Back Porch Restaurant — Restaurant in Ocracoke

Really displeased with the service tonight. We were seated and ignored. After about 5 minutes the hostess came back and filled our water glasses but no water was poured for our 4 year old son. She didn't offer specials and when we asked about a kids menu she said ask your server for the bar menu it has smaller portions. Why not bring is one? Why not offer beverages? Probably almost 10 minutes later when the waitress still hasn't arrived oyr older son went to the hostess stand to ask for the bar menu. They never apologized for the wait or offered anything to help move things along. I wish we had walked out then. What kind of restaurant in NC doesn't have Sweet Tea? They certainly aren't kid friendly with no kids menu to speak of and they don't even serve milk. We ordered some potatoes chip nachos, just to get food on the table, and they could have been good except for the gallon of green salsa that covered the whole thing and the waitress didn't mention it was spicy until serving it. $7 for some butter spaghetti noodles seems high and my older son who likes shrimp had to order a $20 entree because they don't seem to believe in kid portions, the half portion would have been $17. Lastly my husband ordered the Dragon Bowl with shrimp and couldn't finish it. It was lacking in flavor and the rice was under cooked. Waitress was no where to be found when we were ready for the check. Did I mention there were empty tables around us and the server for the other table didn't bother to acknowledge our lack of service either. We...

We've been vacationing at Ocracoke for 20+ years and Back Porch Restaurant remains our favorite. (2nd and 3d place go to Daijo and Flying Mellon) WARNING to city slickers - over half the seating at this restaurant is really a screened-in porch with no A/C. Our server was very knowledgeable regarding both wine and food menu choices. Last night the Horseradish Salmon, Seared Ahi Tuna, Dragon Bowl w Shrimp, Scallops, Spicey Chocolate Brulee (with cayenne pepper), and Sticky Toffee Pudding were among our favorites. They don't take reservations but you can call and ask about the wait time. Our party of 6 was seated immediately. Staff were attentive and friendly. Yes, it's somewhat expensive. Look folks - it's an island only accessible by ferry. This is really extraordinary food for such a small and isolated village! Oh, I forgot to mention the cobia with fresh fig glaze. I could go on . . . just eat there for a real treat. UPDATE: Ate there again last night in the "air conditioned" section. Still very hot in the restaurant. We elected to leave and buy desert somewhere else due to discomfort. This is sad given quality of food and service. I have...

My wife and I first visited the Back Porch in August of 2010. We had been on a road trip and were travelling up the Outer Banks when we decided to stay in Ocracoke. Walking around led us to this place which is off the beaten path (not on a main road, but certainly within walking distance of everything in Ocracoke). The decor is very nice with an open feel because of it's screened in porch motif. The servers were knowledgeable and attentive. The food was very good, if not perhaps a dollar or two overpriced. This is something I can look past given the overall enjoyment of our dinner. In fact, I had been carrying around a wedding ring the whole road trip just waiting for the "right" moment. And it was here! That night I asked my then g/f to marry me (apologies to the server who brought our entrees right in the middle of this...it might have been awkward!).

We also came back when we visited last summer (2012) and were just as happy with the food, service, and environment. We highly recommend! (try the scallops...