The Colington Cafe

Someone from this business manages this listing.

1,325 reviews

#5 of 47 Restaurants in Kill Devil Hills$$$$, American, Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options

+1 252-480-1123+ Add website

Hours

Sun

5:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Mon

5:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Tue

5:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Wed

5:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Thu

5:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Fri

5:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Sat

5:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Improve this listing

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

1,325 reviews

#5 of 47 Restaurants in Kill Devil Hills

Travelers' Choice 2024

RATINGS

Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

Food and ambience

Local cuisine, American, Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

“Yesterday I had tuna prepared with just enough spice and guacamole which I do...”

“My seafood pasta was superior.”

“Outstanding food and service, tuna and filets cooked perfectly to temperature...”

“From the crab soup to the steak and seafood pasta, and especially the peach a...”

Location and contact

1029 Colington Rd, Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948-8020

+1 252-480-1123

Improve this listing

See Website Menu

Does this restaurant primarily serve Healthy cuisine?

Yes

Unsure

Details

Manage this business?

About

Nestled off the beaten path in a Victorian house surrounded by 400 year-old oak trees, we are a local's favorite. Our seafood is brought in fresh daily, and we use locally grown ingredients.All the locals love our filet dishes as well as our large menu.All desserts are homemade. We are a family run restaurant with most of our staff having been with us for over 15 years.We do everything to make sure all of our customers leave happy.

CUISINES

American

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

Meals

Dinner

FEATURES

Reservations, Private Dining, Seating, Parking Available, Free off-street parking, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Wine and Beer, Accepts Mastercard, Accepts Visa, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service

Contribute

Write a review Upload a photo Ask a question

4.5

1,325 reviews

Excellent

1,080

Very good

171

Average

Poor

Terrible

CandyMan627

Lutherville280 contributions

Amazingly Consistent!

Aug 2020 • none

Colington Cafe has been a favorite of ours since we first visited during our honeymoon 28 years ago. And, we've returned many times since, including tonight. I made a reservation a week ago to dine tonight. Reservations are encouraged due to space restrictions brought on by COVID. We arrived right on time and we were seated immediately. Lena was our server. Cheerful, courteous, friendly and professional. We ordered our adult libations while we perused the menu. We started out by ordering Scallops Rumaki: four plump scallops wrapped in bacon on a bed of mixed greens and a ginger teriyaki glaze. Before those came out, we noshed on the wonderful house bread. Served warm. The scallops were excellent and we even enjoyed the greens. Both of us ordered the Mixed Grill. This item consisted of a Yellowfin tuna filet and filet mignon accompanied by sides of garlic mashed potatoes and a blend of seasonal vegetables including green beans, carrots, squash, onions, etc, cut julienne style and served chilled in a vinaigrette dressing. If I recall correctly, the veggies took 24 hours to prepare. The meals were fantastic! Tuna prepared seared and rare topped with a sauce. I believe the filets were pan fried and prepared a perfect steakhouse medium. Just too good. While we said no dessert, Lena came by with the dessert tray while my bride was away from the table. The coconut pie was impossible to resist as Lena pulled a coup d' grace. Excellent choice. And, my wife knew I would order dessert in her absence and she really wanted some. And a cup of decaf. Various members of the Colington team stopped by to say hi and to make sure all is well. This is our favorite obx food destination and prices are very reasonable. If they were further inland, they'd be at least 25% more expensive on seafood items. I heartily recommend Colington Cafe

Written September 9, 2020

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.

carlenKillDevilHills

I am so sorry I haven't written sooner but I have had some health issues.. But when my husband read this to me I almost cried.. You should be a food writer. Thank you so much for your exquisite descriptions and thank you for your beautiful appreciation of our fresh ingredients..( I am sure I would recognize you, as Angela did up front.). How touching you have been coming for ALL those years..( be sure to reming us next year)...And we are glad you enjoyed Lena.. We love her also ( as we do all the waiters). Angela and the chefs have worked so hard so thank you again for sharing your experience..

Written September 28, 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

zepaman

Pittsburgh247 contributions

High class with style

Sep 2020 • couples

The Collingtion Cafe is delicious in every way. The food is exquisite as is the plate presentation. There is a wide variety of sea and land dishes and the wine list is excellent and the best priced wine list on the outer banks. The outdoor dinning is a great experience and the wait staff is very good and knowledgable of the ingredients and preparation of each dish. The Collington is on my top 3 must go to restaurants on the outer banks

Written September 16, 2020

carlenKillDevilHills

Just wanted to thank you for sharing your experience at the Cafe.. That means so much to all of us.. I work hard at trying to keep the wine list reasonable as well, so thank you for noticing. And the chefs and front of the house give it their heart and soul and love nothing more than to have our customers happy, We are so glad you enjoyed our outdoors. Our 400 year-old oak trees love the company as well.. Once again, Many Thanks

Written September 28, 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Cindy

1 contribution

Execelent food, great atmosphere

Jun 2020 • couples

The Colington Cafe has been the #1 place to eat in the Outerbanks for a reason. They will not disappoint in any fashion. Exceptional service paired with gourmet presentation of delicious food, at very affordable prices. We enjoyed our first visit on the night we arrived, so much that we decided to return on the last night of our visit, as well. Make a reservation, you won't be disappointed.

Written June 26, 2020

Oceansaway77

189 contributions

Best meal in a long time

Nov 2020 • none

Eating here was one of the nicest experiences we've had dining out in years! Super cute setting, well done in an older house with plenty of space between dining tables. All staff members we encountered were superb at their jobs, and our server Whitney probably the best server we've had in decades of dining. She make our meal so enjoyable and relaxed. We ordered an appetizer platter and a salad for dinner, which didn't make her blink an eye. We knew that even with our drinks and dessert that we would be a lousy ticket for her, but she never missed a beat, smile or conversation opportunity with us. We tipped her more than generously, needless to say! The food? The scallops rumaki were superb, best scallop preparation I've ever had. Coconut shrimp and crab cakes? Also excellent. The crab dip was good, but not great. The hot bread? Excellent! The green salad - couldn't have been crisper and the blue cheese dressing was great. The dessert tray is spectacular and we chose chocolate raspberry cake and the black bottom coconut cream pie. Just believe me - you can't believe how good their pastry chef is! We will dream about returning until we can!

Written November 12, 2020

Kyle M

Raleigh19 contributions

Always a great experience

Aug 2020 • family

My family has been coming to the OBX fir years and once we discovered the Colington Cafe it has become part of our yearly tradition to eat here. As always the wait staff is on top of everything. We always order a bottle or two of wine and our waitress was knowledgeable on many of the wines and once everyone figured out what they wanted to drink they were on the table withing a couple of minutes. While waiting for you food to come out they bring a bread (a small roll) basket and butter (yes, you can ask for more) and they never disappoint. I ordered one of the specials which was a filet and the catch of the day (sorry I can't remember what it was but it was perfectly cooked).my wife ordered shrimp, scallops and a crab cake which were also perfectly cooked. Scallops weren't chewy, shrimp was cooked well and the crab cake was excellent (I'm not usually a fan of crab cakes but these were phenomenal). For desert (even though we were stuffed) we got a chocolate chocolate cake slice with a raspberry filling (it was to die for)! Once we finished eating we weren't immediately rushed out and allowed to enjoy conversation and let the food settle a little. Cannot wait for the next trip back to the OBX so we can eat here again!

Written August 9, 2020

Kathleen B

1 contribution

Terrible Service

Jul 2021 • none

Our family has dined at the Colington Cafe several times, and were excited to come back this year to celebrate my parent's 50th wedding anniversary. Unfortunately, our experience was not what we had come to expect from this restaurant. We were a table of 10, and while we started out with one waitress, half way through our visit, we were transitioned to a different waitress (which was fine, because she seemed rushed and inpatient to begin with). Four of us had ordered a filet. When the second waitress delivered our food, she had three filets and one "beef brochet." We were not even familiar with what "beef brochet" is, and none of us had ordered this dish. We told our waitress as much, and she walked away from the table. She then returned and plopped it in front of my husband. She told him that he was the one who had ordered it (unbeknownst to him), and he explained that he had ordered the filet. Her reply was "Well that's what she wrote down" (referring to our original waitress) and again, she left the table. When she returned, we tried to explain (once again) that he had not ordered it, and she said "It is just like the filet, but with a different sauce." Eventually, after about 10 minutes, the original waitress returned and said that they could prepare him something else, but that it would take 15 minutes. He just decided to eat the beef brochet, and she did apologize. However, his meal was not comped and the waitress who was so rude to us never apologized. I understand how busy the Colington Cafe is, but the entire time we felt like we were an absolute inconvenience. We were incredibly disappointed in our experience, and while the food was good (for those of us who received what we had ordered), we will not return.

Written July 24, 2021

carlen p

As owner of 33 years I still hate to see anyone leave our restaurant unhappy. My poor manager called me in tears and mentioned she tried to give you a gift certificate but you refused. She takes such pride in great service at the cafe, as do all of our staff.. Unfortunately your waitress recently and tragically lost her mother and we are sorry if she made an error in your order and you felt she was being rude. . Normally we are not able to take special requests , especially on a table of ten, but she did mention you had four and the one mistake was due to someone ordering something that was not on our menu. Our waitresses work as a team on large tables so I sincerely apologize it looked as though your waitress was neglecting you. You certainly were not an inconvenience and we so appreciate each and every one of our customers and will try our best to make everything perfect.. Again, we are all so sorry this wasn't the case, especially on such a special occasion as your parents' anniversary.

Written July 25, 2021

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

SkyKingBoston

Northampton557 contributions

Rare Gem

Jun 2021 • none

We were on Outer Banks for a week of post-Covid R&R with our kids and grandkids, and had one evening on our own, just the two of us, for a quiet dinner. We selected Colington Cafe from a list provided in our rental home. What a wonderful discovery! Clearly, this is more of a locals place. That made it all the better - off the beaten path and far from our fellow vacationers. Service was outstanding - brisk, friendly and knowledgeable. We shared a caprese salad to start and a fruit cobbler to finish; she enjoyed a small filet and lump crab, I a small filet and a crab cake. The beef was cooked to perfection, and was much better than I can accomplish at home. The crab portion was plentiful. Even the potato and vegetable sides were particularly delicious. I describe the Cafe below as "fine dining", which it was, but we also thought that the prices for such fine dining were particularly reasonable. Even the wine list, while not overly expansive, was very moderately priced. We highly recommend you go out of your way to include an enchanting evening here at Colington Cafe.

Written June 13, 2021

Sue T

Ashburn46 contributions

5 Stars in Every Way

Jul 2020 • none

Best dinner I've EVER had in OBX! The hostess greeted us promptly and had our table ready right away. Our server, Angelique, was super-friendly, knew everything about how everything was prepared, was efficient and on-point, and she had the warmest personality - just wonderful! My husband and I split the appetizer platter. It was all very good, but our favorite was the scallop rumaki, which were absolutely succulent. For dinner, I had the shrimp & scallops tropicale, which was cooked to perfection, and the presentation was beautiful. Husband got the special and was equally impressed. We were stuffed by the time Angelique came back to show us a platter of all the dessert options, but we couldn't resist ordering the Tollhouse Pie. OMG, I thought I'd found culinary heaven! Honestly, the service, the atmosphere (very homey, almost "country" feeling), the presentation and deliciousness of the food was ALL so amazing. Colington Cafe is my new favorite OBX restaurant! I can't believe I've been vacationing in obx every year for decades and am just now finding it!!

Written August 2, 2020

auntsaras

Phoenix40 contributions

I wanted to love it.

Jun 2020 • family

I really wanted to love this place after reading the other reviews, but all I can give are three stars. Dinner was good but not great. The vegetables and mashed potatoes (veggies of the day) were not seasoned at ALL) and my shrimp was overcooked. That said, my filet was perfectly cooked. My companion’s meal included a remoulade sauce that tasted more like tartar sauce than remoulade. The atmosphere was great.

Written June 27, 2020

Bob1775

Houston218 contributions

Jami provided outstanding service. Food was great too.

Oct 2020 • none

We had a wonderful meal in the gazebo (need to reserve in advance) celebrating our 31st wedding anniversary with local friends who were at our wedding. Jami our server did an awesome job with our orders as each of us asked for a little tweak to our order and everything came out perfect. Three of us had fish dishes (salmon, tuna and flounder) and one had a steak. All were very good and perfectly prepared. The sides were great as was the appetizer platter. The desserts were wonderful as well. They have a nice wine list with wines that are reasonably priced. The person who ordered the steak had some left over and asked for it to be boxed to take home. Jami asked if we wanted her to bring us a box or if we felt safe with her taking it inside to box up. We let her take it inside to box up. The entire staff wore masks and were very careful. In addition to the gazebo there were other outside tables for those who are not ready to eat inside, we are not which is why we chose The Colington Cafe with their great food and outside seating. Management also gave us a couple of nice extras for our anniversary a very classy and much appreciated gesture. We highly recommend The Colington Cafe, our local friends are regulars here.

Written October 8, 2020

LLV280Z

Daytona Beach140 contributions

Simply Stunning Experience

Sep 2021 • none

We stopped in a few days ahead of when we wanted a reservation. The small screened in patio dining space out front was available so we booked it. It was perfect; screened all the way around, ceiling fan, view of trees around it as well as the front of the restaurant. It was fun people watching from our safe space. It probably seated six comfortably but we were only two and it was great to spread out. Our wait staff was Jamie who was awesome! The she crab soup was just what we were looking for, crab cakes wonderful, the scallops delicious, the toffee coffee bread pudding was the perfect ending...oink oink! :) Definitely would return if in the area again! Kudos!!!

Written September 24, 2021

Misi

Mount Aetna22 contributions

Excellent service, great food, friendly staff

Jul 2020 • family

My family and I ate at the Colington Cafe while on vacation. We had originally made the reservation for outside seating at 6:30, but due to the possibility of rain received a call to change the reservations. There was a miscommunication on our part and we showed up at the wrong time. The staff was so understanding and kind, they seated us right away. Very cute place and relaxed atmosphere. We all enjoyed our meals very much and the desserts were excellent. This was our first inside dining experience since Covid and they took precautions necessary to make us feel safe and comfortable. Our server was very friendly and took great care of us. Give it a try, you won’t be disappointed.

Written July 8, 2020

caspcasey

Sykesville9 contributions

Discriminatory treatment as to our age and scary behavior by the waitress.

Sep 2020 • none

Hello we came to your restaurant after a friend of ours referred us to your cafe. Everything was great until your waitress Whitney, after having idle chats with her as to where we were from, etc, suddenly said ":I can't deal with this" or something to that nature, and left our table. She never returned. We do not know what she was talking about nor what she was dealing with or what was her problem. We were very nice to her. This is unacceptable from a person who works with the public everyday. As seniors she refused to return and wait on us and treated us poorly. She signaled us out, because of our age, and we were left at the table and neglected and was very hurt by her actions. Whitney failed to return. Finally after a long wait a lady came with dessert tray and we ordered a dessert. Then later another lady came with the check. If this is how you run a restaurant I This has NEVER happened to use in any restaurant or other place. We felt as though we were a party to a psycho movie. The remainder of our stay, I made sure I expressed what happened to us at your restaurant to any and all persons we ran into. And in doing so, many of the locals new exactly who we were talking about at Colington Cafe without mention of her name.

Written October 12, 2020

colingtoncafe

In the 9 years I have worked here I have never known of a situation that was so inappropriate as the way you treated our staff. Your idea of “idle chats” was drilling a poor waitress with questions about the death of her father and telling her to “get over it”. She expressed her discomfort of the subject matter and excused herself to go cry in the back. She sent co-workers to finish the job that she could not do because of your abuse. Your complaint was that she never returned to the table, and you were discriminated because of your age. Most of our clientele are over the age of 60, including the 65 year old owners of 32 years in business. These are difficult times to work in the service industry having to wear a mask and worry about COVID, but to also have a customer emotionally abuse a waitress and take their mask off to yell at the manager is inexcusable. You should notice your credit card bill was not charged the $2.00 tip you tried to leave Whitney, she had received enough from you.

Written October 12, 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Elizabeth G

Fairfax7 contributions

A cozy setting with friendly service & really good food.

Jan 2021 • family

Our house is in Duck, and with some of our regular restaurants closed for the season & those that are open, only at 50% capacity, I thought it would be a good time to try something new. The Colington Cafe has always had good reviews, and they were taking reservations, so we went for dinner tonight. It’s in a Victorian house, and tucked back off 158. The service was warm and friendly, the menu had plenty of variety, and there were some daily specials. Whitney was responsible for our table, and was knowledgeable and welcoming. We all enjoyed our selections, especially the tuna and the rockfish and scallops special. We were too full for dessert, but Whitney sent a serving of the bread pudding home with us anyway. We’re happy to have found a great addition to our list of restaurants! Thank you for a lovely start to 2021.

Written January 1, 2021

Leslie B

2 contributions

Top of Mark dinner in the OBX

Apr 2021 • none

Dinner and experience was outstanding! This was our first time visiting. We were looking for a nice restaurant that took reservations in the OBX. That’s hard as no one hardly takes reservations- but I called and it was super easy. Our waitress Jani was superb! Took the time to explain specials and the menu. She was quick, efficient and so friendly! We both had the She Crab Bisque and it was hands down the best we’d ever had. We split the mixed grill special of tuna and steak - OMG the tuna was fresh caught and like butter, absolutely phenomenal! They are off the beaten path a bit in a quaint old house. Wine and beer only - other than that absolutely stellar experience! Highly recommend!

Written April 17, 2021

carlen p

Thank you so much for taking time to write a review on The Colington Cafe. That means so much and I know it will make Jami happy.. She loves her customers like we all do.. We are so glad you enjoyed your soup. That was my dream as a 9 yr. old to have a restaurant with good she crab soup. ( I had it in a restaurant in early 60's). And we are happy you enjoyed your fresh tuna. We get it in daily from the boats. We are sorry about only beer and wine. We are only 100 yards out of Kill devil Hills (in Dare County) so we can't sell liquor.. Maybe one of these years.. Thank you again so much.

Written April 17, 2021

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

…

Showing results 1-15 of 1,322

As Featured In