The Outer Banks Visitors Bureau proudly announces the winner of the 2nd Annual Outer Banks Soft-Shell Week. Congratulations to Kill Devil Grill for earning 187 votes and securing the 2024 Outer Banks Soft-Shell Week Best Dish Award.
“A big thank you to our 30 participating restaurants for joining us in creating an authentic culinary experience that celebrates our native blue crabs and the foodie frenzy surrounding their May molt,” says Executive Director Lee Nettles. “There were many surprising recipes for folks to try along the Soft-Shell Week trail, which is still available on the event website SoftShellWeek.com.”
In its second year, the event saw 30 participating restaurants spanning from Duck, NC down to Cape Hatteras and Roanoke Island, with a total of 838 votes cast. “We brought back the people’s choice award for 2024, adding a friendly competitive element to event by allowing patrons to vote for their favorite dishes using a QR code,” explains Nettles. “Kill Devil Grill can proudly display their people’s vote award and be ready to defend their title next year, with the real winners being the crab loving customers across the Outer Banks.” The Bureau also thanks everyone for supporting local Outer Banks restaurants and the commercial fishing industry that provides fresh seafood every day. Attendees are encouraged to send in photos of the soft-shell dishes they enjoyed, and tag @TheOuterBanksNC in their social posts which may be added to the event page on our official website OuterBanks.org. We look forward to seeing everyone in the spring of 2025 for the 3rd Annual Soft-Shell Week on the heels of Mother’s Day.
“Any of the participating restaurants will tell you that they sold more softshell crabs this year”, says Mark Ballog, Dare County Tourism Board Member and owner of Lucky12 Tavern, “They had more dining guests during that week and they bought more softshells from local Waterman and fish houses, which benefits the Outer Banks community as whole through the economic cycle.” The Outer Banks Visitors Bureau extends gratitude to the following participating restaurants: 1587 Lounge and Restaurant, Basnight’s Lone Cedar Café, Black Pelican Restaurant & Catering, Blue Moon Beach Grill, Blue Water Grill & Raw Bar, Bonzer Shack Bar & Grill, Café Pamlico, Chilli Peppers Coastal Grill, Dirty Dick’s Crabhouse Nags Head, Goodwinds Restaurant and Wine Bar, Goombays Grille & Raw Bar, Greentails Seafood Market & Kitchen, Henry’s Restaurant, Jolly Roger Restaurant, Kelly’s Outer Banks Catering, Kill Devil Grill, Lost Colony Tavern, Lucky 12 Tavern, Miller’s Waterfront Restaurant, NC Coast Grill & Bar, Outer Banks Brewing Station, Poor Richard’s Sandwich Shop and Pub, Red Drum Taphouse & Grill, Red Sky Casual Dining and Cocktails, Sandtrap Tavern, Shipwrecks Taphouse & Grill, The Salt Box, Snow Bird Burgers and Cones, Trio Restaurant & Market, and Two Roads Tavern. “Thank you for sharing this event with your customers and setting high expectations for next year with the diversity of delicious soft-shell blue crab dishes created for this event,” adds Nettles.