Corolla, NC, Restaurants: American Fusion & Gourmet

This is a great local dine-in or take-out restaurant with a very casual family atmosphere. The menu features seafood including soft-shell and hard-shell crabs (hard shells are sold either live or cooked), Alaskan king and snow crab legs by the pound (when available), scallops, shrimp, clams, mussels, oysters and fresh fish, plus slow-cooked barbecue including North Carolina pulled pork, beef brisket, smoked ribs, smoked chicken wings and chicken. Don’t forget to ask about their steamer pots that you can take home and cook on your stove. For larger parties, they will even bring this Low Country boil to your house and cook it on site. They also offer homemade soups, Southern-style sides and plenty of desserts. Fat Crabs is open daily for lunch and dinner from April through October.

Mike Dianna's Grill Room is owned and operated by a true Corolla local who grew up here and has lived in the area since 1984. The restaurant starts with the best raw products they can find, such as USDA Prime beef, fresh and local seafood, all-natural chicken, pork and pasta. The restaurant has a live hardwood grill where they cook all of their steaks and seafood, and it's the only one of its kind on the northern part of the Outer Banks. They have a wonderful children's menu and an ever-changing specials menu, and they cater to gluten-free, dairy-free and allergy-related restrictions. The Grill Room serves brunch complete with homemade buttermilk biscuits, a house-cured lox platter, crabcake sandwiches, deviled eggs, daily omelette specials and more. Indoor and outdoor dining are available, as are curbside pickup and free delivery on the paved roads of Corolla (online ordering available). Reservations are recommended for all party sizes for both brunch and dinner and can be made online.

Pizzazz is a pizza favorite on the Outer Banks. They’ve been around since 1986 because they make consistently great pizza with generous toppings and the service is friendly. Choose from gourmet menu creations or stick with the traditional. Pizzazz also makes hot subs, salads and wings. You can eat in for lunch or dinner or have your pizza delivered. Call for off-season hours. And, if you're driving to the Outer Banks from the north, check out their location in Grandy on the Currituck mainland.

Sundogs is a great family-friendly restaurant for lunch and dinner in Corolla. The grill offers an array of appetizers along with steamed seafood, salads, sandwiches, burgers and full entrees such as New Orleans-inspired shrimp and grits created by Chef Bryan Maher and a host of new menu items from new team chefs Matthew Purdue and Agustus Dawson – think Teriyaki-Glazed Salmon, Lobster Mac & Cheese with Pork Belly and Pulled Pork Kimchi Tacos. A host of daily specials ensures that the chefs can be as creative as they want to be (specials are posted on social media). Be sure to check out the raw bar featuring a variety of oysters and other seafood. Sundogs has a kids' menu and a midday appetizer menu from 3 to 5 p.m. every day. When dinner ends, nightlife begins. Sundogs is open until 2 a.m. every night during summer with several nights of live music and karaoke. This is also the place for all your sports-viewing adventures, especially Sunday football, thanks to their large projection TV and 12 other TVs. After 10 p.m. Sundogs is open for ages 21 and older only.

One of the few restaurants in Corolla staying open all year long, Uncle Ike's serves a wide range of fresh, homemade foods. With an aim to please the whole family, the menu includes big, bold, fresh flavors in every local seafood dish, including their famous mahi tacos and crab cakes. Photographs of the daily chef's specials can be found on their Facebook page. Kids are welcome, and the menu includes plenty of fresh (not frozen) food to satisfy picky eaters. Covered outdoor seating is available. After dark, adults are invited to revel in a variety of entertainment like live music, DJs, karaoke or UFC Fights and NFL Ticket games, broadcast on multiple flat-screen TVs in the bar. From day to night, Uncle Ike's always welcomes new faces and friends, saying that their customers are relatives they choose for themselves.