The Barrel Room in Chesapeake is one of those places that just gets it right. The atmosphere is…read moregreat, the drinks are consistently excellent, and the bartenders are true mixologists... not just people pouring drinks. They know what they're doing, they care about the craft, and they make the whole experience feel personal without trying too hard. It's become one of my favorite spots because it has that perfect mix of laid-back, elevated, and welcoming. Great place to grab a well-made cocktail, relax, and enjoy a bar that actually feels like it has some character.

Pleasantly surprised! We stopped in here for a girls night prior to seeing a movie and had a nice…read moremeal. Casual space but could be visited for a more special occasion, especially since there doesn't seem to be a ton in the area. Service was very friendly and welcoming. We were a party of 6 and our server handled it with ease. Side salad was great, as was the pork chop. I felt that the truffle fries were mediocre. Brussels on the other hand were great! Loved that the chef (or maybe owner) came around and checked in personally on each table.

We really enjoy the Early Bird Special at The Butcher's Son in Chesapeake. Our recent visit for…read moredinner was excellent, with good food and a great vibe. Our server, Lindsey was very friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. She was attentive throughout our meal. My husband ordered the 6oz sirloin, which he says is always very flavorful. For his sides, he chose the cucumber salad, and he subbed a Wedge Salad for his second side. He was very glad that he chose to try something different. I was impressed with the wedge salad's lovely presentation. My order included the 8oz salmon with whipped potatoes and green beans. My dinner was so tasty! And the fresh sliced bread served with honey bourbon butter is a wonderful start to the meal. Dinner was so tasty that we decided to order dessert, too! The Cherry Pie Cobbler with vanilla ice cream was a delicious treat.

My wife and I have been enjoying The Butcher's Son more often. It is not that often that we can…read moremake their early bird special but every now and then we can. It is a fantastic deal at $15. The special lets you choose from 10oz pork chop, 8oz stuffed chicken or a 6oz sirloin each with two sides included. This week I did the 10oz pork chop and went with their recommended cooked level of medium. It was juicy and tender. My sides were the cucumber salad and the mashed potato, both delicious! Anna was our server, and she couldn't have been more helpful and friendly. Sometimes Early bird specials means the staff is not at their optimum but not at Butcher's Son! Our meals came out in a good amount of time. Five stars were earned on both the meal and the service!

I came to Amber Lantern to with my family to celebrate my birthday. This is my second time coming…read moreto the restaurant; my first time was years ago. We had a 6 o'clock reservation and we were able to be seated immediately. Our server was Emma, and she was very nice. We ordered the fried calamari, the lobster bisque, and the crab bisque appetizers. The calamari was perfectly done, but both the bisques were salty. I did really enjoy that the lobster bisque had huge pieces of lobster. I also started out with an espresso martini. They did an excellent job making that. As an entrée, I had the crab stuffed shrimp with risotto and fresh vegetables. It was really shrimp with mini crab balls on top. There was a lot of crab and minimal filler which was good and a pleasant surprise. It was supposed to be topped with some type of cream sauce that was a little thin for my liking. The risotto was cooked perfectly and so were the vegetables. Oh, and we also really enjoyed the complementary bread. The restaurant itself was dimly lit and more on the quiet side. It was rainy outside, so we weren't able to sit out on the patio, which would've been a nice view. Overall, we really enjoyed our time. At the end of dinner my sister asked if they did anything for birthdays and the waitress told us that they did not unless we were ordering a dessert. That was a little disappointing since we were there for a celebration. We were entirely too full to order dessert. But it would've been nice to have been sung to or acknowledged by the staff!

We went to Amber Lantern Restaurant for my sister's birthday on a Sunday evening with a reservation…read morefor four at 6 p.m. It happened to be a very rainy day, which obviously wasn't the restaurant's fault, but it did mean our nice window table overlooking the water didn't come with the sunset views I'd imagined when I made the reservation. We were seated immediately, and our server, Emma, was friendly and attentive throughout dinner. I started with the white peach sangria. The flavor was good and refreshing, but it was definitely more juice than wine. It would be a great summer drink if you're looking for something light, fruity, and not particularly boozy. I also ordered the crab bisque. The flavor was really good, and there were small pieces of crab throughout, but the consistency was a little thinner than I personally prefer. I like my bisque thick enough to remind me that it is, in fact, a bisque. That's really just personal preference though, and I wouldn't knock the soup for it. My sister ordered the lobster bisque, and THAT was impressive. It had huge, abundant chunks of lobster. Once I saw hers, my little pieces of crab suddenly felt slightly less exciting. The lobster bisque definitely won the battle of the bisques. We also shared the calamari, which was lightly fried and served with Thai chili sauce. It was really good. No notes. Probably one of my favorite things we ordered. For my entrée, I had the pork chop with mashed potatoes and green beans. The pork chop was cooked very well and had a good texture, but flavor-wise, it was fairly basic. It came with a mango and fig sauce that was much more fig-forward than mango-forward. I was hoping the mango would shine a little more, so while I liked it, it wasn't something I'd necessarily rush back to order again. The mashed potatoes were surprisingly flavorless. Potatoes are usually one of the easier parts of a meal to make exciting, so these felt a little like someone remembered at the last minute that the pork chop needed a side. The green beans, however, were really good. They tasted fresh and were cooked beyond that super-crisp, al dente stage that a lot of restaurants serve them at. They were softer while still maintaining their texture, seasoned well, and I really enjoyed them. Overall, the food was good, but nothing we had made me think, "Oh my gosh, I need to come back specifically for this." It was a perfectly pleasant meal, just not a standout one. One thing I do think Amber Lantern could improve is the atmosphere. This restaurant has been around for a long time, and as someone from the area who has seen it over the years, the interior is definitely showing its age. The carpet, booths, and overall décor could really use an update. Walking inside feels a little like stepping back in time, and not necessarily in the charming, vintage way. With such a beautiful waterfront location, I think refreshing the interior could make a huge difference. I also noted on our reservation that we were celebrating a birthday, but no one acknowledged it during dinner. Eventually, I asked whether they did anything for birthdays and was told they could bring out a small dessert. My sister decided to pass because she had been hoping for more of a traditional birthday moment, like having the staff sing Happy Birthday. Definitely something to keep in mind if you're booking for a celebration and expecting the restaurant to acknowledge the occasion. On our way out, we asked the hostess if she would take a family photo for us. I didn't catch her name, but she happily did it and actually took a really good picture, so shoutout to her for ending the evening on a nice note! All in all, Amber Lantern gave us a pleasant family dinner for my sister's birthday. The food had some hits and some "that was fine" moments, the restaurant itself could definitely use some love, but the service was attentive and, most importantly, my sister enjoyed spending her birthday dinner with her family. At the end of the day, that was what mattered most.

Yum! We were…read moreimpressed with our recent Father's Day dinner here. We dined early, at 5:30 for our toddler and they happily and easily accommodated us at a nice, quiet corner booth with a booster seat. Our server was very friendly and mostly attentive - we did have to remind him of some things a few times but overall, he took good care of us. We decided to split several things: -Seasonal Salad - Caprese-style with a bed of spinach, tomato and mozzarella. Pretty light on the tomato and mozzarella cheese but good. -16oz. Sirloin cooked Pittsburg-style (extra char) -Collard Greens -Macaroni and Cheese add Lobster -Steak Fries -Steak bites and mashed potatoes for my 2-year old -Chocolate Mousse Cake and Coffees for table Everything was delicious. Pace was nice, salad and bread out quickly as well as my daughter's meal. The steak was excellent and perfectly cooked. Their collard greens were wonderful as well as the macaroni and cheese. Honestly, I loved everything about it. We will add this into the rotation for steakhouses when in the mood. Prices are very high on the meats - but, quality and execution was good. Ambiance is nice - large bar area and parking is easy in this complex with the free garages nearby.

I am not happy nor excited about writing this review because up until today Cork & Bull Chophouse…read morehas been my favorite spot. I have raged about this place to anyone that would listen. So booking a reservation for mother's day brunch was a no brainer for me and I was super excited. Upon arrival I was seated immediately. The service Kyle came over almost immediately and explained the mimosas. We received water and our drinks and then it was all downhill from there. We proceeded to sit and wait for 40 very long minutes for our food. This was supposed to be an "all you can eat" toppas type of situation. It made me wonder was this done by design to control the amount of food that was being served??? Idk? I will say that as I looked around this was happening to everyone not just my table. As previously mentioned I've been to this restaurant several times because the food is Always delicious and the service was 5 stars. The food was not good this time. We tried steak and eggs, Deviled eggs, French toast, chicken and waffles, shrimp and grits, crab cake with Hollandaise sauce and yogurt ,with berries and granola. The server didn't ask what temperature we wanted our steak. My steak was medium well and the other steak was rare. We weren't told it was over easy eggs. 1 of us would have preferred scrambled. The only thing I loved was the shrimp and grits and the yogurt and berries. I will also add that $50 was taken off the bill and they comped my drinks. This was greatly appreciated. Had this gesture been accompanied with a pleasant attitude it would have been greatly appreciated.

My hunny surprised me and took me to Byrd & Baldwin for my birthday! I've been wanting to dine here…read morefor quite some time so I couldn't wait to see how great the food was. We had reservations for 7pm and our table was ready as soon as we arrived. The interior was absolutely beautiful and the dimmed lighting made for the perfect ambiance. Our waiter came over right away to greet us and share the specials for the evening. We started with a dozen Raw Oysters (my fav) along with the Jumbo Lump Crab Cake. The Oysters were very fresh and I literally could've ate a dozen more lol. The Jumbo Lump Crab Cake was practically all crab. It could've used a little more seasoning but it was very delicious. For our entrees, we decided on the Filet Mignon with Oscar sauce as well as the Black Diamond Dry Aged Ribeye with Roasted Bone Marrow and Fried Shrimp. We also ordered Garlic Spinach, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Fried Brussels Sprouts and Roasted Corn & Lobster for our sides. I was in foodie heaven! Everything tasted phenomenal!!!! My Filet Mignon was cooked perfectly and the sides were all very delicious! I just might have to come here every year for my birthday lol! The staff were exceptional and the food was fantastic! I can't wait to return!

Kudos to the crew…read more My family loves a good time and a good time was had thank you. Food was great, timely and well prepared. We have a couple of Home chefs (if you will) within our family and we enjoy our meal. Our style of cooking is a little different, but we could appreciate the quality and the time taken to prepare the food. The staff was very accommodating. Alexander did an awesome job navigating our family. We're very grateful for the time and the interest he took in making sure our needs were met. The environment was warm and inviting. Our various food allergies were accommodated for. As by way of we are all still alive today as some of us are allergy to various food items. Thank you! This is my second time coming here - I once lived in the area. So coming home and having such a wonderful meal with my family was EVERYTHING!

Went on a Tuesday around 7:00 p.m. We were seated after about 10 minutes with a party of three,…read morewhich was pretty reasonable. There were lots of birthday celebrations going on, so the restaurant had a fun, energetic atmosphere. Our server, Robin, was polite and appropriately attentive throughout the meal. I ordered the full slab of ribs with a baked sweet potato and green beans. Everything was good, and I really don't have any complaints about the food. The ribs were much bigger than I expected, and I ended up taking half a slab home. They also had just the right amount of barbecue sauce. Enough to add flavor without drowning the meat. The only downside for me was the floors. They were so dirty that they honestly gave me the heebiejeebies. I know that won't bother everyone, but it's something I notice. The flooring has a rough, textured surface, and I couldn't help wondering how it could be thoroughly cleaned. It definitely took away from the overall dining experience. Overall, the food was good, the portions were generous, and the service was solid. I'd come back, but I'd really like to see more attention paid to the cleanliness of the dining room floors.

Still okay. But as with most places, It's not as good the…read moresecond time around. Way too busy and too expensive.

Great food, great music to eat to, awesome atmosphere!!! I personally had curry chicken, rice &…read morepeas, and fried plantains.

A must try! Amazing food, great and quick service, and tons of different options to choose from! I…read moreordered the jerk chicken and because the plantains were so popular, they were out. Ended up with some of the vegetables which were cooked and seasoned well.

4 words.....Ladies Night....Pasta Flight. Yes Please!!! This was my 1st time here and I wish I…read morecould go more often but my wallet says no. Definitely worth the drive from VB. Parking is easy....they are attached to a parking garage. I walked in and there was the Chef. Very friendly and he helped me. I had reservations at the bar and while I waited for my friend, Patrick took good care of me. Those Dirty Sicilian Martinis were smooth and delicious. They can definitely get you in trouble because they taste so good. $12 on Ladies Night. We started with the Goat Cheese and Pesto and it was so good. The roasted garlic was not overpowering and the goat cheese was smooth and creamy. I just wish there was more bread. The ratio of bread to dip was off. The pasta trio was perfection. A pasta flight. You can make anything a flight and I will eat it. I wish more restaurants would do that. The pasta was perfectly cooked and the right amount of sauce. I want to go back again and again and again. The restaurant is very chic with good vibes and cool lighting. I highly recommend checking them out. But dress up a little bit. You won't be sorry.

Went there for our grandson's birthday. Six of us. Service was vey good. I ordered the wild boar…read moreragu - it was okay but not worth the price, mostly large, long strips of pasta, not much meat. Ordered small round bread to split while waiting for meal - not worth the $12 charge. Place was very noisy, about 6:30 Tuesday, loud bass (boom boom) in background. Not the place to have a good conversation. Not happy when we got the bill: had 2 totals: one for cash and the other for non-cash. First time we have been in a restaurant that charges for credit card use. Did not notice any alert on menu. Overall, overpriced! Will not be back.

Passion about Seafood: the Seafood here is exceptional. Very exceptional. The She-crab soup alone…read moreis a shining star Then you have wonderful oysters Rockefeller, a raw bar, steamed shrimp (already seasoned + peeled it for you), cocktail shrimp, bacon-wrapped scallops, deep fried grouper or deep-fried fish of the day, and even escargot. WOW! I could be there alllll day and just eat their seafood appetizers.

Amazing steakhouse! The atmosphere is very spread out which is perfect for privacy. The food from…read morethe escargot/ oyster Rockefeller apps with the home made sourdough bread. To the 18oz NY Strip and Stuffed Sea Bass, was all cooked and seasoned to perfection. The best part of the experience was our waitress Bella! She made sure we always had a full beverages and all of our needs were taken care of and then some. Please check out the Aberdeen Barn. You won't regret it!

Since I moved away, whenever I'm visiting Hampton Roads, I make it a point to have at least one…read morenice dinner with my family. This go round, Steinhilber's came to mind because I hadn't been in over 10 years, when I attended a tasting event here. Steinhilber's has been around since 1939, and it's easy to see how they've stood the test of time. The restaurant sits in a gorgeous waterfront area in Virginia Beach, not too far from Town Center. The setting alone makes it feel like you're going somewhere special for dinner. We went on a Sunday, and there was a bit of a wait for an inside table. However, for our group of four, there was no wait at all to sit outside. The weather was beautiful, there was a nice breeze coming off the waterfront, and they have umbrellas that provide plenty of shade. Honestly, sitting outside ended up being a great choice. The staff here is also incredibly polite. You can tell they've been trained in fine dining etiquette, and everyone we interacted with was professional and attentive. They were very accommodating with every inquiry and request my family and I had throughout the evening. Now for the food! The thing I remembered most from my visit over 10 years ago was how delicious their fried shrimp were, so of course I had to order them again. I'm happy to report that they were just as delicious as I remembered! Crispy, flavorful, and even better paired with their signature "Steiny's Sauce." The twice baked potato was also delicious, and I added a side of creamed spinach, which was pretty good as well. All in all, Steinhilber's is a great restaurant with good food, gorgeous ambiance, and excellent customer service. There's a reason they've stood the test of time. My family and I really enjoyed our meals here, and I'm glad I finally made my way back after all these years!

Six months ago, I asked a local restaurant group, if someone is visiting from out of town, what is…read moreyour go-to place to take them? As a military spouse, I knew my time in the 757 was for a good time, not a long time. One place that kept coming up was Steinhilber's. After checking out the menu (and the price point), I learned that Steinhilber's makes a great special-occasion dinner. Steinhilber's is Virginia Beach's oldest continuously operating restaurant; Robert Steinhilber opened it in 1939. His daughter, Jeanne, and his grandson, Brady, still own it. So last week, for our wedding anniversary, we made reservations and were pleasantly surprised by the valet, a nice feature given that most of the parking lot is gravel and the wet weather made the ground quite muddy. The ambiance was elegant; the waitstaff wore white coats. We were seated with a view of the water. Here is what we ordered: * Apps: Famous fantail fried shrimp with signature dipping sauce - three ($13) and She Crab Soup - $15 * Drinks: Maple Old Fashioned and Ginger Ale * Entrees: Lobster Ravioli prepared from scratch with a light seafood fumé $42 and duck breast with roasted veggies and leek $37 * Sides: Creamed Spinach - $10 and Twice Baked Potato - $7 * Desserts: Creme Brulee $17 and Chambord Truffle Lava Cake served with vanilla ice cream - $13 The fried shrimp tasted great with the signature dipping sauce. The She Crab Soup was creamy and thick, with lumps of crab. I enjoyed the lobster ravioli and creamed spinach. The twice-baked potato was quite plain. Hubby was a big fan of the maple Old Fashioned; he wished he hadn't ordered the duck medium, since it was a bit chewy. The crème brûlée's creaminess and the lava cake's richness made a perfect end to the evening. As we wrapped up our meal, we overheard that the couple next to us was celebrating the same anniversary as us: 40 years for them and three years for us. They mentioned that they come to Steinhilber's for many anniversaries, and now that I have visited... I can see why.