Salt & Cypress Kitchen and Cocktails Opening Next Week in Manteo

MANTEO, NC — Salt & Cypress Kitchen and Cocktails is targeting a Monday-of-Thanksgiving-week opening for dinner service at 1100A S Bay Club Dr, Manteo, NC 27954, the team told Business Debut. The three-story waterfront project will combine casual and upscale dining, a bar program and private event space.

What to Expect

Ownership has spent the past several weeks remodeling all three floors, brightening the interiors and opening up the rooms to better showcase the water views. The first floor will function as a casual bar and dining area with two patios, one fully outdoors and one enclosed-style space, plus an adjacent lawn.

The second floor will serve as a more polished dining room for guests seeking a traditional sit-down experience.

During the colder season, the team plans to use the third floor for additional dinner seating on busier nights, since the patios are less practical in winter. Long term, the third level is slated to focus primarily on private events.

Current plans call for seating around 160 guests across the building, with capacity expected to increase in warmer months as the patios and lawn are fully activated.

Menu and Vision

Co-owners John and Bridget Karg grew up in Charleston and have worked in restaurants since their teenage years. They plan to serve American cuisine with a Southern flair, featuring local seafood from the Outer Banks area alongside steaks, other proteins and a lineup of shareable appetizers.

“One of the things I always dreamed of was a three-story restaurant on the water with a casual bar downstairs, a more upscale dining room and an event space upstairs,” Karg told Business Debut. “This space hits all those boxes.”

The menu will include a rotating “chef’s cut” section featuring changing meat specials that may range from lamb and pork to elk, bison or larger steak cuts such as a ribeye or tomahawk chop. Sous chef Eli Ruberg has been instrumental in building out the menu, Karg cited.

Private parties on the third floor will be able to work with the team on custom menus, including off-menu seafood and steak options ordered in advance.

Opening Timeline

Remodeling work on the first and second floors is nearing completion, with the third floor following for events and overflow dining. The team is targeting the Monday of Thanksgiving week to open for dinner service.

Salt & Cypress will also host a Thanksgiving buffet on-site and offer takeout packages, with guests able to add extra sides and proteins as needed. Takeout orders will be packaged ready for re-heating and available for pickup on Wednesday or Thursday of Thanksgiving week.

Hours

Salt & Cypress plans to open six days a week, closing on Tuesdays. For the first few weeks, service will focus on dinner only while the team settles into operations.
Once lunch is added, regular hours are expected to run approximately 11 a.m.–9 p.m., with the possibility of staying open later on peak summer nights.

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