Mulligan's Grille in Historic Cottage Row — Restaurant in Nags Head

I visited for a few days and got a recommendation to try this restaurant from a friend that frequents the area. We were satisfied with the meal. The views from the rooftop bar are lovely when the weather is nice. We went about 630pm and the wait was currently 30-35 mins for a table so we decided to eat at the bar (It has shading and mostly covered I believe). We had a party of 3: fried flounder meal, crab cake meal, and our friend ordered the fried shrimp meal.

I had the crab cake meal and MAN they weren't kidding about barely any filler (see photos). Mashed potatoes I thought were average and green beans tasted sauted in a butter garlic sauce with a small amount of peppers and onions. The crab cakes came with a remoulade. The hushpuppies. Omg the huspuppies. Just get an appetizer....you'll thank me later. 😂

My boyfriend enjoyed the fried flounder meal. I thought the fish could have used more seasoning. Fries-nothing to call home about. He also had hushpuppies.

Our friend enjoyed the fried shrimp meal and especially loved the hushpuppies.

We didn't have to wait long for our food. Drinks came out right away and by the time I finished my drink and had casual conversation, our meals were served.

This establishment is dog friendly and we saw two medium dogs while cutomers drank at the bar. You can even order a meal off the menu for your dog!!

The only reason why I rated 4 stars is for the following reason. I overheared the bartenders' conversations right in front of my boyfriend and I. Joe, one of the bartenders, was really cool and made conversation with us but his coworker that was working behind the bar with him was complaining how aggravated he was. He did it in a respectful way...no cussing or arguing. From someone who has worked food business and especially fast paced restaurants, I understand the frustration and wanting to voice it. However, making it known within ear shot of customers is just awkward lol.

Overall, I would give this place another visit when I come to Nags Head. $126 for 3 meals and 3 alcoholic specialty...

Good food, long waits, mediocre service - that's the short version.

The longer version is that Mulligans is a pretty good place but overstretched to the point that the experience suffers. They do not take reservations, but do "call-ahead" which means they will try to seat your party around a particular time but it could be 30-60 minutes later before you get a table. However this gives you plenty of time to search for a place to park as there are not enough spaces when its busy. It would be one thing if you could rely on a reasonable wait, but you are held hostage to their overbooking.

The food is good, with a variety of seafood choices and some wonderful creations like the blue crab mac and cheese with shrimp on top. Sides like the hush puppies or fried green tomatoes will compliment anything you order. The menu is well thought out but is handicapped by how slow the food gets out and the long wait times. (Our waitress forgot about one of our meals and it came out 20 minutes after the others, although they did not charge us for it. And oddly enough people that came in after us were served before us - it felt like they don't like the vacationers as much as the locals).

There is a small but well curated list of draft beers, and the same for the wines which are by the glass or bottle and are reasonably priced.

Unfortunately the service is slow, which when added to the long seating time makes you wonder if it would be quicker to just charter your own fishing boat and catch your own fish. When drinks take 20 minutes to get out, appetizers 30 minutes, and your meal well after that you wonder if they got the name Mulligans by asking customers to constantly give them a second chance.

The safe bet is to pull in and scan the parking lot; if its busy then continue your trek and find one of the many other fine restaurants along the highway, if not then...

My dog was attacked by one of the staff members!!

I heard this place was a good restaurant, so my family and I ate there during our trip. The restaurant said it was pet friendly, so we brought our dog. She is very sweet, calm, and good with other dogs and people. We were seated at the top balcony near the entrance, which was the “dog area.” There is six people in my family, and they only gave us a table that sat 4-5 people. We placed our dog on the left side of the table so she wasn’t in anyone’s way. The waiter came over to get our appetizer orders and called my mom “darling,” making her and me uncomfortable. I don’t think he should use pet names for a married woman having dinner with her family. The waiter left and came back, taking our entree orders. He sat down on the bench near my dog. He was taking orders, and then my dog yipped. The waiter then got up, cursed, had an angry look on his face, and looked like he would hit my dog. He then came back and apologized for cursing. My mom asked if our dog bit him which he replied, saying, “A little bit,” and then told us he got bit 4 times that day. He then took our orders and left. I checked on my dog, and she was fine, but my family and I were upset. He should have seen where he was stepping before sitting down. I know he didn’t mean to step on my dog, but if you work where dogs are sitting or laying, you should watch where your walking. After that, we had to wait over one hour for our food, drunk people were yelling, and the waiter just left. He didn’t say anything to us, didn’t tell the other servers he had a table, andwalked out in front of us. I would not recommend this place if you’re not just looking for a bar toget drunk at. Don’t bring your family...