Awful Arthur's Oyster Bar

Reviews

• WH

  Whitney Heiken

  2 days ago
  5.0
  Fantastic oysters, but all the food is amazing. Top notch grouper! Service is phenomenal. They serve the best oyster shooter, and Buddy is the best bar tender/server! We travel to NC every few months and this is a must for every trip south. Highly recommend!!!
• JS

  John Stoiber

  Apr 19, 2026
  5.0
  Kind of a dive bar with awesome food! Food and drink prices in line or less than other spots along the beach road. Spiced peel and eat shrimp second to none (as are the hush puppies). Service only got 4 stars because of policy of requiring full party to be there before seating. We make this our first stop upon arriving from different states so getting everybody there at the same time is impossible. Waitress was fabulous and provided great service. Person seating people was not so gracious. Since there were only 3 of us that arrived first we could only sit at a 4 top or wait for the rest of our party to arrive to get a larger table. More than half the restaurant was empty. We took the small table, but the waitress allowed us to move to the next table that had room for 6-8. If the full party seating thing were to cause a problem, we would find somewhere else. Too bad, we have been coming to Awful Arthur's since our honeymoon in 1996.
• TJ

  Thomas J

  Apr 14, 2026
  5.0
  This was probably my 50th visit from a lifetime of Outer Banks visiting. They did not disappoint. The service was perfect and very welcoming from door to door. The raw oysters were fresh and delicious. Gave me 7 for a half dozen order. The fried oysters were a little crispy but delicious and a generous portion compared to what I've seen other places. Fried shrimp were butterflied and well seasoned with perfect breading. Cole slaw was very good with the right amount of juice and seasoning. Fries are frozen but flavorful and crisp. This place is a must on any visit to the Outer Banks. Atmosphere and nostalgia alone put it at the top of my list.
• GA

  gen awanohara

  Apr 14, 2026
  5.0
  One of the best OG restaurants of Outer Banks. Been coming here for close to 20 years and not much has changed. Nothing fancy, just great, friendly service year after year. Food is fantastic and great prices. Love the raw oysters and their homemade cocktail sauce with spicy horseradish. Locally sourced shrimp used for steamed shrimp is ridiculously good. Fried seafood is top notch. Highly recommended this place!
• ZT

  ZelyAnnMarie TV

  Apr 7, 2026
  5.0
  ¡Llamé a mis amigos de aquí para que me recomendaran un lugar donde mis visitas de Pensilvania pudieran probar mariscos frescos, y la verdad es que superó nuestras expectativas! El sabor, y te lo digo como dominicana acostumbrada al sazón caribeño de los mariscos, ¡es delicioso! Mi esposo pidió el especial de carnes y también estaba riquísimo, además de cocinado a la perfección. Solo le doy 4 estrellas al servicio porque, aunque nos recibieron súper bien, nuestra mesera no disimuló su impaciencia mientras mis amigos latinos se esforzaban por entender el menú en inglés. Espero que ella reflexione que sería igual si va a un restaurante latino. Todo lo demás, excelente.