafty Cow! We loved it.