Best Food On The Go, Outer Banks
Aug 12, 2022
My Best Picks for Food-On-The-Go
If you're running around on the Outer Banks there's a good chance you need to grab some food on the fly. Maybe it's breakfast on your way to work, a quick lunch, or snacks for the beach. Here are my favorites.
Best Pre-made Salads: Cahoon's Market, Nags Head
Cahoon's puts out fresh, pre-made salads on a daily basis. What's most impressive are the creative combinations of ingredients. Top choices are; Cobb, Chef, Superfood, and Spinach.
Best Pre-made Sandwiches (and wraps): Cahoon's Market, Nags Head
Again, the creativity they show with their fresh, pre-made sandwiches is excellent. Top choices are; Shrimp Salad Wrap, Roast Beef Wrap, Turkey Club, and Chicken Salad.
Best Fruit Salad: Publix, Kill Devil Hills
I feel like most grocery stores make their fruit salad from items that are overly ripe and on the verge of being thrown out. Not Publix. They obviously use the best fruit to make their salads. Always fresh. Never over-ripe.
Best Fried Chicken: Publix, Kill Devil Hills
There is a grocery store in Southern Shores (the only grocery store in Southern Shores) that has a chicken wing bar. On the bar is a display of Chik-fil-A sauces. This is a dirty trick to make you think they are serving Chik-fil-A chicken. Alas, they are serving wooden carvings made to look and smell like chicken. Or maybe it's something else. Whatever it is, it's inedible.
However! The fried chicken at Publix is put out hot and fresh. It never disappoints.
Best Bakery: Fresh Market, Nags Head
Cakes, pies, rolls, pastries, you name it. They all look great and made with great care. Admittedly, I have to pass the bakery department with my head down or I will regret it the next day.
Best Paninis: Fresh Market, Nags Head
The deli has many excellent choices but my favorite is their panini. They have them pre-made and they will finish grilling it for you. They're huge and delicious.
Best Sushi: Harris Teeter, Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills
I don't trust sushi that's made somewhere else and shipped in. Harris Teeter has their own chef dedicated to making fresh sushi on-site. Be on the lookout for their Poke Bowl, another one of my favorites.
Best Carry-out Breakfast: Waveriders, Nags Head
This place has an excellent selection of breakfast sandwiches (bagels, wraps). The best part is their mobile ordering system. Order on your smartphone with the MobileBytes app and your food will be waiting in a cubby for you to grab and go. There may be better breakfast sandwiches on the beach, but none get them to you faster than Waveriders when using the app. No lines. Faster than any drive-thru. Try the Sweet and Salty, Tree Hugger, or Bruce's Burrito.
Best Soup and Sandwich: Ladles, Kill Devil Hills
I'm not a big soup fan in the summer time, but this is a great place when it's cooler. Ladles has an online app as well, making it very convenient. I like the Buffalo Chicken Soup with a Turkey Reuben Sandwich.
Enjoy.
John Van Lunen
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