1608 Crafthouse has the best menu in Coastal Virginia in my opinion, and it's not close. What kind of menu you ask? 1608 Crafthouse is the best seafood restaurant in the region. There is almost always a fish of the week on the menu. The fish varies greatly from local tuna, black sea bass, mackerel, etc. Most often the fish is broken down by the staff into filets and pan roasted with a unique and creative pan sauce and vegetable accompaniment. Occasionally they offer a whole roasted fish, and when they do, don't miss it, it will be amazing. The same is true for in-season softshell crabs in the spring. 1608 Crafthouse is also the best steakhouse in Coastal Virginia. The steak on their menu is always perfectly cooked to the ordered temp, tender, delicious, and served with a roasted marrow bone alongside. Spreading the marrow on the steak is pure deliciousness. Oh. and its not ala cart as you would expect from a high-end steakhouse. It's also served with the best fries in the area, 1608's truffle fries. They usually offer a ribeye or a New York Strip, and on occasion prime steak option. There is also a wonderful steak sandwich on the menu, usually made with roasted tri tip. The bread (always made in house) and the toppings change almost every week. One week a take on a Cuban sandwich, another week on a Bahn mi, while other week it could be a traditional with sautéed onions and mushrooms. I think you get the idea. They also serve amazing burgers. Oh, one more thing, 1608 Crafthouse isn't just a steakhouse. 1608 Crafthouse is the best pizzeria in Virginia. To this, late of New York, pizza snob, there is no better way to judge a pizzeria than their pizza margherita. In this case, the thin crust (made in house, of course), is thin with the perfect chewiness and char from high heat. They use only DOP San Marzano tomatoes for the sauce, and with fresh mozzarella and basil, it is the perfect pie. It's not the only offering, however. Their pepperoni pizza is also consistently excellent, with tasty pepperoni perfectly crispy at the edges. 1608 Crafthouse happens to be the best brunch restaurant in Coastal Virginia. The brunch menu has new items every week, as well as changing staples. The chicken and French toast is playful take on chicken and waffles and it really works. On whichever dish you order for brunch, you can count on perfectly cooked eggs. The mimosas tend to vary with the seasonal fruit available. One remarkable one of note is the cantaloupe (juiced in house) mimosa. The service at 1608 Crafthouse is as remarkable as their food. The servers, bartenders, and hosts are all wonderful ambassadors for the kitchen. The staff is knowledgeable about the menu, happy to answer questions, and do a great job with recommendations. The staff are clearly invested in the success of the business; they show pride and work incredibly well as a team. You can observe the staff helping each other out throughout service to make sure the customers are well taken care of. The service is friendly, attentive, and make you feel welcome and at home. 1608 Crafthouse, as the name implies, takes craft beer very seriously. They offer a constantly evolving beer menu that includes some of the best beer made in the country, with a particular focus on Virginia breweries. There are always six draft beers on the menu, with offering of multiple styles. There's always at least one locally made beer. Their specialty is IPAs, and there are normally 2-3 on tap to choose from. There is always other styles available too. If there's nothing to your liking on tap, there is an extensive can menu from every possible style. The can menu is also constantly evolving. Somehow, they land some of the most sought-after beers from across the country. Many of my favorite beers and breweries were discovered after trying them for the first time here. Their house specialty cocktails are creative and delicious. Some are interesting twists on classics, like an old fashioned, cosmo, margarita, or martini. Some are totally original, as interesting as they are delicious. The atmosphere is cozy and comfortable. The space is conducive to all kinds of customers, couples on dates, family meals, solo diners, big groups of family or co-workers can all be accommodated in a comfortable way in their very flexible space. As you can see 1608 Crafthouse is not easy to categorize, and that's a wonderful thing. One consistent strand you can see throughout the menu is the creativity and talent of Chef and Owner Kevin Sharkey. Everything on the menu is prepared fresh in their scratch kitchen with talent and care. They use the best, freshest, and whenever possible, local ingredients to create the most attractive menu in Coastal Virginia. The drive to deliver the tastiest and most original food, and to be able to do at fair prices is admirable and remarkable. read more

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Excellent meal at 1608! The charcuterie board was awesome and had a great variety of snacks on it. Grilled cheese was one of the best I've ever had. Would definitely come back again! read more

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Food was great, service was great, atmosphere was great! Will eat here again. The fried green tomato BLT with fries yummmmm!

I get the 5 star theme they're going for but the place isn't nice enough to charge as much as they did and give as little food as they did. It felt like a rip off. The service wasn't bad but it wasn't superb. read more

The food was mediocre and overpriced for what they give you. Got the Brussels sprouts and peppers. You could only find one Brussels sprout and the peppers weren't even blackened as they should be. Got the lamb meat balls and they seemed old. I know lamb because I'm Greek and they were marginal at best. We won't be back. read more

2nd visit Equally delicious!! I wish I lived closer, I'd be a regular. This Cioppino chowder easily makes my top 10 of all chowders/soups I've ever tasted. Literally wouldn't change a thing flavor wise. I'm not a fan of soaked breads (my family happily gobbled it up on my behalf) I'd ask for the focaccia on the side next time, and yes, there will be a next time. read more

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Came here to celebrate the birth of our 1st grandson. Our waitress was awesome. Great service and personable. The beers and recommendations were very good as was the monster pretzel with cheese and mustard sauces. Would definitely return. read more

Great food, great place to gather as a group. Great location! Definitely recommend and will go back.

We have always found the farm to table cuisine to be excellent Its location is in the corner of a strip center which is somewhat hidden. We happened upon it a couple years ago when visiting Virginia Beach. The other brunch places had lines and we were too hungry to wait, so we googled local restaurants and found this gem! Service is great too read more

We are officially naming ourselves regulars at 1608 Crafthouse after just one visit. We came on a Tuesday evening during happy hour and sat with Matt at the bar. I found this gem on Yelp, noticing that it was very close to where we moved in, and immediately loved their menu. They offer both indoor and outdoor dining. The outdoor seating is much cuter, but we chose to sit inside at the bar-top, since it's our personal preference, especially when we're coming somewhere new. During happy hour, they offer a few bucks off their local beers, so we tried a few. In addition, we tried 2 of the $5 happy hour food options; the oysters and the half order of poutine. The oysters were great, especially with the local hot sauces or the local bloody mary mix. We enjoyed the poutine, although it seemed much more like chili cheese fries than poutine. For our entree, we shared the fried green tomato BLT, which was seriously one of the best sandwiches that I have ever had... EVER. I highly recommend you try it. There were many other menu items that intrigued us, but we wanted to save room for dessert, so only shared one. In the future, the lamb and mushroom burger will be calling my name. Dessert; the bread pudding was perfection. Not too large of a portion, but great for two people to share. Overall, we had an incredible dinner, which was enhanced even more by the great service we received. See you soon, 1608. read more

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The food was amazing but would definitely come back to have Keri as a waitress. She was absolutely incredible. She gave us recommendations and made sure we enjoyed the experience! One of the top 10 waitresses of all times! read more

The food was great, music was on point and the service from Keri was the best I've had in Hampton Roads since moving here 10 years ago. She made a delicious meal fun and we had a great experience. Well done Keri and 1608! read more

Food and Service was really good, the quality of the meat in the burger was good, menu was a little small. Tons of beer selections

Thank you my fellow Yelpers for your amazing reviews of this spot tucked in Norfolk VA and thanks to my Sister for suggesting we try for a midday Sunday brunch! Service: 5/5, our waiter made some awesome suggestions and pointed out some of the dishes 1608 is known for! He kept a good pace in presenting the appetizers and our entrees, just providing an overall excellent experience! Ambiance: 3/5 quaint local spot with adequate seating indoors and outdoors. Clean. Food: overall 4/5, my sisters and daughter ordered apps consisting of mussels and fries which were rated at 3/5 as they lacked a some flavor but the broth plus combined with the andouille and garlic with a piece of fry made the difference. The fries being hand cut were top tier(seasoned and crispy...perfect fry) 5/5! The squash blossom was my favorite, rated among the table as a 3.5/5 in that the delicate tempura batter paired with pimento stuffed flower was different but pretty good to me. My least favorite was the "charred" sprouts, lacked charring (appeared slightly raw) and lacked flavor. The shishitos were pretty flavorful and the saving grace was again the andouille and garlic all together even with the under roasted sprouts, yum! For entrees, I opted for the blackened chicken sandwich with fries, it's described as blackened chicken nestled between rustic white bread with Taylor ham and pimento cheese. The description sounded amazing but I was bit underwhelmed in that the bread was a bit more toasted than I'd prefer but it was of good quality! The chicken didn't give blackened as it missed a few marks on flavor but otherwise it was a decent sandwich 3/5. I was gunning for their ribs but they were out. My sisters ordered the blackened flounder and scallops overall 3/5 again a few misses on flavor, one had the entree over the veggie fried rice while the other opted for grits which for her was a bit underwhelming. The portions of fish which was very meaty and the scallops were as well. The star of the show was my daughters ribeye which she ordered medium rare (was more medium) which she stated was seasoned to perfection and the added blue cheese butter knocked it out of the park and she's not a blue cheese kinda girl! It was accompanied with bone marrow which was so buttery and delicious over the bed of fries which were still well seasoned and crispy, 5/5! If you are in the area please go, our waiter stated they were also known for their bacon cheeseburger, that is definitely next on the list! read more

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Date night! We were blessed with beautiful weather and the chance to try a new spot this past Friday evening. A Yelp search led me to 1608 Crafthouse. We arrived around 6:30 and there was ample seating indoors with a few outdoor tables and we opted for outside seating. The restaurant is easy to access. There is some construction in the parking lot, but plenty of parking was available as the other local businesses had closed for the day. We sat and were greeted immediately. Our server, Olivia I believe, was wonderful through our visit! They offer a HUGE beer menu with several options in each variety, but very few on tap. I selected a canned beer, which was served with a glass. Hubby had a draft. I'm all for a place with a huge beer list, even if most are bottled or canned as it gives me the chance to try something new. The menu is fairly limited, but they offer a good variety of seafood, beef, chicken and vegetarian entrees and apps. We were told right away that they were out of octopus ceviche, but everything else was available. We opted for a bacon cheeseburger with fries and the speckled trout. Neither of us were impressed with the food. Hubby's burger had an odd, almost paper-like sheet of blackened something. Underneath it were small pieces of undercooked bacon. When we asked, our server told us it was the cheese. Never in my life have I seen anything like that unless it was burnt paper. Hubby ended up taking it off and enjoying the rest of the burger. Their hand-cut fries were delicious! My trout was cooked perfectly, but the tomato "sauce" on the bottom of the plate was very reminiscent of Campbell's tomato soup. The potatoes were cooked fine as was the broccolini, but the entire dish lacked seasoning. There were plenty of other menu selections that sound tasty, so I certainly intend to return and try something else. The service was wonderful and also worth a return visit! read more

1608 Crafthouse - Speckled trout - Gastropubs Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

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Visited 1608 Crafthouse on Valentines Day. The service was superb from the minute we walked in the door. We sat at the bar and were greeted by a friendly bartender named Matt. He was super knowledgeable of all the Bourbons and beers on the menu and the menu had plenty of superb selections. The food was out of this world and the music was great and at just the right level. I couldn't have asked for a better evening. My only regret is this place isn't closer to where I live because I'd be a regular. read more

The food was lack luster. No ambiance. Our server was nice and the drinks were good. But the reviews are over rated.

Great service and even better food! This was our first time visiting 1608 Crafthouse and can say for sure it won't be out last! Honestly did not check out the inside but the outdoor seating was great. read more

1608 Crafthouse - Blackened Flounder & Scallops!...subbed out the fried rice for grits! - Gastropubs Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

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The service and food was amazing. My chef from my culinary class brought us here and it was amazing. The food is really good and the desserts are very good. I will definitely come back soon!! Our server was amazing too. She did really great. read more

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This place is just unique and every time I'm in the area, I definitely stop by!! Lamb burger is amazing read more

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Popped in here as a plan B for brunch. Wow, this place just became future plan A! They have a great menu with seasonal rotations, locally crafted specials and beer on tap! Enjoy! read more

Takes the cake I would give this place 10 stars if I could! I sat in the bar and service was quick and the recommendations were on point! We got the poutine for an app. (I highly recommend adding the smoked jalepeno hot sauce it bumped up the flavor) I don't have a pic my husband and I destroyed it. After that I got the scallops which if I could tip the chef I would they were PERFECT. My husband got the Bacon cheeseburger and the flavor was amazing and cooked to perfection, I'll be coming back for sure :) read more

1608 Crafthouse - Dry pack Butter Basted Scallops - Gastropubs Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

We decided to try 1608 Crafthouse for a later dinner (8pm) on a Saturday night. The staff were all friendly and I appreciated that our waters were always filled! Kyle was our server and gave some great recommendations when we asked. The food took a little longer than expected to come out, but it was PIPING hot and each dish was delicious- well worth the extra time to wait! We'll be back for more of the dishes we got: steak sandwich and friend green tomato BLT. Highly recommend! read more

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Wife and I ordered 2 burgers for lunch. They were ok at best, but the meat temperature was wrong on both burgers. They must have switched them. The fries looked like and tasted like they were cooked in dirty fry oil. They don't use iceberg lettuce on the burger, a mix of salad greens and the tomato was so thin I could barely see it. The iced tea we ordered tasted good but there was not enough ice in the glass to keep it cool. The atmosphere is a little on the dark side which is no problem unless you are trying to read their menu which would take a magnifying glass to see. Needless to say, 2 burgers and motor oil cooked fries and warm iced tea and I'm out 42 bucks minus any tip. I would have been better off at Applebee's. read more

Attended a catered function here and was very pleased. Attentive staff, great atmosphere and good food!

Went on a Tuesday afternoon. Was fairly busy, the waiter was sweet but could tell she had alot of guest and others was helping her with her table. The food was good and cooked to our request. The burgers DO NOT come with fries and we didn't know, once the plate came with a side salad. The steak was better than the burger. The appetizer was order was a perfect balance of crunch and creaminess. Beers were great and would return. The atmosphere of the place was nice and quiet. Very good for families and date night. read more

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Amazing Great food great people Never had a bad meal Go once a month at least Best bacon cheeseburger you've ever had read more

My husband and I saw this place on Instagram, saw the food photos, and read a few reviews-- it seemed worth a try! Everything looked so good not everything that shimmers is gold my friends. So let's start with the good-- this place was very laid back! It was a family friendly atmosphere (especially those with littles) and everyone was really nice. They have an adult and kids menu and special beer menu. And the appetizers we had were really good, the chicken wings and tempura squash. But the disappointment hit once we got our actual entrees. Everything was just mediocre and not what we expected at all. - The pork burger was dry. Like the meat was over cooked and the sandwich in itself was dry. - The Mac in cheese (that we paid the upcharge for) wasn't really that cheesy. - The kids menu pizza looked good but when you picked it up, it fell apart. The pizza crust wasn't cooked long enough so it was a flimsy mess. Sadly it was nothing memorable about his place and we will definitely not go back read more

Burger - 3/5 ; bun was like eating a slab of stone, but the flavor of the meat was tasty. And the pickles were yummy. The fries were a 2/5; too dark and no space for ketchup on the tray Beer - coastal sunshine (from a Wisconsin brewery); delicious Skillet cookie - 3/5; the white chocolate chips are a no-no for a skillet cookie in my book. You want ooey gooey goodness in these. Please switch this to an actual chocolate chip cookie Service - 5/5; that's the best thing about this place. Ambiance - they can do more. It's pretty lame. The last thing I'll mention is the booths. Please switch these to something sturdy where you can't feel every single move of the person sharing the opposite booth behind you. I felt like I was getting knocked around my entire meal because the lady behind me kept pushing on her booth seat. During a date night out, this is just not enjoyable. This place has the staff, now they just need to improve the food a bit and the interior. read more

1608 Crafthouse - Delicious smoothie sour from WI - Gastropubs Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

Food was amazing!! I liked the menu selections. Waited a bit for the food but it was good.

okay so I enjoyed this so much the first time I went back the next night. Got the shrimp and grits - the sauce had just a hint of heat which was really pleasant and offset the sweetness of the shrimp just right. The blueberry cider was a surprise - didn't have the blackberry I had the night before. My experience with blueberry drinks was sketchy but I thought I'd give it a try. I was so glad I did - crisp and sweet but not overly so. The servers didn't mind when we walked in with a big party and then joined up with another group who showed up in my recommendation, and we appreciated it. All in all I'd recommend this place to anyone who asked. read more

1608 Crafthouse - shrimp and grits - Gastropubs Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

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Enjoyed my first, and certainly not my last, experience at 1608 Crafthouse. I stopped by on a rainy Memorial Day weekend and I'm happy I did. They get bonus points for having a brunch menu so late on a Saturday. Every staff member I came across was super polite. From the host to our server and the gentleman that brought our food out and showed me where the restrooms were. I certainly felt welcomed dining here. They had a special Memorial Day weekend menu so I'm not sure if these food items are on their regular menu as well. We ordered the breakfast sandwich, lamb gyro, brussel sprouts and mimosa flight. The lamb was cooked for perfection, not drying at all, though it was a little difficult to eat because of how big it was lol. Their fries were my absolute fav- fried and seasoned well. My only gripe here is that the lighting is so dim, I just want to fall asleep after eating all that yummy food lol but I guess this is a good problem to have! read more

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Food were creatively prepared. I was so i terested with the small grass-like leaves put on our food as presentation. Local is better. read more

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Always curious to check out this restaurant, but since it was a "school night" we didn't drink any beer. You're probably thinking "what is this girl thinking?! She's going to beer place and just eating food?!" My naïveté was in such of some different food options. I had the Fried Green Tomato BLT. It was well balanced with the warm tomato on cranberry bread slices. I was pleasantly surprised. The spicyness of the hot wings were not too hot. The horseradish mayo was a good complimentary condiment. The french fries were slightly salty. I can see where the beer would become a good pairing with the food items we selected. My husband ordered the chicken and ham sandwich, but asked for no tomato and no lettuce. He said it became too salty for him. We will definitely have to come back and pair some beer with the food. read more

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Excellent service. I had no clue what kind of beer to order and he recommended a great one that I really enjoyed. Was thrilled to see pork rinds with chili and cheese on the menu! Made my keto heart happy. Ordered poutine for my husband and tried hard to stay away from the fries. It was amazing as well. We ordered an extra egg so we both could have one. So good! Great atmosphere and very clean. read more

1608 Crafthouse - Pork rinds with chili and cheese. Made my keto heart so happy. The oxtail chili had a wonderful roasted flavor. - Gastropubs Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

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I've been here for brunch twice . Love it here have not had a bad meal yet. Huge portions , fantastic beer and whiskey menu. This is the spot when k get visitors to take them for Sunday brunch. Fantastic Bloody Marys read more

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How have I not reviewed 1608 Crafthouse yet?? One of my fave places in Virginia Beach... Always get the poutine! The pork rinds are great, too. They make my favorite whiskey sour in all of 757. They do brunch on weekends. Most recently, I had the spam and egg burrito. Loved it! When it's not brunch time, I usually order whatever their seafood special is, or I'll get the fish dish from the regular menu. Also, one of the few restaurants where we'll order dessert because we know it's all homemade. read more

1608 Crafthouse - Spam and egg burrito - Gastropubs Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

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I came here with a large group for a holiday brunch. There were 16 of us and our server was amazing. We sat at two tables and everything went off without a hitch. I got several blueberry mosas, the oysters and bone marrow, and a margherita pizza. The blueberry mimosas were hit or miss, honestly. Sometimes it tasted and looked like it was straight champagne and then other times looked like it had blueberry in there. I like champagne so I don't care. Either way is fine with me. The oysters and bone marrow were soooo gooood. Omg amazing. I do wish they had given me a spoon though, but I made use of the bread they gave me and sopped up everything. The oysters were delicious too and tasted like old bay. The pizza was delicious. It had a nice thin crust and was seasoned perfectly. I would definitely order everything again. The people around me got the big ass pretzel, steak and eggs, and the chicken and French toast. I had a bite of the last one and it was delicious. I loved the peanut butter in there as well as the cinnamon. Definitely amazing. The place was much smaller than I had expected. We had no issues whatsoever and would love to come back. I already need more bone marrow. It was so good! read more

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Ok this place is a small hole in the wall but it's good and busy. We were hungry and in the area so we went. The server was nice but I could have used a little more attention. The beverage selection was great. We tried some new things. The food was very tasty. We ordered a pizza and a cheeseburger both were fantastic. I recommend this place. We will be back. read more

Last night (Friday dec 2nd) my hubs and I go for a date night. We ordered the fried artichoke hearts and the inside was ice cold and still a little frozen. So they must order these frozen and not make these in house. We ate them because it was only 3 for 12$ and I don't like sending things back and losing money. The lamb burger was good but just good. I guess I was expecting it to be better. The service was phenomenal though. That always makes things better! Our waitress was a gem! Owner responded and it totally makes sense to why they were so cold in the center. Thank you for that 1608! read more