Owens' Restaurant 

Overview:

The Owens' Restaurant is situated in Nags Head North Carolina. Located at 7114 S Virginia Dare Trail, they are open from 9AM-2PM Wednesday-Sunday and from 5-9PM daily. This restaurant has been serving seafood and other classic fair since 1946. It makes Owen's one of the oldest restaurants in the Outer Banks. We decided to go for brunch as we had only had dinner here. 

Owens only offers sit-down dining in their spacious dining rooms spread out over the first floor. You can place reservations by calling them. This may be recommended during the weekend dinner house. However, we went for weekday breakfast, and there was hardly anyone there. I was definitely looking forward to trying the brunch as I always remembered Owens' dinner being delicious. 

The Food:

Mimosa 

To start off our brunch we all ordered mimosas to drink. I thought the mimosa was just ok. The orange juice was ok, and the other purple champagne was flavorless. For $11 I thought Owens could have done way better on the mimosa. 

Eggs Benedict w/ Country Ham

I ordered the eggs benedict with country ham for my brunch. It came with two English muffins, country ham, eggs with hollandaise, and cooked spinach on top. The dish had a side of home fries as well. Immediately after trying the first bite, I realized how salty everything tasted. In particular, the country ham and spinach were loaded with salt to the point of almost not being able to eat the dish. The high amount of sauce overpowered the delicate hollandaise sauce which was pretty good. Even the home fries were overseasoned with large chunks of cracked peppercorns making the potatoes hard to eat. I did finish the dish but it left a salty taste in my mouth and I had to drink lots of water for most of the remainder of the day. 

Cheese Omelet

The cheese omelet came with home fries and a croissant. Here the home fries were overseasoned with peppercorns as well. However, the omelet was pretty good along with the croissant. The portion size of the omelet was huge and we were able to take the remainder with us for leftovers. 

Blueberry Pancakes

The last item we ordered for brunch was the pancakes. They were able to add blueberries into the pancake upon request as they said the berries are normally just added on top. I thought the pancakes were good and it came with powdered sugar, and butter on the side. In addition, the person I was with who ordered the pancakes also got a side of the country ham which was also very salty. 

Service:

We received average service on our visit to Owens for brunch. Firstly, we arrived at the restaurant right when it opened at 9AM for brunch. Unfortunately, the doors were still locked so we had to wait for the hostess to come and open them. We were the first group to arrive for brunch and were seated in the smaller dining room towards the front. From there the service just felt unprepared and improvised. This was a huge letdown as we are used to the full dining service provided during dinner. The food came out in proper order but we were notified that some of the menu items were not yet ready and could not be ordered like the grits. 

Atmosphere:

Foyer

Waiting Area

The atmosphere inside Owens is unlike any other restaurant I can think of. Everywhere you look on the walls or floor there is something to look at. It is very overwhelming when you first walk in and go to the dining room. I think the decorations are nice in some spots but in others, it is too much. However, the place just feels outdated with drapes on the windows, striped wallpaper, and flower couches in the waiting area. Although, this is supposed to be an old classical restaurant, so some of the design remaining true to its original form is understandable. 

Small Dining Room

Hallway

As you go into the larger dining rooms in the back, however, it just feels dark with all the drapes and dark carpets. In addition, the place did have a slight musty smell and could use a good dusting on almost everything they put on the wall. 

Large Dining Room

Rating: Awful |⭐✩✩✩✩|

Owens' Restaurant was a huge letdown throughout our entire visit. The food was average at best, with certain elements like the country ham and spinach being almost unedible. I thought the service was subpar, especially for a fine dining establishment. In addition, the atmosphere was dull and I think the inside could use a major remodel. This demonstrated that this place was meant for dinner, not brunch. The disparity between the quality of the dinner and brunch food is great. Additionally, the food was very expensive. For the bill I paid for, which was the eggs benedict, omelet, and two mimosas, it cost me over $60! Breakfast or brunch should not cost $60 for two people and if it does, the food should be amazing. Unfortunately, the food and experience here was not great and if you are looking for breakfast or brunch in the Outer Banks I would recommend the Jolly Roger or Bob's Grill.