Big Oak Drive-In & Bar-B-Q

Best kept secret near emerald isle.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

My family have been coming to Emerald Isle for YEARS and have never tried Big Oak. Since El’s is closed we were looking for some place with the same vibe and food. We’ll lemme just say that the BBQ sandwich will make u smack ur momma!! It’s out of this world! My husband loved his super burger and funnel cake fries. Now we have a regular stop to make every year.

A must for lunch at Atlantic Beach or Emerald Island. We ordered BBQ platters, BBQ platters, Flounder sandwich, FFs, drinks and 1 banana pudding. All was great, except they forgot to add the banana pudding to my order. Not worth going back for $4 when the ocean was calling me.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Flounder Sandwich, Seafood, Sandwich, BBQ, Fried Pickles

Shrimp burger was amazing. GET THE ONION RINGS!!!!!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Love the shrimp burgers!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Quick, easy ordering at a window. No frills, but every single kind of seafood you can imagine on a bun. Excellent NC BBQ, and even better Brunswick stew, so something good for none seafood fans too! Not cheap, but you get what you pay for.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: BBQ, Brunswick Stew

Rarely do I post a review while eating at the establishment I’m reviewing. Great food/taste and countless options. Nice staff too. The sweet tea is awesome. Highly recommend this place - just know it’s counter service with very limited seating. So, assume you’ll eat in your car or take the food to go.

Great seafood burgers. Love the scallop burger. Been going there for years. Always good food.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Onion Rings, Fries, Seafood, Scallop

My husband raves about the shrimp burgers and tried the clam burger for the first time today. All delicious. Everything we've gotten has been fried well and is hot, crispy, and tasty.

Kid-friendliness: Lots of kid friendly options: corndogs, hotdogs, burgers, fries.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Regular Shrimp Burger, Seafood, Fried Pickles, Hotdog, Cheeseburger

It's not easy for me to get my work truck into. But when I can,I do. You have to stop by and try their food. Fresh and delicious every time.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Big Oaks was in North Carolina’s “Our State Magazine” about the NC Shrimp Burger. We go to Emerald Isle every summer and had never heard of it, so we tried it. The shrimp burger is the main attraction at Big Oak, and while the barbecue isn’t an afterthought, it’s also not all that great. I’d call the sandwich a slightly below-average one, with little smoke and heavily reliant on cole slaw to give it moisture. The hush puppies are a bargain at $0.89 for a bag of six, but unfortunately, they weren’t much better than the pork Sammy. The shrimp burger is nothing to write home about. The regular fries were super. There were only a few picnic tables, so we went to Crystal Coast Brewing, bought adult beverages, and ate there. Big Oak was better than a 3 rating but not quite a 4.

Parking: There is not a great deal of parking but the turn is pretty fast as many people are doing take out.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 4

Service: 4

Recommended dishes: Shrimp Burger and Fries

No prices on their website. The menu on Google said a flounder sandwich was $6.75. Called the order in & no total was given over the phone. Get there and it's $17 for just a sandwich. Prices have more than doubled in the last 3 years. Food was good but not worth the money.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 4

Service: 2

Was exceptional food. The only reason it’s not 5 stars is because I think the price is a little steep

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

You do have to stand out in the heat to order. No bathrooms. A couple picnic tables. Food was ok. I felt for what we got it was a little pricey. Over $60 for oyster sand, small shrimp burger, plain cheeseburger, crab cake sand, and one order of fries. No drinks. Highly recommended to us but was disappointed.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 3

Service: 4

Always great shrimp burgers!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5