Dinky’s Waterfront Restaurant

Decent fish and selection. Really nice service. Small so get there early if you want a spot by the window. Yummy rum punch and they had my husbands favorite beer on tap.

Isn’t the main job of a hostess to welcome guests and sort of set the tone? Well, that would have been a good start. First impressions are rather important in the restaurant business. The food was pretty good, but the service could use some help. It shouldn’t be obvious to us that you have zero personality and hate your life. Nice atmosphere and pretty good food, despite the service.

The good: the food is some of the best I have had in OBX.
The bad: Overpriced, the hostess is about as friendly as a feral cat, the service is sloooooow, the waitstaff is not friendly and neither is the bartender. We had a party of 5 and the brought us 2 little stale buns they called bread for the table? Come on guys you can do much better for what you charge.

A family favorite each time we are in the area! Same familiar staff each year that provide excellent service. Weekends provide an outgoing atmosphere. A must would be the ‘Blue Marlin’ beverage– excellent and refreshing!

What a great place! Need more quality food places like this one in Hatteras. I got the Thai Shrimp & Scallops and was very pleased with it. Lots a flavor and good portion size! Also their water doesn’t taste like salt water like most places you go to down this way.

Great food here! Beautiful view! We had a large salad, a pound of King Crab and a seafood boil! It was a bit on the pricey side but it was extremely well worth it! We will be back!

man, it’s a bit pricey but totally worth it, it was soooo good. best I’ve ever had in OBX and it’s not even close. do not skip this place to save 10 $ somewhere else, trust me. also service was extremely friendly and very good.
A++

We passed up going to the «Get your crabs at Dirty Dick’s» Outer Banks franchise and hit up Dinky’s because of its many great Unilocal reviews. You advised well my Unilocal friends. In fact, the place blew our water wings off.
Got there late on an off-​season day and still there was a line at the door (no rezzies accepted). Waited until a couple of places at the bar opened up and had ourselves a seat. Waited many minutes until the insanely busy bartender came over and finally started what turned out to be an extremely wonderful and memorable meal.
The food was way above the standard beachtown «Fisherman’s Platter» selection of fried everything. Started with a delicious spinach salad along with a rockin’ spicy über-​fresh tuna tartare. The entrée however is what totally won me over. I was born in D.C. and raised in the MD ‘burbs so crabcakes are my thing, and these were the best I’ve had in many years.
Bottom line: Dinky’s is the best place we found to eat in Hatteras and a lot of the local population seems to agree.
Sign me,
David «Got my Crabs at Dinky’s» M
PS: Here’s a hot tip about Dinky’s…if you bring in your own freshly caught fish they might just cook it up for you. Don’t know if they’ll do that for everyone, but the nice local we sat next to produced his own wahoo filet and they grilled it up fresh with a simple touch of lemon and butter – and nothing is better than that (well, except maybe for the best damn crabcakes you’ll ever have;).

Everything was really good. Great food, great view, nice staff. The only reason this isn’t a 5star review is because of the high price.

During our Hatteras stay, we were looking for a casual restaurant with slightly upscale seafood dishes and Dinky’s was the PERFECT spot! We arrived around 7:30pm on a Sunday night during the off-​season with no wait for our table of 2. The restaurant is located right on the water (don’t think they have outdoor seating though) on the second floor so you can catch some pretty amazing sunset views.
We had a Starter of Spicy Tuna Tartare and oh my goodness, one of THE best appetizers I’ve EVER had (like, ever). Yellowfin Tuna was crazy fresh and seasoned with tons of citrus-​y, and spicy goodness which we devoured with crunch-​tastic fried wontons. And bonus: there is a delicious seaweed salad at the bottom of the martini glass!
For entrees, we ordered Two of their fish specials:
1. Grilled Mahi Mahi with jerk seasoning, mango salsa, and cilantro cream sauce = super flavorful, fish was perfectly grilled, and the tropical ingredients complemented the overall dish really well.
2. Fried whole red snapper: lightly breaded and fried but you don’t feel weighed down; chopsticks were my best friend that night, they were the perfect tools for snapper extraction~
Dessert was a Chocolate Torte with raspberry purée and lots of whipped cream — can’t go wrong with that!
Everything was so fresh and flavorful, and the seafood was the total star of the show. Our server was fantastic, too! It was truly one of our most memorable restaurant meals in a long time. Until next time, Dinky’s!

First time trying Dinky’s. We usually go to the Breakwater when we are on Hatteras, but it was closed on Labor Day. Dinky’s impressed us. Good food & great service. We tried several seafood appetizers, plus entrees (duck, steak, seafood). Everything was great (okay, the sides [veg & mash] were less than stellar, but we didn’t go for the sides). We will definitely return.

The atmosphere is smaller but quaint and a little on the upscale side. We did have our children with us and did see others with theirs. We had the dozen clams for an appetizer… they were small and a little over cooked, but otherwise okay. We had the Gorgonzola chicken and the risotto– both incredibly good. The risotto had several shrimp in it that were huge! I would have given 5 stars if the waitress was a little more attentive to our empty drinks and bread. I would however, come again.

With very few restaurants to choose from along the remote strip of Route 12 in the southernmost Outer Banks, Dinky’s, in Hatteras village, is a very solid choice for high end dining.
Their portions are plentiful and the prices are quite fair for a vacation destination restaurant.
Some highlights of dishes you should try include the fried calamari, the lobster bisque and the Caesar salad for appetizers. The salads here are huge so it can be split between two people.
For entrees, try the seafood platter, available either broiled or fried, which includes shrimp, crab cake, sea scallops and the fish of the day which, on my visit, was mahi mahi. It is served with starch and vegetable and is a really good option.
Thai shrimp and scallops was also excellent. It definitely has the Asian spice you would be looking for in a dish like this and it was quite tasty.
I was fortunate to visit on a Friday night which is prime rib night. They offer either a 16 or 22 ounce cut and the 16 was more than enough for me. It was cooked exactly to order (medium) and served with garlic mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables.
It doesn’t look like much from the outside but Dinky’s is located on a marina so a hidden bonus is the view of Pamlico Sound found right outside the restaurant’s windows.
I didn’t feel like I was ripped off as a tourist eating here in prime season. For that reason alone Dinky’s deserves praise. The fact that the food is above average is an even better reason to eat here.

The fried fish was excellent and fresh! I ordered my Mahi without any sauce or glaze. Wonderful service! Beautiful views! Thank you Pam! (Our waitress).

Service was wonderful, view is great, and the food was to die for. Had bacon wrapped scallops, blue crab ravioli, snow crab legs, and Carolina shrimp. Would definitely recommend this place to anyone!!!

We went EARLY (4:45, 15 before open) on a friday for the 3^rd try this week. They are always busy because there are not a lot of restaurants to choose from in Hatteras. We didn’t want to wait the 45 – 50 minute wait around 7:00 for a two top.
We had the shrimp gratin, tuna tar tar, Thai shrimp and scallops and seafood risotto. Everything was full of flavor. All the seafood was cooked very well, leaving the flavor of fresh seafood complimented by the other ingredients in the dish. The scallops were SO tender and fresh, and the crab in the risotto was soft and flavorful.
We were stunned by the view and the quality, especially for the wide range of options offered. HIGHLY recommended… especially if you are one of the first people to walk in the doo

Passed by and turned around and went back. Great thing we did. Our timing was great in terms of being seated. Right away and with space for our two newborns. Jai our waiter was very attentive and engaging in our «tourist «dialogue. Sunset was wonderful with a storm on the horizon.
My wife loved her goat cheese appetizer and the salad she got. My mom got the sautéed scallop dinner and was more than pleased. A big portion for sure.
I went out on a limb. Gorgonzola cream sauce with mushroom and spinach chicken dish. Substituted pasta for garlic mashed and veggies. Dish was incredible. If you like Gorgonzola or any bleu cheeses — highly recommend.
To note I am not a seafood fan. Never have been. The selection for those of us that don’t like seafood was great. Chicken. Red meat. Pork as well
The Bus boys were very courteous as well. If we had more time this week I would go back.

This place has the best toilet paper EVER!
5 stars for food
–2 stars for service (except the bus boy)
View is nice but the wait was extremely long and the waitress was not in any hurry to bring drinks, bread, or food.

Mahi Mahi special (could have been a little spicer for my taste). Tile fish special. Chicken Parmesan. Artichoke dip appetizer. All good. Nice location. Excellent variety on the menu. Nice atmosphere. Excellent service. It’s a little expensive, but what isn’t in Hatteras. This was my first trip to this establishment. I will definitely keep Dinky’s in mind for the future.

Nice place, great view, nice people. The restaurant was ver y clean and inviting. This is not what I’d consider a fine dining establishment, so don’t anticipating greatness. The food was, however, very good. We had the Clams Casini and Tuna crostinis (sp?) as appetizers along with huge bowls of Lobster Bisque. Again, very good with nice presentations. I had the king crab legs as my entrée. Delicious and seemed quite fresh (of course, it’s hard to screw up crab legs). Prices were about right for the quality of restaurant. Our two meals were about 100 bucks (with drinks). A few nights before we ate at The Sandbar, also 100 bucks, but TERRIBLE in all respects.