Uncle Ike's Sandbar & Grill — Restaurant in Corolla

TLDR: We definitely had an interesting experience and I wouldn't recommend it.

LONG VERSION: We got to the restaurant around 7:00 pm. We got on the list and opted for the first available option. That would prove to be a poor decision...

We were seated outside at 7:20 pm (took less time to be seated than anticipated, which was nice). We were kind of shunned into a corner with a picturesque scene of the waterfalls of Adventure Island. And later we found out it was next to the stray cat exhibit. I'm not much of a cat guy, but they were cute in a mangy alley cat kind of way.

It started out fine. We ordered; we knew it was busy but it took about 30 minutes to get our food. Unfortunately, our starter came out maybe 2 minutes before our main course. "And at that point, they knew they'd been forgotten," said the narrator.

It wasn't the worst but the fact that the stray cats were chilling next to us also brought unwanted attention of passersby. We quickly became a party of 8 a few times. Plus, the level of flies was quite intolerable. These flies were exceptionally aggressive (NC flies built diff)—they kept trying to kamikaze into our food with precise coordination. After the buggy bombardment, we opted to grab our food to-go and head out.

Luckily, we found reasonable seating accommodations elsewhere, in a luxury mobile option. The amenities included but not limited to being fully air conditioned, padded ergonomic seating, fly-free zone, with a stunning view to people-watch, and a plethora of cup holders. Moronically, I forgot to request utensils and ketchup...everything was then eaten with a dusty spoon shank.

The waiter was kind so I am not sure if our ticket tragically floated to the floor and was wisped away by the wind and made a journey to the trash. Maybe it was because I am Korean. Maybe we offended a beach mob boss with our lack of decorum...

We may never know. I tried to reach out to the restaurant for a resolution. I was just left unread sitting in their DMs 🥲 (I guess Facebook might be a dead medium after all)

It just stinks to have a rough first experience like this. I think if we knew anything about the cats we would have opted to go elsewhere. Sorry cat-lovers 😺 (we did leave them a little crab chowda Boston accent)

The crab cake was the highlight. And I would recommend the...

We ate at Uncle Ike’s Sandbar and Grill on 9/12/24. It’s located across from the park on the main road in Corolla, NC, in back of shops and other restaurants. Difficult to find because of signage. The place is bigger than it looks because it extends back and outside.

When we arrived just after 2 PM on a Thursday, no one greeted us at the door. People were inside eating. We eventually sat ourselves and needed to look for a server. When she came over, she said they were temporarily closed from 2 PM to 4 PM (no sign on door). We were about to leave, but she said we could stay and she would tell the kitchen. We later found out they were short staffed because the season had ended.

Our drink and food orders were taken quickly. Drinks took about 5 min. Food took about 15 min. Draft beer selection was very good, about 10 brands including Modelo on tap (my favorite). My drink was eventually empty and I needed to ask for a refill (not a good service feature). However, they were short staffed.

When the food arrived, it was HOT. Two in my party had fish and chips ($20), one had seafood nachos with crab and shrimp ($16). Our fish was VERY GOOD. Fried just right, simple batter. Likely fresh Haddock (Cod family). It was right out of the frier and obviously fresh. Juicy, and broke apart easily. VERY GOOD quality. Fries (not “chips”) were crispy and tasty. The seafood nachos were also VERY GOOD, real crab and shrimp with a cream sauce, and nacho fixings. Both entrees were LARGE portions.

I would rate my overall experience at this restaurant as 4/5. For the Outer Banks, I would rate price point at this restaurant as average to slightly higher with good value for the money. Portions were large and food quality was very good. Service could have been better, but given the situation it was OK. Overall, I was satisfied to very satisfied with our...

2023: Back Again! Our family, again, had an amazing time. Our server, Alex, was phenomenal. We have a new dietary allergy and Alex was fantastic ensuring there were no issues.

Some menu changes have kept the choices top notch. We loved our time.

One thing; bring back the Chicken n Waffle!!

2022 Update! Revisit, same awesome time. This year Lauren took amazing care of us. Our group is alway big but she was SO amazing. Extremely attentive and careful as we’ve had a dietary concern added to our dining experience. No food pics, just go. Great atmosphere. 7/9/2019 Fantastic experience! Received a recommendation from our horse tour guide (Scotty or Scottie, sorry bud) and told to ask for Katie. Have to say, Ike’s was on our short list before we got the rec but after it was a definite. We had a group of 9 (5 kids) and had Katie as our server. Katie was AWESOME! Attentive and personable, made sure we had drinks filled our entire visit. The food was excellent. We had the Seafood Nachos and the Crabby Wings, both great apps. Everyone enjoyed their entrees, as adults we were all impressed with our dishes; 2 chicken/waffles, Mahi de Gallo, and Blackened Fish Tacos. Not one bit was left over. The kids all enjoyed their meals as well. After a rough start to our vacation (side-eyeing you Brindley Beach Rentals), this was a great dinner experience. Thank you!

7/12/2019 We ventured back for breakfast and once again had a great meal. Adam was our server and did a great job with our group, kids and coffees oh my. Three adults had the Breakfast Lasagna and raced about it, great recommendation Adam. Four of our party had the Chicken and Waffles (bacon strips in the waffle and sausage gravy), and lost their minds over it. We rounded out with French toast, a big hit, and pancakes, also a big hit with our pickiest...