Updating my initial not happy review cause I shouldn't judge a whole restaurant on a single bad server experience. The food and drinks were great, music maaaybe a little loud but maybe that just wasnt my genre. Big open space to hang outside. As always with any restaurant, check your receipts! read more

I think that this is only my second time writing a bad review for bad service. I was at Ballyhoos for an event and while the space, food, and drinks were fine (on par for low quality bar), the server I interacted with seemed to be totally incompetent and has led to a whole ordeal, making this a 1 star review. The short story is that a waitress entered the event, charged me for drinks despite there apparently being a tab for the event, and then when I asked to close my tab, she added a tip unbeknownst to me. Despite bringing up confusion about the credit card charges to the waitress, neither she nor the manager realized/resolved the problem, and it has taken 4 phone calls so far to try get my money refunded. From the start the staff at Ballyhoos showed poor communication skills, did not have the ability to own up to mistakes, and offered no compensation for the ridiculous amount of time I've wasted trying to get money back that I overpaid due to their incompetence. read more

Skip it. Went there for an event. The drinks were fine and the space is huge but without going into detail, a few bartenders/cocktail waitress we interacted with was shockingly bad/ sketchy. I really can't recommend going there for that reason. read more

Ballyhoos is no country for old (over 50) men...I hadn't been to BH for a couple of years after my (overage) crowd had a bad experience with an afternoon bartender. Went back last Thursday---same bad bartender and a new manager (6 weeks, he said). Bartender totally focused on her young pals at the end of the bar...Swept up my unfinished drinks while I was in the men's room, and gave me attitude after my complaint. Manager was no help---though slightly more friendly than the bartender. CP Shuckers is a better bet for an afternoon nosh and cocktail---why spend time in an unfriendly place with the ambiance of a racquetball court? read more

Went to 'all you can eat crab legs'. I think they were snow crabs, they were extremely tasty and plentiful! A couple clusters came out a little cold but literally no worry at all! The waitress, Hannah and the manager Brandon took care of it immediately! Brandon even brought the hot crab legs to our table to make sure we were satisfied. COMPLETELY HAPPY AND SATISFIED! There was also another waitress that came over and asked if everything was 'great' and brought along another beer for me. I think the service was literally wonderful and the crabs legs were WOO HOOO! I will Absolutely be back! And a shout out to the cool hostess that made sure she sat us in a warm area and if we wanted to be by the music or not. Well done Ballyhoos! Love the Crab Legs and the service rocked! Thanks for your patience Brandon! read more

We enjoyed a wonderful lunch today. The open air atmosphere was cooling. The overhead fan danced with the summer breeze coming through the open doors. Our waitress AC was joyful, pleasant and really wanted to be there. She treated us professionally, and was attentive while providing service. She had an infectious smile. The Cuban sandwich was delicious and not greasy as served by some other locals. The steak and fries were excellent. So a lunch special with: Atmosphere, great food, excellent service with a smile. All for less than one of the many fast food choices. Ballyhoos is a great choice for both locals and visitors alike. read more

reposting from google since this owner wants to have some banter, instead of acknowledging the actual issue ! My boyfriend is in Virginia for work and walked about 15 minutes to this restaurant after checking the posted hours online, which stated they were open until 11:00 PM. He arrived around 9:30 PM and was told the kitchen was already closed. There are two simple solutions: either make sure your business hours are accurate across all platforms where you advertise, or be a little more understanding and friendly when customers arrive confused because the information online doesn't match reality. It's frustrating to make the trip based on the hours provided, only to be turned away. I'm leaving this review because I feel bad that he wasted his time and effort getting there. Hopefully this helps prevent the same thing from happening to someone else. UPDATE: I didn't have to physically be there to leave a review, tough guy. If my review hurt your feelings, that's unfortunate, but HIS experience and MY opinion remain the same. Other than that, my review stands. YOUR STILL MAD read more

Highly disappointed, food was mediocre at best. Drinks average. Service was ok. The establishment overall is rough. Only one set of bathrooms that are on either side of the bandstand. Which had a live band that was ok but the acoustics are bad. There was a private party inside for the band, which meant walking through them all to get to the bathrooms. Then feedback was given to the establishment, and was met with rude and sarcastic comments. As if they were trying to be funny and edgy about it. Overall, trash experience. read more

AC was the best server EVER! Food and drinks were flowing, lumpia was to die for! Super good vibes, would come again!

One of the owners (woman whose name i do not want to share) was extremely rude to my grandmother and refused to give back $600 worth of deposit for a party. They are completely in the wrong, the woman was also saying bad things about her employees for helping us. The only reason we didn't have our event with them was because the woman was just plain rude to us! I usually love local businesses, but this is one that me and my entire family will no longer be supporting. read more

I went to Ballyhoos for the first time last night. We were greeted and sat quickly. The server was nice and attentive. We ordered happy hour drinks and tuna bites to start. Sports were on the tv's and live music played. We ordered shrimp and burgers as well. Everything was delicious and came out fast. Side note: The restaurant lets dogs sit with their owners, which I think is amazing. They also have lots of games like jinga, ping pong, corn hole, and foosball outside and under their tent. I highly recommend and I will be back. Seems like a great locals spot. read more

Ballyhoos - Tuna Bites and happy hour drinks - American Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

The worst experience trying to plan an event. Deeanna for a catering event was highly rude and talks very lowly of her employees (who were very kind). We ended up canceling the event because of how she behaved. Highly unprofessional. She also refused to give us the 600 deposit back even tho it was her attitude and lack of professionalism and courtesy to her customers and staff made us change our event. Think twice before having an event here unless you enjoy being treated with disrespect. read more

Stopped by for an early dinner during happy hour. The location is what you'd expect, but the food wasn't giving. I was extremely disappointed with my burnt oysters, which you would assume would've been better at a semi-seafood place. read more

We stopped by Ballyhoos on Sunday to get some food and to watch the game. This is such a fun place to spend a Sunday afternoon. The food is good and the atmosphere is lively. They have raffles for prizes that are absolutely free. They have just about every game that you can imagine on their multiple televisions. The Star of the show was definitely the Hot Wings. They came out piping hot and they were delicious. We opted for the hot sauce and we enjoyed them very much. Check out Ballyhoo's, you'll be happy that you did and you can rest assured that you are supporting our local restaurant community. read more

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Stopped by on a Friday evening for a friends get together while in town. It's funny how many times growing up that I was in this shopping center yet definitely didn't have a spot like this. Introduced my husband to some East coast on this trip. I had the shrimp. No longer my favorite after having my seasoning boiled into the seafood down South. The tots could have been cooked long. The crush ratio was off if you know what they should take like. The service for a Friday Evening mid evening left a lot to be desired. We had to work to get his attention most of the evening. The all you could eat crab legs were a good price compared to most local spots. The feel of the restaurant was my favorite part. The outdoor space was plentiful. Tons of space for folks of different groups. Live music. I'd go back really just got the atmosphere not for service. read more

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We went to Ballyhoos for lunch today. We sat ourselves in the patio area. It wasn't busy, but 5 minutes later, nobody stopped by, so I went and grabbed a couple of menus. Another 5-10 minutes later, a server came to take our drink order, but we had plenty of time to look at the menu, so we ordered drinks and our food too. My wife ordered water and crab cake sandwich, then the server asked how she wanted the burger cooked. What burger?! I ordered a bottle of Miller Lite and a pound of steamed shrimp. They weren't on the menu, so I asked if they had onion rings, and she said yes, so I asked her to add an order of onion rings. 10 minutes later, still no water or beer, so I asked her about our drinks, and she said they're coming. Another 10 minutes went by and still no water or beer, so we were about to get up and walk out, when our food came out. A table of 5 that got there right before us did walk out, after waiting 20 minutes and not getting their drinks. Our food showed up, but no onion rings, and no cocktail sauce for the shrimp. I asked for both, and she brought the cocktail sauce, and we finally got water and a beer. A few minutes later she came back and said the kitchen just ran out of onion rings :( The shrimp were ok, but the crabcakes were small, not a lot of crabmeat, and not much flavor. I'm very easygoing and don't typically write yelp reviews, but this dining experience was bad enough to make me write a review. I don't think I'll be back. read more

Attended a weeknight work function here, 3.75 overall. Liked the outdoor space with paved covered patio, bar, and lots of green space plus seating. Perfect for the charity cornhole tourney, especially given the "big kid" appetizers of fruit, cheese, chips/cheese dip, chicken and burger sliders. Fair amount of indoor/temperature controlled space too. Gender specific bathrooms, daily specials and a stage for live music. Parking close to entrance can be a chore due to shared lot. read more

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When you walk in Ballyhoos it has a dive bar feel to it but I love it. Casual dining. We had a great time. And the food was Excellent. Shrimp cocktail are nice size shrimp. They even had lumpia. My friends drink was really good. She let me take a sip. They did not have it on the menu but I got a mocktail, Pineapple with sprite. It was so nice of them to make for me and I liked it so much I drank 3 of them. The bathrooms could be a little cleaner. Pretty good parking. I would say a great place to meet friends and have a good time. read more

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Hi there today and I ordered the fish and chip the french fries was supposed to be hand cut I guess like McDonald's but they look like a day old french fries they will have burnt. They were cold all their food that I received was warm. It was not hot when he arrived at my table. I ordered she crab soup the crab meat was almost like canned crab meat. There was no fresh crab meat in the she crab soup, and that was lukewarm. It was time to pay our bill and we all looked at our bill and was charged a dollar for water that was in there washable glasses and I was told if you ordered water in the to go cups you are paying for the cup. Although you are ordering and paying for your food. I don't drink sodas nor alcohol just water this is the first at eating establishment I have had to pay for free water that was served in there washable glasses. Stop over charging people. read more

The meal was terrible. I ordered a crab cake sandwich and they were raw and cold. And the fries were cold. We ordered a piece of grilled salmon that seems like it was poached! Did not look like the menu. She crab soup was grayish/brown. Not good. The waitress wasn't really interested in providing good service. read more

Went to Ballyhoos last night to listen to a friends band...Swell Luck! They are awesome! They were busy of course for a Saturday. We arrived around 6p, put our names on the list for a table and that did not take to long. While the drinks are good and the patio is great. The Tuna Poke was just ehh. I was really looking forward to this but the Tuna pieces were big and I had to cut up them into smaller pieces and cut off sinewy parts. I was disappointed with this dish. I also got the garlic Parmesan boneless wings, those were decent and nice sized pieces. My friend ordered the fresh guacamole that needed more seasoning as it was a little bland. I will definitely come back for drinks and live music again and try something else on their menu. The wraps and sandwiches looked good as that is what my friends had. read more

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Bad experience. Have been here a couple times. Foods okay. Service is always delayed. Staff not the friendliest.

We have been coming to Ballyhoos for 8 years or more. We especially enjoyed it for NFL Sunday games. In past years it has been the best place in the Shore Drive area to watch games, especially if you have groups of 8 or more. This year, 2025, it has completely fallen apart. There is no apparent management in place. Several times we have waited in excess of 20 minutes to even have a server approach us and have waited over 30 minutes to even get our first drink. When the games have shifted from early games to the afternoon 4:00 games the staff has no idea how to make that transition. This past week it took over an hour (after 5:00pm) to just get 4 games on the TV's while a couple dozen patrons cashed out and left instead of waiting. The food and specials are still great when you can get served. The exception to all of this is the long time bartender, Lisa, who does a great job and steps in often to cover for the slacking service elsewhere, but she can only cover but so many bases when she has a packed bar to cover as well. I believe that the the way to restore the good service that this great venue offers is to get some consistent management on the floor and properly train the new staff to the necessities of maintaining operations of a sports enthusiast's venue. read more

NEEDS HELP. What happened to Ballyhoos. No NFL package. NO HEAT. 1 bartender for both bars. hostess basically playing on her phone. Took forever to get a drink order in due to only 1 bartender. Used to be a fun bar for game day. All I heard was complaints. many left in the 30 minutes we were there and went to other places. read more

Absolute trash of an establishment. The servers are garbage. Could not serve before closing. No wonder the clientele has gone down over the last few years. They are not customer based and rude as hell. read more

Me and the guys from New York had an amazing experience at Ballyhoos. Olivia the bartender, was amazing. Her service and personality made us feel at home. She was very resourceful and made sure we had a good time. The ambience and the food was second to none. We will be returning tomorrow because of our great experience at Ballyhoos. read more

We happened to stop in for dinner on the opening to the NFL season. Not too many people inside the bar. This place is all about the patio and the live music. We decide to stay inside. We enjoyed the tuna poke. We should have asked for a bit more sauce, but jit was still good. I had the bourbon mushroom swiss birger with sweet potato tots. So yummy. The sweetness of the bourbon reduction sauce was perfect on the burger. My husband devoured the black & blue burger. We will have to visit again and sit out on the patio read more

Came with a party of 15, was seated promptly. For lunch time it was pretty busy but there was only one server handling the bar and main seating area. For appetizers we tried a variety of things , I was impressed by the calamari and pickles the most. They do very well with fried food. A few of the burgers were just ok additionally the temps were not accurate. The boneless wings were not great per my friend. Ordered the Fried shrimp and fries as main meal and the shrimp were SO FRESH AND BIG! Sweet potato tots were great per a friend. Overall not a bad spot for fried food and a quick drink. Female bathroom was well kept, Mens was clean but had a lingering urine smell. read more

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The venue offers both indoor and outdoor seating with water views. There are oversized games to play. I tried the new brunch menu, which is a great deal at $13. The BBQ chicken mac-n-cheese with asparagus and the grilled Monte Cristo with sweet potato tots were both excellent. The wings were meaty and served hot. The beef and mushroom dish was tasty but needed more mushrooms. Service was friendly; Sophia, who was a first-time waitress, took good care of us. Happy hour prices and options are decent. The bar layout is cool, but the bartender could be more cooperative when asked for napkins. read more

We enjoyed our time at Ballyhoos. We have driven by a million times during our adventures in VA Beach, but haven't stopped. We found out they have a great happy hour and wanted to give it a try. We were able to bring our pups and sit outside. It's a great covered area that is good, rain or shine. They have plenty of TVs, a long bar, and live music while we are there. The service was nice and prompt. We ordered a variety of items off their HH menu and a few beers. Our favorite were the wings. A nice portion size for the price. The peel and eat shrimp and calamari were both very good as well. It's nice finding a good local happy hour that is dog friendly. We will return for sure. read more

Wife placed a takeout order over the phone and paid at the main bar. She left a $5 tip but was $7 in my credit card. I reached out via email (and provided pictures) and two phone calls. A week later management never followed up. Maybe the shady bartender is the manager. read more

I came on a Friday night with a couple of friends and we were able to get a table in the bar area, far away from the stage. Our server did a good job keeping our drinks refilled, though we did have to wait a while for her to come back to place our orders. I enjoyed my orange crush, I've had good ones and bad ones, but this was probably the best one I've had that wasn't on the oceanfront. It tasted fresh, and not overly sweet. 7 bucks was a pretty fair price. The Mexicali sandwich was comprised of chicken breast, pepper jack cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, avocado, and Chipotle aioli. Great combo of flavors, I would order this again. The fries were your typical sidewinder, the type of fries that are between a steak fry and a curly fry. This is a good place to hang, whether inside or outside. read more

The food is good and the service was excellent. The establishment does a lot to support the community.

Dropped the wife at a baby shower and enjoyed the surprising comfort of the beach style restaurant at the end of a strip shopping center but is located next to a marina. It has large outdoor seating on the inlet with option to reserved for private parties. Inside had two large bar areas, plenty of large screens - draft beer along with others and a nice variety of pub grub. The barbecue wings and fries were excellent and the restaurant is well staffed. Nice get away with a beach feel - a little isolated but worth a good time stop. read more

This place is beautiful!! Love the ambiance. I went on a gorgeous sunny day and couldn't have found a better place. I ordered a margarita and it was super good, sweet and sour . My friend and I both ordered the tuna poke and it was to die for. Tender fresh tuna and soft warm rice, maybe jasmine?? So yummy!!! And there's games outside too!! They gave giant jenga, corn hole, and fooze ball!!! Cant wait to bring my husband here! The staff was nice too! read more

Ballyhoos - Margarita - American Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

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Very nice place I went on a chilly night but they had these heaters on the patio that were super cozy the wait staff were nice and attentive. I loved how big the place was and my food was good! I got the Buffalo chicken wrap and fries super affordable and tasty. I really can't wait for it to stay consistently warm so I can go and truly enjoy the outside part of this place! read more

My workplace orders lunch take out from ballyhoos frequently. I've probably tried almost everything on the menu atleast twice, and YET, I've yet to be disappointed! Among my favorites are the chicken philly, the boneless wings, the Buffalo chicken sandwich, and the black and bleu burger. The sidewinder fries are FANTASTIC and so are the sweet potato fries. They take our long lunch order without a hitch and the food is always ready within 20 minutes. I will say that when dining in, the service can be a bit slow. But, they are a newer restaurant and a very popular spot, so it can be expected. The restaurant itself is a great place to hangout, and has a great bar scene on the weekends. Tons of room to roam around and find space to chill. Love this place! read more

Ballyhoos - Black and bleu burger with sweet pot tots - American Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

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It was our first time checking out this spot and we came here with a few friends on a Wednesday nite and got there just in time for happy hour! This place was huge. Tall ceilings, open space inside with lots of tables and large bar area to hang out. The outside space was pretty large as well. There was lots of lawn games available and the kids had fun playing the whole time. We grabbed a few drinks and ordered dinner as well. The food came out pretty fast and was really good. The po boys and burgers were pretty big and cooked perfectly. The sweet potato tots were a fave which you don't see on the menu regularly. There was also live music when we were there so that was a nice touch. Overall I thought it was a solid place with lots of potential. I could see this spot being busy and crowded during the warmer days especially with Summer coming around the corner. We will definitely be back. read more

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Fun indoor and outdoor setting. We were there for a political event which was packed but still had friendly service and good food and drinks. read more

Food and Ambiance is good, service is not. After being ignored by one of the blonde bartenders when people that got there after I did were served I finally enjoyed l some beers there. At 12 the lights came on and we were told told as of 6 months ago they close at midnight instead of 2 am like it use to be, when we asked the other blonde bartender who had been drinking when they closed, they simply stated "Now" and didn't elaborate further besides "since 6 months ago". Makes sense why there is little to no crowd now. Very unfortunate as this place use to be the shit. read more