Chilli Peppers Coastal Grill — Restaurant in Kill Devil Hills

I was super excited to go to Chili Peppers based on other reviews, but I was disappointed by the entire experience. My boyfriend and I went on Monday while on vacation. It was busy, but a lot of the staff members seemed efficient and there were open tables. We waited at the stand to be seated for several minutes without any acknowledgement from staff that saw us or passed by. A small line was starting to form. Eventually, an exasperated woman came and got us to seat us.

After being seated we didn’t receive any service for about 20 mins. Staff kept looking at us, but no one stopped by. A woman, Lisa, ended up coming over and said we were her table, but the person up front didn’t mark us down, so she didn’t know. No apology or anything…which, we don’t get particularly upset usually, so no big deal. Things happen.

She took our drink/appetizer orders and we didn’t see her again for another 15 minutes. We ordered waters and 2 margaritas. We got our margaritas after that 15 mins, but we didn’t get our waters. Asked for them, then she rapidly vanished again. She didn’t come back with them, but we did see her afterward…bringing a bunch of drinks to another table.

At this point we didn’t even want to be there anymore. We really just ordered the margaritas because we could tell it was going to be a cluster bumble. The room we were in was also just…kids screaming, could barely hear each other or talk. Not the fault of the restaurant, but it was additional frustration to what was already annoying.

It didn’t take super long to get the appetizer, which was “okay.” For the entree I asked if it was possible to do an enchilada with crab since I don’t like scallops, which is what the seafood enchilada had. The kitchen accommodated, which was awesome. Right after placing our entree food order we asked if we could just get it to-go and we’d have our appetizer and drinks there. She said she’d ask and we didn’t see her again for almost 30 mins (still no water). Once she came back she said that the kitchen staff “would kill her if she asked for it to go,” so I can only assume that she forgot about it up until that point, since she brought out the food right after that.

We ended up boxing it ourselves, whatever. She did put some sides in to-go containers prior to bringing it out, which was appreciated. We had to request water again right before leaving because we never got ours and we were really thirsty. We DID get it at that point.

Our margaritas were delicious and we enjoyed them. Appetizer was okay (carne asada fries or something like that). Entrees were mediocre (crab enchilada and Cuban sandwich). Mine was bland and my boyfriend’s sandwich was cold, had tough bread, and it didn’t taste like any Cuban we’ve ever had (in a bad way). I also got sick after I ate my food; I have no idea if it was related or not, but it was unusual. My sister and her husband got Cubans as takeout and felt the same about them. Her husband also had to wait at the bar for several minutes without any acknowledgment before he could pick up their takeout order). Service was 0/5 all around. Food was 2 or 3 out of 5. Margarita was 4/5 (expensive for what it was).

Things happen and people get busy. This entire situation and experience sucked, though. While the waitress was nice, she seemed pretty aloof and indifferent about the excessive wait times and being MIA. All of the other staff members we saw waiting on guests were super attentive and on top of things. There was also a bus boy we saw going back and forth with things and he seemed to go above and beyond. So, by all means, I don’t necessarily think that the restaurant is poorly staffed or bad. And maybe the woman we had was having an off day, I don’t know. Regardless, we had a terrible experience and that was the worst $80 we’ve ever spent on a restaurant and wish we hadn’t. I...

The staff seemed very friendly. The place has a good atmosphere. The food was the only issue and it was pretty good.

The tuna I order was on special. It was covered in sesame seed and horse radish extract. It was slathered in a creamy sauce. Tasting the fish by itself was almost impossible. I had to work hard but got a piece of the center with minimal sauce and the tuna was so fresh. It was amazing... if you can get a piece not encrusted with spice. In my experience this covers the flavor of day old fish, but the tuna is so fresh... why? It doesn't make sense. The delicate flavor of fish is plowed under by over barring amounts of Asian spices. I could have been eating a flaky shoe. What's the point of the high quality tuna I can't taste? However, the cook heated it to perfection. PERFECTION! It was still pink but just starting to turn consistency where it would still flake. In the constant battle to find the perfect fillet of fish, this was very close. Under all that seasoning was an amazing fillet. Sometimes more isn't better. I would say the seasoning was not bad. Just unnecessary.

The vegetable medley was fantastic. I always worry it will be over cooked mush. This still had consistency. A hint of... Cayenne? So good and excellent choice of vegetables. Broccoli, onions, peppers cabbage. It was fantastic and spiced perfectly.

So weird thing... I get to the rice and it's also spicy.... okay... I like spice so.... I don't know what's in this but it's a cream? Seafood undertones. Green onion. Tomatoes. It's good. A little spicy. Spicier than the fake Wasabi. Which was unexpected, but welcome.

I'd give it 4.5 stars on food. Mostly because of the price being high, it heightens expectations and for $25, I'd expect better on the fillet. This is not meant to be a bad review. It is good food. It's a great place. I...

This was a lark stop lol. We were driving around Nags Head/Kitty Hawk, & Kill Devil Hills trying to find a really good place to eat. It was the end of the evening and google didn’t let us down.

Very beachy themed in close quarters, we wiggled ourselves to the back room. I would guess that based upon the dimensions, this place is mostly bar, but we really loved the food. There were TVs scattered thoughout the rooms to give people a topic of discussion.

We got the Chicken & Black Bean springrolls as an app which were so amazing !! A little hot but still, so worth the sting. The spicy ranch encouraged that feeling to bridge the fried with layered center. Sooooo very good! I got the shrimp po’boy and The Man got the Wet Burrito. The breading around the shrimp in my sandwich cracked enough at first bite to let the spicy yummy explode on the tongue. Oy…

The Man was digging into the burrito before I got a pic..He slathered, smothered and chunked that thing in the most unseemly Waffle House fashion. The growling noises from his direction had a decidedly junkyard dog tenor as he launched into his meal. I really hope that the people around us were watching golf on the TV rather than us hovering over our plates like a trough at a barnyard.

We saw our server three times, when she took our orders, when she brought our orders, and with the bill. The hostess was constantly on the move and kept us hydrated. At the end of the meal, I wanted to give the hostess a tip rather than our server. The restroom stalls in the women’s are criminally small. I hit my knee and fell back on the commode when I was getting...