A straightforward Nags Head dinner spot with takeout, closed only on Mondays
Basnight's Lone Cedar Cafe sits on S Virginia Dare Trail toward the south end of Nags Head, a restaurant with a moderate $$ price point that offers both a full sit-down meal and takeout — an easy stop coming off the beach for the evening or heading back to a rental for the night, good for either a proper dinner out or something to carry home.
The kitchen is closed on Mondays and open Tuesday through Sunday, so it's worth building around that one dark night if a Nags Head dinner is on the plan for early in the week. Beyond that, expect a fairly typical Outer Banks schedule the rest of the week, with the stretch between Memorial Day and Labor Day busier than the shoulder months of spring and fall, when tables are easier to come by and the whole corridor slows down.
2,215 reviews
2 months ago
Each time I’ve dined here, the food has been delicious and the service has been wonderful. On my most recent visit, I ordered the Caribbean jerk-spiced swordfish and the fried soft-shell crab as a shared appetizer. 🦀 The view of the water is lovely, and the garden and waterfront offer great photo ops. 📸
4 months ago
This week, I came down to North Carolina to my nephew's wedding. Was a very special occasion and took a lot of planning. We were looking so forward to spending the week here at the beach The day after the wedding, a party of 14 of us went to Basnights to have dinner before most of the people had to head back home to Pittsburgh. Me and my little family were going to stay until the following weekend. We wanted to have a special dinner together and so we picked this restaurant that got great reviews and thought it would be a good choice of places to eat together. I ordered a dish with pasta and seafood and my son ordered the exact same meal. No one else had that at our table except for my son and I. After a few bites of my food, I tasted that something was off and my brother who works at a very high-end restaurant in Pittsburgh, tried the dish and said it was definitely bad. I called the waitress over and sent it back and ended up not having a meal, but they did take it off the check. That night, my son became violently ill. He had eaten a small portion and realized it tasted off, so didn't finish it. His illness, we felt, was a direct result of the food and was a case of food poisoning. The next day he was still very ill and I called the restaurant to tell them what had happened. I asked to speak to a manager and the male who answered the phone said, well, I am one of the managers I told him the story and his response to me was that they change their seafood out every 3 hrs and that there were no other complaints and that there was this stomach virus going around, and that's probably what was wrong with my son. I was appalled at his response and told him that I wanted a call back with some type of comp for what had happened. (A concerned apology and crediting my son’s dinner would have been appreciated) He told me he would speak with the chef and call me back. It is 3 days later and I never did hear back from the restaurant. Fortunately , my son is starting to feel better but 3 days.of his vacation ruined. I am a nurse. This was no virus! one highlight I do want to commend was our server. She was amazing, very professional and tentative.
2 months ago
We were seated in the very back of the restaurant with an amazing view of the water. I got the fried combo with green beans and whipped sweet potatoes. Everything was great with the food. My wife got the Parmesan crusted chicken with baked potato and green beans, she liked it, but next time she'll order it without the cream sauce as it made the chicken's coating not as crunchy. Our server, Cassia, was amazing! She checked in on us several times and was very prompt with service. Also dessert was great too! Highly recommend the Hershey bar cake and the carrot cake!
a month ago
Have eaten here before and came back for the local fare again with friends. The crab cakes are phenomenal & that's not usually my go to for seafood. Not a lot of filling or spices and tons of lump meat. Views are fantastic too. Enjoy!
4 months ago
We popped in on a blustery, overcast Sunday evening in April. The food was good (not great) as expected for a beachy restaurant. The She Crab soup was the highlight for me, and was FULL of crab. The restaurant was fairly empty. The service was excellent. We were seated overlooking the sound and had a bird's eye view of an osprey nest.