American
The Raven. 1200 Atlantic Ave. 425-8555 Food-3; Service-4; Atmosphere-3. Eight appetizers, including steamed artichokes, $5-$8. Sandwiches and burgers are generally $7-$8. Dinners range from $13-$24, averaging $17. Dinner salad is extra. Especially good is their plentiful amount of steamed broccoli. The Raven consists of a cozy bar, a sunroom and a patio accommodating larger groups. They serve 10 wines, at least 4 beers on tap, and 3 premium champagnes. However, some in our group were impressed that they carry cream soda. Dessert selection was limited, but the one we shared was yummy. The European style bathrooms were clean and had automated towel dispensers. (cutting edge?) Parking on premises. Lunch and Dinner. May 03
Oceanfront Dinner. 1101 Atlantic Ave. 422-5525. Food 3. Service 2. Atmosphere 4. Located in the Best Western Hotel. For those who just can’t get enough of the beach experience. One of the largest outside dining areas at the beach, it more or less juts right out to the boardwalk. You’re almost on the sand! Inside dining overlooks outside dining. Enjoy your meal and favorite beverage… a mixed drink, beer or glass of wine… as you watch the strollers, the beach buggy bikers, and all the lively beach activity. Entrees average $17… including one surf and turf. Steak and chicken dishes available… chicken a couple dollars less. Appetizers, $7. Sandwiches, $7. Good place for lunch. Soups and salads tasty. Average wine and beer choices. Breakfast Buffet runs $6 and contains all the usual goodies. June 04
Little Feet's Cafe - 27th and Atlantic. 425-1133. Food-2. Service-3. Atmosphere-3. Go there for the Early Bird Specials, 5 PM - 8 PM. Each of 13 selections are just $11.95 including potato and vegetable. Salad is extra. These are some of the same meals as the 21-item dinner menu which run about $19. 12 mostly seafood starters average $8.50. Kids 12 & under can eat for $5.50. There is a nice selection of summertime drinks as well as modest beer and wine choices. Our party enjoyed the nice ocean view from the outdoor dining area (accessible from the boardwalk)…however inside dining leaves a bit to be desired. Only a pool view. Displayed dessert selections looked yummy. Too bad our weight loss diet prevented us from trying any. June 03
Orion's 42nd St. & Atlantic Ave. 11th floor of oceanfront Cavalier.
425-8555. Food 5. Service 2. Atmosphere 5. A mesmerizing, unobstructed
view of the oceanfront and a dining room that’s sheer elegance. No booths
at this classy restaurant and tables are well spaced. Seating on the shady
side requires reservations. Selections were somewhat limited, but those
available promised to delight the palate; a promise well kept. Splurge and
ask for the dessert cart—calories to remember! The ambience was enhanced
with live piano. The view could only be improved with wings; you can see
both Cape Henry lighthouses to the north and
Rudee Inlet to the south. Truly one of Virginia Beach’s best restaurants,
its only blemish was the service…an insufficient wait staff for a
first-class restaurant. Nonetheless, this is a restaurant for
connoisseurs. Entrees average $22; appetizers $9; desserts $6. June 03
Timbuktu. 32nd & Oceanfront. 491-1800. Food 4. Service 3. Atmosphere 4. Ten menu items with four specials nightly. Veal, lamb, duck, beef, seafood… truly American cuisine. Unique presentations. Entries average $19. Appetizers $8. Salads $6. Breakfast available. Inside dining elegant, outside next to boardwalk with hedge separation. Inside only spoiled by chlorine smell that comes from nearby indoor pool. Large bar. Located at the Hampton Inn Oceanfront with plenty of free parking. Service could have been faster. Waiter even slow bringing the bill. Not crowded mid-week but reservations recommended by management. August 03
Tradewinds. Virginia Beach Resort Hotel. 2800 Shore Drive. (757) 481-9000 ext.2050. Food 4. Service 2. Atmosphere 3. Very disappointing. The dining room is lacking in personality. Upscale dinner comes to mind. The view is great but you’re sitting in the same room with a large noisy bar…intimate dining it is not. A dozen entrees evenly divided between seafood and shore. Prices average $20. Soups and salads extra at $6 and appetizers $6 - $8. The food would have gotten a 5 but the tuna dinner was overcooked. Presentation is 1st class, however. Service is lacking. It took 15 minutes before our drink order was even taken … a half-hour to get the appetizer and 45 minutes after that to get the entrée. Slow on drink and water refills too. The food is killer but the service killed it. June 04
No Frill Grill. 1620 Laskin Road. 425-2900. Food-4. Service-3. Atmosphere-3. Don’t believe the name. There are quite a few frills. Food presentation is excellent, helpings are big, and you get real cloth napkins. 50s décor like inside a dining car…all glass, steel and highly polished wood. 11 platters average $16. A dozen sandwiches average $8. Appetizers-$6.50. Veggie nacho’s are “kick butt” and there are plenty of entrees for veggie folks. Salads, pitas and burgers galore. A children’s menu and Sunday brunch offered. Did we mention the desserts? The Guinness cake is out-of-this-world. This restaurant is very popular so expect a wait and slow service if you arrive at the dinner hour. But there’s always room at the bar to pass the time. Filet special is a good choice as is the Kentucky Hot Brown chicken. July 05.
Zoe’s. 713
19th Street. 437-3636 Food-5; Service-5; Atmosphere-4. Earthy
elegancy aptly describes the decor. The rich mahogany, soft lighting and
stone waterfall coupled with easy jazz music set the stage for an evening of
truly delightful dining. Courses from Leg of Lamb to Maui Maui with
prime cut steaks run from
$18 to $25. Entrée’s are served ala carte. Appetizers $7 to 12;
salads $8 to 12 and desserts $6 to $ 8. We recommend you at least
share a Chocolate Soufflé. Simply sinful. Zoe’s food was outstanding,
but just to pique your tastebuds, this chef changes his menu every May 06
Yellow Fins Restaurant. 3657 Shore Drive. 460-2568. Food: 3. Service: 3. Atmosphere: 3. This is a pleasant local restaurant of average appeal: worth a visit if you are staying along Shore Drive but perhaps not if you must drive from the oceanfront area. You may begin with one of 18 appetizers in the $7 range and progress to one of the nightly specials or choose from the menu. It is evenly split between 11 seafood entrees in the $15 - $10 range; or 11 meat and pasta offerings between $13 - $22. These include chicken, pork, beef, or seafood with pasta. We tried the $18 Margarita Medallions with vegetables and the $19 seafood medley over pasta specials. Both were fine if unsurprising. If you prefer, they offer 10 sandwiches at reasonable prices. Dessert choices for your visit are recited by the waitstaff. Bar service is also available. March 06
Pungo Pizza & Ice Cream.
1824 Princess Anne Road. 721-4900. Food: 4. Service: 3. Atmosphere: 4.
Way better than the chains, much
better than Pi pizza on Atlantic. Fairly typical for a locally-owned pizza
place (perhaps one or 2 notches above). Garlic knots are very creative and
to die for (seriously!). Fresh ingredients and great crust. Service is
3... it is not always consistent (sometimes a 2) but usually 3 or
sometimes 4. Some of the waitstaff even remember our drink orders
between visits! Usually have the one server, but sometimes some
parts are brought out by others. Very friendly..owner/manager.
Ambiance is probably a 3 in that it’s not "fancy" but I say "4" because it
is unique and quaint... Golly! The building looks like a lighthouse
afterall! The main dining room has just been redone with new tables,
booths, original local art (for sale). The back dining room is for
arcade games. It’s dark and loud but the kids love it and it could be
great for kid’s parties.
April 06.
Phil's Grill. 205 11th Street. 491-6525 Food: 3. Service: 4. Atmosphere: 2. The atmosphere isn't much to speak of but the food is fresh and pretty tasty. Good, friendly service (on a slow night). It's a local's place with Foosball and pool tables on the left; a bar and smoking section in the middle; restaurant seating on the right and live music on the weekends. Phil's does not have an extensive menu but seems right for the venue. There is a 'Kid's Menu' with healthy choices; 7 appetizers (the homemade artichoke and spinach dip was very good) from $5 - 10; soup; 2 salads; 4 sandwiches, $6 - 9 (including a tasty-sounding grilled cheese); 8 entrees up to $14, plus specials. Lunch versions of the entrees are considerably less and lunch hours are 11 AM - 5 PM. Dinner served until 1:30 AM. Check out the beer list: 134 choices! Reviewed: May 06.
Beach Bay Grille (formerly The Happy Crab) 550 Laskin Road. Closed. Is now a Surf Rider. See review on Deli Grill page.
33rd Street Café. 3301 Atlantic Ave. Boardwalk at Four Sails Time Share. 321-9376. F-2. S-3. A-4. Ten entries including meatloaf, pork chops, crab cakes (bland), NY strip and Seafood Alfredo. Ave. $15. 7 Appetizers, aver. $5; 6 Salads aver. $10 (uninviting). 4 burgers & 4 sandwiches with fries $8. No parking but a city garage is 3 blocks away at 30th and Atlantic. The coffee is served in mugs from other businesses…ours was from a law firm in DC. There were a few chips. There are better places to eat where you get a better meal for the same amount. Best feature is outside dining on Boardwalk. September 06
Tilted Table. 2181 Upton Drive , Suite 406. (757) 563-8458. F-4; S-4; A-4. Unpretentious, quiet elegance aptly describes the décor with romantic booths for two, an inviting bar and a private dining area. Courses will please any palate from the dedicated carnivore to the vegan. The food was outstanding, but the presentation would make Julian Merrow-Smith forget eating and grab his paintbrush. Luckily we are not artists, and just “Wow’ed” the presentation then dug in! Service was excellent to the extent of replacing a vegetable dish when one of our group discovered bok choi was not his favorite veggie. Prices ranging from $18-25 are what you would expect from a classy destination restaurant. You don’t go to Tilted Table to chow down, you go there to dine. Nov. 07
EAT, An American Bistro. 4005 Atlantic Ave, (North end of the boardwalk).l 965-2472. F-0; S-0; A-0. Forget It. It might be a good place to go if you walk or ride the trolley, but if you are local, you probably won’t find a place to park. Why a restaurant would not make arrangements for its customers to park in some of the lots surrounding it, is beyond us. The sign on the door says you will be towed from the lots and to use off-street parking…of which there are about 14 spaces, all metered in the summer. And these spaces are shared with another nearby restaurant (that at least has a small lot) and residents who live in adjoining condos. There are many other quality restaurants at the beach without putting up with the parking aggravations at this one. Dec 07 (attempted)
The Jewish Mother. 3108 Pacific Ave. 757-422-5430. F-2; S-3; A-3. Soups and Noshes about $2-$10; Quiches $6.50 or $8.99; Pitas, wraps (some low carb), sandwiches, burgers $6-$12; Salads and salad platters about $4-$10; Dinner AYCE specials and entrees range from $10-$18. Yummy, but pricey, desserts are in view as you walk in and feature their éclairs and cheesecakes. The Jewish Mother is a well-known fixture in the area offering live entertainment on various days of the week. But for us, the evening was a disappointment. The food quality ranged from excellent (quiche), to “I’ve had better” (fried shrimp and burger), to inedible (steak, which was deducted from the bill). Plus, some nasty looks from a waitress who told us we weren’t welcome to stay after our meal and chat for awhile. Maybe next time we’ll just come for the desserts. Breakfast, lunch and dinner; adequate parking nearby. Feb 08
Abbey Road Pub and Restaurant. 203 22nd St, 757-425-6330. F-4; S-3; A-3. Sandwiches, $7-$10 (not served between 4 and 10pm in the summer); 15 appetizers from $7-$9; Entrees, $10-$25, with most in the $17-$20 range and include 3 vegetarian dishes; Lite Fare choices, $12-$13; Homemade soups, salads, homemade desserts, $3-$10 range. Bread and yummy honey butter are served with entrees. They scored an extra point in this writer’s food category as the Seafood Alfredo was loaded with shrimp and scallops. A Beatles fan? Go no further as the walls are filled with Beatle memorabilia and photos, making it a shrine to the Beatles. A beer fan? They have 101 beers from around the world, with 2 rows of beer cans over the bar to emphasize the point! The wine list includes organic wines – nice. While we thought it was a little too noisy, we did have an enjoyable dining experience. Live entertainment and patio dining; breakfast, lunch, and dinner; some parking on the premises. Aug 08
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