Hungry Pelican

We enjoyed our visit to the Hungry Pelican. They had nice sandwiches and seemed to get pretty busy after we had arrived. They use Dietz and Watson deli meats for their sandwiches. The Godfather was a tasty Italian sandwich on ciabatta 🥪 A nice stop for lunch while visiting Manteo.

Absolute hidden gem for sure. My family and I were in the area for the Aquarium and were looking a good place to grab some lunch and I am so glad we stumbled across the Hungry Pelican. We all talked about how good our lunch for days! My mom and wife had a taco salad and Hawaiian salad and both Absolutely love them but I think I was the big winner with the Angry Bird sandwich and the oriental noodles! Wasnt much of an atmosphere but the food really makes up for that. Be sure to stop by and give it a try! I didnt get many pictures because we all dove in because we were so hungry.

Love a good sandwich shop with fun items on the menu. Today I got really lucky and satisfied a craving for gazpacho. Not easy to find on the Outer Banks but this had a perfect blend of veggies and seasonings with just the right amount of vinegar. Even better on a not too hot August day.

The sandwiches here were so yummy and the bread was amazing. Prices were reasonable and sandwiches came with chips. Would highly recommend!

We walked here from our Airbnb for dinner. The restaurant was empty. Our plan was to sit down but realizing it wasn’t that kind of place we decided to take our food to go. There are tables you can sit at after ordering. We ordered our food at the counter. After inquiring about substitutions to sandwiches, we felt as it wasn’t something the staff was willing to do. They were willing to make other sandwich suggestions. The sandwiches were good but more of a lunch place than dinner. They weren’t large enough to fill my husband for dinner. I didn’t love the bread. It was too hard especially on the ends. The sandwiches came with a bag of chips. The restaurant only sells bottled drinks and they close at 7ish.

Honestly, Hungry Pelican has my personal favorite cold sandwiches on the island by far. The environment is cozy and the staff is kind, and I’ve got several lunch-with-friends memories here across all kinds of people. Honestly I haven’t met one person who’s disliked it, no matter what they’ve gotten. Totally recommend it whether you’re visiting or you live here already.

Food was pretty good.. Tomato Soup was great.. potato salad was good. Grilled cheese was really good.. . the negative was the ... Chicken buffalo sandwich special was not special. Nothing really buffalo about it. Just buffalo chicken deli meat on a toasted bun.

Perfect pit stop after driving a long time and visiting the nearby lighthouse. A bit nondescript at first glance it really is a great little deli/lunch spot. My mom and I shared a chipotle chicken sandwich and salad, and it tasted wonderful. Good ciabatta bread and seasoned well. My mom wished they had bleu cheese dressing or a wider array of options in that regard. But otherwise the staff welcomed us and gave good suggestions. The seating area tucked in the back corner was cute and private.

I stopped in randomly while passing through Manteo for work. The interior where you order didn't seem like much to write home about but the staff was very friendly. In looking at photos, perhaps there's another whole section of the restaurant? I ordered a chipotle chicken sandwich which was on a nicely crisped ciabatta roll with deli chicken, a couple slices of bacon, some Chipotle mayo, lettuce and pepper jack. It was approx $12 after a small tip and tax. The sandwich was tasty and a good size, though I wouldn't say it was especially stacked with meat. I was expecting a chicken filet and was surprised when it was just deli meat, but it tasted good nonetheless. It was big enough to take home half of it. It also came with a few ruffles chips. I sat outside at one of the tables and enjoyed the nice little area of town. Very nice little spot if you're passing through.

This is good for vegetarians and non-vegetarians Everyone liked their order. We came here to walk around the town and do some shopping. When we got hungry, we stopped at the Hungry Pelican for a nice lunch. It was tasty and big portions so some of us have food for later (the teenagers found a way to eat it all...). The staff is friendly, the restaurant is clean. Great lunch stop while in Manteo!

Great sandwiches. Freshly made and plenty of options from which to choose. Would definitely try again.

Fantastic quality, prices and very speedy service. Food is delicious and lots of places to sit.

Second time visiting this Deli on the way home from OBX - the first time, they were closed, even though their posted hours indicated they were open. Glad we stopped a second time, our sandwiches were all delicious and generously portioned. We'll definitely stop again on the next trip.

We did a take out order! Everything was delicious! Food was ready for pick-up right on time too! We had a couple sandwiches of fresh mozzarella, tomato and pesto, Italian sub, and salad with grilled chicken. Everything was fresh, the rolls tasted like they just came out of the oven! We got a side of macaroni salad that was so good, not loaded with Mayo, just like we like it! We will be back again this week during our stay here in Manteo! This is a place you should definitely try while here in Manteo! Thanks for a great lunch!

Creative sandwiches, fresh ingredients, and great service--that's the Hungry Pelican in downtown Manteo. We had a lovely lunch at this cute sandwich shop. I had the roast beef and smoked Gouda Club sandwich. It was served on ciabatta bread that was light and fluffy-very tasty! My BF had the smoked Turkey and smoked Gouda on cornbread. He said it was delicious. There is a lot of seating inside and a bunch outside that people were using since it was a nice December day. They also have a nice selection of drinks, including IBC Cream soda. I would definitely visit again.

Exploring Monteo and stumbled across this cute deli. Great food for great prices! I really enjoy how fine the lettuce was cut, it made it super easy to eat. Also, the homemade honey mustard dressing was fantastic :)

Hawaiian salad and French dip sandwich - excellent!! Service was quick and spot on !! Cute little place with plenty of indoor/outdoor space to enjoy a quick bite. PB cookie tasty as well. Would go back again!

Very good deli food. Four of us ordered sandwiches they were all very good and the prices aren't too bad. Pretty quick service and everyone there was very polite. We will definitely be back.

I can't say enough good things about the Hungry Pelican. They have good food and good service and I enjoy going there.

Great selection of sandwiches and salads. The line took a while, but once ordered, the food came out pretty quick. Everyone enjoyed their lunch and we did not have any complaints.

Quick service, yummy sandwiches, very reasonable prices. It was a great spot for a casual lunch

Cute little place! Food came out quick and was tasty. Enjoyed the Hawaiian salad and BLT salad. Street parking was fairly easy to find and it was in a location near lots of other things. Not sure how accurate the posted hours are. Yelp says it opens at 11, but they were still closed at 11:30 when we arrived.

Great food with a friendly staff. We had sandwiches and their tomato basil soup. All of it was fantastic!

Wow, what a great spot! Our sandwiches were wonderful, with sauce and pickles. Very fresh and delicious. The tomato soup was very flavorful and creamy. Service was good and prices are very reasonable.

We were at this restaurant on March 29, 2023 and WOW! It was so good! I had the special (bbq beef brisket sandwich) and the bread was homemade and perfect. My husband had the Angry Bird. Top notch! They accommodated my daughter's gluten allergy well also. Great service, cute place, amazing food!

Found 2 hairs in my sandwich today. The place was very dirty and cramped. Pretty much just a hole in the wall.

Stopped in for lunch we all got sandwiches the bbq chicken is excellent wife got the rueben excellent and I got The Godfather and it was excellent good taste and good quality of content

Stopped in for late lunch. We had Reuben, the Godfather, and 2 bbq chicken. All sandwiches with chips. Very good little deli shop.

Probably the best deli/sandwich shop that I've tried in the OBX area. Loved the Turkey New York sandwich and mac salad. They were short-staffed (like literally everywhere now) and only accepting online orders, but my order was ready in 10 minutes. Will definitely stop by whenever I'm in town.

Can't say enough good things about the sandwiches we had at the Hungry pelican! We stumbled upon this cafe as we were looking for a place to eat outside with our dog. The line was long and we knew we found something special. We all absolutely loved our choices and regretting not getting more! The Ham, Swiss and pineapple sandwich had the most delicious sauce and flavor. I could have eaten 10 of them! Highly recommend this spot. It's a treasure.

This little deli was recommended to us by some St Louis friends who spent a week here earlier in the year. We tied our visit in to some other business in Manteo and had an excellent lunch. When you walk in you may not be impressed, but stay with the program. Select your sandwich and soup (if you want) and they will bring your food to you. There are a couple of rooms with tables, but one in particular is bright and cheerful with light from the south facing windows. Ms T ordered a Reuben that I intended to split with her. I tried a cup of their soup of the day which was Tomato-Basil. The cup was large enough that this was my meal, so half of the Reuben came home with us. Both items were very good to excellent. Now this is not Katz's Deli or Carnegie Deli. They are not making their own corned beef, but the Dietz & Watson deli meats are pretty good and in my view, much better than the ubiquitous Boar's Head you get at any Stop 'n' Shop. The Reuben was plenty large, if not stacked ridiculously high like some places. The marble rye was nicely grilled. The kraut was mild and not overwhelming. I thought my Tomato Basil Soup was really excellent. It was clearly homemade with the touches that you get when someone knows what they are doing and pays attention to details and balance. It was almost thickened with minced and well sautéed onion. It was creamy (how do they keep it from curdling?). The flavor of the slightly toasted onion was apparent as was subtle basil. It had proper salt with a perfect sweet and sour balance from the tomato. It was served piping hot and I had to be careful. We don't get to Manteo often but probably need to. If you are there and are ready for something other than seafood, barbecue or fried chicken; a sandwich and soup from Hungry Pelican will fill the bill for lunch. No pun.

Everything is amazing!! I personally love the club sandwiches. If you're staying in Manteo it's a perfect spot to grab a sandwich for the beach and support a local business.

We asked for their most popular sandwich and this was it! The jalapeño corn bread was done so well and MADE the sandwich. The raspberry Chipotle sauce was also a nice sweet but spicy touch. LOTS of meat and the corn bread had the perfect crunch. Loved this place!

I really liked this place. The sandwiches were delicious and the cookies were absolutely amazing! The pecan-coconut cookie and the chocolate chunk cookies were just excellent. Only reason I only gave 4 stars. One because I wish you got a little bit more chips for what you pay for. Also the seating is limited during the pandemic, just as a fair warning for those coming with a larger group. Not their fault, but just want to warn people ahead of time.

Really solid sandwiches. Super sweet girls and fast service. Very happy with the quality of bread, meat, and cheese. Would definitely recommend to anyone looking to support a local business

I always enjoy the food here but it was ridiculous I called in my order and then was told by the little girl working who had an awful attitude I had to wait in line which was all the way in the back room. I get it's that time of the year but it was ridiculous. By the time I could get home and eat I would still have been in line. There should be some kind of to go register for to go orders.. and maybe some new employees.

Stopped in for a quick bite and was not disappointed. Variety of freshly made sandwiches, all served with choice of side - pasta salad, cucumber salad, chips, among other things. We ordered a chipotle chicken sandwich and it was great - rotisserie chicken, pepper jack cheese, bacon, and chipotle mayo all sandwiched between fresh, soft ciabatta. Opted for chips and they were standard kettle cooked chips. They also have ice cream, which is fresh tasting as opposed to icy and old like most other spots with an ice cream case. Ordered a double scoop and was a little surprised to see how small it seemed, until I realized the entire ice cream cone was stuffed full of ice cream too!

Great kid friendly deli in downtown Manteo! There are plenty of tables and booths in the place along with high chairs. There is a full service deli and plenty of sandwiches, sides, and ice cream to go with it. If you have time to sit and relax (not us with kids!! Haha), there are plenty of magazines to borrow as you eat. We did borrow a coloring book! The restroom was very nice but lacked a changing table. Onto the food, we loved the Italian pasta salad! Super good: full of little cubes of pepperoni and cheese. We went back for more but someone bought the whole tray! C mon!!! The grilled cheese with the honey drizzle was fantastic! The kids meal was a great deal. There are many flavors of hard pack ice cream, and we loved the birthday cake flavor. We ordered and our food was brought right to our table. The service couldn't have been any more friendly. Great job to all of the workers! We'd totally recommend this place for a quick bite when in Manteo!

So presently surprised the offering of GF soups. This is different to find. The "Tomato Bisque" is my favorite. Their GF options don't stop there. Their chef salad is loaded and you have more than enough for one meal. Highly recommend them to people asking for suggestions to get a bite while shopping in downtown Manteo.

Great sandwiches! I got the cheesy melt & loved it. The inside could use a face lift, but besides that 10/10!

Great for lunch! The ciabatta bread was perfectly baked and the bacon was crispy. Kettle chips & pickle accompanying the sandwich were the perfect side bites. The staff was friendly, as well. Pepsi on the fountain soda, but they also have bottled beverages. There's also a large hot tea selection. There are cookies & hand-scooped ice cream also. I didn't try them but they looked tasty.

Stopped in for an early lunch on a rainy day. We were greeted by a very friendly young man working the register. Unfortunately, they were out of almost all the salads and sides posted on the board. I really enjoyed the Hawaiian Ham and Cheese, potato salad, and coleslaw. However, the real stand out to me was the blueberry cookie. It was awesome! Tasted just like a blueberry muffin, but in cookie form. I'd never had anything like it before. The dining area was clean and well cared for. We would definitely stop back if we're in the area again!

Fantastic lunch spot! Definitely coming back next time we visit Manteo. Great service and they have ice cream, too!

Needed a quick bite to eat after our parasailing trip and decided this place looked good. Simple decor; small little place down by all the shops in Manteo. The food options were different. Not your typical sandwiches.. things like smoked chicken salad.. Italian.. ham/cheese with bacon and chipotle sauce. Yummy options to have ciabatta bread, etc. They also had homemade baked goods.. that looked amazing. We did not try any though. Maybe next time!! One tip would be for the girl taking our order to be a little more assertive/clear. She was younger so I'll give her the benefit of the doubt that maybe she's new to the customer service thing. But it was a bit confusing ordering. It did not help she spoke so softly that we both were a little annoyed and confused about whether we took chips off the shelf (a normal option when you go to a sub shop). To clear up confusion, you don't. They give you chips with tour food from the kitchen. Would come back again but hope to see better more friendly customer service next time!

Delicious sandwich and quick service! The prices are very reasonable and there is a signed pic of Jimmy Buffett in the bathroom! Highly recommended! Next time I'll try the ice cream :)

Great sandwiches -- and I'm not a sandwich person. Love the gourmet grilled cheese and the chicken salad sandwich. My go-to when in Manteo.

It was our first time to visit Roanoke island and we're not familiar with this area so I went on the web and viewed the reviews for this restaurant. We needed a place close to the north Carolina aquarium and the Elizabethan gardens and this was the best and most convenient place to eat. Parking was right in front with ample outdoor seating. The prices were fair and the food was excellent. The best corned beef I ever ate and that means a lot coming from a native new yorker. My family and I were very pleased with this restaurant and highly recommend it to all tourists passing through on a fun filled day trip. The staff were very efficient in the entire process of ordering and receiving the finished product. We plan to make a visit to Roanoke island a yearly event. Thank you the people of north Carolina for your excellent welcoming hospitality.

My daughters and I tried this place for the first time yesterday while in town and WOW--just WOW! I came home and told my husband this the only place we will be eating in Manteo now. Super friendly staff, swift service, adorable inside dining room and large outdoor seating area, great location and AMAZING food. The vegetarian menu had great options which was wonderful since two of the three of us dining don't eat meat and were struggling to find an eatery in town where we could enjoy more than just a baked potato or salad (us vegetarians do tire of such things). A++. Highly recommend. Don't hesitate to dine here. We WILL be back!

Reasonably priced sandwiches with high-quality and a clean friendly atmosphere. What more can you ask?  The angry bird is really a great sandwich. A bit spicy  (in a good way), the jalapeño cornbread rocked, pepperjack, and turkey. With the nice raspberry spread to sweeten it slightly. Highly rated sandwich.  There was another sandwich shop down the road with a killer view which made me think we may have chosen too quickly .... but the angry bird is undeniable. No regrets.

Delicious sandwiches! Haven't had roast beef that good in a long time! Cute area, Very courteous staff and adorable place to stop for lunch!

We went back for a third visit. Things were a little different due to the pandemic. Lots of take out orders lined up. Masks. No dining in. Pretty much what we expected. He got a turkey gouda club which he said was super delish. They didn't have my usual cheesy apple sandwich on the menu any more -sad- But I got a tasty double grilled cheese and chips. We had bottled cream soda too, which made him gleeful. Because of the rain we couldn't eat on a bench or anything, so we drove over to Elizabeth Island and parked in their lot overlooking the sound and ate in the car. No pickles came with the takeout, but so many people waste them that I can't blame them for not including them. We got little chip bags with our meal.

We went to the Hungry Pelican for the first time during our vacation to the Outer Banks. With the variety of sandwiches there was something for everyone to enjoy. I have a family of 8, being my wife and six kids, taming from 23 down to 10. I ordered the Angry Bird which was very delicious and flavorful. My wife and kids all got different sandwiches and enjoyed every bite! The young woman who worked behind the counter was very pleasant and delightful. Her parents own the place and she was so nice and warm to us as she explained everything. Even the ice cream and options of the Surfin' Spoon ice cream cookie sandwiches were delicious. She recommended where we can go on the island to get the Surfin' Spoon treats. Her hospitality was amazing!! I highly recommend the Hungry Pelican for either a lunch or light dinner. You will NOT be disappointed!!

Great service and food! Something for everyone. I had the Garden Hummus sandwich which was easily made vegan by omitting the cream cheese. Will definitely come back next time we are in the area!

Walking around Manteo and stumbled upon the deli. Friends ordered the steak and cheese, chipotle chicken, and Hawaiian salad. Each said it was delicious. I ordered the cold plate. Chicken salad was flavorful and pasta salad was fresh. There is a small eating area inside the restaurant, however, I would encourage you to eat outside. The funniest thing I saw was a small pineapple plant. Fun place to visit.

I am only posting this review because I really support local businesses and I hope it will be helpful to for Hungry Pelican to improve going forward. I ordered the Chipotle Chicken, which was indicated as "Popular" on the online ordering system. I was extremely disappointed in the finished product. The ciabatta bread was very dry, almost stale. I expected it to be hard crust, soft inside. I also expected the chicken to be warm and plentiful. It was cold which didn't allow for the flavors of the sandwich to stand out. They also skimped on the chicken, which should have been the prominent ingredient in the sandwich. There was one tiny piece of bacon; I barely tasted it. The sandwich was overflowing with lettuce. It was so disappointing that I only ate a few bites and then gave it to my dog. She loved it. On a positive note, the girl who took my order was very friendly and upbeat. I will try the Hungry Pelican one more time because maybe this was just a bad day in low season. I do hope the owners check the freshness of the bread going forward.

We're down from PA on vacation and was looking for a place for lunch after going to the. Aquarium. Hungry pelican was highly recommended. When we walked in we were greated immediately. The menu was on an easy to read board. We placed our order and sat at our seat. With covid there was very limited seating inside but there was plenty oit a idea as well. There was 6 of us and we each got something different, and all are amazing!! The sides were so good as well, especially the pasta salad!!

This restaurant was so good! Kids both had grilled cheese which came with a drink, applesauce and Scooby Snacks. I had a turkey/cheddar club with chips and a drink. The food was amazing. The restaurant was clean and nice. The pelican salt and pepper shakers are so cute! Would definitely eat here again.