Poor Richard’s Sandwich Shop: Manteo’s Best Sandwiches

Poor Richard’s Sandwich Shop is a local Manteo watering hole that everyone will enjoy. Broad based appear with a quirky location makes this a great lunch stop. Kick back outside and watch the water and the moored Elizabeth II.

Between Charming and Historic

Poor Richard’s Sandwich Shop is located in downtown Manteo on the water front. There is access from both the street and the waterfront. Parking for the all of downtown is tight. I cannot in good faith recommend any parking areas. If you come during the summer, expect to potentially drive around for a while before finding a spot. If coming on the off season, parking will not be a problem. Many places are closed during the off season especially for lunch but Poor Richard’s Sandwich shop is open. We actually tried going to about 4 other restaurants before we came here and they were all closed.

Ordering Your Favorite Classic

Poor Richard’s Sandwich shop is both a restaurant and a bar. You walk down a long hallway past the bar to place your order. Follow the heard of locals if you are not sure where to go. The sandwich-centric menu is posted to the left of the hall. Most items on this menu are old classics that you can expect in most any sandwich shop.

You wait your turn in the line down the hallway to order. It is a little narrow and people are going both ways. We ordered a set of sandwiches and had to go up front to the bar to sit. The whole establishment has a rustic and slightly nautical theme. The quirkiness of the building fits this nicely. I do wonder if there was a time when the bar was owned/operated separately which would have made this an even funnier arrangement.

The Gang’s All Here

The bar is mainly used for seating during the lunch rush. We were a little confused when we first walked in. It was a little funny to have to double back through the hallway to find seating. From there we had a front row view of other slightly confused patrons trying to figure out where to order. One person seemed to think they had table service.

The bar had me thinking about the classic show Cheers. It had the same inviting atmosphere that would attract a crowd of locals catching up on local scuttlebutt. The beautiful floors really struck me personally. The owners do not appear to have put any significant effort into revamping the image of the bar or restaurant since it opened in 1984. Nothing wrong with that. If it works, it works.

Our food was nothing special but satisfactory. It did not look good but it tasted just fine and filled us up. It was more entertaining to took around this place. If you are looking for a higher end dining experience, consider Blue Water Grill and Raw Bar.

If the weather was not so crumby we would have loved to check out their outdoor seating area. This is one of the few establishment that boasts a view of the moored Elizabeth II. On top of that they also have docks if you prefer to travel by boat for lunch.

Overall

Poor Richard’s Sandwich Shop leverages a great location with tried and true sandwich classics to provide broad appeal. Even though this is a local shop in Manteo anyone raised in America will feel at home here. The water front views are underplayed due to the disjointed layout. Poor Richards is a solid choice for a bite and even a drink if you find yourself in Manteo.

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