John's Drive In

This is a drive-up, order at the window, wait around, get your name called, grab your food and go kinda beach place. Just perfect for the area. I drove up and parked right in front and ordered at the window. I was told the dolphin bite basket was probably their most popular thing (and the folks in front of me ordered it) so I got it, too. It comes with a side + hushpuppies; I got coleslaw. You can also get fries or fried okra (normally I'm a fried okra fan, but I had seen from other google posts that they looked like your typical, frozen fried okra and I've had that too many times. My apologies to John's if they batter and fry their okra there). I also ordered a large, chocolate shake. I then stood by my car (they have few benches to wait on, most people wait in their car with the window down to hear their names called). The ordering process is simple enough, order off the large chalkboard. This place, by the way, has so many things other than burgers. Anyway, the reason I took a star away from the service is that they do that thing where they rotate the screen so you can add a tip. I'm so over that and don't usually patronize businesses that still do that. My name was called and I sat in my car to eat. BTW, there is a nice picnic table seating area around back, too far to hear your name called, but perfect to go and sit and eat. First, the shake wasn't great. It seems to be handmade but it is from soft-serve, so it has that soft-serve artificial, McDonald's taste about it. Not my favorite. When it was done, however, there was clearly chocolate syrup in it so it is hand-spun, not just a shake machine thing. The food was great. I got four pieces of dolphin hand battered and fried in an almost funnel cake-like batter. The flavor of the fish came through and the frying was top-notch. The hushpuppies were a delight: sweet cornbread with a thin fry crust reminiscent of a corn-dog. Yummy. The coleslaw was not the star of the show. Good, but I think it needed to be wetter with more slaw dressing. I would definitely go back. I think the okra deserves a try at least, and I want to know how their burgers compare to that place down south near pea island.

Hands down the best milkshakes and mahi boats at the beach. I woudk place a bet they have the best shakes in the world !!! They are the perfect thickness and freshest tasting. The dolphin boats with the Cajun remalade sauce is amazing. Can’t beat the price of this meal either, pup cups are a plus and the staff always is giving water to the dogs outside . And cant beat the address. The ocean is right across the dune . My fav place to go at the beach !!!

An OBX classic, my family has been coming here for their legendary crab cake for generations. This spot has such a laid back atmosphere to it. You can feel the salty spirit of the OBX back in the day before it got so crowded. The picnic/eating area makes for a really campy setting, great for editorial images.

Absolutely love Johns. The food is always on point and the ice cream always hits the spot. Chili dog is amazing. Burgers. Fantastic! Fries always crisp. It could benefit from some better shade on the eating area. My kids always ask to go for icecream at John’s.

Parking was definitely an issue, even close to 1:30. Waited long time for food. But love their dolphin fish sub!!! Overall an hour from when i first drove by full lot til we left.

Stopped for a milkshake this afternoon about 2:30 pm—no lines! Yay! We shared a peanut butter chocolate shake—delish! This place always satisfies. The dolphin boat is amazing and will feed two easily. 😀 Enjoy!

First time coming here and the food was AMAZING. Nice little place right off the beach. Service was A1 and also food came out fast. Had some tables right off the side that you can sit at outside. I would definitely visit again when I visit the area again.

I’ve been here before and have always had the dolphin it’s so amazing. Today I went with my parents and got the dolphin again, and then placed a huge order for additional family, and Violet was absolutely amazing. Such a nice young lady a hard worker, and so very kind! Violet continue the amazing work!!! Will absolutely be back!!

John's is up there with that now-defunct Tastee Freez in Coraopolis, PA as the best ice cream I've ever had. I came here in the late-80s and it was great then, and is just as great today. The ice cream is easily 5+*, with my favorite being vanilla soft serve with cherry topping + malt powder (don't knock it til ya try it!) The reason I gave it only 4* is because we were charged $25 for a crab cake boat which wasn't very good. These were t lump crab cakes at a fancy restaurant, they were very basic ones from a corner drive-in with a few hushpuppies. I could understand $12 or even $15, but $25 was straight highway robbery.

Classic place, used to go here when I was a kid. Glad to see it's still here and thriving.

Bottom Line: An old fashioned drive in serving seafood, burgers and milkshakes. My husband and I decided to give John's Drive In a try after seeing it featured in the July 2022 edition of Our State magazine. John's originally opened in 1977 and in true drive-in fashion you order at a window, food is delivered through a window or door and there is only outdoor seating at picnic tables. After combing through Yelp Reviews my husband and I ordered two of their signature items - fried Dolphin (Mahi) boat (a styrofoam container with big pieces of battered and fried Mahi, hush puppies and a side) and a milkshake. We also ordered the blackened tuna boat. All of our food was very good but I particularly enjoyed the tender blackened tuna. It wasn't too spicy and had the perfect amount of flavor. In hindsight we could have split a basket as they both offered plenty of food. We arrived at John's about 10:45am on a Sunday in August and we were surprised that the line was already forming for the 11am opening time. We were fortunate to get the last legit parking spot; otherwise, I'm not sure what we would have done.

Tried to stop here for lunch but there are only about six parking spaces and no parking allowed on the road so we struck out despite making two passes by it. It worked out okay, though. They only have outdoor seating and it was blazing hot. We ended up coming back at 4:30 right before they closed at 5 pm and parking was no problem. We got two root beer floats and they hit the spot on the hot day we had. They gave us the cans of root beer along with our floats since there was some soda left. Thought that was a nice bonus. Friendly staff and was served quickly.

Came here as a quick lunch stop on our way out of OBX. The drive in area was convenient but had only a few parking spots so luckily we didn't come at too busy of a time. We ordered at the window and then went around the back where there were picnic tables and umbrellas to wait for our food. It was really hot out and an employee was so nice and brought our dog a small ice cream cup! Ordered the mahi sandwich and NC bbq sandwich. I liked my mahi sandwich, the white fish was meaty, not too greasy, and sauce was well portioned. My partner said the bbq sandwich was just alright. I don't think we'd go out of our way again but the location is super convenient and walkable from the beach so a great spot to get a quick bite and not have to interrupt your day soaking up the sun!

Arrived at 9:10 with a 9:30 closure time- unwilling to take our orders and only had ice cream. If you are only offering certain menu items after a certain time- advertise it

Great Dive place, Dolphin bites are insane and the crab cakes are tasty! The fries are well seasoned and they have massive portions. The milkshakes are great and are some of the best ones I've ever had. The service is fast and efficient. They have many places to sit and enjoy the food when it comes out!

John's has the best chocolate, peanut butter, banana milkshake ever! And their cheeseburger sub is not bad either!

Good food. Polite employees. Food is always fresh and the line moves quickly. Great for families too with plenty of outdoor seating in the rear.

We had a great fish sando here (dolphin fish, AKA mahi-mahi, for the uninitated). We were told this little food stand is reminiscient of how OBX used to be. If that's the case, we're big fans. One minor nit- we wish the fish didn't taste quite as fishy (all in that skin). But the sandwich was still good... And don't sleep on their soft serve either.

What happened to what use to be GREAT Dolphin boats? I like a little more fish with my bad batter. Raise the cost don't cheapen the product.

Excellent fried dolphin! Lucked out with parking spot at 2pm! Friendly service! OBX tradition!

I have been going to the Outer Banks for 30 years and my wife has for even longer and we would always make a point of stopping at John's for "dolphin boats," their excellent baskets of fried fresh fish. We did the same this week and were extremely disappointed. What used to be large pieces of fried fish are now just large pieces of fried batter with a tiny bit of fish in the middle. Not only is it a rip off but it tasted terrible. Very disappointing to have such a consistently high quality place cut corners with filler and poor quality.

I have been coming to Johns as long as I can remember. Love the dolphin boat and milk shakes

The food and milkshakes were every bit as good as I had anticipated since I first heard about John's last year. We took advantage of things being slower during COVID and drove down for a day trip from Virginia Beach. I'll be honest, even after visiting, I have no idea what the heck the parking situation is. We parked right next door by a lot of other cars that seemed to be coming and going in front of what I'm assuming was a rental house. Not sure that was legal but we were staying close so I wasn't too concerned. They do ask that you wear masks right now. Everyone was maintaining a safe distance for ordering and waiting for their food, and it seemed many were taking their food to go. Our food was done within 10 minutes and we sat at one of the picnic tables to eat. I ordered the Dolphin Boat (a GENEROUS serving of battered and fried mahi, hushpuppies, and a side: I chose fries. It also comes with your choice of tartar, cocktail sauce, or cajun aioli) and a Chocolate Peanut Butter shake. Everything was WONDERFUL. The milkshakes were perfect- great flavor and thick, but still easily drinkable. The fish breading was really flavorful, and the cajun aioli was good on everything. We'll be back for sure!!!

Yummy food and great staff! The staff always greet you with a smile. The owners are so welcoming and are just good people! The dolphin boat is always delicious! The grilled tuna sandwich is so good with Cajun mayo. And always order a famous John's milkshake. We love the picnic tables with the cute umbrellas!

Usually id give John's a 5 star review Today though I went and ordered my normal Dolphin boat-fried mahi and fries and hushpuppies Ive been going here since 2013 since i moved to the OVX My fish filets were very tiny and I didnt get my hushpuppies that come with the order. Pretty dissatisfied to be honest Most all my other times ordering have been great!

Had to drive by a couple of times to get a parking spot but well worth it!! Two fried mahi sandwiches two chocolate shakes. With giant straws. Nice picnic table area. Excellent good. Photo opp spots for tourists

We love John's. It's a family tradition and has been since I was a small child. Great ice cream. Love the tuna sandwich!

Forty-three years is a long time, so obviously John's Drive In must be doing something right. The business continues to be family run in its second generation. Expect busy, expect no little to no parking, expect awesome! The location is MM 4.5 at the beach road, the white building with cone on top looks like nothing special. Parking is often extremely challenged with possibly 10 spots at tops. Be very careful backing out with traffic and pedestrian traffic. The area was clean. The exterior offers picnic tables and chairs. Even a small toddle table. On the right of the building and back has nine picnic tables. The area was clean. The walk up has two service windows and a large menu board. Don't let the fact they are known for ice-cream fool ya. They have fresh catch daily. Most everything is made or prepped in house. An example is the tartar sauce which is a 50+ year recipe of the original owners wife. My usual is a chocolate malt which is the best I've ever had, but I decided to change it up for a photo op. I was lucky enough to catch the current owner John Jr. (Little John) and he was gracious enough to provide some background on the family owned drive in. The building is the same as it was when his parents transplants of Pittsburg relocated to Kitty Hawk. His Father had been in the restaurant industry. John Jr. daughter now helps him with several other staff. It's been several years since my last visit and I had to get a John's Famous Seafood Sub. I opted for the fried Dolphin variety with tartar sauce which runs $6.95. They also have shrimp and crab. Prices are very reasonable for the large servings. I also got a large chocolate cone. The woman at the window took my card and no issues with processing. You can tip on the receipt. Everything is sent out in a white to go bag. Sandwiches are wrapped. My order was up in around 10 minutes. The fish was piping hot. The Dolphin huge and first bite was nirvana. The fresh lettuce, tomatoes and tartar sauce accompanied the fish perfectly. The bread was soft and wrapped everything up neatly to consume. My large chocolate soft serve cone was perfect and just as I remembered it. Closed on Wednesday's and off season. Bring your pooch by for a FREE pup cup. When visiting the Outer Banks come enjoy this super dive.

2 hours after they open for the day, wait in line for 15 mins, order ice cream cone at the window and we are advised they are out of "cones". Don't bother to put a sign on the window indicating so. And what ice cream place runs out of cones? Pure incompetency.

Had the famous John's Dolphin Boat for lunch today, we ordered 2 boats with fries and hush puppies. As always, FANTASTIC! Ordered ahead and was just a short wait. The place was super crowded, but the staff handles it like the pros they are. Going back for ice cream

Really enjoyed it. No complaints. The service at the window was very friendly! I got the vanilla milkshake with banana. Oooooh yeah. So yummy. It's thick but not too thick. The other two with me got chocolate shakes. I had the small dolphin boat with had 2 large pieces of fried fish, two hush puppies, fries and a boat of tartar sauce. Everything was great. I don't love fried fish but this wasn't too heavy on the batter or overly greasy. Service was quick. Highly recommend!

Just went for the ice cream. Unfortunately late in the afternoon they're out of almost everything. It's a small outdoor place with only a couple of benches. COVID protocols -- People in line were not social distancing because of the limited space. The people handing out the food were not wearing masks or gloves.

Nice and clean atmosphere, friendly and welcoming employees. The line was non existent, friendly staff. Visiting here is a must if you like food.

Dolphin bites and fried okra are a must. Always slammed so don't get frustrated if you can't find parking. It's worth it.

Stopped in for a quick bite. Decent burgers, really good fries. Plenty of outdoor seating w umbrellas.

This place was recommend to us by our Airbnb host and wow, it was the best seafood I've had in a long time. We got there a few minutes after they opened and there was already a long line. We had to wait a while to order and then get our food, but it was well-worth it. We got the popcorn shrimp boat and dolphin boat and both were excellent. Very fresh and a generous serving. This place is an outdoor dining place only, even before COVID. There are several picnic tables with umbrellas outside, but they fill up quickly. We didn't end up eating there because there were no tables free, but it was nice to see that they had outdoor seating available. Only thing I didn't love is that they were not super strict about wearing face masks when you walked up to order. Signs were posted about wearing a mask and social distancing and all employees wore masks. However, when a customer walked up who didn't have a mask, they were not turned away.

Wow, this place is phenomenal. Definitely gives ma and pa vibes and they're prices aren't bad at all! The breading here is amazing

I am super picky when it comes to my fish. I want it super fresh tasting slightly of ocean and not even a whiff of stinky fishiness around. So when I found John's and ordered a fried Mahi sandwich, I experienced a very rare moment of fish nirvana. I then immediately ordered the dolphin boat to split with my husband. Mind blown! We came back twice more, to test the consistency. Now we are both addicted to the dolphin boat and thankful don't have access to it every day or we'd have to start running 10 miles daily. This place is a true treasure. The large outdoor picnic table seating is great for these pandemic times. Finish with a soft serve, and you're set.

I was recently in Kitty Hawk NC for a wedding and Johns was located within walking distance from the home we stayed at. All I have to say is - oh my goodness! Johns is just a small little place, but the saying of, 'Great things come in small packages' is absolutely true when it comes to this place! We ordered a tuna salad sub, dolphin fish, fresh tuna, and a crab cake. We were in town for 7 days and ate at a lot of different places, but Johns was by far our favorite!

Food was fresh and amazing. I had a cheeseburger which was insane. I really appreciate it when the ratio of toppings to burger is perfect. My son had the fried shrimp bowl and by husband had the dolphin sub - both were devoured. We tried the cajun mayo and the cocktail sauce and they were excellent. They were super friendly and our order was absolutely perfect. This is a must try if you are in the area. We will 100% be back!

John's used to be a favorite place of my friends and family. We've been going there for 20+ years. The quality of the dolphin boats and shakes has changed dramatically. From what I understand, John's has new ownership since COVID. If you want a quick stop for average food off the beach, this place will do. If you're looking for the high quality, large pieces of lightly fried fish - try somewhere else. We visited twice this week, just to confirm.

This is a must do at the OBX. If you want an old school place, this is it. Cheeseburgers are great! Fries crisp krinkle cuts with seasoned salt. The ice cream is just your typical soft serve, we got milkshakes very good size for reasonable price. Parking is limited so plan the stop and visit accordingly . Seating is outside only (several picnic tables).

This place is under new ownership. Not the same John's Drive-in everyone talked about. Hard to destroy a legend, but one look at these reviews over the past three years shows the place has gone in the same direction as Snowbird. Poor service, bad attitudes, low quality, and long waits. Run away as quickly as possible. You would think the owner would heed the warnings, but apparently they can ride the coattails of the legend a few more years. Watch the ratings plummet folks.

Not actually open when yelp says they are open. We went at 11:30 on a Thursday and they were closed.

Easy outdoor pickup near the beach with fried fish, fried okra, fried hush puppies, fries and assorted other fried items. The fish is moist, the large milkshakes are huge and refreshing on a beach day. The back area on mulch with tables and umbrellas looked pleasant.

Quality has really gone down with the new owners. $40 for a dolphin boat with soggy fries and two small shakes? Such a shame it used to be my favorite spot

Finally had a chance to make it to John's over the Labor Day weekend. We've tried coming before and they had been closed or out of fried dolphin. The line was crazy long and people's patience and tempers were high but now I know why! (I did overhead some locals in line say it's not always this long of a line) That fried dolphin is bangin!! We were lucky enough to be the last people of the day to be able to order the fried dolphin. Needless to say there were some other unhappy people in line once they realized they had sold out! The fish was very fresh and cooked G.B.D. (Golden Brown Deliciousness) Fries were just crinkle cuts but they were yummy & crispy. We also got a chili dog which was great and milk shakes which were thick and creamy. We'll be making it a point to come back to John's on our next vacation to Kitty Hawk!

I used to love John's. I went today, $9.75 for a 6 inch tuna salad sub with very little tuna on it. That's OK there's plenty of other great places to eat in the area.

We came for the Dolphin Boat. It was my first time and I loved every bite. The line was long and the parking isn't the best, but it was Labor Day so that's expected. We got a little toasty at the beach and these were the best munchies for the occasion. High five to John's. Thanks!

Please change the dolphin sandwich back to the way it was. Things should get better... in general... not worse. It's just clearly not as good as it was. Thank you.

The Dolphin Boat is Lunch Perfection. It's fresh, crispy, hot, juicy, and the first lunch I insist on when I get to OBX. My husband's popcorn shrimp with crinkle-cut fries and hushpuppies made him a John's convert.

Cruise down Route 12 in Kitty Hawk and stop at John's Drive-In! It is a hop, skip, and jump from the beach. You walk up to the window to place your order. They give you a buzzer to sit at a picnic table or in your car. I had the Mahi Mahi sandwich and asked for it to be the spicy version. You get several pieces of crispy, golden-fried mahi mahi. On a submarine steak roll, iceberg lettuce, tomato slices, banana peppers, and spicy mayo. The submarine steak roll was a nice hardy roll, however it was too much roll for the pieces of fish given. Maybe a nice kaiser or hard hamburger roll would be better. I got a side of crinkle fries to accompany my sandwich. Ask for a side of spicy mayo to dip. To wash down my meal, I got a peach milkshake. Their milkshakes are terrific! The peach flavor was perfect. Can't wait to stop at John's next summer!

Great beach fare! My family and I visited for the first time today and it was pretty good! I had a fantastic tuna salad sandwich and my wife really enjoyed her crab cake sandwich. Our boys had hot dogs and ate them up. Fried okra was decent, and about as good as it can get. Great fries! Only hang up was it took 20 minutes from order to food delivery, and, parking is a beast; parking is limited and u are backing out blind onto the beach road. But, that is also a good thing, it means they are busy, well enjoyed, and are providing a fantastic product. Empty restaurants scare me, this one is not. I really enjoyed this place and would recommend it to anyone nearby. It's not a "destination/go out of your way spot," but it's a wonderful quick food grab when you want to spend time at the beach. Kudos to them, I will definitely be back.

Dolphin basket was delicious! Fish was juicy with a nice crisp batter. Good milkshakes. Friendly staff.

I was underwhelmed by John's Drive In. I had this on my list to try because of an article in Our State. Honestly, a lot of the reason for the 3 stars as opposed to 4 stars is because of how much of a disaster the parking situation is. There is limited parking in front of the shack. There are no signs or indication of where the spaces actually are, and the way that people line up, half of the time they are blocking the limited spaces available. The beach road isn't really somewhere that you can slow down and look for parking. This whole process took us 10-15 minutes just to get parked to walk another 5 mins to John's. Anyways, parking rant over. The line at the shack was long, as expected since it was Labor Day Weekend. We waited in line for about 10-15 mins and then waited another 20 mins for our food. The service at the window was kind of rude and the employees were not very helpful. There is limited picnic table sitting around the sides and only some of the seats are in the shade. For my food, I got the dolphin boat and fries. I also tried the burger and a milkshake. The fried Mahi was excellent, as advertised. The Mahi was quality and you got a good amount of meat in the boat. The fries were average crinkle cut, and the burger was a good classic burger. I would also recommend one of their milkshakes, which was great on the hot day. Moral of the story: The food is very good, particularly the dolphin boat, but the parking, wait, and service definitely bring down the value of this place. This is a great spot if you are nearby on the beach and can walk up. I would recommend calling ahead and skipping the line. I saw a number of people do this. I would recommend the food, but I think I would do things differently next time.

Unbelievably fresh dolphin fish sub! Came back here for a second time on our way out of town. My fav place to eat in OBX!

OMG. This place was just great! As the name states, it is a drive in. However, the food is restaurant quality. The burgers are fantastic and juicy, the fried shrimp are delicious and crunchy, and the hush puppies... simply amazing! The milkshakes are a great topping the the scrumptious food. This place always seems to be popping off. The parking lot is not huge, but definitely worth waiting for a spot. They do have tables where you can eat or you can take back to your place. This is located in an area where a lot of people rent houses and can be very walkable which my friends and I did. Nice scenery, great food, & great costs. I would definitely recommend everyone to try this place. My friend is a local and told me how great it was after I went there and could not stop talking about it!