So you’re on vacation, and you want to enjoy the delicious food the Outer Banks is famous for. But maybe you still want to keep things healthy, or perhaps you follow a diet that’s dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan, or keto.
Whatever the reason, you have plenty of options when it comes to eating healthy in the Outer Banks. Check out the lineup below, including a few recommendations for what to order, and find your new favorite healthy restaurant in OBX.
Freshfit Cafe
This says it all in the name. Freshfit Cafe serves food made with fresh ingredients you can feel good about. For lunch, they offer salads, sandwiches, and build-your-own bowls you can load with chicken, chickpeas, carrots, cucumbers, rice, beans, and more. For something hearty, try the turkey burger or the yellowfin tuna on a multigrain bun — or the exquisite bacon shrimp wrap, with thick-cut turkey bacon and generous North Carolina shrimp.
If someone in your group has allergies or dietary restrictions, this might be the best place to eat in OBX. The menu labels each item if it’s gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, or lactose-free. Those with gluten sensitivities can still indulge in bagels, pancakes, muffins, and other baked goods. They have keto bagels, too. For vegans, there’s a tofu scramble and vegan pancakes at breakfast, loads of lunchtime options like the portobello wrap, and even a vegan grilled cheese on the kid’s menu.
The counter-service cafe has ample waterfront seating and a great location on the causeway. Add to that, fresh-squeezed juices, smoothies, kombucha, and coffee, and it’s easy to see why Freshfit has been a Nags Head staple since 2018.
The Hungry Pelican
Plenty of restaurants have salads on the menu, but The Hungry Pelican in downtown Manteo offers more than the stereotypical ranch-dredged lettuce. Take the Hawaiian Chicken Salad, for example, which comes with carrots, cucumbers, cabbage, croutons, pineapple, bacon, and deli chicken. See a topping you don’t like? Just ask them to hold it. They also serve soups, such as tomato basil, vegetable, and chili, which are gluten-free.
Of course, this deli counter is best known for sandwiches. Sure, you can order the Godfather, piled high with ham, salami, pepperoni, and provolone. But if you want to keep things on the lighter side, get the Wheatberry Veggie, which is mostly veggies with a little cheese to balance the flavors. Other healthy options include tuna salad on a bed of lettuce and a veggie-packed hummus sandwich. There’s even a vegetarian Reuben.
The Colington Café
Family owned and operated for over 30 years, Colington Café in Kill Devil Hills is cozy and romantic. Enjoy your dinner in one of five rooms in the historic Victorian-style house or outside in the woodsy backyard with screened-in gazebo. You won’t find a big tourist crowd, but locals know the food and wine are top-notch, so reservations are recommended.
While you can splurge on crab cakes and fettuccine alfredo, you can also opt for lighter fare like the Shrimp and Scallop Tropicale where the shellfish are grilled and topped with fruit salsa.
You can’t go wrong with any of the seafood, particularly the fresh fish of the day. And the chef’s special, which may be pan-seared salmon, cauliflower cheddar soup, or a kale arugula blend topped with butternut squash — or something else wonderful — is always a highlight.
The cafe has a dedicated gluten-free menu, too, boasting appetizers, salads, and desserts plus over a dozen entrees, from chicken Normandy in a classic apple brandy sauce to a trio of filet mignon, grilled shrimp, and jump lump crabmeat.
Do save room for one of their homemade desserts. You won’t regret it.
PokeBox
Here's a healthy dining tip for when you travel. Look for the nearest poke bowl spot. PokeBox has two locations in Nags Head, the newest in the Outer Banks Mall, but both are highly rated and allow online ordering.
Don’t care for raw fish? Beyond the raw tuna and salmon, you can choose chicken, shrimp, steak, and scallops, all grilled instead of fried. You can also make it vegan with tofu or vegan steak, and your base can be gluten-free with rice or lettuce.
PokeBox bowls are a smart way to get a low-sugar and low-fat meal that’s nutrient-dense and delicious. Mix in edamame, cucumber, carrots, kale, mango, and more. Sauces are conveniently labeled if they’re gluten-free, able to be made GF, vegetarian, or containing egg. Healthy it up even more by topping off your bowl with avocado, nori, pickled ginger, or seaweed salad.
Surfin’ Spoon
It might seem odd to see a dessert shop on a list of Outer Banks healthy restaurants, but Surfin’ Spoon specializes in frozen yogurt, which has fewer calories than ice cream. On any given week, they offer 10 flavors of self-serve froyo with around 50 toppings. Grab a bowl (the smallest size if you want portion control) and pile in whatever you want.
Everyone can get something they like here. If you’re vegan or dairy-free, choose the sorbet or the almond milk frozen yogurt. Most of the flavors are already gluten-free.
For toppings, stick with fruit if you want to stay low fat and all natural. Call it cliche, but the fresh-cut mango, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries really are nature’s candy. There’s also almonds, toasted coconut, and gluten-free granola.
While it’s hardly a health food, Surfin’ Spoon’s ice cream sandwiches are in every way splurge-worthy, made with high-quality ingredients like non-GMO unbleached flour, organic agave nectar, vegan butter, organic unsweetened applesauce, and organic coconut milk. A couple of them are even gluten-free.
Waveriders
This Nags Head coffee shop meets deli also has a market attached, which means if you want to stop by to have breakfast, grab supplies for a picnic, or savor a craft beer with your sandwich, they’ve got you covered. The seating indoors and out is quirky and cute (with games!), and don't let the line at the counter deter you — it moves fast.
Waveriders easily accommodates alternative diets. Their bean burger on a pretzel roll, panini pressed and layered with avocado, tomato, and lettuce, can be made vegan or gluten-free. The “Veggie” sandwich or wrap is another great choice for a nutritious meal. It comes loaded with vegetables and their signature sundried tomato white bean hummus. And the salads are colorful and creative, with toppings ranging from tangy fresh grapefruit to beets and feta.
Open at 7am Thursday through Monday, the cafe is ideal for a healthy breakfast in OBX. Along with the usual egg-forward entrees, they have overnight oats, a “Tree Hugger” bagel with veggie cream cheese, tomato, cucumber, and onion, and an unusual but highly satisfying breakfast bowl of spinach, bread, fruit, egg, and more, drizzled with balsamic glaze.
Do they have avocado toast? How could you even ask? It comes on multigrain sprouted bread with vegan cashew spread and tomatoes.
Outer Banks Brewing Station
Though breweries don’t tend to be known for health food, the Outer Banks Brewing Station deserves a spot on our list for its extensive gluten-free menu. I'm talking burgers, barbecue, steak, scallops with risotto… The list goes on.
They offer quite a few vegan selections too, not just salads but flavorful entrees like jackfruit birria tacos and chickpea tofu curry. And general health-conscious diners will find some good options too, like the edamame appetizers, salads, steamed peel-and-eat shrimp, and a bean burger with avocado aioli.
Be sure to check the chef’s specials, which sometimes include healthier fare like the seafood pasta bowl above
Açaí Bowls and Smoothies in the Outer Banks
One thing that’s really impressive about the Outer Banks is that many ice cream and coffee shops have smoothies on the menu too. That means you can enjoy a refreshing snack, chock full of antioxidants, vitamins, and fiber, pretty much any time of day.
If I listed every place in the Outer Banks that offers açaí bowls and smoothies, we’d be here all day, but below are a few of the best.
Noosa Scoops: Just opened in May, this place serves ice cream as the name suggests (including non-dairy options), but they can also hook you up with 20-ounce smoothies in a rainbow of colors. The True Blue is açaí blueberries, strawberries, and mint. The Vida Verde is kale, spinach, mango, pineapple, and banana. Blend it with the liquid of your choice, such as oat milk or coconut water. They do açaí bowls too.
Shine On Juicery: Owned by a certified raw food chef, this all-vegan Kill Devil Hills juicery does a lot more than cold-pressed juices, wraps, and Buddha bowls. Their smoothie game is serious, featuring blends like Pure Passion (papaya, pineapple, mango, orange, turmeric) and the new seasonal Autumn in Asheville (pumpkin, banana, orange “mylk,” vanilla maple, date, spices). And nearly everything on the menu, including their popular açaí bowls, is organic.
Hatteras Bowls: If you’re driving the Outer Banks National Scenic Byway, stop at the small town of Waves for these highly rated açaí bowls. Open seasonally, Hatteras Bowls also serves fabulous smoothies with a flavor twist like lavender, coffee, ginger, or cacao.
Outer Bean Cafe: This Kitty Hawks cafe isn’t big, but their menu is. Along with all kinds of coffees, salads, and sandwiches (many of which are vegetarian), they have a juice bar, smoothies, and açaí bowls. Customize as much as you want. Want to keep your smoothie lower in sugar? Ask for unsweetened almond or coconut milk in place of juice. And if you want a power punch, add hemp, pea, or whey protein and chia or flax seeds.
