Mama Kwan's Tiki Bar & Grill

Someone from this business manages this listing.

#10 of 47 Restaurants in Kill Devil Hills$$ - $$$, American, Bar, Vegetarian friendly

+1 252-480-0967+ Add website

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Hours

Sun

11:30 AM - 8:30 PM

Mon

11:30 AM - 8:30 PM

Tue

11:30 AM - 8:30 PM

Wed

11:30 AM - 8:30 PM

Thu

11:30 AM - 8:30 PM

Fri

11:30 AM - 8:30 PM

Sat

11:30 AM - 8:30 PM

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What is Travelers’ Choice?

Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.

Ratings and reviews

4.5

959 reviews

#10 of 47 Restaurants in Kill Devil Hills

RATINGS

Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

Details

Someone from this business manages this listing.

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CUISINES

American, Bar, Seafood

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

Meals

Lunch, Dinner, Late Night, Drinks

features

Location and contact

1701 S Croatan Hwy, Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948-8718

+1 252-480-0967

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Mama's Specialty Drinks

Parrot Head Freeze

20 oz. of frozen delight, big enough for 2. made with rums, berry flavored liquors and fruit.

$13

Refill For Just

Tiki Trauma

the gods must be crazy and so are you if you try this concoction of malibu rum, jager, pineapple & orange juice.

$10

Refill For Just

Wahini Wipe Out

malibu rum, blue stuff, pineapple & 7-up. yum!

$10

Refill For Just

$5.5

Loco Louie

see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil, have no fun! rums, bananas, chocolate, baileys & kahlua in your very own monkey glass!

$10

Refill For Just

$5.5

The Freaky Tiki Shooter

absolute citron, triple sec, lime juice and a splash of cranberry in your own tiki shot glass!

Mama Kwan's Good Luck Shooter

pineapple rum, coconut rum, midori, cranberry. toast, make a wish, and your wish will come true!

Can a vegetarian person get a good meal at this restaurant?

Yes

Unsure

Details

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About

We have been serving the Outer Banks, NC for the past 10 years, with our very own twist on food from around the world – and around the block.Our local seafood menu is designed to cover all types of tastes, so even the pickiest member of your party will find something they enjoy.We’re a laid back, fun and offer a casual dining experience for the entire family. We offer a kids menu, so everyone will find their happy place.We laugh a lot and smile because we enjoy what we do here. We hope you enjoy your time here at our local OBX bar and grill, and on vacation at the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

CUISINES

American, Bar, Seafood

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

Meals

Lunch, Dinner, Late Night, Drinks

FEATURES

Takeout, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Parking Available, Television, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service

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4.5

959 reviews

Excellent

561

Very good

259

Average

Poor

Terrible

UncleJessie66

Hendersonville60 contributions

Had to have it two days in a row

Apr 2021 • none

Good reviews made us go here. We're not people who generally wait long periods of time for our food but since so many restaurants let you sign in and then call you it's made it tolerable. Mama Kwan's was like that, when we checked in we were told it would be an hour to an hour and a half. Being somewhat familiar with the restaurant industry I expected a wait of less than an hour. One hour and 20 minutes later we were seated. I got the blackened mahi mahi tacos and the wife got the blackened mahi salad; both were fantastic and worth the wait. Neither of us thought we actually had mahi mahi though but they way it tasted we didn't care, it could've been shoe leather and we'd eat it; it was that good. The wife insisted we go back the next day which, if you knew the wife, says all you need to know. We will definitely be going back.

Written April 19, 2021

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Rav4Mom55

Keyser138 contributions

Always excellent

Nov 2020 • none

We have been coming here since Mama was here with the Kim chi she got from Elizabeth City. Ate here twice this year. Both days the food was delicious. Coconut shrimp and fried green beans were wonderful. The grilled pineapple that accompanies dinner is a nice touch, So good. Highly recommend the money bag appetizers with the marinated cucumbers. Garbage plate with tuna was delicious with the tuna cooked perfectly. Fish tacos never disappoint. Too chilly to eat outside but plenty of outside tables if you choose. Spaced appropriately inside and everyone masked (except one "special" customer when going to the rest room). Nice to see they wiped down menus after each use. Highly recommend Mama's!

Written November 8, 2020

JonSnow

Seaford69 contributions

Great food and service. A Gem!

Aug 2020 • couples

Stopped here for lunch during our vacation and couldn’t be happier we did so! The Hawaiian pork plat was phenomenal and the burger and fries my wife ordered had a nice crisp but still juicy. We ate outside under their new Covid tent so to speak and a storm was rolling in as a line started building. The manager came over and offered us seats inside saying it was getting to capacity. We declined since we felt we had time but the offer was nice. Overall great food, great service and well worth the stop when in OBX!

Written August 9, 2020

Ginny K

Camden28 contributions

Fantastic!!!!

Feb 2020 • none

We stopped at Mama Kwan's on a Sunday afternoon and were thrilled with the entire experience. We were seated in a timely manner and served our food quickly. Our food was wonderful, with healthy portions. We will return again soon. Our ONLY complaint was that it was very noisy but that happens when a place is packed!!!

Written February 10, 2020

missspeech04

Eddyville47 contributions

Good Food

Jun 2021 • family

We ate dinner here on a Sunday night. The wait for a table was about an hour. The hostess said she could text us when our table was ready, so we went to a few nearby shops while we waited. My husband had the blackened fish tacos, I had the grilled sesame chicken & fried green beans, & my son had the special occasion pasta with shrimp. The service was great, & the food was good. My son’s only complaint was that there was a lot of pasta, but only 5 shrimp. The shrimp were also not peeled, so he had to dig them out of his pasta & peel them before he could eat them. Overall, we had a good experience. This was one of the best meals we had while visiting Kill Devil Hills.

Written June 24, 2021

sightsnsounds

Newtown154 contributions

Fantastic food! Best fish tacos of the trip.

Aug 2020 • family

Our last day of vacation we decided to try Mama Kwan's. We had at least a 30 minute wait on an early Friday evening. Once a table opened up we were received a call on our cell to ask us if outside dining was ok. We accepted and were seated at a picnic table under a large tent in their parking lot. We ordered an ahi tuna appetizer and onion rings to start, both were delicious! Everyone loved their food, even the picky less adventurous eaters (fish tacos and taco salad, garbage plate, chicken salad, and coconut shrimp). I ordered the fish tacos, blackened, and knew in advance if have to build them myself. The amount received easily made three tacos and they were THE best I'd had all trip and in quite a while. The mahi was cooked perfectly and the sauce was amazing. Drinkwise the favorites were the pina colada, Mai Tai, and the iced coffee! Our waitress was great - attentive and friendly. We felt comfortable with the precautions they are taking during the pandemic as we watched them clean up between guests and spaced us appropriately. Great meal, we'll be back the next time we're in OBX.

Written August 17, 2020

HistoryLover2017

North Carolina547 contributions

Loads of Fun and Great Food and Service!

Oct 2021 • none

I had lunch at Mama Kwan's recently with 2 friends. It was my first visit and I loved the fun atmosphere immediately! Bright colors, fun music, smiling staff was a great way to enter and sit down. I was there for the Fish Tacos which Mama Kwan's is known for, one of my friends ordered the same and my other friend got a blackened chicken sandwich with pineapple. I loved the Fish Tacos, especially the dipping sauce that came with them. My serving was plentiful. My friends enjoyed their lunch choices as well. The waitstaff is excellent - we were quickly greeted, our water was quickly replenished, our waitress was attentive throughout our meal and in general this restaurant is a very well-oiled machine. We had a great time and will return! Again, it was fun!

Written October 17, 2021

OBXKoastie

Yorktown12 contributions

Won't answer their phone anymore

May 2021 • none

We (my wife, our children and grandchildren) used to love Mama Kwan's back when you could call and ask what the evening special was, whether they were doing their Pad Thai, or if their outstanding shrimp and grits was on the menu. Now they don't have the courtesy to even pick up the phone. We have been twice recently and walked out when we learned they didn't have S&G or Pad Thai. Their other food is OK but not worth the hassles you have to through to find out they don't have their specials anymore. Mulligans and Blue Moon are better choices now. Sorry Mama Kwan's but you lost us forever! I checked "Not Sure" for everything because we walked out.

Written June 23, 2021

warnermrs

Mason88 contributions

Chips, frozen drinks

Jun 2021 • family

Fun frozen drinks and souvenir cups. Happy to find a kids menu with grilled chicken, jasmine rice and pineapple. Salted tortilla chips are worth buying the chips and salsa!

Written June 6, 2021

msbarefield

Christiansburg24 contributions

Terrible Customer Service. The food is no longer worth tolerating the bad service

Jul 2020 • none

I have always LOVED this restaurant. I’ve recommended it to literally every single person I know who comes to the Outer Banks. I haven’t ever really thought the customer service was great but the food was always phenomenal. I will not be back. And I will no longer recommend it. We stay 50 minutes away. We’ve made the trip twice to eat here and have been unable to. Today we did it and planned to do take out. There’s nothing online that says they aren’t doing take out. In fact, it says they are. I get there and they tell me that they aren’t doing take out, “because they’re so busy”. We called repeatedly the entire 50 minute ride up here and never got an answer. If you aren’t doing take out, put it on your FB. If you aren’t doing take out, put it on your voice mail that says “you look forward to taking my order”. They wouldn’t even let us order in and then order take out. At this point, the food is no longer good enough. I cannot tell you how disappointed I am as a decade+ long customer.

Written July 15, 2020

Connie M

Norfolk5 contributions

Pathetic and disappointing

Aug 2023 • friends

Terrible experience! I have been making a point of going to Mama Kwan’s for a few years now whenever I’m in OBX with friends and family. There’s always a long wait and we expect it because it is popular. So, on a Friday night late July we (3 of us) waited 1 1/2hrs to get in. First, the hostess tried to sit us at a double right in the busy exit walkway in back of the bar. We asked for a bigger table. The first thing the waitress says is that they were out of Money Bags (popular appetizer!) and chips and salsa. What??!! On a Friday night at 6:30pm in high season they’re out of a couple of their most popular items- at a busy Tiki bar! BTW- this was the 3rd time I’d been there when they ran out of items. Once it was crab cakes. I ordered the seasoned mahi tacos. Really lame! The “fish” was not seasoned and actually had no taste. The white sauce had no lime taste to it. No lime slice either. I asked for salsa and they brought me a little condiment container half full. When I asked for more she brought 3. Then added $1 per LITTLE container AND because we asked for separate checks separated the $1 charges evenly- why? To hide it easier?? 🤷🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️ The whole experience was very disappointing. I won’t be back.

Written August 7, 2023

Brad B

1 contribution

Came on Recommendation

Jun 2022 • friends

We chose to eat hear off of the recommendation of a local stating this was a excellent place to eat. We endured the hour wait to only be surprised by a less than exciting meal.Beginning with onion rings that were overly fried and battered was the introduction, Then I had the garbage plate served with Tuna. The menu description of the meal to come was not what arrived. The tuna I shared with my wife was so fishy smelling and tasting she could not eat it, the sautéed vegetables and rice were good, but the cucumber salad was room or plate temperature. The others in my party were also disappointed with the coconut shrimp over fried and over fried food. Hopefully they’ll correct these issues for future patrons.

Written June 2, 2022

timonntour

Chesapeake539 contributions

Never felt like a tourist !

Aug 2020 • none

We never felt like a tourist. Very impressed with how this unique little restaurant is handling all of the CoVid19 health requirements. Remarkable how the staff made our group (ages 2-71) feel welcomed with smiles and quick service. We found it to be a place that offered laid back fun with a casual dining experience for the entire family. Extra nice to see a kid’s menu with grilled chicken and fun children drinks with souvenir toys

Written September 3, 2020

Sue G

Wilmington221 contributions

Yummy dinner

Oct 2020 • couples

We ordered to go dinner and were pleasantly surprised at the speediness and quality of the food. I had the Coconut Shrimp plate which included fried green beans, rice and a grilled slice of pineapple. The pineapple was a really nice touch to the plate. The shrimp were delicious. The fried green beans were really tasty and a welcome change from the usual french fries. My husband had pork wontons to start and then fish tacos. They were both really tasty.

Written October 1, 2020

Darren B

Courtland665 contributions

My Niece Loves Mama Kwan Fish Tacos

Oct 2020 • couples

My wife and i ventured to Mama Kwan's for dinner and a drink at the recommendation of our niece. What a great place! Atmosphere inside and outside is polynesian with lots of tiki bar and bamboo detail. Wait staff was courteous and timely. Food was fantastic! We enjoyed an appetizer of treasure sacks - shrimp and ginger folded in a wonton wrapper tied with a scallion and deep fried. They were delicious. Supper was an order of blackened fish tacos, with rice, green onion, cabbage and sour cream/lime sauce. Spectacular! This is the best meal at Nags Head! Enjoy.