The Pony and The Boat — Restaurant in Kitty Hawk

Oh, sweet hay bales and salty sea spray, if you haven’t galloped over to The Pony in the Boat yet, you’re basically still trotting in circles like a confused show pony at a dressage fail. This quirky gem of a restaurant feels like what happens when a seaside diner and a wild west saloon had a love child—rustic wooden beams overhead, nautical knick-knacks on the walls, and servers who sling plates with the swagger of a cowboy lassoing a lobster. We rolled up on a whim, stomachs rumbling like thunder over the plains, and left with bellies full, souls soothed, and a sneaking suspicion we’d just eaten at the spot where Poseidon and Paul Bunyan share custody of the menu. Spoiler: It’s all winners, but hold your horses (pun absolutely intended)—the real mane event is the sautéed carrots. More on those orange miracles in a sec. We dove into the entrees like shipwrecked sailors spotting dry land, starting with the seafood pot pie that was basically a hug from a buttery, flaky crust cradling chunks of tender shrimp, scallops, and crab in a creamy, herb-kissed broth that screamed “maritime romance.” No soggy bottom here—just pure, pie-fect bliss that had us scraping the ramekin like it owed us child support. The steak spring rolls? Crispy on the outside, juicy rare beef and veggie innards exploding with umami on the bite, served with a dipping sauce so addictive I considered proposing to it. And the brussel sprouts—oh, the sprouts! Charred to caramelized perfection, tossed in balsamic glaze that turned these humble green orbs into tiny flavor grenades. They weren’t just a side; they were the side-eye your main course gives when it’s jealous of the attention. Solid 10/10 across the board, folks—nothing left us high and dry. But let’s rein in the chit-chat and saddle up to the true star of the show: those sautéed carrots. Holy hoofbeats, Batman—these weren’t just carrots; they were the vegetable equivalent of a unicorn doing backflips off a rainbow. Picture this: slender, vibrant orange batons, kissed by a hot pan until their natural sweetness caramelizes into something so profoundly delicious, it’s like they whispered sweet nothings to the butter and garlic en route. Each bite crunched with that perfect al dente snap, followed by a melt-in-your-mouth tenderness that released waves of earthy, honeyed glory. I mean, we’re talking carrots so transcendent, they made me question my life choices—why settle for mere mortals like steak or seafood when these root veggies could rule the world? We ordered an extra side (pro tip: do this, or regret it forever), and I caught myself hiding forkfuls from my dining companion like a squirrel stashing acorns for the apocalypse. Were they seasoned with unicorn tears? Bathed in fairy dust? Or just the culinary wizardry of a chef who gets it? Whatever the sorcery, these sautéed carrots didn’t just elevate the meal; they levitated it straight to carrot Valhalla. If flavor had a hall of fame, they’d have their own wing, complete with a velvet rope and a “Do Not Touch the Awesomeness” sign. Move over, everything else on the plate—you’re all just backup dancers to this orange symphony. In a world of bland buffets and over-hyped hype, The Pony in the Boat is the mane squeeze you didn’t know you needed. Prices are fair (think “treat yo’ self” without the bankruptcy), service is snappier than a whip crack, and the vibe? Pure, unadulterated joy. Gallop there posthaste, order the carrots (nay, beg for them), and thank me later. Five stars, two thumbs up, and one very happy pony. Yee-haw and...

Love the Paper Canoe so when we heard the owners were opening up a sister restaurant in Kitty Hawk we were eager to try...Dined there last night with another couple. Started off with some cocktails...I had the margarita. Ordered it because tequila is my choice of hard alcohol and the fact that it had only 3 basic ingredients: tequila, gran marnier and fresh lime juice. Had to be something else in the drink because the color was a pale yellowy-orange and had a "sour mix" taste to it. Make many mixed drinks at home, especially margaritas so this one was a bit disappointing. The rest of my party had beer which of course was fine. Had the buffalo wings as an app and they were good. Ordered the fried chicken (which I've never ordered out) and it was very good and flavorful. Corn bread and green beans as sides were also very good. My husband had the pot roast. It lacked flavor and was very dry. I think they'd be better off taking that off the menu and changing it to braised beef short ribs as they have so much flavor if cooked properly. Our friends had the fried oysters, pot stickers and spinach salad which they said were good. Would def come back and try some of the other food items!!! Wait staff was...

We were really looking forward to coming here after seeing it always busy when we drove by. We were welcomed by the bartender shouting at the hostess about holding four seats at the bar for people he knew and an F bomb or two said in jest, not anger. Not how I expected our nice brunch to begin. I love blueberry pancakes with a side of sausage and ordered those as well as the cinnamon bun(s) and my wife got the sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit. The cinnamon buns were fine, nothing extraordinary and they were slightly warm when they arrived in a cold skillet. Seemed a weird presentation to me. Where they lost me completely was with the pancakes. They were more like crepes and had a massive scoop of butter on top. I LOVE PANCAKES and only had four bites before I was done. They just weren’t good, not much flavor and overall not pancakes. My wife’s biscuit was fine although she described the biscuit as dense (not a compliment). I will note that as we looked around many of the dishes including omelette, salmon, avocado toast, etc. looked amazing so maybe we just ordered the wrong things… With so many amazing options in OBX I don’t think we will be back bit for those that love it, enjoy, just not my plate...