Rundown Cafe in Kitty Hawk - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

We have been here several times the food is always good and service is always great and prices are very good..

We typically always stay on Hatteras island but we will make the drive up to Kitty Hawk to eat here during our vacation week. The food is absolutely incredible. Lucas, our server, was very attentive and friendly. Rundown is not to be missed during your OBX vacation!

Everything about this place is amazing! The servers are great, the bar manager is the best! You will LOVE the grapefruit crush! Food was amazing, even the kids loved it (picky eaters approved!)

Food was great! Good selection and well presented. Service was better than average. The accommodations are showing a little age but well maintained.

Service by Eliza was great. The atmosphere was good. The food was disappointing. The dishes we enjoyed have been removed from the menu. We paid $64 for one appetizer, two lunches and one soda. We will not be back. Menu items that we miss are the rundown salads with the house made dressings (one we bought to take home). They had lunch specials as well. The salads could be topped with coconut chicken, shrimp or Humboldt calamari.

Lucas was a great bartender! Very in-tune with guests and created a fun atmosphere for dinner and drinks.

First time in Kitty Hawk. Eat up on the deck and ask for Lucas. Sunset, ocean view and breeze and 1 lb of shrimp for $10. You can’t beat it!

Lucas, our waiter was great (attentive, clear and accurate). We loved looking at the ocean. Not ocean front, but deck is pretty high allowing ocean views.

Cute place. Great service. Solid food. Got the fish burrito & it was so so delicious!!! Would come back

Sat on the hula deck and had delicious food and a crush that my husband loved. Lucas, our waiter/bar manager was friendly and paced our food perfectly. Recommend anything with the honey jalapeño sauce!! Good prices, excellent portions and a beautiful view!

Love coming here, food is decent and not very expensive. Atmosphere is welcoming and there's sometimes live music on the balcony. Bring a few quarters to feed the fish

My mom and I were craving a Bloody Mary and stopped in just for that! Lucas hooked us up. Super nice, great service, and a really good Bloody Mary. We will be back! 😊

SHOUT OUT ELIZA!!! Such a good waitress and super speedy service. Food was immaculate.

The Blackened Tuna Nachos were a delight as was our server Christina. The restaurant's interior is what you'd expect in the Outer Banks, but the exterior was special--beautiful flowers and a koi pond full of lively fish.

Great, fast service. We had excellent mahi fish tacos and local beers. We’ve been to this restaurant a few times over the years traveling to OBX for August vacation and have never a bad experience here.

This place is so delicious 🤤. I don’t take the time to write reviews often, but everything my family ordered was freshly made, hot, and tasty. *THE BEST MARGARITA * ever in my life with fresh squeezed lime and perfectly balanced! I enjoyed my jerk burger, my daughter loved her grilled chicken sandwich, my son devoured his fried flounder, hush puppies, and fries, my husband enjoyed his fried shrimp plate. My son and husband enjoyed their appetizer of buffalo chicken wings. My daughter absolutely raved about her molten lava cake. We actually drove to two other restaurants first that were packed with wait times before making our way to Rundown Cafe. I’m so glad we got to try it out. If you are ever in the area, this is an absolute MUST!

Andy was awesome, great food all around awesome place. 100% you should go

As always, Rundown doesn’t disappoint. Lucas was a top notch server. Will be going back soon!

Food is amazing and service is great! We had lunch and the garlic sesame noodle bowl did not disappoint! I added shrimp and it was perfect.

Some of the best food we’ve had in OBX in a while. We ordered the crab cake sandwich and Cajun shrimp Alfredo! Lively atmosphere, great music, and our server Lucas was great!

Rundown is by far the best restaurant on the outer banks. The food is phenomenal, and they have great views of the ocean from the 2nd floor. Even if it's a far drive from where you are from, it is well worth it!

Stopped in for a Bloody Mary and was not disappointed! Great drinks and great service from Lucas. Will be back…menu looks amazing!!!

This place was so good food was delicious staff was so nice I definitely recommend coming here!

The Rundown Cafe under new management is disappointing. After many years of visiting, we won’t return. Their staple noodle bowl was missing from the menu, though the staff said they still made it. At $20 each, the bowls were overpriced, and the four we ordered for $80 had small portions and tasted old and microwaved, especially the tuna. Complete waste of money.

Great food, great service, would highly recommend.

During our yearly trip to the Outer Banks, we stopped at the Rundown Cafe for the first time. Everything was delicious and the staff were friendly and attentive. Definitely will be back again! 🙂

We stayed in a location that allowed us to overlook the parking lot. Never seemed busy, but always steady and never a more than few minute wait. Compared to other popular seafood restaurants we were weary. However, not wanting to wait an hour plus for dinner we gave it go….we were NOT disappointed! Start to finish everything you would hope a beach side cafe would be. Servers, friendly and prompt. Shout out to Ryleigh, who never allowed the drinks to bottom out. Apps were prompt, and dinner arrived before apps could be finished. The portions! Bruh….im a big kid, and I didn’t leave hungry and left some on the field. If you don’t want to wait at one of the other well known establishments, highly encourage you to come here. Unless you live on caviar and champagne you can not miss eating here!

Great food, great bar, great service, great fellowship! Nice to have you back!

Yum. After a short wait (feeding the koi fish was a great waiting activity for our large party), we were seated and wonderfully attended to our entire visit. I was not crazy hungry so I just had the Rundown Chowder and a side of hushpuppies. Both on their own were delicious. Pieces of hushpuppy dunked in the chowder - Amazing. I loved that they displayed local art. I only have two regrets: Not coming back for more hushpuppies and purchasing some art as a keepsake. I will definitely be back on my next OBX visit.

Waitresses were really nice and food was amazing!! Loved itt

The bar and restaurant manager was the most personable, knowledgeable, and friendly person we have met during our trip to Kitty Hawk. The Rundown Cafe menu was great and the food was fresh. The service was top notch. Lucas cared about his service members and made sure they were taken care of. He also went out of the way to ensure the customers including us were satisfied. Highly recommend this restaurant.!!

Since the new year and new owner being the same as mulligans now, I’m sorry to say after 20 yrs of getting excited and coming here with my family, we will never give business here again. The food and atmosphere and quality went down the drain just like mulligans. Even their clothing has stayed stagnant. I mean how can you take a staple to the area and make it so bad. This new owner is the reasoning and overpriced microwaved food is what he chooses at his locations. Even the workers said to us oh yeah we have a new owner now sorry it’s just not as good anymore. What a joke.

The rundown cafe is under a new ownership, and they are doing a fantastic job improving the service, food quality and atmosphere. You can't beat the ocean view. We love to see outside, and have a drink on a summer day or evening. I will say, after the last owners, many people stopped going, but I would recommend everyone to give this restaurant a chance. Very cool atmosphere, and perfect for families!

We happen to pass by this restaurant and decided to try it out for lunch while on honeymoon, and boy are we glad! The atmosphere was so friendly! Our waiter was attentive, not just with us but the 4 other table he was attending all on his own on the 2nd floor we were seated on. The food was outstanding. I got the rundown tuna burrito and the hubby got the coconut shrimp. Service was fast and when we were ready to go our waiter didn’t make us wait at all. Overall it was a fantastic experience and I’d definitely go again!

food is terrible yall lying rating this place a 4.5

In previous years we had good experiences at this restaurant. However, it has gotten worse every time we’ve come back. This last visit may be the final straw. We are very disappointed and hope that management will make the necessary changes to restore the Rundown Cafe to its former glory. * They got rid of the mango habenero sauce. It was so good, and they have replaced it with a less than mediocre honey jalapeño sauce. * We were told the large coconut shrimp plate would come with 10-12 shrimp. We got 9 shrimp and, split among 4 people, it came out to ~$6 for 2.25 shrimp each. * We ordered the clam strips and calamari starters. The calamari was on a small plate and was filled. The clam strips plate was less than half full. * The jerk burger was disgusting. The brioche bun was not real brioche. It was sweet, almost like jam. Jerk is supposed to be salty/savory/spicy. Disgraceful. * Admittedly, the Cajun shrimp Alfredo was very good. * Last year when we came here the rice was disgusting. It was hard and dry, and tasted bad too. * The manager came to ask us how our meal was. We mentioned the disproportionate serving sizes and revived some money back. * The koi fish out front used to have a dispenser full of fish food to pay a quarter and feed them. It’s gone. Why would you get rid of it… let us feed the fish! It used to be one of the best parts and they’ve taken it from us. Overall we’ve had a disappointing time and will likely not be returning. The staff are nice and some of the food is okay but it’s not worth the risk or high probability your food will suck. And no fish feeding. Would not recommend.

For most of my life, I would have given this beloved establishment 5 stars, but now that the owners have made such radical changes including ditching the noodle bowls, I fear I may never come back. What a disgraceful decision.

Had a great time at the upstairs outdoor bar here! The bartender lucas was great. Id recommend checking out this place if you’re in the outer banks.

We had an amazing time on the deck. The guys were amazing. The atmosphere and service is amazing!! The food was delicious.. Thanks for a great time!

Our family ordered to go from the rundown cafe 2 times and ate in 1 time while here for the week. Each time our food was great and the service was very fast and friendly! Definitely recommend sitting up stairs and having Corey and/or Lucas wait on you. They were fantastic and the views were great

Flavorful, fresh food, friendly service and a view from the second-floor outdoor bar area. The chowder was excellent (wish it had been available in a larger serving!) and the fish tacos were delicious and plentiful. Typical above-budget pricing found around OBX eateries, but seemed worth it at this casual spot.

Great food and great service! Thanks to Eliza for a great dining experience!

Previously one of my favorite OBX restaurants. I know new ownership has simplified the menu, which is understandable - but the food quality has declined. Two of us had tuna sandwiches - and we both love quality grilled tuna steaks - and we agreed these were not. Another had fish tacos - previously some of the best on OBX , unfortunately the fish, like the tuna, was tasteless. I know the restaurant business is difficult and I do not enjoy giving negative reviews - but after 20+ years of loving the Rundown Cafe - it's declined. I still do love their off season Monday chicken nights!

We have been dining at Rundown Cafe for many years. Used to love the food and atmosphere, but both have declined over the past few years. Our last 2 dining experiences were mediocre at best. Menu has changed and overall has been disappointing.

Quaint Cafe from the exterior. Cllassy clean pleasant interior with friendly attentive staff. Lucas the bar manager was super efficient, hospitable and knowledgeable. Excellent top notch fish and chips with tartar sauce and extraordinary coleslaw & fries💯 Drinks and crab balls appetizer was delicious👏🏽Highly recommend Rundown Cafe 🥳

Food was Delicious. Great drinks too! Lucas was super friendly and fun. Thank you!! PS… try the Dark and Stormy!! So good!

Great food and great atmosphere and Lucas on The Hula deck was top notch!!!

Crabcake was fantastic. Service was great 👍

This was mine and my family’s first time visiting OBX and the Rundown Team was a great representation of the hospitality of the entire community, beginning with bar manager Lucas and the lovely hostesses and hard working bus boys/waitstaff. We were returning from Roanoke island heading back to the DMV and in search of “the best fish and chips”. This is it! The Mahi fillet so flaky, moist and tasty. The batter was the right balance between flaky and fried. Fries had a great seasoning! Tartar sauce was okay for me, my mum loved it. The hush puppies. I’d go back just for the hush puppies. Idk no one’s talking enough about it. The coleslaw was pretty bomb. They used an additional celery like salt or seasoning on it that I always find lacking in slaws. We also got the crab balls. A bit pricey but you know why? that ball is all crab 🦀 Highly recommend it. My sister asked for an off menu drink and even though the bar was out of one of the ingredients, our guiding wizard Lucas was only more than happy to conjure an even better version of her request. She got two. We’ll definitely be back.

great food and amazing staff, shoutout to riley!

Best food ever in OBX. We have eaten here every single day since we’ve been here. Everything is great. The staff is marvelous. The service is wonderful. We love Rielly Lucas Chloe. Everybody is great. We’ll be back tomorrow. Lynne and John.

It was a busy dinner time and Rundown cafe got us right in. Lucas the bar manager was very attentive and nice. Good suggestions and great experience!! Thanks so much.

Second time here in three days. The crush drinks are amazing and the blackened tuna nachos are as well. Lucas, the bar manager, was friendly and helpful with drink suggestions- he did not steer us wrong!

We sat upstairs and had a great view. Sydney was our waitress and Lucas filled in when needed, and they were great. I had the burrito with ahi tuna and my wife had the Rundown noodles with shrimp. We loved it. We will be back.

The food was nasty. The sesame noodles tasted like rotten fish and the shrimp were raw inside. The sauce was like water. Do better.

Sat on the patio and Lucas took great care of us! Fish and chips was great!!!

Rundown? Not at all! More like Run-UP...my tab because this place is so fantastic!

The rundown burger was absolutely delicious the fries were very good. Definitely will return!

Amazing food, we sat upstairs outside with our dogs and it was a good breeze. Definitely recommend the crab dip and chips and the fish tacos. We will be back!

Great food, no wait, rooftop bar with a view of the ocean :)

There is a reason they call this the Rundown Cafe. Although somewhat nice on the outside and inside the food leave MUCH to be desired. You know what they say-first impressions last a lifetime. Well in this life and the next, my family and I will not return. First from seating to food delivered was 45 minutes. Now you might be thinking well how busy was it. Well. I’ll tell you…there was no wait and our family of 4 was seated immediately. Second the food was just not worth the price. You could tell it was mostly frozen and reheated. Third, the drinks were just miserable. The “crushes” are not worth the price and the margarita definitely used a high sugar syrup. I’m no food critic, but damn…do better. If I were you reading this review, you would do well to take your business elsewhere. Further, the community would do well to not endorse or frequent this place. In other words…run them out of business.

The food was delicious and the drinks were great, too! The service was fantastic. We'll be back for sure.

Great place for food and drinks. I think I was there everyday during the week we were there. Lucas is the man and he'll take care of you. Would highly recommend.

Been getting food from rundown almost as long as it has been open and one of the must-get items was the rundown soup. I was massively disappointed when I got it today and they had completely changed it from the delicious tomato/coconut seafood chowder with things like sweet potato in it to a very basic and thick fish chowder. Don't get me wrong, it tastes fine, but it's nothing like it used to be. Just a bummer. Also basically every vegan option is gone now

Food was good but pretty pricey. A $2 surcharge on “Beyond Burger” entrees, which i thought rather strange as meatless is usually same or less at other places. Also a 5% add-on for using a credit card, even when our family’s bill was over $300. Service by waitress Summer was fantastic. Drink “special” of a dark & stormy could have used better quality ginger beer additive. Restaurant structure is not sound absorbing and noisy if crowded.

It is very rare that I take my wife and four kids to a restaurant and everyone leaves happy. The food was outstanding and we had burgers, seafood and salads. The server was awesome and we had two additional employees stopping by the table to check in on us. Highly recommend!

Amazing place! Super nice people and incredible food. We will keep coming back here when we are in the OBX.

We went on a Tuesday for lunch and it was amazing. Our server andy was prompt and very patient with our kids, hes the best! The food was great. I had the Hawaiian Mahi sandwich and my husband did the burrito. They were both great. Another perk is the refill on chips for chips and salsa appetizer. We will definitely come back!

Food was great, atmosphere is fun and family friendly, our server Andy was extremely attentive! We will be back.

Super tasty food and drinks. The vegetarian options were more limited this year, but we'll likely still go back again next time we're in OBX. Service was phenomenol, and we love the general vibe of the place. Highly recommend!

We have been coming to Rundown for at least the past 18 years. One of our group is vegetarian and the other is vegan. In past years there were many food options for them at Rundown. Unfortunately the new menu has eliminated all of those options. It has also removed several of my personal favorites. I am sure this choice was made based on the needs of customers overall, but sadly we will have to cross Rundown off our list for future trips. The meal we had was fine overall (vegan/ vegetarian had the beyond burger). The Rundown soup was more of a rich chowder than the light tomato based broth I remembered. I had to send back the scallop tacos because they were made with bay scallops and frankly were not good. The server was very sweet and exchanged for the mahi sandwich which was excellent. Overall, I would say Rundown now offers more traditional fare, it did not have the great varied options for vegans/ vegetarians that were available in the past. Luckily, we were able to find several places that did offer great vegan and vegetarian food during our trip. We will definitely miss Rundown’s wonderful Asian and Caribbean fusion cuisine from past years.

This place was great. When we got here we were seated inside but it was cold and we asked and they moved us outside with no problem. Lucas waited on us and was great, giving us the low down on his favorite foods and the best places to buy craft beer nearby. The beer list here is small, and the untappd ratings aren't amazing, however what I had was absolutely fine and I'm good and happy. The food was good. My kid loved the noodles, my mahi sandwich was great, and my wife loved the scallops, and the green beans and potatoes were super good. Yeah definitely come here.

We were able to sit upstairs when we came here. It was sunny but the breeze made it not too hot. I got the fish tacos which were AMAZING. They tasted fresh out of the ocean and had a delicious sauce that gave it a kick. They didn't have a ton of GF options for my wife but she was able to figure something out. Our server was great (she recommended the tacos in the first place), she was totally on top of things and very attentive. A really great meal!

Great place to eat. Lucas was my server, he was great.

Lucas was awesome. Great food, perfect view, awesome vibes. Try the OBX crush…and make it a double!

We have been in the area all week and this is the best food we have had by far! The staff was extremely friendly. Would definitely come back next time we're in town!

This place has an amazing view from the upper deck. Sometimes places with a great view serve blah food. Not this place. Excellent food and service. They had us in and out so I could be back to work on time.

Mikey was our server this time round. Husband had the tuna nachos and I had the clam strips for appetizers, and for the main course he had the burger and I had the Sesame Seed bowl. Mikey was somewhat knowledgeable on the Sesame Seed bowl. It was a little to spicy for me but it was not bad. The soy sauce did cut the heat a small amount. The only problem was, and this is not Rundowns fault, this is with every place we go, even at home the BUNS break apart with the burgers. Other than that food and service were good.

If I could give this place 10 stars I would. We are locals, and are never really up that way, so this was my first time coming here. We stopped in on a busy night, and while it did take a while to get our food it was so tasty. I had the Hawaiian mahi and it was just perfect. Our sever Andy had to have been the best server I've ever had. He was polite, friendly, attentive but not overbearing. He would come check in on us making sure we had full drinks when the kitchen backed up, and then surprised us with a free dessert. Andy deserves all the praise. Please take care of this server, he deserves nothing but the best. The Paynes will be back! Thanks for a wonderful experience, and please share with Andy we truly enjoyed ourselves thanks to him.

I have been coming to Rundown Cafe for well over 10 years and the first time I have ever been disappointed was this week. I’m sure that the place has had numerous owners since I’ve been a patron, but it has always been fairly consistent for those 10 years. My two favorite items on the menu were always the rundown soup and the tsunami salad. A few years ago the rundown soup was renamed to “Rundown Chowder”. The dish itself was unchanged so the slight name change was something I was able to adapt to. The light, tomato-ey broth with sweet potato, white fish, and lots of spices is the Rundown Soup that I grew to love. Upon my arrival this week, I could hardly contain my excitement for my first bite of Rundown Soup. Out comes the soup, and I stare into a bowl of what looks like creamy clam chowder with coconut flakes. My heart sunk. I’m an optimistic person, so I tried it. Unfortunately it was not something I was able to eat. I’m not sure whose idea it was to change the ever-loved soup of my people, but they need some serious questioning. Thankfully our server was super sweet and offered to take it off the bill after we described how this is just not what we expected the Rundown Chowder to be. Since the tsunami salad is no longer available, I opted for the shrimp tacos. They were fine, not as fresh as the Rundown Cafe of years past. Another member of my party had the coconut shrimp. In years prior, this dish was (as so it seemed) made in house, served with a tasty mango chutney type dipping sauce. The dish we received seemed more reminiscent of the coconut shrimp one might pick up in the Food Lion frozen aisle. Not bad, but again, not the Rundown that many have come to love. Overall, the one thing missing for me is the unique, Caribbean flair that the menu and establishment once had. I fear that today’s Rundown is just not the special place that we have come to love.

Discovered this hidden gem last time we visited the OBX and had to go again this time around. Last night was perfect for sitting outside and the 3 young people handling business upsatirs in the outside dining area did a great job taking care of lots of people. Summer was a friendly server and made it a fun evening! Get the blackened chicken tacos and you'll savor every bite!!!

alway have loved this place. Delicious food as always and awesome staff! Shout out to the bartender manager Lucas for the awesome sticker! Will be back in September! For sure the chicken chimichurri was awesome.

Great place with awesome food! Hugo was great and made sure we were completely taken care of!

Had the flounder, it was wonderful. Also had the crab artichoke dip, all were fantastic.

We really enjoyed our time at Rundown Cafe today! Yummy fish tacos, delicious tuna bites and crab cake. Overall an awesome place to enjoy a sunny afternoon with our family!!

We had a group of 8. Everyone collectively liked the excellent food. Great place to eat. We will definitely return on our next visit to Kitty Hawk.

My friends and I always came to Rundown cafe for their incredible salads and they are no longer available. Love the atmosphere and view but the food choices aren't as good as they were. Thanks to Lucas for his hospitality! He was great!

One of the best restaurants in the Outer Banks. Fresh fish, great burgers. Worth a couple of return visits.

Lucas was our server and he was fantastic! Highly recommend

I was excited to visit this place again after years away on the other coast. This place used to be awesome! That was years ago though. What was missed? their noodle soups and all the awesome surf decor, the fin display, and great service. This place lost its soul and effort. The poke 'bowl' is a poke small plate served with southern style slaw. Taco's now only come with 2 and no sides at all. Very over priced for what's now generic food.

Just had a great experience at Rundown Cafe. I had the burger and it was very good. Best part was the staff. Peyton was a wonderful help, very patient and knowledgeable. Lucas was friendly and helpful as well. Great place for kids and adults. We loved the Koi pond.

Sat upstairs while the sun was setting. Lucas and his team were super friendly. I recommend the pole bowl and Jamaican punch. It won't disappoint 😎

Specials of the day were great. Friendly atmosphere and pet friendly.

Definitely our favorite place we stopped at over vacation! Food was great, drinks were served quickly, and everyone was friendly. The koi fish pond in the front is a fun surprise!

I was so excited to come here for some Rundown Noodle Bowls with fish on top. Sadly they are now under new management, have redone their menu and it has lost most of the Caribbean/ Asian Fusion that makes it so unique to OBX. Too much fried food now …:which I can get at every other restaurant. I hope they bring it back to the menu or at least make it a special on certain nights of the week. Maybe next time I come in a few years it’ll be back *fingers crossed* until then… I don’t know if I will recommend it to people coming from out of state. The food I did eat was okay…… I was just disappointed they took away the options that made it special.

It's great to see Rundown making the food the way it used to be! Lucas took care of us, and the kitchen prepared our dinner perfectly. We stayed away for a bit, and you have us back! Enjoyed the Ahi Tuna Sandwich and the Mahi Fish and Chips.

Wonderful food and service!! Will definitely come back for the scallop tacos and crab balls! Oh and the lemonade crush was sooooo good!

Amazing food every time I've been! Staff is always friendly and such a great atmosphere! Updated review: Came here with my family and was really disappointed that the Journey's End salad dressing is gone. Please bring it back!!!!!

It has been a while since I have been here, the food is still great and the service was fantastic. The only thing that I miss is the lemongrass noodle bowl with mahi. Still an awesome place. Missy and Ryleigh were very accommodating and pleasant to talk with.

The Orange crush and scallop tacos were recommended by Lucas, the bar manager who served my Dad and I for lunch. He was spot on with those recommendations and the service was fantastic. I haven’t been here since the menu changed and I wasn’t disappointed. I’ll definitely come back again this summer and try more of their new menu- and have another orange crush- or two :)