Author: 
Virginia Beach is a popular resort city on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, which means that it is home to some of the country’s greatest restaurants.
Whether you’re looking for a quiet, romantic place with a spectacular view of the Chesapeake Bay or a sophisticated, bustling, urbane setting, you’ll find something to love here. From small, friendly coffee shops and bakeries to the fanciest French restaurant or seafood restaurants, Virginia Beach has it all, and it’s easy to find something that will fit your budget, too.
Whether on the boardwalk, Atlantic Avenue, or Town Center, some of the best restaurants can be found in Virginia Beach.
Best Cheap Eats: $ – $$
There are many Virginia Beach restaurants that are inexpensively priced in the area, so you need not break the bank to get a great meal any time of the day or evening. You can get food that is well-prepared for almost less than if you cooked the meal at home, and you’ll enjoy friendly, hospitable service as well.
Breakfast, Brunch, and Lunch
Breakfast and brunch are popular meals in Virginia Beach as tourists fuel up for an active day of shopping, hiking, fishing, or just playing on the beach. Enjoying a leisurely breakfast at friendly Virginia Beach restaurants near or on the boardwalk is a great way to start a vacation day.
Mary’s Kitchen
616 Virginia Beach Blvd Ste 100
Mary’s Kitchen is a great place to get a hearty breakfast or lunch at a reasonable price. Located in the ViBe District, the emphasis is on simple, local cuisine in a friendly environment. You can get an order of Biscuit & Sausage Gravy with two eggs and a side that will fill you up for most of the day with a thick, creamy sausage gravy that is a real indulgence. Or, if you prefer, the Corned Beef Hash & Eggs served with one side and a homemade biscuit can easily put a smile on your face.
Enjoy cute, uncomplicated decor and good food in this homey little restaurant, and then enjoy a walk through the ViBe district viewing the colorful wall murals.
Rick’s Cafe
1612 Virginia Beach Blvd Ste 105
Opening bright and early at 7:00 AM, Rick’s Cafe offers online ordering and freshly ground Colombian coffees as well as cold brew iced coffee to wake you up in the morning.
Even though it’s a restaurant that is vegetarian-friendly, Rick’s Cafe has tasty breakfast meats like its plump, juicy sausage that comes from Edwards Virginia Ham Shop in Surry County. Another popular choice is Pancakes with Topping, and you can choose from banana with pecans, strawberries, or chocolate chip, with or without whipped cream. Service is efficient and quick and your food will be cooked to order.
Doc Taylor’s
207 23rd Street (at Pacific Avenue)
If you need some healing, make it a point to visit Doc Taylor’s for breakfast or lunch. They don’t mince words when it comes to the menu, and you can order The Heart Attack and get three eggs any style, two bacon, two sausages, hash browns, and toast with the additional option of a flat iron steak or chop. If that doesn’t kill you, you can come back the next day for the three full Sweet Potato Pecan pancakes that you can slather with syrup or try an order of Nova Scotia Lox to please your palate.
Even if you’re not hungry, you can still enjoy Doc Taylor’s Seaside Market Lounge, which opens at 8:00 PM on Saturday and Sunday, featuring cocktails, football, and local bands for your entertainment. While you’re waiting for your order, take advantage of the free Wi-Fi, too.
Dinner
The best way to end a wonderful day vacationing in Virginia Beach when you’ve blown too much money shopping is to enjoy an inexpensive dinner at one of the great Virginia Beach restaurants. Enjoy indoor or outdoor seating at any of these restaurants. This popular resort city is populated with eating spots that will fill your belly without emptying your wallet.
Bo Bo’s Fine Chicken Restaurant
3139 Shore Dr.
The state of Virginia is a gateway to the South, and you’ll find the Southern home cooking that made Tidewater, Virginia famous at Bo Bo’s Fine Chicken Restaurant. Famous for their fried chicken, Bo Bo’s also offers fresh seasonal vegetables and different sides to choose from every day.
If you’ve brought the whole family, you can order family platters of 8, 16, or 24 pieces of chicken with varied pints of sides, depending upon the size of your order. Bo Bo’s also offers catering services, so you can feed a crowd at the location of your choice.
Lynnhaven Pub
2236 W. Great Neck Rd.
If you’re looking for an economical and convenient dinner, the Lynnhaven Pub offers both take-out and delivery options. If you dine in, beer and wine are available and there is a full bar. The Lynnhaven Pub is well-known for its Beef Brisket, but the Pulled Pork Sandwich is also a popular choice. E
ven though this restaurant offers great traditional pub food, it’s also vegan and vegetarian-friendly. The decor is pretty much a dive bar, complete with a pool table and an outdoor area. Great beers are served both on tap and by the bottle, with a respectable selection of seasonal craft beers as well.
Average-Priced Places: $$ – $$$
Moderately priced restaurants are always easy to find in Virginia Beach. They are great places to visit when you want a nice dinner but do not want to get dressed up. Casual and family-style dining is an art in Virginia Beach, and you can relax about the dress code because your jeans and polo shirt will be just fine.
Breakfast, Brunch, and Lunch
Once in a while, you may want to make it a point to enjoy a very leisurely breakfast or brunch on a day when you plan to be lazy or simply lie on the beach. A moderately-priced restaurant that specializes in breakfast, brunch, or lunch will offer you a few more niceties than the inexpensive versions, such as unique specialty dishes or cocktails.
Sunrise Cafe
1369 N. Great Neck Rd.
Choose from Mimosas, Bloody Marys, or Frozen Cocktails to sip with your Eggs Benedict with luscious Hollandaise sauce or Breakfast Burritos. Small and friendly with the light streaming in from its many windows, the Sunrise Cafe is a great place to start your day.
Servings are always generous and the atmosphere is family-friendly.
The Egg Bistro – Strawbridge
2129 General Booth Blvd. Ste 105
The popular Egg Bistro has three locations, two of which are located in Virginia Beach on the boardwalk. All three locations offer both on and off-site catering, and the Strawbridge restaurant on General Booth Blvd. has a Bloody Mary on the menu that has been voted the best in Hampton Roads for 14 years.
Ingredients for foods on the menu are locally sourced, and the housemade French Toast is freshly baked daily. The Cinnamon Swirl French Toast can be made in a gluten-free version for those who are gluten intolerant, and you can even choose sugar-free syrup if you like. Hip and contemporary, this great breakfast spot is not far from all the downtown action in Virginia Beach.
Katie’s 33rd Street Cafe
3301 Atlantic Ave, First Floor of the Four Sails Resort
If you’re looking for a place to have breakfast with a view, Katie’s 33rd Street Cafe is located right on the Atlantic Ocean, which you can see out the windows if you dine indoors. If you’d rather dine outside, there is also an enclosed outdoor patio. If you want to order carry-out, online ordering is available, but why miss out on the great view?
This homey family-owned and operated restaurant offers Mimosas of various flavors and Bloody Marys along with a large breakfast menu that includes Belgian Waffles and Poached Eggs with Sauteed Crab and Hollandaise Sauce. You’ll find this lovely cafe on the first floor of the Four Sails Resort.
Dinner
When you’re ready for a nice dinner in Virginia Beach, why not try one of the many moderately-priced restaurants in the area for a great experience that doesn’t take much to get ready? Go there straight after a day at the beach with a glow from the sunshine and some sand still in your hair, but don’t forget to bring your appetite.
1608 Crafthouse
1608 Pleasure House Rd.
For a restaurant that offers you a great menu and a large selection of craft beers, plan a visit to the 1608 Crafthouse. This restaurant features a “farm to table” concept in its menu style, with dishes that are unusual and unique. You can start the experience with different appetizers like the Big A$$ Pretzel, which comes in the form of a giant pretzel with cheese sauce and housemade honey mustard.
A popular item is the Fried Green Tomato BLT, which is served on fresh cranberry bread with bleu cheese and apple smoked bacon. For dessert, you can try the bread pudding, which is made with Jack Daniels Caramel. The food is very visually appealing and the atmosphere has a sort of nautical flair to it for upscale casual dining.
Waterman’s Surfside Grille
415 Atlantic Avenue
This very classy-looking restaurant is beautiful on the inside and outside and is located right on the beach of the Atlantic Ocean. But don’t be intimidated by how fancy it looks, because casual diners are welcome, and you can even enjoy free Wi-Fi. The fresh seafood here is great, and you can start with appetizers like their signature She Crab Soup or the Crabby Fries, with a creamy house crab dip. The dinner menu offers calamari, Just Scallops, and Local Lump Crab Cakes, which are a house favorite.
The restaurant has a full bar offering a huge selection of cocktails, including bourbons and craft beers. If you love ice cream and you’ve got the room after your fine dining meal, you can order the 5th Street Brownie Sundae for dessert with its Ghirardelli chocolate sauce. After your meal, stop by The Beach Nut Gift Shop and browse through all the beautiful gift items that include clothing, jewelry, home decor, men’s accessories, and more.
Aldo’s Ristorante
1860 Laskin Rd.
When you need a place to eat that has some Italian romantic flair, Aldo’s Ristorante is a place you should consider. It’s quite popular, though, so reservations are probably necessary, and the dress code is smart casual. Located in La Promenade Shopping Center, Aldo’s offers you a fine dining ambiance with soft lighting and even a piano player on Fridays and Saturdays too.
But what you’re really going there for is the food and wine, since it offers you an award-winning wine list and a menu that is nothing less than amazing. The Italian house favorites are elegant and reasonably priced, with carefully prepared dishes like the Shrimp Gorgonzola with Angel Hair or the Bucatini Fra Diavolo with its spicy tomato sauce, Italian sausage, and Gulf shrimp.
High-End Restaurants: $$$ – $$$$
Before you go back to reality after a wonderful getaway in Virginia Beach, you may want to say a fond farewell by having a great meal at a truly upscale restaurant. Even though Virginia Beach is a fine place to be casual and informal, sometimes it’s fun to get all dressed up and do some high-class dining at a place that will treat you like royalty. Virginia Beach offers you high-end fine dining in a variety of settings, whether seafood or Italian.
Breakfast, Brunch, and Lunch
Getting all fancy doesn’t just have to happen at dinnertime, because you can do it in the morning, too, with Virginia Beach restaurants and eateries that serve an elegant, upscale breakfast or even brunch.
Swan Terrace
5641Indian River Rd.
Located inside the Founders Inn and Spa on Chesapeake Bay, the Swan Terrace restaurant offers breakfast every day and an elegant brunch on Sunday. The extensive brunch buffet has offerings like crab cakes, raw oysters, salmon eggs Benedict, and a Bloody Mary station, as well as an omelet station where a chef will prepare your omelet to order as you watch.
But if you can’t make it to brunch, come to breakfast one day instead and try the Chef’s Daily Quiche that comes with two sides. The decor is classy and relaxing and the service is friendly and attentive. You can start your day early because they open at 7:00 AM.
Le Yaca
741 First Colonial Rd. Suite 107
If you’re looking for a fine Sunday brunch that will satisfy even the most sophisticated of tastes, look no further than Le Yaca French Restaurant, one of the best restaurants in Virginia Beach.
For a fixed price, they offer a selection of magnificently prepared dishes that make the brunch a truly great value, in spite of the fact that this is a high-end restaurant. With the brunch, you may choose from a Champagne Mimosa, a Bloody Mary, a Kir Royal, or orange juice, and the dishes offered range from Baked Local Jumbo Lump Crab Cake with Beurre Blanc Sauce to Beef Tenderloin and Prosciutto with Sauteed Spinach, Poached Eggs, and Hollandaise Sauce.
There’s also an amazing selection of brunch desserts, but if you order the Grand Marnier Soufflé, you must order it at the beginning of the meal because it takes 25 minutes to prepare.
Dinner
To celebrate a special occasion or just to celebrate the joy of living, there’s nothing more fun than being in good company at an elegant restaurant. Virginia Beach has its share of high-end restaurants and steakhouses that offer a romantic, polished ambiance where the lights are low and the service is attentive and focused. While you’re vacationing in Virginia Beach, be sure to make time for a visit to one of these Virginia Beach restaurants to create fine dining memories that will last a lifetime.
Terrapin
3102 Holly Rd.
This elegant restaurant uses only the finest locally sourced ingredients to prepare its fine dishes, and you can order Ala Carte or a Fixed Price tasting that includes appetizers, pasta, an entrée, and dessert. Reservations are strongly recommended and you can call and make them after 1:00 PM.
A favorite on the menu is Fennel Dusted Sea Scallops with wild, local mushrooms and sun-dried tomato truffle-herb pan sauce, and you can choose from a variety of sides like Baby Rosemary New Potatoes or Truffle Mac & Cheese. The Terrapin even offers Family Meals to Go, so that you can enjoy their wonderful food at home with your own outdoor seating or at any location you desire, including your rentals.
All the desserts on the menu are made in-house, and the popular Tiramisu is made with a coffee and rum-soaked biscuit sponge and mascarpone cheese. Add ice cream to it to finish your meal deliciously.
Coastal Grill
1440 N. Great Neck Rd.
Sitting only three miles from the oceanfront, the Coastal Grill is a very cheerful-looking restaurant with lovely homey decor. Known for its fresh, local seafood, Coastal Grill also offers daily “blackboard specials”, including fresh seafood appetizers and delicious menu items that are prepared on a regular basis, like Duck in Sweet Cherry & Red Wine Sauce and NY Strip with Caramelized Onions & Horseradish Cream.
A rustic barn behind the restaurant is available for private events, and there is a small outdoor patio for outdoor seating too. The bar offers a comprehensive wine list as well as craft beers and a number of creative cocktails, including different bourbons. Complimentary valet parking is also available.
Steinhilber’s Restaurant
653 Thalia Rd.
Located in an attractive setting on the Lynnhaven River, Steinhilber’s Restaurant is located in the quiet Thalia Acres area away from the urban crowds. This quiet, classy restaurant has its own garden nearby where they grow seasonal vegetables for many of their dishes.
The fine dining menu offers Lobster Thermidor with wild rice and chef’s vegetables. Chicken Tarragon with roasted leg and breast and a tarragon pan sauce. The “Chicken” Alfredo is also offered as a vegan, gluten-free dish with a soy-based chicken breast, cashew Alfredo sauce, and gluten-free pasta.
The desserts are all homemade and include Chambord Truffle Lava Cake as well as Pecan and Blueberry Pie. Reservations are recommended, and private dining is also available.
Come Hungry, Leave Happy
When you take a holiday in Virginia Beach, you quickly discover why nobody ever leaves this city hungry. There are so many great seafood restaurants on the Virginia Beach oceanfront serving crab legs, calamari, and more. You can also find everything else, from tacos to flavored coffees to yummy baked goods, delicious sandwiches to enjoy on the beach, from a local deli to great wine bars and craft beers and bourbons.
So come to Virginia Beach, and be sure to bring your appetite, because this is one place where it will truly be accommodated to the fullest extent. Enjoy the beautiful weather with outdoor seating at one of your favorite restaurants. You will have an exquisite dining experience no matter what eatery you choose during your getaway to Virginia Beach, Norfolk, and beyond.
Featured Image Credit: Ritu Manoj Jethani
