Chilli Peppers Restaurant & Bar

Wonderful atmosphere! Great costumer service! Good drinks! Super friendly staff! We felt right at home!

This was a first time for us at Chilli Peppers. We were there on a Sunday for lunch. The place is not large and was reasonably busy, even in January. They feature Mexican and Caribbean influenced foods. Let’s leave it at «influenced».
I chose Tacos El Pastor. I assumed this was supposed to be like tacos al pastor or maybe these were actually made from real shepherd. But no, the description says «pork» so no shepherds were harmed. The pork was grilled with a light seasoning and served with cilantro and onion on corn tortillas. They were accompanied by a pineapple salsa. These were good if you just call them grilled pork tacos. They were not good if you were expecting tacos al pastor (or even tacos El pastor). Just providing some form of pineapple does not make them «al pastor». The idea is that the pork is marinated and cooked on a spit the way you might imagine a shepherd would do. El Tizoncito in Mexico City claims to have invented the idea, true or not, I don’t know. El Fogoncito also serves a good version. The pineapple sundae topping made from canned pineapple and overly sweet like jam is not what should be served with them. It’s too easy to grill some fresh pineapple. I did not use the pineapple jam. The tomatillo salsa listed on the menu did not show up on my serving so I tried their own bottled jalapeño salsa, it was just OK.
The sides were not good. Black beans over seasoned with cumin (because that is what makes food Mexican! Wait, no, that makes it bad Tex-​Mex). Worse, they had no salt, none. I ate one bite. The rice was Uncle Ben’s or Sysco equivalent plastic pellet instant rice also with no seasoning or salt and in this case not even the ever popular cumin. Again one bite.
Fish ‘n’ Chips were Rockfish that day and that was Ms T’s selection. She was served one nice sized filet. This was very good fish, mild, moist and coated right. It was dramatically better than the flounder I had the night before at Rooster’s. The slaw mercifully had no onion, and was OK, just needed a bit more vinegar. We both liked the fish, but the chips were the thinnest I have ever seen, measured I think in a few Angstroms. They were also the greasiest we have ever had, fried in old oil. We could not eat them.
Would we return? Maybe. The tacos were fine, just named wrong. I would order with just cilantro and ask for lime wedges. It seems they know how to fry and probably grill fish, so fish tacos should be good. I would be pretty selective about the «Mexican» food. This is a pretty gringo place in their execution, letting too much American influence in. Sides were hit (slaw) and miss, mostly miss (potato chips, black beans and rice). I am rating two stars, reserving one for hopefully some good fish tacos. But for now, all I can do is rate what we had on the first visit. The «proteins» as they like to call them were good, the rest left a lot to be desired. The proteins are what would bring me back after a 2 star meal.

the sauce of themselves is remarkable. It’s like thai sauce but more american flavor

Date night with the hubby. I had the All-​American steak house burger, he had the Black & Bleu burger. ½ pound burger cooked perfectly with generous amounts of toppings. Super filling, but couldn’t stop eating it. Best we’ve had in a long time. Friendly staff. Clean, inviting atmosphere. Looking forward to going back.

Husband and I haven’t been here in awhile but wanted a quick lunch snack. We ordered chips but Peppers didn’t have hot salsa. Bummer. I got onion and cabbage soup! What a yummy dish. Husband got classic burger and enjoyed his meal. Not alot of beers on tap but was able to deal with what was offered.

Great food and service! I had the shrimp tacos and it was more than I could handle. Nachos are a meal in them self. Can’t wait for our next visit.

I stopped in this place this afternoon, and the food and service were excellent. I had the fish fry that was huge, and it came with seasoned fries, coleslaw and hush puppies. The hostess and my waitress were excellent in keeping my water filled and providing me with excellent service.

We stopped in for a late breakfast and were seated right away. Typical beach décor that you find at most restaurants in the OBX so nothing that stands out as different/​unique.
The coffee we had with breakfast was OK but tasted of cheap quality beans. I did like the large coffee cups they were served in however.
I chose the tamale egg breakfast with sausage. The tamale was very moist and tasty however there was too much cheese and the sausage was bland (not very spicy).
The waitress we had was very attentive and was there on multiple occasions to make sure we had what we needed including many refills. I give the customer service 5 stars!
There are MULTIPLE places like this that are just OK so we will keep looking the next time we are down in the OBX for a breakfast spot

Loved the food here! Husband got the fish tacos and wouldn’t share cause they were so good. I got the tacos pastor and really enjoyed them. The pork was really tasty and tender. Will now be eating here every time we come back to OBX.

Went for breakfast with a party of 8. Everyone left happy. Loved the huevos rancheros! Good food and the waitress was friendly and attentive. Can’t wait to go back for dinner!

Went for lunch. This place has a great vibe and offers some very good happy hour specials. The menu was very extensive. Awesome margaritas and deserts also. Service was friendly and fast.

I thought this restaurant was so cute; I really love the décor inside. The food was mostly good & we had fantastic service here, too. Our server was so sweet and attentive. She and the guy that seated us came around consistently throughout our meal to refill drinks and make sure everything was good.
I do feel like the winner at Chilli Peppers is the Chimmichurri Oysters appetizer. So freaking good. That chimmichurri sauce is legit. The menu says the sauce is National Award Winning, and I believe it! It comes with pieces of toasted bread, which is actually delicious on it’s own as well! After we ate all the oysters, we asked for more bread so we could dip it in the remaining sauce, because it is THAT good.
I had the Crab Enchiladas as my entrée. These were pretty yummy, & they came with rice and black beans.
One disappointment I do want to mention are the Tuna Tartare tacos. I wanted to love these so bad. Another reviewer raved about how great they are, so maybe we caught them on a bad night for this appetizer. I thought at first that maybe I wasn’t enjoying them because I set my expectations too high, but after getting others at my table to try I knew they were bad. They seemed to have an overbearing flavor of what tasted like sesame oil. I really hate that I hated these!

Some of the best blackened salmon I have had possibly the best meal I have had in the outer banks. Definitely need to try their margaritas they are amazing.

We were in Kitty Hawk for just one night, and on a Monday before the season really starts, many places aren’t open yet, so we were glad that Chili Peppers was an option. We were in the mood for something fresh and not too heavy, and the chicken taco salad and fish baja tacos were just right.
The greens were fresh, the salsa was delicious and the meat and fish were seasoned perfectly. Our waitress was very nice, and checked in with us often. It wasn’t that crowded, but I’m guessing if it was, there would be additional waitstaff there.
Overall, we enjoyed our dinner, and would recommend the place to friends.

We loved everything about Chili Peppers. Great service, awesome food, perfect drinks. Excellent atmosphere.

Food was good. Drink was watered down.
Oysters chimi is delicious.
Fajitas a little bland.
Fried green tomatoes delicious.
Understand it is a bit of a biker bar.

The Huevos Rancheros was amazing. I wish it wasn’t just a special.
Highly recommend this resturant. Drinks were off the charts!
Very good service; staff was nice and cordial. Very knowledgeable about the menu.

The food was absolutely amazing! It’s not your typical Mexican place, it’s a little more casual and has a little twist on their dishes. It’s a perfect portion of deliciousness I guess you could say! Felt satisfied after and not overly full so there was room for dessert ;) we started with the pulled chicken nachos, my boyfriend and dad got the wet burrito (YUM) and my mom and I got the fajitas (also YUM)
The staff was also a delight. They were busy so the owner stepped in and got us started on the drinks. It’s a little quaint place so it gets busy very fast.
you will def see us back next year!!!

The food was BANGINNNN!!!
Kids burger was good !
French toast with peach whip cream… Amazing!
Omelete was huge and good!
The jalapeño dip appetizer was fantastic!
I will most defintely come back here on my next trip to the OBX!
Maybe even check out the night life here!
I forgot… They have 2 sets of cornhole boards outback!

Consistently great food for years. The drinks are great. The service is friendly. The appetizers are KILLER and you can NEVER go wrong with anything that has the catch of the day. The fish is fresh, flavorful and the portions are large.
I put this in the same grouping as my other favorite casual beach restaurants (Tortugas, Goombays, Rundown & Mama Kwans) with ChiliPeppers and Tortugas being my favorite. My only complaint is they all seem to lean heavily on the rice & beans for side dishes. That said, the food is superb.
On the appetizer menu the Chimichurri oysters and the Tuna tartare tacos are fantastic. (that tuner dish is killer). The seafood enchilida is huge. The fresh fish steamer pot is a unique take on «catch of the day» and the hot sauces and spices are a nice addition.
Don’t go in for fine dining. Go in for casual dining that is much better than you expect! There is a large specials menu so you know they are keeping the menu fresh on a regular basis based on what people like and what local seafood is being caught.
I’m told they had a dry patch for a few years where they had a bad chef (I must have missed it), got new management and a new name and are now better than ever.