N.C.'s Big Oak Drive-In at Salter Path: Home of the Shrimpburger

From the August 2016, "Sun, Surf & Sandwiches" by Jason Frye.

"At Big Oak Drive-In, find the beachy lunch of your dreams: barbecue, burgers, fried seafood, and the real star of this walk-up window -- the shrimpburger."

The tiny restaurant sits halfway between the Atlantic Ocean and Bogue Sound.  A steady stream of cars pull into the lot (which can only park a dozen at a time.  And, they have a shrimp on their sign.

A shrimpburger to N.C.'s Crystal Coast is like a po'boy to Louisiana.  "A shrimpburger is a steamed white bun, soft and chewy and a little sweet.  The shrimp are small, very lightly battered in a cracker meal, and cooked to the ideal tenderness.  Tartar sauce and cole slaw made in-house add creaminess, a spike of vinegar, and a cool crispness to each bite.  The ketchup -- not too much -- mellows it all out."  Like this description didn't make me hungry.

And, you can get fries,  onion rings (O-Rings) and hush puppies (H-Pups).

And, there are pretty much always lines waiting to place orders.

A Definite Stop If I'm Ever in the Area.  Gotta Have a Shrimpburger.  --RoadDog