Spanky’s Grille

My husband can’t stand Spankys because of its raunchy slogans and décor, and I sort of agree on that point. However, my hubs doesn’t eat a lot of meat, and I do, haha. For burgers it’s quick, it’s dirty, it’s naughty, it’s GOOD. I love the chili cheese fries and a burger with bacon. Don’t worry, the very friendly and smiley owner will ask what you want on it, and you can have it fixed up your way. Great value, great lunch spot. I love that it’s a locally owned business with an always present owner which is rare on the beach these days! Keep up the good work guys!

Food was great. Best catfish I’ve had in a while and hush puppies were great. Customer service wasn’t bad either. Will definitely be returning.

Spanky’s has quickly become one of our favorite lunch places on the Outer Banks. It is very affordable and is well run by a friendly family. It has no pretension; it is basically a diner with some great diner food. We love the flattop burgers and have had them several times. On a recent visit Ms T went for a fried flounder sandwich which she loved. When we complimented the owner on it he said we should try the catfish sandwich. Later the same trip, I did just that while Ms T had the Buffalo chicken sandwich. Both were very good although next time she will ask for a little more Buffalo sauce for the sandwich.
They make consistently decent slaw that I always improve with Texas Pete. So that we don’t stay in a burger rut, I plan to try the hamburger steak platter when I am hungrier. I will certainly get the catfish sandwich again. We have only been here in the slow season and the place is always reasonably busy with local construction workers and regulars. I am trying to imagine how busy it must be in the high season.
We have tried Cap’n Franks, Dune Burger and John’s for this style burger. We prefer Spanky’s.

The burger was good, and my mom’s cheese fries were great. The tater tots were really overcooked, though. They were crunchy, not crispy on the outside and soft on the inside like they should be. My sister had the crab cake sandwich, and she said it was okay. My dad had the bbq sandwich, and when he asked for extra sauce they told him that they didn’t have any of the sauce they used in the sandwich to give out separately, so they gave him a different kind of sauce. Kind of weird, but whatever. The service was very friendly and attentive, though!

Found this down the road from a wedding we were atrending. Got the crab cake dinner combo which came with hush puppies and fries. Prices were cheap and everyone enjoyed their meals. I was surprised how decent the crab cake was because it didn’t look that appealing.
Only real complaint is the place looked like it needed to be cleaned a bit. We wiped down the tables from the crumbs from the last people who sat there. The floors looked like it needed a good mopping as well.

Lunch here was definitely a GREAT decision!!! My boyfriend had the Deli Burger and loved every bite of it. He recommends it with the spicy mustard. I had a hot dog and fries and it was perfect.
The service was great, which is always a plus. We love to support local places and I’m sure we will be back next time we come down.

This place is the epitome of dive on the surface. With just a few seats and a short order environment I didn’t really know what to expect.
The owner, who was working the register, really sold the friendly atmosphere from the get go. While the menu is mostly inexpensive, except the cheese sticks — I never figured out why they were so pricey.
I got the Monkey Butt burger which is basically a bacon cheeseburger but the catch is a bottle of either mango hot sauce or ghost pepper sauce is included in the price. So you basically get a souvenir with your meal. I tried their ghost pepper sauce and was happy with the heat and flavor.
The burger itself was a little overdone but the meat still melted in your mouth. It wasn’t the best burger I’ve ever had but it was good. If you go you have to try the funnel fries for dessert.
If your in the outer banks and looking for an escape from the expensive sea food joints, definitely try Spanky’s. I’ll be going back when we come back next year.

I stopped here due to the great Unilocal reviews. I was not overly impressed. The food is mediocre at best. Nothing to get excited about. The staff was nice, but I would not go back. Once is enough for me.

Based on the reviews we thought we were in for a big treat! From the moment we walked in I was grossed out. It was VERY dirty! Stuff all over the floors, trash cans overflowing with ketchup all over it. My husband had to go get a towel just to wipe off all the dirt/​food on our table to sit down. I am all about divey places, but not when they are this dirty. Flies were everywhere. The corner where we sat had some old shoes and a dirty/​used mop. I used the bathroom, but told my kids to wait until we could go somewhere cleaner. The kids food was average and our burgers were decent. Nothing to go crazy about. The fries were just average as well. The best part about it was how cheap it was. Atleast we did not spend a bunch of money on something we were unhappy with.

This place has the best juicy burgers I’ve ever had!!! The fries are awesome as well. Go on Mondays or Tuesdays for $ 2 burger. Well done Spanky’s.

Awesome food… Awesome atmosphere… Awesome prices!!!

Another great place that we waited until too late in the week to eat at. Close to where we were staying so made it easy. Arrived around 1130 (I think it opens at 1100) and it was pretty full. Still able to find a table. Staff was friendly. I believe the owner is the one that took the order. Full of energy and easy to talk to. Smells were coming out of the kitchen that just made you want to order one of everything. I had a huge bacon double something that was really good. Done the right way. Curly Fries were fine, nothing spectacular. Onion Rings were awesome. Child had their first deep fried hotdog and they thought it was the best ever.
Best part of this meal were the Funnel Fries. They found a way to take funnel cake and make them into little fries. Of course sugar was the side. Yes these were good, only allowed to have 2 apparently that was my allowance for the week. I should have bought more if nothing else, snacking on the drive home.
Overall Price I thought was good to great. 3 of us ate for less than 25.00. We were full when we left. And the line never got shorter after we walked in. But they appeared to move people quickly through the line, again never felt like we were pushed through restaurant.
Will return probably more than once next year.

Ordered a hot dog and fries… it was just average. This place has great service and character though. Might give this place another shot.

After finishing the food my husband says «oh man, these guys are the real deal». We ordered the food to go. We got the cheese burger, popcorn shrimp meal that had hush puppies and fries and the flounder sandwich. Everything was amazing. Customer service great.

I’m hard pressed to think of a better cheeseburger and fries at any restaurant, ever. For three people including drinks and a tip our bill only came to $ 27! Everything was cooked exactly how you dream of a burger joint cooking it. Service was fast and friendly. This is a great lunch spot for families that won’t break your bank. In our party of three we had 2 cheeseburgers with fries and a fried shrimp sandwich with fries. We were all raving about our food!

We ordered the traditional burgers — fries & slaw. Everything was beyond fantastic from the greeting to the food. There’s no doubt it was a fresh burger and the pepper fries were delicious. The place started getting packed and for good reason.

They have a open face turkey sandwich with mash potatoes on Friday night for $ 5. Get the grave on the side, it’s very salty. Most reasonable prices in Kitty Hawk. Carolina Burger very good.

We love this place! The owner is extremely friendly and passionate about what he does. We make an effort to stop here every vacation at least once. The food is always fresh and we’ve never been disappointed. I would argue this is some of the best, cheapest food you can get in OBX. Everyday he has specials! Such a great place to grab a bite after coming off the beach. If you haven’t been, your missing out!

Looking for something different tried this place. Glad I did and so was my wallet, we got five hot dogs, cheeseburger, cheese fries and drinks, $ 15!
Not only cheap but really good, not chain type burgers and dogs. Super casual atmosphere funny manager.
Good cheap eats!

Spankys is an old fashioned fast food joint, and I’m reviewing it as such. It really reminds me of the 80s style fast food places.
Hubs had the burger with fries which he said was very good. I had a taco salad with grilled chicken and it was very fresh, a surprise at a fast food place known for burgers and dogs etc. Kids had hot dog and chicken finger stuff, what can you say about that except it looked hot, fresh and crispy?
A couple tables behind us there were a couple guys taking the Viking burger challenge which was fun to witness.