Ruddy Duck Tavern

My husband and I were having a weekend getaway and decided to stop in for dinner. We both ordered drinks and were very surprised at how strong they were, but they both tasted great. The food was amazing. We had Nachos for our appetizer; instead of the gross yellow cheese goo most places use, they used melted white shredded cheese. We both had burgers. Mine was really simple but had a great flavor and my husband loved his black and blue burger. The manager made regular rounds around the restaurant talking to guests and asking how they were. Overall the whole experience was great; the food, the ambiance, the staff, and the location.

I encountered a wonderful day at this place. The manager is a great person to talk to, wonderful humor, looks after the customerx great amount so food servered. I was so full after my meal I was ready to take that nap, not to mention I had so much left when I ate it later that night I still could not finish it. It was great to see the boat park next to the dock and families got off the boat to have lunch. The manager was nice enough to cook a special request himself. I had an awesome time there. I would tell everyone to have a meal here. Im already wanting to returm.

Dined here on Dec 4^th. First off the atmosphere of the place is fantastic. We were seated immediately and the waitress was very attentive. Had an appetizer of nachos that were pretty good, very hot when they arrived. I opted to try the fish tacos. The fish was very bland and tasteless. The beans, rice and pico were good. Not sure what was going on with the slaw as it had some sort of funky taste to it. If in town I would try this place again because the price was reasonable and the location was convenient.

I had went to Morehead over the weekend and we chose this place to eat for dinner on Saturday night. It was amazing, They had a selection that offered a little bit of everything. They had Italain dishes, Mexican Dishses, Asian dishes and of course Fish platters. My boyfriend and I choose to share a Crab and Spinish pizza. It was gooey warmness!!! The crust was flat bread and the crab meat tasted so fresh. (No Doubt, probably caught that day!)and it was a pretty big size, we even had once slice left to carry home. His parents both got the chicken quesdilla, which was huge!!! and his brother got a spicy shirmp dish that looked like an asian dish!!! The portions were huge. Everyones plates were filled with food. I def look forward to coming back here in the future to try their other dishes.

This is an all time favorite of mine. When we were on the east coast this was our go to spot for dining out. Their food is AMAZING and its a great environment. This place is so good that we still regularly talk about it after being in California for 6 years and consistently wish there was one here.

I heard a lot of rave reviews about this place. After eating there for my buddy’s birthday, I really was not impressed. It’s typical bar food albeit overpriced. The chef tries to get fancy with dishes like jambalaya; however, the mark is missed because the food is bland and nothing special. I really wanted to like this place but it’s nothing but a tourist trap. The service was good though.

Nice views, cool atmosphere, excellent service, the sweet ice tea was perfection. The crab and spinach dip app was a little greasy, but so yummy. I ordered the crab cake and while it had quite a bit of crab meat in it there was mostly breading and no seasoning. It was still a little mushy inside. If I’d left it on the bun in came on it would have tasted like eating a moist bread sandwich. The cucumber salad was yummy.

A great stop on the historic Morehead City waterfront. I had the clam chowder, which was done in a Downeast NC style clear broth. Delicious. Followed up with the jambalaya, which had mussels, scallops, crawfish, sausage, and chicken. Fantastic. Wife doesn’t do seafood, so she had the taco salad. Loved it. Menu had plenty of other non seafood offerings as well. But really, just order the jambalaya. You will not be disappointed.

My husband and I entered the establishment at 12:03pm on a Sunday. They open at noon. They were already busy. This is a good sign. They greeted us friendly. As we entered, we heard lots of fun chatter in the bar area.
I had the grilled mahi fish sandwich. It was delicious and hit the spot with the cucumber salad on the side. The only issue I had with my sandwich was the VERY WILTED BLACK on some edges lettuce. I removed it and the sandwich was fine.
**Please note: If your lettuce is wilted, please do not serve it to your patrons. As I was eating my food inside, I noticed other plates with wilted lettuce being delivered to customers outside.
My husband had the shrimp burger with fries. He’s was good and he had no problem.
Other than this the food was good. Service was friendly at the reception and the boat and bar area on the sound were beautiful to watch.

Was looking for a place for dinner one night and a co-​worker had recommended this place so the fiancé and I decided to stop by.
Seared right away no wait at all, this was about right before the dinner rush however so through out my meal I saw people having to wait a bit.
I went for the fish tacos which came with small cup of slaw and rice and beans Caribbean style almost in the flavoring. Those were right good actually. The tacos were decent at best a little bland needed a sauce or crema however fish was fried well and wasn’t greasy and was definitely fresh just needed more seasoning.
Fiancé had the crab and spinach pizza which was actually really a nice change of pace as it had old bay and crab with spinach and a cheese Alfredo type sauce instead of your traditional tomato based. Was pretty tasty but still lacked a little depth in flavor.
Our waiter was polite and helpful nothing over the top. Grant it I couldn’t understand some of the things he said which just happened to be because of noise inside the place and his accent. All of which is understandable. So no qualms on the service at all for my experience.
Meal wasn’t too expensive and served it’s purpose for the evening. Afterwards we decided to have a drink out on the deck facing the water which was nice. But for a bottom shelf mojito and a simple gin & tonic almost $ 20 is a lot.

Had dinner here with my family while on a business trip. Started out with the black bean and qeuso dip… WOW was it good! Qeuso cheese, black beans, picodegio, onions and fresh chips is a great combo! My wife and son shared the Nacho burger which they enjoyed. Angus burger, nacho cheese and fresh jalapeño peppers. It also came with fries that were quite tasty as well.
I had the fish tacos which were served with rice, black beans and a little cup of slaw. Everything was seasoned well and the fish was fresh. Really enjoyed it!
The overall atmosphere was very neat and they also had outdoor seating that overlooked the intracoastal waterway.
I would recommend that you try it out when you have an opportunity! !

Had the seafood platter. Very, very good. Perhaps the best seafood platter I have had in the AB area. Cocktail sauce was excellent. The tartar sauce was unique: it had pecans as an ingredient. Truly a signature sauce. However, I vastly preferred the cocktail sauce. My dining companion had the cioppino. I tried some of his entrée — it was excellent! Much of the food in the area is mediocre at best, but I have to say that Ruddy Duck is a cut above. Will be back. Recommended. Lastly, the place was packed at 6:30 pm on a Saturday night, with an hour wait time. We ended up eating at the bar. Service was very, very good.

Great place! Food was delicious, I had the crab pizza, yummo! The view is perfect, it was a busy day but our waiter was very attentive. Can’t wait to return

Got the creole jambalaya which was recommended to me by others and it didn’t disappoint. I also got the blue crab flat bread pizza which was also fantastic. I would absolutely come back here again. Loved all the tomatoes just past the front door that they were ripening right there. Gave me the feeling of my Mom’s kitchen when she’d make homemade salsa. Awesome décor too, totally recommend stopping by here to get the great grub.

Very impressed. Staff was friendly and attentive. The menu selections looked great until I heard the specials. They had so many off the menu specials it was hard to decide. I chose the Wahoo, and it was wonderful.
Ask for Joe C.

Wow! We had a wonderful view while we noshed on seafood. My daughter ordered a seafood platter that had more than enough food for two people. The French fries were made from fresh potatoes and the service was fast and friendly. There is a bar in the center of the restaurant, but it is still a kid friendly place for lunch or dinner. Best beach meal we had.

I’m in awe of the awesome awesomeness of food and beverage!
try the mussels, try the ciopinno, try the asian shrimp, the rustic bread omfg!
The décor is rustic seas on the sound side & right on the water!

Been meaning to write this review, it’s long overdue! But I had to come back and make sure I gave credit where due! Went to NC for business, and was recommended by a colleague to try Ruddy Duck. Everything was excellent! Great portions and quality. All staff was wonderful and Joe was our server — probably one of the best I’ve had in my life! Very attentive and friendly, it was a pleasure being served by him. He definitely took great care of us, this California girl quite enjoyed the NC hospitality!

I have been to the Ruddy Duck several times. The food the great. Never had a problem with service.
I have tried the burgers, excellent. The fries are decent.
Most recently had the West Indies Tuna sandwich. A seared tuna steak with a Jamaican rub, Caribbean slaw, and jerk sauce.
It was fantastic. Ordered mine rare. Perfect. Could have used a little more of the slaw, but that won’t stop me from reordering or recommending it.
My wife has been coming here for years. The oyster po boy is one of her favorites. After having a bite of my tuna sandwich she said she knows what she’s having next time.
It’s right on the water. Literally. I highly recommend the Ruddy Duck. We have to go at least once every time we visit Beaufort and Morehead City.

Service sucks. Our waitress is completely ignoring us. The soup is too salty and the tea is just syrup. Still waiting for the entrée but so far this experience is horrible.
Update — The service continued to be horrible. Friends on Facebook told us they had bad service on their last 2 trips here too. The table behind us left without finishing their food or waiting for the waitress to bring their bill. I saw them pay at the bar in their way out.
On to our entrees — My clam linguine was ok but not anything special. My mother-​in-​law thought the shrimp in her shrimp basket was good but the french fries were cold. My husband thought his fish tacos were good but the tortillas were old and brittle. None of us finished all the food on our plates or wanted to take the leftovers home. Definitely not worth the price we paid.
To top everything off, I visited the restroom before we left. I initially was very pleased with the décor but that quickly changed when I realized there was no toilet paper in the dispenser and I had to use the giant roll of toilet paper that someone stuck on the back of the toilet instead of putting into the dispenser.
The only positive thing I can say is the man who brought our food out to the table was very nice.