Dajio

My husband and I ate at Dajio in September. We basically rode the ferry to Ocracoke just to eat here. Before our trip, I had read wonderful things about this restaurant, and one morning at breakfast, other travelers recommended it.
This was our favorite meal all week. We got there for lunch and there was no wait. Parking was a difficult to find and a little tight.
My husband got the seafood stew and enjoyed it immensely. I got the crab corn cakes that came with slaw and broccoli rabe. The crab cakes tasted really fresh and I enjoyed the sauce on top. For dessert, we split a slice of key lime pie and a slice of black bottom pie. Both were incredible.

Love this place but came from the beach to enjoy some off season island time and found out they closed last weekend. Can’t wait to come back earlier next season.

Rude waitress… out of a lot of the food… burger was nasty across the street they are much better

After reading almost every restaurant review in Ocracoke we decided on Dajio’s. My husband had seen a picture of the Seafood Purloo — and his mind was set on that before we arrived. Fortunately, it was wonderful and he enjoyed every bite — Fresh seafood in a saffron broth.
I went with the Cuban Pork Chop stuffed with ham, cheese, pickles and top with a chimichurri sauce. Elegant version of the Cuban sandwich without the bread — cooked perfectly.

I think one more dollar sign is in order here maybe. It’s very reasonable and it’s not very elegant, but it is a bit more upscale than the two dollar signs alone would suggest. The menu is special and our food was very very good.

Dajio made everything right with the world the second I took a bite of their local fish of the day.
I had a bit of a dilemma and they were able to solve it oh so easily. I commuted to the island of Ocracoke by way of airplane and the regulations for the island’s report prohibit night time departures, so it was already 6:00pm (time goes by quick on this amazing little island) — sunset sets at 7:15pm and I still had to get back to the airport. All that to say I was in a mad dash for dinner. I let them know and they put in an order for my sister and I right away and 15 minutes later it was on our table along with the bill.
We rushed through the meal, but I still remember every bite fondly. I ordered the locally caught fish (there are so many fishermen on the island so I hope it was quite literally caught by one of them) and enjoyed it grilled with a side of fried potatoes and brocolli. It was served with side of housemade tartar sauce and everything was oh so delicious. The fish was perfectly flaky, tender and flavorful. It didn’t need the tartar sauce, but it was so delicious I couldn’t help myself but to dip the fish in it.
The potatoes were interesting and multi-​colored. There were some purple ones, regular colored potatoes, etc. They seemed to be a mix of baked and fried and were delightful with the brocolli, but the local fish is really where it was at. If you’re coming here and are a lover of seafood and good service, you won’t be disappointed. They have an indoor and outdoor seating area as well and the ambiance is quite nice. Highly recommended as a dining option in Ocracoke.

Of all the places I ate during my week in the Outer Banks, this was by far the best and the only place I left saying… wow that was good!
We came for breakfast while on Ocracoke (which isn’t that great, this was the highlight of our visit to the island).
The service was absolutely outstanding, our coffee never went empty and we always had what we needed.
The food was just as good, get the crème brûlée french toast, it was so amazing. You don’t need syrup for it. I will say this, it is small so if you’re really hungry get another side besides the one it comes with. I got bacon and a biscuit. The bacon was SO good. The wife, my Mom and Sister all got the seafood omelette and they said it was the best they’d ever had. It was giant, ton of meat in it. I tried the potatoes too which were also cooked and seasoned perfectly and so good!
If you visit Ocracoke this should be a stop, it looked to be one of the nicer places on the island and with the food and service you just can’t beat it.

I have tried this restaurant a couple times. The food is always good (but not fantastic). Last time I went was for lunch and although the food was pretty good the waitress kept walking away from me as I was ordering and talking to her. Just turned her back ignored me and walked away multiple times– mid ordering. Im not a whiny annoying customer I just expect to feel welcome at businesses I’m giving my money to… I don’t even get that kind of rude treatment at McDonalds so I won’t be visiting dajio again.

I loved this place. I got the vegan tacos with the sweet and sour slaw and fries. The food was very good and the waitress was very nice. I really liked the outdoor seating, very pretty and relaxing.

Awesome food awesome service. Eat inside or out. We ate inside. I’ve never tried fish tacos but I did since I was on vacation. Excellent tacos (blue fish) for this gluten-​free gal. My husband had the shrimp plate Cajun style loaded with shrimp… too many to count :) Oh and the crab dip outrageously good served with blue corn chips!
Chris was our server two thumbs up to Chris!

1^st time here, I tried the turkey panini my father ordered the black Angus burger and my mom tried the fresh fish tacos. Will take pictures and review how it went. Already impressed by the service and the acceptance of my service dog.

Great ambience delicious food, carefully prepared and beautifully plated/​presented. Gracious attentive staff that knows the menu. Locally sourced crab, oysters, shrimp and fish. I may stay an extra day in Ocracoke just to eat here again.
Wood grilled oysters are to die for.

I came here with my family for dinner on Friday evening of July 4^th weekend with a reservation.
Our group started with the classic Caesar which was larger than most starter salads and had great flavor and the gumbo which was also full of seafood and flavor. For our main course we tried the crab & corn cakes (two large cakes) with slaw and asparagus, the Purloo which was delicious with lots of flavor with the saffron, and the sea scallops which were the crowd favorite. The pineapple chunks, scallops, and pimento polenta were delicious together! We finished with key lime pie and left happy. Great place for dinner on the island!

Very good for breakfast. We had the veggie omelette and seafood omelette. Ask for a side of red chile hollandaise sauce.

Had fish tacos and scallops with polenta. Ceviche was different from what I’ve had before, but good! Wood fire oysters were excellent. Cute comfortable outdoor patio seating. No view of water. I would recommend

This four star review goes more to service which was amazing. They are PET FRIENDLY. They allow to bring your pet to the patio, and will give it water and so on.
The staff is helpful, prompt, and they know their food. The food is average to good. The civiche was very fresh and made from a great cut of local tuna, however, it was just like a sashimi cut. The chunks had no flavor of lemon and spice that make the dish. It is disappointing because the fish quality is amazing, as you would expect. The calamari were overcooked. We had the tuna salad med rare and it was great, again with the great cut of grilled local yellow fin tuna. Fried oysters were very good as well but I though too much batter. They were good sized and high quality with flavor and I do recommend them. I need standout was the cole slaw served. It was not anything typical and was likely one of the best I have ever had. The prices are a but high but so is everything on the island so no complaints.
This is a good place and treats you great. The food is good, it won’t knock your socks off, but I do recommend. It is a nice package.

I have been here for Dinner on the patio, dinner in the bar with a band playing and breakfast. Each meal has been great! The atmosphere is amazing. Service is always helpful and nice! My friends got the fish Tacos for dinner and they all loved them. I got the Low Country Purloo, clams, shrimp scallops and mussels in an amazing broth with rice. Sooooo good!!! Breakfast was delish from the Crème Brûlée French toast that I had to the seafood omelette that my husband got! I definitely recommend this quaint amazing spot to everyone!

We killed a day driving to take the free ferry down to Ocracoke and back to Nag’s Head. For lunch we ate at Dajio. After figuring out that the sign by the patio entrance saying wait to be seated, also applied to the main door as well, we were seated on the patio. The patio is cozy and this was a somewhat warm day (84F). It was bordering on unpleasant because the brick walls block all breeze. It would be brutal in the heat of summer. The place was understaffed and we were assisted by an overachieving server. There is a notch between surly and dramatically friendly that this one needs to find.
We were able to enjoy brews from Mother Earth in Kinston. We wanted to eat light so ordered Calamari and a Blue Fish Sandwich to split. The sandwich was accompanied by slaw. The calamari was OK, lightly coated, somewhat under fried leaving it a little soggy. The Blue Fish grilled was our selection because they did not have fresh flounder at the moment. Having not had Blue Fish we did not know its characteristics. It is a strong oily fish and did not make a great sandwich. Now we know.
The slaw was a wilted, marinated Asian style with fish sauce and sesame oil. It was really limp. It had clearly been made 2 – 3 days before and had been kept too long.
We did not order shrimp because they describe it as being tempura battered. My experience with tempura is a lot of batter that really holds a lot of grease. We did see some on plates and should have ordered it. It looked very good.
It’s hard to describe my reaction to the place. It is trying to be something other than the standard OBX fried seafood place. I think this would be fine for dinner since there is a limited selection of dining choices in this remote area. It just seemed to have an attitude that I did not find to be deserved. They are trying to be a little creative but not quite hitting the mark. I think you need to give them chance and find the things they do well.

Cute place… old house… sits behind trees… white table cloths… lots of windows.
They greeted us well. Server was so friendly and happy, all except she didn’t want to go back to the mainland for school… she was enjoying Ocracoke so much. I know what little time I spent there, I was quite happy too.
I ordered the bagel and bacon, but I should have ordered the crème brûlée French toast. It looked so decadent. My food was good though.
Since our campground didn’t have wifi working, I tried to jump on theirs. When I asked for the password, hostess said no one knows it. Really? Ok.

First, ask yourself one thing: do you like peppers? Red, green, yellow, jalapeño, all types of peppers? Because the cooking at Dajio is pepper-​heavy, and I don’t particularly love bell peppers. They’re in the crab cakes, they’re in the shrimp and grits, the crab dip, the crab chowder. I’ve been here 4 – 5 times, and have put off reviewing because peppers kept popping up and running my meals, and I thought it wasn’t fair to them to review based on my personal tastes. But now I’ve tried enough things to feel prepared to write a review.
Dajio is one of only a couple nicer restaurants on Ocracoke, the other being Back Porch. Dajio is the far more creative and eclectic menu of the two. There is an indoor and an outdoor area, but outdoor seems to have a bit of an issue with flies. The bread basket includes jalapeño corn bread, which is freakin amazing and I could eat as my meal. Seriously, so good.
One of the best items I’ve had is the roasted beet salad. You can tell they really put in the time to find really complimentary flavors, including caramelized pears and a strong cheese (Gorgonzola?). That is on their current summer menu. I’ve also tried the scallop ceviche (ok), the shrimp and grits (meh, grits too watery and of course peppers, heavy bacon flavor), the scallops with mushrooms and polenta (awesome, as long as you like strong mushroom flavor).
On the regular menu, some stand outs are the crab dip (absolutely massive portion, also contains peppers) and the crab chowder (thick and filling without being too creamy or heavy). The crab cakes are made with corn bread as the filler, and are also very good. I had the tempura fried ahi tuna a few years ago, and it was good but extremely spicy, too spicy for me and I like spicy food. Not sure if it’s still that way. The gnocchi is ridiculously good and ridiculously rich. While it should have been a standout, I wasn’t particularly impressed with the crab mac and cheese. One of the best things on the menu is the grilled cheese sandwich, which has some type of sweet-​spicy jam on it, don’t remember what it’s called.
I suggest sitting inside if you can, because of the aforementioned fly problem in the courtyard (as well as Mosquitos). It’s often crowded in the small dining room though, so you may have a bit of a wait. Definitely worth it!