Brewery & Bar

Aviator Tavern

A straightforward tavern on Kitty Hawk's Beach Road, pub food and a beer without the fuss

(32)

$$$$Kitty Hawk, NC

About

Aviator Tavern sits along N Virginia Dare Trail — the Beach Road corridor that runs the length of Kitty Hawk between the dune line and the ocean. It's built for the after-beach crowd: a casual, moderately priced tavern menu and a bar rather than a white-tablecloth night out, the kind of stop that fits naturally into a day spent on this stretch of the northern Outer Banks.

The name plays on Kitty Hawk's outsized place in aviation lore. The Wright Brothers' actual 1903 flight lifted off a few miles south in Kill Devil Hills, but it's Kitty Hawk's name that stuck to the story — the weather station telegram, the town on the map, the shorthand the whole world uses for "first flight." A tavern leaning into that heritage here is playing it straight, not stretching the truth.

There's no beach driving in this part of the Outer Banks — that's a Hatteras Island thing, well south of here — so Aviator Tavern is a walk-in or drive-up stop, not a 4x4 destination. It doesn't yet have an online review history to draw on, so confirm current hours directly with the restaurant before building it into your Kitty Hawk plans.

Reviews (32)

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4.4

32 reviews

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Views & Brews

a month ago

Aviator Tavern, located inside the Hilton, is an absolute hidden gem! It is so rare to find a hotel restaurant that is this convenient while still delivering incredible food, drinks, and wonderfully friendly staff. Loved the wings! 🪽 The wings were easily some of the best we've ever had. The spicy chili and spicy buffalo sauce is so good! The smash burger was equally delicious, and we definitely recommend asking for an extra side of their burger sauce because it takes it to the next level. Beyond the fantastic food and drinks, the service was great, and we loved the fun ambiance, especially the fish tanks, lol! 🐠 Whether you are staying at the hotel or just looking for a top-notch spot to eat, we highly recommend checking this place out.

Summer Sanderlin

10 months ago

Stopped in for breakfast this morning — highly recommend the Everything Breakfast Bowl (pictured), or the Wilbur. Friendly staff, great service, excellent food. Reasonable prices, plenty of menu items to choose from, and a great view of the ocean just a few steps away. We’ll be back!

Ashley C

2 years ago

This place really surprised us for a hotel restaurant in a good way. The sausage on the Texas toast breakfast sandwich was so flavorful. The breakfast food overall was so good. The hollandaise had great flavor too. The vibe was cute. Loved the fish tanks. We had a great waitress who made some modifications on our food and was just so sweet. She was newer and I wish I got her name. When we got food to go another day I subbed the bagel on the Texas toast sandwich and it was soooo good!

lobuxracer

5 months ago

Everything I expected from a restaurant inside the Hilton Garden Inn. Food was on point, fresh, hot, quality ingredients. Be sure to ask about the daily special - they hit it out of the park for me. Bar selections are most popular, not a wide range of choices, but solid. Service was great, Pat, our bartender took great care of us. Definitely would come back again!

Angela Melton

2 years ago

We checked in today and didn’t feel like going out and fighting the crowds. So we have it a shot. The staff was excellent! Very friendly and attentive. Started off with the soup of the day, seafood chowder, and it did not disappoint! It was delicious! The food was very flavorful and spot on. Chicken dish was good and had a comforting flavor. Shrimp and grits had a great flavor combination and was really good. Only thing I would change is the amount of sauce on the shrimp and grits. It was abundant and I lost the grits in it. Other than that little suggestion we had a great experience and was pleasantly surprised!