Red Drum Tap House

The best dinner I’ve had on the OBX, without a doubt. Our waitress was very informative, sweet, and genuinely excited to be there. My boyfriend and I got the beer sampler, and I found a new favorite beer! We loved every single one, they were great.
I got the fish and chips (Flounder), and it was melt in your mouth delicious. I am also not a big fan of coleslaw, but theirs was simply delectable. My boyfriend got the seafood jambalaya, and although it was a tad spicy, he said it was flavorful and great!
At around 5:15pm it started filling up and getting busy inside, so I would recommend trying to get there before 5pm!

Bottom Line: Quaint, casual and local grill with a good draft beer selection.
In quest of some good craft beer I found myself at Red Drum Tap House as Red Drum has the reputation for being one of the better spots on the beach for some hand loved hops. But Red Drum offers more than one of the better tap lines in OBX — the atmosphere and staff are laid back and the food is fresh and delicious.
Red Drum offers about 18 beers on tap and a few more in bottles. Many of the craft beers are local but you might find some more standard offerings like Blue Moon and Yuengling. For those who aren’t wanting beer, you’d be glad to know that Red Drum as a full bar.
The food at Red Drum is fresh and delicious. Here you won’t find typical bar food, rather local seafood and southern favorites. I personally enjoyed the lightly fried calamari but the steamed shrimp and seasonal low country boil looked awesome.
The staff here is attentive and friendly to both locals and tourists alike.
Red Drum is located on the «beach road» in Nags Head just a tad south of the 10 MP. Major cross-​streets to Hwy 158 include Eight Street in Kill Devil Hills to the north and Barnes Street in Nags Head just to the south.

I cannot believe we had never been here before! Everything from the hostess to the bartenders was fantastic! Great atmosphere, cold beer and delicious food!
Had the house salad. Nice and fresh with a great blue cheese dressing. Crab legs– perfectly cooked and almost sweet. Fried combo dinner– Greg said it was one of the best he has ever had!

Our road-​weary party of 7 needed to refuel with lunch before hang gliding.
+ The market fish and chips featured flounder on that particular day, and it was perfect — light, delicate, yet filling, I cannot recommend this enough if you’re planning on being very active.
+ Blackened Tuna Reuben — I didn’t eat this but the one Red Drum veteran in our group raved about it, while the person in our group who ordered it looked like they relished every last bite.
+ Gamefish Burrito — The burrito itself was filling and delicious, but our group had mixed reviews about the salsa and rice.
Red Drum has a good beer selection for groups, as there’s definitely something for everyone.
Our waitress was absolutely fantastic; she nailed our orders and took care of everything super quickly.

Black and blue burger was really good. The homemade jalapeño poppers were amazing I would get them every time I went there. Great selection of craft beer. Cool pool areaand a little foosball table in a side bar area it was really fun.
I would definitely come back here and try more things on the menu.
The bartenders were very nice and helpful in finding nightlife in the Outer Banks.

There there are lots of restaurants here on the «Beach Road» as well as on the Bypass and in nearby Manteo, but Red Drum tops the list for me.
Reminiscent of a friendly English pub, casual, warm and inviting, good for singles, couples, families, groups, it has a well-​stocked bar with about 18 draughts that include a few domestics and some good craft beers. Plus they know how to pour a real Black and Tan. (Bass Ale with a layer of Guiness gently «spooned» on top.)
The food? Oh, so good. For the past 10 years or so we have used the Red Drum to entertain family, friends, and guests with their «Steamer Bar» — tip-​top — hot and fresh, clams, shrimp, crab legs, or oysters — even just plain veggies if you prefer. How fresh? How about brought to you — watch out or you’ll burn your fingers — hot? And the local shrimp are tender, tender, tender, steamed to perfection with just the right bite, beautifully seasoned with Old Bay seasonings. Served with steamed veggies, this is my wife’s absolute «go to» nearly every visit. For me, the Gamefish Burrito is my lunch favorite. In the past it was stuffed with 3 kinds of fish, but more recently with lightly-​grilled Ahi tuna, beans and accoutrements. This dish comes with a side of rice topped with house made fire-​roasted tomato salsa, sour cream, and chives. The salsa has just enough bite to compliment the dish.
The ribs are fall-​off the bone delicious. The Reuben is packed-​full deli style with corned beef, swiss cheese and, of course sauerkraut, plus remoulade.
Burgers are bountiful and cooked to order… nearly a half-​pound of Angus! topped with your choice of cheese and garnish.
Daily specials range from Cajun to Jerk to dishes with an Italian twist.
The fries are the (side) pièce de ré·sis·tance: crispy and perfectly seasoned with a pillowy center. I think they consistently are the best fries on the beach. Order a BOFF. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
Do check if you are visiting «off-​season. They close from just after Thanksgiving until March. But… do check and stop by. Maybe I’ll see you here.

Stopped into this place for a few drinks. They have a a few craft beers to choose from. Two people in my party had a few of them. I tasted, and they were pretty good. I had the John Daly, which was sweet tea vodka and lemonade. Poured to perfection !
We sat at the bar and had a few appetizers. We had ½ dozen of raw clams and ½ dozen of steamed. The clams were very small. Definitely not worth getting. The raw ones were definitely not the best I’ve ever had. The peel and eat shrimp were very tasty! I enjoyed those. We also got nachos, which were okay. Could have used more cheese.
This place was not terrible, and on another trip, I would come back. Maybe not on my next trip because I rather see what else is around, but in the future I would come again.