City: Ocracoke Village, NC

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (252) 928-6401

Address: 1324 Country Rd.

Insider Pick:

Description: Whether you dine on the wide screened-in porch or eat in the small nooks or open dining room of this well-respected restaurant, you’ll find that dinners at the Back Porch are some of the most pleasant experiences on the Outer Banks. This older building was renovated and refurbished to blend with the many trees on the property. It’s off the main road, surrounded by waist-high cacti, and is a quiet place to enjoy appealing entrees and comfortable conversation. Overall it’s one of our favorite restaurants on the 120-mile stretch of barrier islands and well worth the 2-hour trip from Nags Head. Advertising “original dishes with a personal touch,” the menu is loaded with fresh vegetables and local seafood and changes seasonally to offer the freshest ingredients. All sauces, dressings, breads, and desserts are made in the restaurant’s huge kitchen and each piece of meat is hand cut. All the desserts are divine. Freshly ground coffee is served here, and the wine selections and imported beer are as ambitious as the menu. If you get hooked—like we are—you can try your hand at some of the restaurant’s recipes at home by buying a copy of Back Porch Cookbook. Dinner is offered nightly in season. Call for off-season hours. The Back Porch Lunchbox, next to the Pony Island Motel, offers homemade bag lunches or picnics for the beach or ferry. Sandwiches, cold steamed shrimp, baked goods, drinks, and fruit are available. Call (252) 928-3651.