North Carolina's Jimmy's Seafood Buffet: Food Quality Gets Two Out of Five Stars

As much as my family loves going to Nags Head a few times a year, we often take our own food because so many of the restaurants there just aren't very good. Case in point: Jimmy's Seafood Buffet.

While Jimmy's offers a 100-plus item food buffet, the food is often hot when it should be cold and cold when it should be hot. The most popular items, such as steak and crab legs, are not replaced regularly. We spent over an hour there and never saw a crab leg or steak on the bar.

I will admit that the atmosphere of the restaurant is kind of cool. It resembles an old fashioned fishing shack both inside and out. It's full of wonderful fishing memorabilia and fun décor. The atmosphere is laid back and casual.

We had to wait quite a while before some one came to seat us. Even then she barely spoke to us except to point her finger to the buffet and take our drink orders. Even after our meal, we had to chase her down in order to get our ticket.

While it is true that we visited the restaurant just as the season was coming to an end, I still have a problem with a restaurant that advertises one thing and delivers something else altogether. Especially at the expensive cost of $29 per adult, $18 per teenager, and $8 per child.

Jimmy's claims the following items are served on their buffet:

Homemade Soups:
Crab bisque and
New England clam chowder.

Crab Legs:
Snow, King, and Stone, and
Golden and Blue when in season.

Seafood:
Steamed spiced shrimp,
Steamed mahogany clams,
Steamed scallops,
Stuffed flounder with crab,
Steamed mussels,
Fried scallops,
Blackened tuna,
Broiled flounder,
Garlic-lemon dill mahi- mahi,
Teriyaki salmon,
Homemade crab cakes,
Oysters Rockefeller,
Clams casino,
Stuffed mushrooms with crabmeat,
Fried flounder,
Fried oysters,
Fried clam strips,
Stuffed crabs,
\Jumbo, medium, and popcorn fried shrimp,
Broiled tilapia,
Louisiana crawfish,
Shrimp scampi, and
Fish sticks.

Pastas:
Shrimp scampi,
Fettuccini alfredo,
Spaghetti with meatballs and marinara,
Buttery noodles, and
Macaroni and cheese.