Watermen's Bar & Grill — Restaurant in North Carolina

Food and outdoor atmosphere were excellent. Service is weird at best, very bad at worst. We visited for the first time last week and arrived about an hour before sunset when the weather was perfect. There is no table service per se. When you first arrive you must order from the bartender who also makes your drinks. As a result there is a line of confused patrons outside the building with a small beginning of the line directly inside the door to about 10 feet from the bar (where it says "wait here"). More on the weird entry situation later.. One bartender exclusively serves new patrons and one focuses on existing tabs. The bartender helping existing tabs will jump in with new patrons when the line for existing dies down. I have never been to a bar like this, especially one that is also kid-friendly and focuses on food...maybe they are still in covid mode? We waited about 30 minutes to order food and get drinks from the fairly unfriendly bartender. I was joking about the kids' orders and was met with an annoyed stare. They are big on "have your order ready, no questions" apparently. When we ordered fries we were gruffly informed there is no fryer like we should know this even though it was our first time there. Not comparable to the overly friendly service we received at every other restaurant in the Outer Banks. We then had to fend for ourselves to find an open table among the outdoor picnic tables (beware, no indoor seating so only suitable for good weather). Luckily we did find a table but it was harder later; people want to see the sunset so tables were scarce at golden hour. While the bubbly food runner was helpful in offering drink refills to people around us, we must have looked too much like tourists and were largely ignored, instead fending for ourselves in the "existing tabs" line. The bartender in this line was friendlier but it didn't take much to improve over the first bartender. However, again the re-entry system is confusing and nonsensical. There are two doors to enter the bar area: one is the main entry and there is a long line of new patrons blocking this entry nearly all the time. If you want to enter this way, you must either wait in line or explain to the line that you are an existing patron and skip it (which was quite confusing when we were on line and people were skipping us). The other door - double doors - is labeled "exit only" in large letters. But the food runners and many patrons entered this way because it is directly in front of the existing tabs line. This was downright silly and I also "broke the rules" to enter this way the 3x I went back inside (once for a drink refill, once to order dessert and once to pay). My theory is that the bartenders are not rude but fatigued by the complaints from grumpy guests who have had to endure their bewildering system of entering, ordering, paying and receiving food. The final issue we had was our tab had to be adjusted due to a mistake. They advertise specials on their website but mysteriously they are not mentioned anywhere onsite. We had seen the buy one, get one fajitas 50% off online and confirmed with the first gruff bartender that it was available when we ordered. However it was not reflected on my tab and I had to see the head bartender to have it adjusted. She was friendly enough about it and apologized, even suggesting that if I hadn't noticed it then I could come back for a refund later. Seemed like it happens a lot (maybe always) and felt a bit scammy so be alert! The fajitas were pretty good. Everyone enjoyed their meal and the kids had fun running around with other kids in the yard. The sunset alone was worth the visit. The friendlier bartender warmed up later and did give me an extra cookie "for the wait" which was nice. That touch, food and sunset are the reasons I gave Watermen's 4 stars instead of 3. We were staying at the KOA down the street and if we stay there again we would make a visit due to proximity, atmosphere and food. We will be more informed on their weird system next time with service...

The restaurant is an order at the counter and they bring the food out to you.

ATMOSPHERE-There are picnic tables that are covered and others that are not. Today was a very pleasant day and full sun so we opted for covered. We were able to watch people kite surfing. I throughly enjoyed that. Someone had a drone out over the water. Very interesting to watch everyone.

FOOD-I ordered the surfs up seafood platter. Exceptionally good. It came with a crab cake (huge!!), a skewer of shrimp and blackened b mahi-mahi. Regarding the fish I had a choice between mahi-mahi or local tuna. I choose the mahi-mahi and it was a very large piece of fish. The entire plate was huge. I brought home the mahi-mahi for dinner. You get a choice of two sides-coleslaw, black bean salad or tortilla chips. I chose the coleslaw and chips. I do not like cilantro and unfortunately the black bean salad is made with cilantro. The coleslaw was very good. It is NOT mayo based but is citrus based and cranberries are also in the salad. I loved the coleslaw. I did not care for the tortilla chips. I thought they were a bit thick. I prefer the lighter chips because I find them more flavorful. Also included in my dish was a container of tartar sauce, verde and cocktail sauce. I did not try the tartar sauce so no comment on that. The verde sauce was good with the right amount of heat. The cocktail sauce was good. It had a mild heat to it. STAFF-The staff from ordering to food delivery was great. They are all very nice and they had good attitudes. Regarding the drinks, I had a painkiller. Yummmy. You have the option, when ordering your food to keep an open tab or close out. We did not opt for an open tab. I did order another drink. Our waitress took our card and ordered our drink.

TIPS-you need to place your tip when you’re paying for your meal at checkout. We did not realize there were waitresses and waiters who brought us our food, refreshed our drinks, or brought us any other food/drinks we wanted. They were all awesome. I wish I knew to pay tips up front. However, since I did order a second drip I was able to place the tip in that bill.

PARKING-very small parking available. We ended up parking in the grass in front of the building Hwy 12 side. Not sure it was legal but a bunch of cars ended up parking there. I highly recommend Watermen’s Bar & Grill. We will definitely...

Unfortunately, our experience at this restaurant was overshadowed by the dismissive and condescending behavior of the man working the counter. If you aren’t prepared to order immediately or if you have any questions about the menu, be prepared to be met with an attitude that implies you’re somehow a burden or beneath him. His demeanor was not only unwelcoming, but downright rude.

The environment as a whole felt pretentious and exclusionary. Unless you’re dressed head-to-toe in designer labels and carrying a luxury handbag, don’t expect warm service. Our family felt noticeably out of place, as though we didn’t meet some unspoken standard of appearance or status. But here’s the truth: wealth doesn’t always wear a brand name—respect and dignity should be offered to all guests, regardless of their wardrobe.

The food is significantly overpriced for what is essentially an outdoor bar setting, and the drink options—particularly the fountain soda—left much to be desired. If you go, I’d recommend sticking to bottled beverages.

To the man at the counter: Please remember that kindness and professionalism should not be reserved only for those who fit a certain image. True hospitality is about treating everyone with respect. This is the South—where warmth, friendliness, and community matter. If personal bitterness or past wounds are affecting your ability to treat patrons with decency, I sincerely hope you find peace. But until then, working in a family-centered restaurant may not be the best fit.

I don’t typically leave reviews, but I feel it’s important to share this experience so others can make an informed decision. There are many wonderful places to dine—where hospitality is genuine, and all guests are welcomed equally. Sadly, this was not...