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Boil Bay

3.7 (148 reviews)
Closed 12:00 pm - 9:30 PM
Updated 1 month ago

Boil Bay Reservations

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BOIL BAY ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Live music
Moderate noise
Casual
Trendy

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Recommended Reviews - Boil Bay

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Reviews With Photos

Catfish Basket with fries
Crystal P.

With it being only 2 servers on a SATURDAY, Destiny was amazing and very attentive to my group and I!! She recommended us quite a few options from the menu. Our food came out in a timely manner, and it was a decent portion. The lighting was low and we used our phone flashlights to see menu. But, overall the place is nice on the inside. If I'm ever back in VA again, I would definitely stop by. I recommend trying this place out.

4 1/2 inch blue claw crabs they mark up and sell them. Tasted OLD AND GROSS!!!
Chef Phil D.

O... HELL NO! Never again will I step foot into this romper room! The food is JUNK! Especially the crabs! Little small worthless crabs... And the prices! Check out my pictures and you be the judge. The wait service forgets a lot! Nope! Never again! Small, old crabs they serve to along with their so called littneck clams! Good place for people who don't know what good, QUALITY seafood is... Oh and the band sucked to that day! I was gonna get up on the dance floor and do the Charlie Brown! Lol!

Anissa W.

5/6/21: First time trying this place after a horrible experience with their competitor around the corner. I truly just wanted some fried shrimp...nothing spectacular. To cut down on the wait time, we called to place our order & was left on hold during our ride there. We hung up when we got to their parking lot & just went in to order. We were coming from Hopewell, so we were on hold almost 10 minutes. Ridiculous! They weren't even busy when we went inside, so what was the issue with taking our order? Anyway, we got inside & the staff were just OK. They weren't super friendly, but they weren't rude either. We placed the order of 2 shrimp/fries, fried rice with chicken/sausage/shrimp, chicken strips/fries, & hushpuppies. Shrimp/fries = 5 (Plump, juicy shrimp...yummy!) Chicken strips/fries = 2 (The chicken was juicy, BUT it was coated in fish fry and it didn't taste good at all. It was an overall weird, gritty texture & was bland. I will not order this again!) Hushpuppies = 2 (They were bland & unlike any I've ever had before. The texture was more of a smooth, donut ball or something & the taste was just weird to me. It didn't taste like a normal Hushpuppy.) Rice = 3 (I don't know about you, but I don't like hard, crunchy rice. I realize it's fried, BUT I've never had HARD, CRUNCHY fried rice from anywhere. I did like the flavor along with the meat in the rice. I just wish the rice was softer.) The food was hot & fresh, which is great. I will definitely go back to get shrimp & to try the rice one more time. Hopefully, the crunchy rice was a one time problem & not the way they consistently cook it. I shall see. Masks are required & they are following social distancing guidelines. I definitely recommend this place if you're in the mood for seafood.

Soft Shell crab and sweet potato fries
Brad F.

This was my 2nd attempt here. The first time was pretty good. This trip I ordered a few things to try. Good: The green muscles were spot on. The sauce flavoring was awesome, cooked well, and a good portion. Good: I ordered ahead online and they filled the order very quickly. They helped me immediately when I walked in. Bad: soft shell crab was good but it was on a bed of soft soggy cold sweet potato fries. Couldn't eat them. Bad: Fried calamari was extremely bland, cold and had a ton of breeding on them. They fell apart and breading fell off when I picked them up. The design of the restaurant is very fun and so is the music. Nicely decorated like you're on a pirate adventure. I want to give this 3 stars but two of the three items were not that great.

Crab dinners
Kimberly G.

A hands on eating experience! Passing through town and found this gem in a strip mall. Most meals come in a big bag steamed with corn & potatoes along with your choice of sauce. I tried the steamed shrimp with the Cajun sauce, yuuummmee! Our waitress was very attentive and checked on us often. They have a small stage which I'm sure has some amazing bands playing there. None were playing on the Sunday afternoon when we were there. Ambiance was nice with a long bar and whale shaped lights, also a nice boat when you come through the entrance.

Combo c
Nicara B.

I will say that my food was delicious but what i really will say more is how fantastic our waitress was?! He name was Dana!!! And let me tell you!! I will ask for her every single time I come in!! Her personality was out of this world. To say she was good would be an understatement. She is AMAZING!! So friendly!! So kind!! Corona has not impacted the way she treats people and it shows!!! But back to my food... it was DELICIOUS!!! The wings, crab legs, shrimp, potatoes!!! I need a nap!! It was hot and it was so fresh!! We will be back based on the service alone!! (And the food!)

What I received vs what I actually ordered
Alicia R.

A big NO for me. Let me start by saying I ordered a seafood boil with king crab, 1lb. Blue crab, 1lb shrimp 1lb, boil bay special seasoning..also comes with corn and potato's, and added extra corn for $3. What I actually received in my order was only king crab, 2lbs of shrimp? And no extra corn. Unacceptable. I let them know my order was incorrect and they blocked me. As for the food- I would highly recommend choosing the spicy option as the boil bay special had no kick to it what so ever. Not one ounce of spice, old bay would have sufficed. The sauce was completely watered down and tasteless. The shrimp were a decent size but slimy on the inside. Couldn't finish this meal, and will not be returning. This $50+ dollar seafood boil had 2 sausages and 2 pieces of Corn, and 2 king crab legs. Not worth the money.

Menu
JR P.

Cash/Card accepted Restrooms available Free limited public parking Group Friendly Family friendly American Food/Cajun Cuisine Full Bar Cajun Boil seafood cuisine. Like the other sorounding competition, this place has what you need for Cajun Seafood. They have a wide variety of food and drinks to choice from. It's very spacious inside, and the theme is wonderful. Prices will vary due to market price. Overall a good experience with their workers, establishment was kept clean, and seems to be sanitized often.

Combo B

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1 year ago

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1 year ago

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6 months ago

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1 year ago

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1 year ago

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8 months ago

Food was the best tasting seafood for this area. The price is a bit too high. The service is pretty good.

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5 months ago

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5 months ago

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1 year ago

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11 months ago

Service was excellent sea food boil taste great ! Lobster roll & crab cakes where also delicious would definitely come back

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1 year ago

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3 years ago

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10 months ago

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11 months ago

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5 years ago

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3 years ago

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11 months ago

I love Seafood and I enjoy eating at Boil Bay. My book club has meetings there. We leave full and satisfied.

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2 years ago

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6 years ago

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6 years ago

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4 years ago

Business owner information

Photo of Asia L.

Asia L.

Thank you for the stars JR!

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3 years ago

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2 years ago

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3 years ago

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3 years ago

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1 year ago

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5 years ago

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3 years ago

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1 year ago

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3 years ago

Business owner information

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Asia L.

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2 years ago

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2 years ago

Food was amazing. The seasoning that they used on it, boil bay special was outstanding!

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2 years ago

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5 years ago

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Antonio O.

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2 years ago

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1 year ago

I'm glad this was my first seafood boil experience! This place is so good that I could come here everyday and never get tired.

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2 years ago

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3 years ago

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6 years ago

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3 years ago

From day one, this place has been high Dollar. The amount of food you get is not enough for my hard earned income or any one else's.

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Ask the Community - Boil Bay

Do they have a buffet, and if so - are the buffet hours different than normal operation hours?

no, they do not have a buffet.

How do the combo deals work? When the menu says "items" are they referring to sides or entrees to pick from?

You are basically building your own bill bag or customize a combo that offer.

Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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The Rock Yard

The Rock Yard

3.8
(16 reviews)
1.7 mi

Hubs and I stopped by here around 12:45 on a weekday because this place looked awesome. Shawarma on…read morethe south side of Richmond? Yes please! There is a pretty small public parking lot directly across the street, and it was full, so I'm not 100% sure if we parked in the public parking or the parking lot of the glass shop next-door since there weren't really any signs. I really hate parking in the middle of any town, but it wasn't too bad. But I'm still not sure if we could've gotten a ticket or not. You seat yourself in this really awesome classic rock themed restaurant. The decor is great, a perfect mix of interesting things to look at, without being super claustrophobic-ly overwhelming. It is really cute. We took a minute to look over the menu, and decided on the house cut chips appetizer, and both a beef and chicken Shawarma for us to try both. The beef Shawarma was delicious. I really like the seasoning that they use on their meat or sauce or something. I never could place what it was or where it was, but the flavor is just heavenly. A little sweet, a little savory and delicious. The fresh pickled veggies were also amazing. They were still crisp with that snap that you really want with pickled foods. Chicken Shawarma was definitely my favorite since it had slightly different pickled vegetables. They were both good, but the chicken was definitely my favorite by just a touch. The bread was a little hard and chewy for my likings, it definitely stood up to the creamy sauce and the juicy pickled vegetables, but it almost hurt my teeth if you just had a dry spot that hadn't been soaking in some form of liquid. The house cut chips are just OK, nothing special by themselves, but that trio of dipping sauces was amazing. We were dipping our fries into it because we liked those a little better than the chips, but we ate almost every drop of that sauce trying to figure out which one was our favorite. one of the hot sauces is blueberry and very sweet with a mild spice, one is I think mango and not spicy initially, but when you swallowed, you definitely felt it burn in the back of your throat. It was a nice sneaky heat, which I love. And the third dipping sauce, we could not place, but we literally could not figure out which one we loved the most. They have a patio outside with lots of tables, but we did not go out there. It looks cute in the pictures though. The downside, is that while the service was very great, if you catch them out a bad time, they don't yet seem to be able to handle huge amounts of orders. They've only been open for about two months, I think, so that will come in time. It seems that they only have one guy cooking in the back, so we were unluckily there at the same time as a table of eight people. If we had all the time in the world, I could have sat and stared at the decor for ages. But unfortunately, if you are on a lunch break or have to be somewhere, they could potentially be so backed up it takes quite a while to actually get your food. It was a rare and random set of circumstances, and probably does not happen often, and she generously comped our chips which was not necessary but was very appreciated. The service here is absolutely top-notch. We will definitely be back for more of that delicious Shawarma. Definitely earlier in the day though, so we can sit as long as we want.

Service was good and atmosphere nice. I really hope they make it…read more That being said, went for lunch, twice. Might be that Lebanese food is not my thing. I found the chicken pita/wrap dry and bland. The burger way too large, overcooked and dry. I'll admit, I'm a saucy person and like lots of flavors and textures, which I didn't find in my couple of visits. The fried cauliflower was tasty, but wish the pitas accompanying them were warm, or at least not cold.

Photos
The leafy greens
The leafy greens
Chicken schwarma pita. Yum
Chicken schwarma pita. Yum
Patio

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Patio
Longstreet's Deli

Longstreet's Deli

3.7
(236 reviews)
1.7 mi
$$

I like that the food is always consistently good here. I generally always order a club sandwich…read morewhen I go to a deli, and theirs are good, and I love the giant pickle spear that comes with all of the meals. This place does inspire me to branch out from my normal choice though. The sailor is delicious, the French dip is great, the Cuban is great, the barbecue chicken is so delicious. All the people have always been friendly, the parking lot across the street is convenient. The family and I are fans.

I used to live in Petersburg when I was younger and I've been to restaurants close to here but I've…read morenever gotten the chance to try out this place. Interior (8/10) - The inside looks good but the chairs at the glass tables were a little too tight for me so I decided to sit at the bar which was a good choice. The chairs at the bar felt a little wobbly but I didn't mind. I sometimes drive past this place during the night and it's always packed so I guess it's best for a post work visit. Service (8/10) - The staff were extremely friendly and on top of things and it's a local restaurant so I not going to complain. Food (9/10) - and now for the main attraction, the food tastes pretty good. I had the Crab Cake Sandwich and it was seasoned and savory. My friend ordered mozzarella sticks and they were the best mozzarella sticks I've had so far, crisped and cheesy to perfection. And the crab dip was pretty decent, too creamy and juicy to my taste (No Diddy). Overall, this place doesn't come off as a place for dinner for me but it's the perfect place for Lunch. 8.5/10

Photos
The decor is vintage and eclectic
The decor is vintage and eclectic
Reuben
Reuben
Patron margarita

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Patron margarita
Maria's Old Town 21

Maria's Old Town 21

3.9
(142 reviews)
1.6 mi
$$

I have wanted to dine at Maria's Old Town 21 for a few years & finally this week I got to realize…read moremy wish to dine there. The entrance to the restaurant was like walking into Italy. The decor was absolutely breathtaking. The space itself is HUGE. There is ample space for large groups, as well as, space to accommodate special events. I literally could not get enough of just looking at the Beauty & Majesty of the restaurant. Once we were seated, our server Steve was courteous, attentive & knowledgeable about menu options. We ordered the She Crab & Mushroom soups as appetizers, as well as, the Oysters Rockefeller. Our soups were bursting with flavor & very fulfilling. Both soups were seasoned perfectly. The Oysters Rockefeller were ample in size & earthy in flavor. They were not the best both my daughter & I had tasted but they were also not the worst either. As our entrees, we ordered the Baked Sicilian Spaghetti & the Seafood Pasta with vodka sauce. Both dishes were absolutely delicious & the portion sizes were substantial. We definitely had leftovers. Although this was my first visit to this establishment, I literally cannot wait to return. It was the perfect location for a peaceful& fulfilling lunchtime dining experience. I highly recommend trying Maria's Old Town 21, you WILL NOT be disappointed ‍

Overall, loved everything! I loved how the place looked inside! Couldn't decide between the…read morespaghetti or chicken Alfredo so I let the waitress. She said she likes both but the Alfredo sauce more because they make that fresh for every order. So I went with the chicken Alfredo. And it satisfied my expectations and cravings for pasta!! I got a cheesecake to go and it's delicious as well! Very soft, melts in your mouth! I would go again if I lived in Virginia!

Photos
Bar area
Bar area
Tortellini Ala Maria
Tortellini Ala Maria
Patio

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Patio
Shirley’s

Shirley’s

3.9
(19 reviews)
1.8 mi

We stopped here on our way from DC to Wilmington. The hotel itself has a super cool story and the…read morespace in which the restaurant is located feels really beautiful, grand and historic. It is spacious with lots of natural light (if you eat during the day). We ended up being one of two tables because we came at an odd time. There was only one person working front of house, Melissa, and it looked like she was bartender, hostess and server while we were there. Despite that she did a great job. She was gracious, attentive and even pulled out my chair for me. She knew about the building's history and seemed to take genuine pride. So if that is an indication of what the service is like all the time then A++. Food was decent, not mind-blowing. But I thought the quality was there. Ingredients were fresh. Prices were high end for the area but reasonable for the preparation and presentation. Food was well prepared. My only real complaint is my fried okra kept sliding out of its batter. See photos for more food info.

We stopped at Shirley's during a road trip and had a great experience. The restaurant is located in…read morethe lobby of the Hotel Petersburg, which made it an easy and convenient stop. When we went, only the bar area was open, but there were tables in that section and we were able to sit comfortably as a family of four. Our waitress was really sweet and personable, which always makes a difference--especially when you're traveling with kids. The food was delicious. I ordered the smash burger, my husband had the salmon, and both were excellent. The kids ordered from the kids' menu--chicken tenders and a burger--and everything came with fries. We also ordered the sweet potato fries and those were a standout--definitely recommend them. Overall, it was a great stop during our trip with good food, friendly service, and a relaxed atmosphere. We really enjoyed our experience at Shirley's.

Photos
Shot of the hostess stand
Shot of the hostess stand
Creamy tomato bisque
Creamy tomato bisque
Composed Little Salad

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Composed Little Salad

Boil Bay - seafood - Updated July 2026

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