Top Dog Cafe

First time and not the last time. Overall absolutely delicious. Loved the beer and the entrees. Perfect location too!

Easily the best burger I’ve ever had.
The space inside Top Dog is cozy, quiet, and very relaxing, all of which makes the food that much more enjoyable– practically euphoric.
Top Dog Café requires at least one visit during a trip, but don’t be surprised if you end up going twice in a week… or four.

I don’t want to sound pretentious or anything but let me just say that as a native New Yorker (not one of those fake ones that lives in Long Island, no I actually live in Manhattan) I know a thing or two about Mahi Mahi tacos, or as they say in Hawaii Mahu Mahu. So imagine my surprise when my bud (he’s an epiiiiiiiic bro, this is a term I learned when I was there. Fyi everyone that is in the area is either inbred, no joke look it up, or an epiiiiiiic surfer bro) and I went there and tried the mahi mahi «tacos» only to find out that what they serve there does not really qualify as a taco.
No what they serve is more of a quesadilla. It’s massive. It’s a large tortilla with about a pound of grilled mahu mahu, cheese, slaw, and salsa. It’s delicious. And they give you two of these gigantic things. For like 15 bucks! 15 bucks! I from New York, these taco monstrosities would have cost at least 45 bucks each there! But the bottom line is they weren’t tacos, and so I have to deduct a star for that on principle.
Actually no what I am deducting a star for is the fact that no where on this island do they serve bourbon or rye. It’s all I drink, and at this place they didn’t even have hard liquer so I was forced to drink pino grigio. Gross. Minus one star for that.

Frequented this place several times while on vacation. It was walking distance and great service! The waiter was funny as hell and really nice. Laid back atmosphere and really good food. Will definitely be going back next year.

«The food is excellent, and there’s plenty of it. The fish tacos were delicious — they’ve got a crisp shell, topped with cheese, coleslaw, and a spicy sauce. It’s a great blend of flavors and textures. The shrimp wrap was also good. We loved the no-​fuss waitering — our server was attentive, and present when needed, but not too often. We’d definitely come back!»
I wrote this review on behalf of my in-​laws, who ate here twice during our week of vacation.

Friendly atmosphere and setting. Food was delicious and I will return during my stay.

Top dogs fish tacos best I ever had ate there 3 times this week had a great experience every time. Good burgers good people good times

Always amazing. Best fish tacos ever. Lovely staff who are kind, relaxed and deliver delicious meals every time. Fourth year in a row eating here and this is always are first stop.
Be patient seating fills up so sometime you have to wait on the ramp. Just remember to keep the door closed (no one likes a side of flies :).
We will be back next year.

The food is good so there’s no problem there. The issue is that the grill, per the waitress, is super small so it took 54 minutes for them to pre

Best lunch hands down in OBX. Fish Tacos and Crab Melt were awesome. Not a bite left on our plates. Wait staff is extremely friendly. Would recommend you stop by and enjoy.

Great variety on their menu! Excellent fish tacos! Kids menu actually had variety instead of the usual burger or hot dog. Waitress was very nice and helpful!

Had dinner at about 7:30 on a Friday — rush hour.
The server was friendly but VERY busy. So the service was a bit slow, which was not from lack of hustle.
I had the shrimp wrap — good and spicy with lots of shrimp in a cooked wrap –big top and bottom grill.
The better half had the fried shrimp dinner — 8 large shrimp and sides. The bill for 2 meals and a beer was $ 28.
The food was great.
The place has a nice casual beach atmosphere.
Be aware there is no A/​C but plenty of fans kept it comfortable.
The rush seemed to end about 8
We will return before we leave the OBX

Very good specials. Had the grouper basket, wasn’t greasy. Steak sandwich was good. Casual atmosphere, friendly service.

While in the OBX you have to make this hot spot a «must do». Located in Waves, it’s totally worth the drive! The portions are huge, the quality is superb & the service is impeccable. Both times I’ve been, I get the Crab Melt — it’s that good! I’m talking premium lump crab meat with cheese melted on top and seasoned to perfection. It’s a sandwich but I eat it like a pizza– only half the bread. It’s heaven! The hubs likes the burgers. This time he went for the big burger challenge and yes ate it all! Hands down while visiting the OBX add this to your life of casual Delish spots to eat at.

We got two recommendations from locals before eating at Top Dog. The portions were large, and the food was very fresh. We arrived at about 12:30 and the first floor screened area was full except one table, which we took. There was only one waitress on serving both the bar upstairs and our floor, and she did a fantastic job of checking in several times after we got our food.
I got the fried grouper platter special for $ 13.95, and it was more than ½ lb of fresh grouper, perfectly fried. Not greasy, but crispy to the last bite. My companion got the fish tacos, which were huge. There was a lot of fish, nicely prepared, not too much filler. The black beans were fresh, not canned, and we’re very tasty.
We’d definitely stop in again.

Greasy goodness! Every bite is delicious. It’s pretty fast service. Indoor pat ion type place. 10.00 Minimum to pay by card.

The vibe is perfect for the area and eating in the enclosed deck during sunset is a great ! Food is better then I expected, veggies are cooked perfectly and beer is cold and lighting is just right

This is exactly what you’d expect from a restaurant so close to the beach. It’s a small screened in deck type of atmosphere, with surfboard decorations, and white plastic deck chairs.
The servers are very friendly, and it is a very casual and comfortable place to be. The food is also very good (albeit a bit pricey, but you are on the Outer Banks so that can be expected). We got salads and burgers, and both were excellent. Beers are cheap.
If you are looking for a lunch/​dinner place that has sandwiches, burgers, and «comfort food», this is the place you are looking for.