Pony Island Restaurant

After reading the reviews this was our first stop after getting off the ferry. And, honestly, I would have loved to give this place a five star rating but…. I ordered the morning special of a crab and Swiss omelette. There were so many shells I had to spit out every other bite. The flavor was great but because I could only eat half of it, it definitely wasn’t worth the $25 we had to pay for it. However, my husband loved his breakfast tacos, our kids loved their breakfast: banana pancakes, eggs, bacon. I just wouldn’t recommend the crab and Swiss omelette.

We were here visiting from Ohio, and this restaurant felt just like visiting our local family restaurant back home! Except the decor was ocean-themed and we were surrounded by other tourists instead of farmers. The food was great - try the hash browns and the biscuits! After a week of eating rich food around the island, I was in the mood for something a little lighter for breakfast and wasn’t convinced the Pony Island Restaurant would have something to fit that bill. They did, though - I got an egg white scramble with spinach and tomatoes, which was perfect. The husband let me try a bite of his hotcake, which was fluffy and delicious. Everyone on staff was very kind and helpful, and they made sure you always had a full cup of steaming hot coffee. Very reasonable prices, too! This was the perfect place to end our vacation, and we’ll be back next time we find ourselves back on Ocracoke!

I arrived on a 10:00 ferry and rushed to get to Pony island before it closed at 11:00. I was there before 10:30. The food was good but not notable, just basic, bacon, eggs and pancakes. The coffee WAS notable, it was excellent. Unfortunately, the staff had already started cleaning, sweeping around me while I was eating and trying to enjoy a little peace with my breakfast and coffee. The staff kept checking on me ostensibly to make sure my meal was good but I got the feeling they were checking on me to see if they could clear my dishes and to see how far along I was with my meal. The restaurant was clean, well decorated and the staff was polite. It isn’t McDonald’s however and the rush to get me out of there so they could clean up was a meal killer. I was out by 11:00 and my bill was $34. (The price wasn’t the issue had the meal been pleasant) I’m sure my experience would have been better had I arrived earlier. If your open til 11:00 then be open. Don’t try to clean up and close up while people are still dining before your closing time. $34 is high for breakfast but I understand, Ocracoke is remote and this restaurant is pretty much a monopoly, at least for breakfast. The experience should be commensurate however with the price. Nice place but disappointing experience.

Had breakfast for two and it was delicious. Nice, local joint with great food and service. Didn't have to wait to be seated. I enjoyed the vegetarian Mexican tacos and my wife loved her bacon, egg and cheese on wheat. Will definitely return!

Good place to eat, we go every year while we visit the beach. Good atmosphere and great food. Service is always 💯. We got in pretty quick this year because we were there pretty early.

Coffee hot and plentiful. Excellent server and busser. Well run restaurant accustomed to turning tables as line before opening demonstrates this a popular place for customers to start their day. Reasonable value. Cute and clean inside.

Always a multi-stop during our week on Ocracoke. Kathy (Cathy?) is one of our favorite waitresses. She always has a smile and treats us like her best customer. Highly recommend enjoying a breakfast here.

We came back over to the island just to eat here!... well worth it! Breakfast was awesome! We had the pancakes, French toast, and strawberries, link sausage, breakfast taters, and biscuits. Fast and great service. Reasonably priced.

Very good American Breakfast with a number of choices. Had the Western Omelette and it was amazing.

Just what we wanted this morning before heading to the beach. Service is friendly, efficient, and attentive. Food is very, very good; not overly done. Sometimes cooks try too hard and end up messing up a good thing, but not here and not today. Husband had the taco omelette and I had a sausage, egg and cheese sandwich with a side of cheese grits. Very pleased! Definitely recommend this joint for breakfast. Atmosphere is very casual and neighborly. Thanks again!

Pony Island Restaurant ain't horsin' around! Breakfast!! That's all they do! 7:30-11:30 ... then it's off to fishing! If you know Ocracoke, you know there's only a handful of restaurants to chose from! We were pleased that we stumbled upon this cute, rustic eatery which served a good, hearty breakfast! The pancakes were huge and the bacon & eggs were done to my liking. The grits were so-so. Pretty average service and prices, but all around a nice place to grab your morning cup of Joe! The bathrooms are in an awkward spot near tables and everyone can just watch you go on and out of the restroom. I would definitely make a small enclosure to separate the restroom from the rest of the place.

This place has an unbelievable breakfast! Cracker Barrel ain't got nothing on the Pony Island Restaurant. I had an omelet smothered with protein, and a side of grits. Large portion, delicious flavor and reasonably priced. My daughter had the blueberry flap jacks! Large, 3 stack with Vermont syrup. OMG! So good. My wife had the corned beef hash with scrambled eggs and toast. Cooked perfectly! Service was excellent, our waiter was awesome, checked on us several times and he doubles over to Jason's Deli after brunch! Hustler! You gotta appreciate folks like that. I highly recommend you try the Pony out for breakfast. You will not be disappointed!

Fabulous breakfast. The menu had lots of tempting selections. I ordered hash and eggs. It was fast, abundant, hot, and fresh. Definitely more than a "normal" person could eat. Service was friendly and efficient. I'd definitely recommend it and return.

Great service. Great food. Really cute T-shirts too! The pony potatoes and pancakes are a must try.

Excellent breakfast place. Exactly what you would expect from a place that serves your typical American breakfast. I had the eggs, sausage, hash brown and pancake. The side pancake is plate sized. Prices are reasonable. Can even pick up a cool t shirt. Definitely a place to try while on the island.

Best breakfast spot on Ocracoke! They serve breakfast until 1130am so you can sleep in and still have eggs and bacon. Fast friendly service.

Delicious food, my favorite place to have breakfast! Very friendly staff. My only complaint is I wish they stayed open a bit later.

Went here for breakfast with my family and received great service! We got seated quickly and our waitress was very friendly. Additionally, the Tex-Mex pancakes and hash browns were phenomenal! Would totally recommend going here for breakfast.

I love visiting this place for breakfast when we are in Ocracoke. The staff is very friendly and welcoming and the food is great.

Great breakfasts. Nice way to start your day. Good service, decent prices, closes at 11:30 am.

Five out of five! Would definitely go back! We went at 9am, there was a line; we were told it would be a 15 minute wait but they got us seated in about 10. Only bummer was there wasn't much space for people waiting. Daniel was our waiter & he was superb, fast friendly & efficient. The food was fantastic! Pony potatoes were spot on, Salsa cheese eggs came with American cheese slices on top & the Southwest Scramble Tacos were thoroughly enjoyed. The banana hot cakes had the banana cooked inside & were delicious. They used a new towel to clean each table & threw it in the bin after one use (this may seem wasteful but with Covid I think this is great practice). They were busy & moving fast but they weren't rushing, they were efficient. They didn't rush us & were very friendly even though you could tell they were a bit overwhelmed.

We were here on a Wednesday morning in July visiting Ocracoke for a day. The outside appearence of the place was very welcoming and homey. We walked in with about a 2 minute wait. We got seated and it was nice. The drinks were great and in the bathroom there was good salt scrub. The food was typical for a breakfast establishment not bad priced right. The service was good and the coffee was good. It was a little dark inside. You must pay at the register after receiving the bill. It was next to a pony motel

This breakfast place is delicious! Our server was very nice and attentive! The place was busy, but they got us seated in no time and our food came out in a timely matter. The restaurant was very clean. I would recommend eating here!

Always delicious, fantastic service and quick! We have come here every year that we ferry down to the island and it's our favorite breakfast spot for sure!

Great place for breakfast at reasonable prices. The line was a bit long, but the tables opened up fairly quickly, and of course, 10:30am on a Saturday in season, you can expect a line! The food was hot, tasty and generously portioned. The server was terrific, and anticipated anything we might have needed. We were pleased with the pricing, also.

Generous portions, and plenty of options to make the meal healthy or decadent (or in between). The restaurant was clean, we were sat right away, excellent server, great iced tea (no coffee for this Yelper). I personalized their version of a Denver Omelet. Sister had French toast and bacon. GREAT place for breakfast on Ocracoke Island! Location is very easy to find. The vacationing family next to us was coming in for their fifth day in a row. I think once you've been, you'll want to return--I know I do!

This restaurant gives what it's supposed to. Small menu, not complicated at all. Good coffee, but some of the service is not that great. The first day we went, the waitress was kind and attentive, even with it being so busy. The next day, it was a different server, and it all felt rushed and hurried. I definitely understand, because they were busy, but not the best. Good is good, coffee is good, and even with a line, you get seated in about 15 minutes.

This is pretty good food with good size portions. Biscuits are flaky and buttery. Pancakes are amazing. I had the crab and Swiss omelette that was a special. It was clearly fresh crab and tasted pretty great. Did need a little sauce but that's just me being nitpicky. Coffee was decent. Service was great. Go early so you don't have to wait so long! We didn't realize there was outdoor seating with shade. Next time we come we will ask to sit outside. :-)

Went here for breakfast over the most recent Labor Day. About a 20 minute wait but not too bad. Food was just a little better than average and service was good. Fairly priced and a decent value overall. They have a nice patio when the weather is nice. They close it down when it's too hor or humid. Better than average service....most of the time.

Stopped in for a late breakfast this morning. They were kind enough to seat us just 20 minutes prior to closing, and we were grateful. Breakfast was amazing! The pancakes were perfect and not so big that you couldn't finish them. My husband said that his omelet was one of the best he'd ever had, which is saying a lot because he orders omelets everywhere we go. The service was great, and the shaded patio was very comfortable, even on an 80* day. I highly recommend the Pony Island restaurant, we will definitely be back!

Awesome team. Seated us even though we got there one minute to closing. Great food and really friendly staff. Too easy to highly recommend.

Great breakfast spot after camping on Ocracoke! Portions are large plenty of variety on the menu.

One of my all time favorites for breakfast. They keep your coffee cups filled- attentive servers, great food and priced right.

Good breakfast with fast and friendly service. We took a weeks trip to Ocracoke and had breakfast here both days. There pancakes were really good and they had great coffee. What made it even better was the fast and friendly staff. Highly recommend!

Okay so this is a review based on the type of staff that work here... having never visited this place I can not judge the food, although my friend tells me it's delicious. A year ago she visited with her children, and they were writing postcards to friends back on the West coast (me). Her younger daughter left them by mistake and what to my complete disbelief arrived at my door today? The postcards and little bag they were in, along with a sweet note saying "wanted to make sure they went where they belong". Such a kind soul to send these on, a year after they were left behind, whether it's because someone was cleaning out lost and found or just happened to come across them again, the fact that you didn't just throw them away is incredible. The story has amazed our girls, who are still best of friends and has shown them that it really pays to be kind. Thank you so much to Vince O'Neal specifically, who wrote the note :) Stay safe this week.

Popular destination for breakfast. Wait was about 25 minutes but worth it. The pony potatoes is a must have but we had a party of five and we all ordered different items and they were all good. The servers are busy but efficient. Great restaurant!

Good people, good food. Wife likes classic eggs bacon & grits. Doc says it's oatmeal & fruits for me. They have it all done well. Really ! Where can you get an oatmeal and fruit cup breakfast and not drool over all the omelets, pancakes, bacon and eggs. They must have a heart patient in the family

It was all good. The staff was helpful & friendly. We arrived at 11:15 with a party of 13. They stop seating at 11:30, but welcomed us in. Not everybody does with a party that large. The food was good & plentiful. I ordered the sausage & egg biscuit. I expected one but got two so I shared with my daughter. The biscuit was flaky with a nice crisp to the outside. I also got the Pecan pancake. Enjoyed it. Husband got the shrimp omelet, and he said it was really good & had lots of shrimp. Price was reasonable. So if you're looking for good food at a good price, head here.

Classic favorite for a diner style breakfast! "Best breakfast on the island" keeps true. Service was fast and efficient- seemed like a huge team effort which was great. The host was very sweet and once we were sat immediately got our drink orders. Food was just what I was craving and at a wonderfully affordable price! I think we paid about $35 for two people including coffee and OJ!

Great place for breakfast. The coffee is good, the food is good, service is fast and friendly, and the place is clean and kept up. We often enjoy this place for breakfast at least once every time we're on the island.

A great choice for breakfast on the island. They have a good sized dining area and quick service which make this a great choice for check-out morning so you can get your belly full before the ferry ride. Their menu is typical breakfast fare with a few twists like banana pancakes, taco omelet, and peanut butter and jelly French toast.

Been coming here for years, even during COVID, always well ran. We always expect a wait, but it's never outrageous and always seems pretty organized. Maybe today was just an off day? Got seated pretty quick, they were full but not overly packed but we still sat so close to the next table of guests, our elbows could touch. Waited forever for anyone to take our order and even longer for food, over an hour from being seated to getting food and nothing fancy, scrambled eggs, etc. Toast didn't make it out with the food and when it did, it was cold. Just seems like they were haphazardly waiting on some tables and not others. Maybe too many take out orders to fill and wait on tables? Food is always solidly good so we will be back. Hope next time is a better experience.

This placed used to be "the place" to go for breakfast in Ocracoke. It's still good, but they have priced themselves out of the market, determined, I suspect, to rely on the unsuspecting tourist flow for a while. 2 eggs w/ bacon was almost $10, and then of course coffee etc is extra. There are many better places to go, but the waitress was friendly, and the food still good enough, if basic. One problem with Ocracoke is the spotty cell service for all of the major cell carriers. Everyone (almost) allows use of their WifFi, but the Pony Island people see that as an inconvenience. Being a T-Mobile customer I always look for WiFi when I am dining so that I can check my email, but here? "We don't give out the password to that anymore. It's just for our employees." We had walked to the Pony Island and spent ~$50 for our table, but they weren't going to give me their WiFi password? How 1980's is that? It's as if they don't want to offer this common courtesy - either that, or they are too lazy to change their password. In any event, that really seemed like a bad way to treat customers. They were totally dismissive and had no problem denying their customers. I will not be going back to the Pony Island - Every restaurant in this small town seems to realize the lack of cell service (TMobile, Verizon etc) creates a problem that they can help address. There are lots of choices folks.

So good. We were on Ocracoke Island for the day and stumbled upon this gem. They serve breakfast until 11:30 weekdays. The banana hotcakes were so good. Don't pass up the biscuits. Made in-house, they are huge and wonderful. The staff is very friendly too.

Amazing breakfast. Super friendly staff! I love the fact that they have have a chicken quesadilla on the menu for breakfast disguised under the pancake section since I'm not too much of a breakfast person.

Imagine our frustration after getting to the island a day before and preparing for five days of camping when the weather turned completely horrible with gale force winds and constant stormy rain. We couldn't cook at the campsite so we went in search of breakfast and found Pony Island restaurant! Let me just tell you how this place changed the course of the entire day. Daniel was our server and he made this busy rainy bustle of breakfast rush hour look easy. Not only were we well taken care of but all the other tables in the pony room were well taken care of by Daniel as well. He kept our coffee refilled, was helpful with the menu, never looked stressed, and gave the same amazing service to the other six or seven tables under his care. Not only was Daniel great but the food was the best we'd had on the island and we came back again on our way out for another delicious breakfast! The entire staff was helpful and efficient and I've never seen a restaurant run so smoothly. There were several young boys helping with the host duties, clearing plates, and bringing drinks and essentials while the server was busy. We aren't from Okracoke and we have no friends or family on the island but this place felt like home. The day was still rainy and gloomy but eating at Pony Island restaurant brought enough sunshine to our day to help get us through! I highly recommend this place and we will return again if and when we come back to the island!! We were here on 4/18/22 and again on 4/20/22.

A very long wait, but some of the best pancakes I've ever had in my entire life. Waiting area was very cramped and the seats were uncomfortable. They definitely need cushions and maybe some magazines or something to read. Waitress said they try to use mostly nearby local ingredients for nearly most everything. Syrup was too sweet. Coffee mug was too small. Very enjoyable and cheap. Wife had hamburger and french fries.

We ate brunch here and it was fantastic! Taco Omelet was the best! Great for kids too.

I've been coming to the island for 40 years and Pony Island has been consistent family style dining for years. If you are looking for upscale or an eclectic menu - this is not your place. But if you are looking for straight up island cooking - like a pound of peel and eat fresh shrimp with hush puppies - then you found a good place at a good price. Breakfast is also very good. Mostly good (unhealthy!) southern cooking but one of the best on the island. Remember where you are and enjoy!

A great Carolina Breakfast--biscuits, fruits, eggs, ham. All of it top notch. I find the service exceptional-- fast, friendly and polite-- and I like the breakfast crowd, mostly locals, some fishermen, a few families. This is a great spot, with no tricked up "bennies" and gimmicky pancakes. Just come here for the real thing! Breakfast time.

In search of some food for our morning meal, we were told that Pony Island Restaurant is the only place on the island that serves breakfast (the big and hearty kind). Walking in we were satisfied to see that it was a busy, bustling family friendly restaurant (the hostess was holding her toddler when we paid for our bill at the end of the meal). The menu had your traditional omelettes and pancakes but I was pleased to see some with seafood varieties (isn't that the whole reason to be on an island in the first place... mmmm... seafood. Wait, or is that SEEfood. Haha!). I also enjoyed seeing options for southern style cuisine (grits... never tried 'em but I hear they're tasty). I had the crab omelette which was tasty since the crab was fresh but really, I thought it was a bit tasteless and not anything to scream about). My friend had a more traditional breakfast of bacon and eggs (wait, I think that's what she had but now I can't remember). The item we both drooled over were the enormous homemade biscuits. Now, those were yummy! If you're a big breakfast fan and need to start your day with a well rounded meal, then definitely come to Pony Island. Otherwise, if you're more of a bagel or yogurt person, I have other recommendations. See my other reviews for Ocracoke. Casual, family-friendly and traditional, Pony Island serves breakfast and lunch daily. Breakfasts are big and hearty--eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits, pancakes, incredible hash browns and all the trimmings. Lunches include fresh local seafood (they'll even cook your day's catch if you'd like), burgers, sandwiches, soups and salads. Beer and wine are served, and desserts and a children's menu are available.

The breakfast here is spectacular. I had the blueberry pancakes with bacon and eggs. It came with 5 slices of bacon! Pancakes were full of fruit and fluffy. Real maple syrup would've been a bonus but regular syrup did the job. My son had the special for the day banana pancakes and didn't leave a crumb on the plate. My other son ordered eggs over easy with sausage and toast. My wife enjoyed the other special of the day crab-stuffed omelet. Boy was it chock full of crab meat. It was pricey ($18) but all that crab meat stuffed in there made it worth the price. We walked here from Blackbeards lodge. Our waitress was pleasant and helpful. Will return!

I really like this restaurant. It feels like old North Carolina. The food is simple, but very good. It is safe for people with shellfish allergies. I had the blackened blue fish, which was perfectly prepared. Everyone should stop here when they visit Ocracoke.

We had the taco omelet and sausage and cheese omelet, with a blueberry pancake on the side. Servings are very generous as each entree comes with hash browns or grits and biscuits or toast. Biscuits are a little heavy for my taste, but good nonetheless. Blueberry pancake was great. This is a place to fill you up with good food, not have a special culinary experience. Bottomless coffee and good service.

Service was horrendous, unfortunately, but the food was yummy! Great omelettes and good biscuits.

Breakfast here was great. I had the taco omelet. Friend had cereal fruit and a blt. Everything cooked great. No complaints by me or my friend. This is a really good place for breakfast!!

A great diner with good service! There are not many breakfast options in Ocracoke on a weekday morning. We went on a Wednesday and there was no wait. I ordered the crab and swiss omelette. It came with two sides. The omelette had a generous serving of crab meat.