Tale of the Whale

My husband and I ate here tonight and I have no negative comments. The restaurant has a great atmosphere, plenty of room and great food. I had the steamed shrimp with mashed potatoes and the vegetable of the day today was broccoli (and if I could fix like this, I would eat much more often), my husband did a create your own fried platter. We had the hot crab dip as an appetizer and it was awesome. Our server was great as well. I can’t say enough good things based on our experience. We will definitely eat here again on our next trip from Virginia.

This place never disappoints. I’ve been coming here for years and it’s always a stop. Seafood is fresh and local. Can’t beat the atmosphere- beautiful sunsets on the sound/ to live music on boardwalk while you wait. Expect to wait a bit- it’s always packed- but there is a nice bar around back to have some adult libations. Highly recommend the blood orange fizz- ( think French 75 with blood orange twist). Definitely worth the wait!

9-28-2023 - Decided to see if The Tale of the Whale was really as great as our first visit, little knowing this was their last evenning of the 2023 season. It was packed upon opening, so we chose "first available" which was in the bar area and Lo & Behold our waitress was once again Robin, and we couldn't be happier, since on our previous visit, she served us. Once again, she explained all of the specials, saw to our every need and the meal was a mouth-watering experience. Scallops were tender, shrimp perfect, oysters and crabcake succulent and flounder thick and perfectly fried. Thank you for the high quality, large portions and terrific service and can't wait until you open in 2024!!!

8-29-2023 - This was one of the finest dining experiences we've had on the Outer Banks. From our wonderful waitress Robin to the most delicious fresh seafood, prepared, cooked and presented perfectly. Crabcakes were solid lump crab with little filler and the same for the she crab soup, loaded with crab. Both of our broiled and fried entrees were perfectly cooked and this experience leaves us wanting to try more items on the extensive menu. One word for Robin and The Tale of the Whale..... AWESOME!

Amazing food, prices and service! We had a group of 12 and called ahead. We were seated quickly and received our food quickly as well. Our waiter Tyler was efficient without being intrusive. One of the best dining experiences I've had!

Friday evening, 8pm, the hostas said an hour and a half wait, but you can sit at the bar. We can do that. Very nice bartender, Bar B. She got us set up with drinks and our order. Nice atmosphere. Food arrived and wow. Generous servings and the food was amazing. I had the stuffed flounder and the wife had a salad, she crab soup and seared ahi tuna. Outstanding!!!!

Had local favorite, crab meat and shrimp au Gratin, Tale of the Whale special and hot crab dip with extra pita. We only waited an hour by opting to eat at bar section. It is the best restaurant in Outer Banks. I came here on recommendation. There is an outside bar with live music at the gazebo so waiting for the good food was more bearable.

A superb way to end the week. Our server, Jordan, was a delightful girl and made the whole experience even better. Shrimp and grits was a great twist on the classic with a rich sauce. Those mashed potatoes are addictive. Arrived at 4:45 and the parking lot was full. Name on the list for first available and only waited 20 minutes. Next time we’ll wait for a seat with a view. Can’t wait to try another dish.

Returned 2 days later and had another great experience with Courtney. Tilefish and grits was unique with the bruschetta topping. 3 way grill perfectly cooked. Definitely my go to place next trip to OBX.

Tale of the Whale was a great restaurant to dine in at. The food was unbelievable with a great amount. The quality and quantity was incredible. The wait time was said to be 30-40min. But, it only took about 20min. The live entertainment was great while waiting for our table. I do recommend to go and enjoy. I will be returning. P. S Courtney did an excellent job serving us and keeping the table full of drinks. Thank you!

Oh how I wish 10 stars were available!!! This place is incredible - seriously, one of the best in the OBX. If you want to eat here, I highly recommend being at the restaurant at 4:30p to put your name in. The restaurant doesn’t open until 5p, but it will immediately fill up and result in an hour+ wait.

The views here are really beautiful and they have taken full advantage of this by having large picture windows on the sound side of the restaurant. (They also have an area with decking, pier, gazebo and bar on the water where you can wait for your table.) Fresh baked bread/butter is provided when you are seated. The servers here do a really good job and are clearly experienced at what they do.

The menu is large and even includes several pasta dishes and steak options for those who don’t like seafood. The crab dip appetizer with fried pita is LOADED with crab meat and is delicious. Definitely a must for us. And, don’t forget the hush puppies!

The entrees are large, arrive hot to your table and, again, are delicious. My husband and I like this place so much that we drove two hours (from home) just to have dinner on each of our birthdays.

It is a white table restaurant, but don’t feel like you need to dress up - it is the beach after all! There is a small jewelry stand in the lobby that has silver and gold jewelry available at very reasonable prices. I’ve been known to find a little something just about every time we are there. They have rings, bracelets, earrings, necklaces, charms, etc.

Oh…one last thing! Don’t skip dessert!!! When your server brings out the dessert tray, you will see why I am saying this. But, if you’re too full - which is most likely the case - you can get it to go!!

Highly recommend Tale if the Whale and encourage those reading this to try it!

Amazing Restaurant!! Our Favorite go to fine dining restaurant. It gets extremely busy every night so get there early! You can do call ahead seating for LARGE parties only. You can also sit and eat at the bar inside which we do sometimes but if you do then you have to have you WHOLE meal there. Just an FYI. Favorite food on the menu is the Mahi Oscar, the whole stuffed lobster with filet. House salads, bruschetta, crab dip. Really, everything is outstanding. Those are just ones that stand out. Check it out!

P.S. they are closed for the winter now.

While on vacation with a large group, we needed separate checks. Not a problem for our very professional server. She was on top of her game. Excellent Crab Bisque. Great steaks. Beautiful interior design, nice views. Very reasonably priced. My brother in-law and my niece are Calamari experts, and they thought it some of the best they've had. Cheers

Brought our party of 15, got reservations. Always nice to get reservations for such a large party. They have a large room for the big groups, which was completely packed. The server was great, worked hard to get everything right and timely. The meal took awhile to arrive which is expected with such a big group, but everything was excellent. Generally large portions with most people taking food home with them. Some of us splurged for dessert - they brought out a tray with about 9 different options, all looked incredible. We've come to this restaurant once every year when we visit Nags Head and are happy every time. This trip was no different. Highly recommended.

Our favorite restaurant at the beach. Highly recommend trying the coconut shrimp! Can get crowded but service is extremely efficient.

🐟 Supremely Delectable Fish 🐟

As an immigrant from an Island and a Marylander, I'm very picky about fish. Usually, most people assume you need to bring out the fish flavour. You are NOT!

You have to integrate the fish with seasoning/ spices/ light sauces/ and other ingredients. This is an extremely difficult task without the right ingredient or skill!

The chefs here have both and then some. And not to mention the quality of freshly caught fish... what a treat. Everything (7 people extended family vacation) was absolutely amazing (perhaps the green beans weren't the best I've ever had, but that's about it).

And finally, the selection of fish options was out of this world. The usual Tuna, Salmon, Mahi Mahi. But also Swordfish, Snapper. Then Tile Fish and wahoo. Plus even more (Lobster, Lump Crab, Scallops, etc.). The selection alone is to die for.

And finally, the service was excellent, the alcoholic beverage selection vast, the seating is spacious and comfortable. Desserts looked amazing, but we were all too stuffed unfortunately/fortunately.

Cons? There's a wait because it's worth it (20min+ on the last seating for a Wednesday night). Expensive(ish), but not really when excellent fish is worth 30 per person.

Highly highly recommended. Just try it!

Probably the best seafood I’ve had on the states. The wait staff was pleasant. The boiled fish and shrimp was just amazing. We didn’t want to wait for the seats outside, which is prime tabling, but it was worth just going there for the food. Everything was just immaculately made. I feel like this place is a MUST try if you are anywhere in the neighborhood. Parking is given. Live music plays outside by the pier (with its own bar)

By a landslide, one of the best meals we have had in a long time. Our evening started on the dock where it was about a 45 minute wait but waiting was a breeze on the soundside dock patio. Sip a drink and gaze at the water while you're waiting for your table, and the wait doesnt seem so long! We got a great table overlooking the waves in a cozy dining room with comfortable booths. Get the crab dip its delicious! For entrees, my husband got the cajun pasta, I got the tale of the whale grill special. We were happy they catered to our family, as we brought our two sons who are under 4 with us. Both entrees arrived quickly and were hot, delicious, fresh, and big portions. Our server, Robin, was no stranger to excellent service-what a gal! She kept our drinks topped off and was so pleasant, stopping by to check often and very attentive, it felt like we were her only table although she had several others. We will be back for sure, I think we found a new OBX favorite! Don't go anywhere else!

Love this place. We had the best server, Richard answered all our questions. All our food was perfect. We waited under the gazebo and listened to acoustic guitar and singing. The breeze was off the chain, but the wait was worth the food and the server was the best I've had in a very long time at any restaurant.
They really do have the best hush puppies. Plus we didn't have to wait as long as they thought it would be. Love the pineapple salsa.

Aside from the long wait to get a table, this place is amazing! Live entertainment outside on pier, outside bar to order drink while you wait, our waiter was fantastic and super funny. Food was outstanding!!! A must go at OBX!!!

The food was amazing - some of the best scallops I've had in my life! The staff were amazing as well. Highly recommended.

Great restaurant and delicious food! We called early in the day for a call ahead reservation for our large group of 17. They told us to come right before 4 and they could seat us. Food was fantastic all around and our waitress Dana was very patient with our large group. Highly recommend!