I was nervous to try Lizard after the reviews my yelper friends Amber K. and Laine A. shared. While Laine A. said, "permanently off my list," she had a change of heart and invited me to go with her and Alex (of the No Reservations blog) to give it a go. I was pleasantly surprised. I ordered a salad and sandwich lunch combo, after Amber K. warned me, "DO NOT order the hummus! They can't make hummus." So grilled cheese it was. I am a big grilled cheese connoisseur. I experiment with all kinds of gourmet grilled cheese concoctions at home, and I've had many delicious cheesy melty goodness sandwiches out. This one was not the best by far, but it was definitely above average...a fresh slice of tomato, provolone and mozzarella on wonderful homemade rosemary bread. I opted for no mayo, not a fan. The bottom of my sandwich was a little soggy in spots. I think it was from the cantaloupe that garnished the plate. I can forgive that. My lunch came with a signature salad, with field greens, walnuts, grapes, blue cheese and basil vinaigrette. It was a half-salad, but still a large portion. I really liked that the salad was light on the dressing and had an excellent lettuce-to-topping ratio. Very important. You know what I'm talking about--those places that are heavy on the lettuce and stingy on the cheese and nuts, etc--Lizard isn't one of them. The meal also came with a small portion of their potato salad. Pretty good. It's made with roasted potatoes and is light on the mayo. Overall, it was a huge portion of food for $8. Everything was very good. I liked that it still felt like a light meal, not bogged down with much grease. Fresh and refreshing. I'd go back, especially if I wanted to spend some time at Prince Books. But it's not on my top list of places. read more

Lizard Cafe - Sandwiches Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

I am confused at the good reviews. While the place is nicely decorated with great light, nice staff and comfortable seating the food was more expensive than other local spots and unimpressive. We had three things, chicken salad which came with potato salad, and chicken noodle soup. The soup was so salty it overtook everything else about the soup and was essentially unpleasant. The chicken salad and the potato salad were both uninspiring and bland. I hope our experience was a one off but I rarely go somewhere that everything served disappoints. I really wanted this to be a 5 but alas it was not. I would try somewhere else. read more

Stopped here for lunch while in town for a conference. My colleague and I had the best lunch ever. Their sandwiches. I had a salad and sandwich. The chicken salad sandwich and signature salad. Wow. Amazing. All homemade. The balance and mixture of tastes was amazing--chicken with peach chutney and grapes, pears with gorgonzola in the salad. The potato salad was delicious. I wish I ordered a whole sandwich and a whole salad and took it home with me. read more

Lizard Cafe - Half chicken salad sandwich, half signature salad and potato salad all homemade. Delicious!! - Sandwiches Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

A great sandwich! This place has quick and quality service at lunch time and my food was very good. I'd return without question. I had the Tuscan Chicken sandwich. I'd definitely recommend it. read more

Went into this restaurant. The owner/server asked if I wanted to eat in or takeout. I said in. I already knew what I wanted, so I told him and sat down. So far I have been very cordial and respectful. He then asked me if I was ok. He said he was feeding off of my vibe and thought something was going on. I was a bit confused by his questions and I said I was fine. Right he asked me to leave and refused to serve me. Wow! I went to a restaurant to get something to eat, not to get psychoanalyzed. Stay in your lane. At no point was I disrespectful to the server. If I could give it no stars, I would. Total fail, can't believe he is in business. read more

4/6/09 Edit: I amending this review again. I've been to the Lizard twice since the bad experience I had, and things have been wonderful there. I got the Mediterranean Sampler and the hummus wrap, and both were delicious. The waitress was polite both times, and they now have a sign that explains the counter vs. seated service arrangement. I'm happy to say I will be back. --- Edited to add: I'm amending my review due to the feedback I received from the manager, Christine. The morning following my posting of this review she called me and we had a very nice conversation. She did address all the issues I'd had, from the preparation and flavor of the food to the wait times to the rude waitress. The food flavor and prep is the same as their parent location and won't change, although she did say customers are welcome to request special arrangements such as getting the pesto spread on both sides of the toast. As far as the wait times, she said they are balancing new staff with transitioning from the way the previous tenant handled things, especially the new difference of having waitstaff instead of just counter service. She apologized profusely for the bad service and said they would be addressing that with the waitress directly. In the end I feel like she addressed my concerns and values my business, and I do plan to go back in a few weeks and give the food another shot as well. I am raising this review to two stars. ---- Today was my second chance for the Lizard Café, which is the new restaurant that replaced the Taste Unlimited counter inside Prince Books. My first trip to them I got the hummus wrap to go. I think they only have two vegetarian sandwich options (besides one or two cheese sandwiches), but I figured it's hard to make a bad hummus wrap. I was wrong. The hummus was tasteless and grainy, like they made it in a food processor and didn't bother to add any tahini or olive oil. The wrap was absolutely smushed flat, and breaking when I picked it up. The squishing I could have understood if they had attempted to grill it, but no grilling was evident. Instead, it looked like someone had sat on it. By the way - a hummus wrap with cucumber, lettuce, tomato and carrot took 25 minutes for them to make. Today I decided to give them a second chance, and eat in. I ordered the tasty-sounding Mushroom & Artichoke Heart sandwich, which was supposed to come with a sun dried tomato pesto spread and mozzarella (I left the cheese off). I ordered and sat down at one of the small tables and pulled out some knitting while I waited. Immediately a waitress approached, stared at my knitting for about 10 seconds, looked up at me and asked, "Are you planning to eat anything?" I told her yes. She said, "Do you need a menu because you need to order if you're going to be at a table." I told her I had already placed and paid for my order. I asked for a glass of water and she left. When she brought it back, she noticed two women sitting at the booth behind me. "You need to get a table if there's only two of you." One of the women explained they were waiting for a friend to join them. The waitress went on to grill them about exactly how long it would be before the friend arrived (she clearly wanted to downgrade them to a table even though not all tables and booths were full) and (again) that they needed to order if they were going to occupy a table. Both these women had already placed an order at the counter as well. I found this to be a little police-y and rude, as if we were just drifting in off the street and deciding to rest a while in a crowded restaurant, instead of being legit customers. ...25 minutes later. A table of two women next to me had been waiting even longer than I had. They ask the waitress about their orders several times, the final time explain that they only have a short time for lunch. The waitress rolls her eyes and says "the kitchen said it would be 2 seconds, would you rather them pack it up so you can go?" Her body language was pretty dismissive. The women said they would continue to wait. The "2 seconds" turned into at least 5 minutes before they got their food. By now it had been nearly a half hour since I ordered a sandwich, so I went up to check on my order. They were plating it at that moment. She set it on my table and quickly left. I had to go request a fork and napkin from the counter. The sandwich was so disappointing. There was sun dried tomato spread on one piece of bread only; the other was just some dry toast. The rest of the sandwich was RAW, yes raw mushrooms, and those quartered artichoke hearts from the can, like three tiny pieces of them. I don't know about you but I would not call raw sliced mushrooms on a plain piece of bread a "signature sandwich". I ate a few bites but it was completely unappetizing. The waitress did not appear for the rest of my meal. I miss Taste Unlimited. I hope this isn't negatively affecting business at my favorite bookstore but I bet you anything it is. read more

Lizard Cafe - you call this a sandwich? - Sandwiches Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

I was walking downtown yesterday, and decided to go inside Prince Books and went to the Lizard Cafe. For lunch, I ordered the Surry Ham and Cucumber sandwich. I opened the sandwich, and first thing I could tell was a ton of Surry ham, and a lot of cucumber. The bread was a little soft, but not too bad. This sandwich though was a pretty good sandwich. The cucumber, basil mayo, tomato, and Surry ham work so well together. If the bread had a little more toast on it, it would've been perfect. The potato salad was filled with potato, and wasn't clouded by a heavy dressing. The watermelon was a cool addition, but in my opinion would've preferred apple slices or something along that route. Overall, this was a very good lunch, and I will definitely be back. Was it 5-star perfect? No, but still worth a trip. read more

I drove by maybe four times, completely lost. I've never heard of this place and, to me, it's very inconspicuous as an eatery. More signage, please! So there are a couple of booths. Mostly tables. Brightly colored. Small menus with offerings of soups, sandwiches, wraps, and salads. I loved the turkey wrap. It was stuffed to capacity, and already a really big portion. Served in halves; I saved the other for later. It came with a side of sliced apples and a side of potato salad. I do not like potato salad. I liked their potato salad. I am amazed. This is a quaint lunch cafe hidden inside a great bookstore. I never would've known, but I'm glad I learned today. read more

The Main Street Salad has awesome locally sourced ingredients and mixed greens--this is a high quality ingredient salad! I added chicken breast (and added extra chicken) and this was the highest quality restaurant salad I think I've ever had. Talking with the owner revealed that they even made the dressing with olive oil--forget the cheap and unhealthy canola oil that many restaurants use! Wonderful experience and I'll be back. read more

Tucked inside of Prince Books in Downtown Norfolk, the Lizard Café is one of the best lunch venues offered within walking distance of most downtown office buildings. Throughout the day it's filled with working men and women grabbing a quick bite to eat during their busy work day. I recommend getting a table before or after the lunch rush because they are usually slammed. If you do have to wait for a table Prince Books offers plenty of items to browse. The Cheesy Cheese (I think it's recently been renamed Grilled Cheese) and their Signature Salad are my two stables. They have a Cranberry Tuna Salad Sandwich that's delicious as well. All sandwiches are served on thinly sliced Rosemary Bread (I think that's what it is), when it's toasted just right it's really good. If you have room after you gobbled down all your lunch they have yummy homemade cookies for dessert. It's a nice treat and something the table could share. Everyone raves about the sweet potato biscuits but unfortunately I have yet to try. From the taste of everything I've had so far, I'm sure they're tasty! Their potato salad is also amazing! J usually orders no fruit and doubles his serving ;) Other things on their menu that I've had include the hummus wrap (SO FRESH!), the Mediterranean Sampler, and the Tuna Melt (made with a more traditional tuna salad). I haven't had anything bad here! The food is always fresh and the service is pretty good. read more

Just went for lunch-- had the sweet potato biscuit special. This comes with a cup of soup and 1/2 salad. Today's soup was sun-dried tomato with crab and shallots, and I ordered the signature salad which has mixed greens with red grapes, dried cranberries, walnuts, gorgonzola, and basil vinaigrette. The biscuit has surry ham and peach jam. They also throw in a side of potato salad (very light mayo), and a couple of apple slices. It was absolutely delicious. I ate everything on the plate, and this is a LOT of food (especially for the $8.95 price tag). Service was great too. This is my new favorite place to eat in Downtown Norfolk. read more

The Lizard uses local and very fresh ingredients in every dish they prepare. Their most "Famous" dish is the sweet patotoe biscuit platter, which is wonderful. If you're looking for a little diversity their sampler is also a delicious assortment of thier various menu salads. My coworker is a huge fan of their three cheese grilled cheese sandwhich! The only thing holding them back from five stars is their speed of service, be it sit down or order out, they have a small kitchen! If you plan to eat lunch there during the week, I'd reccomend going before noon (11:30-11:45 might be ideal) because seating is limited! read more

There are a few things that I love about this place, a few things that I don't. I love that the ingredients are always fresh and delicious, I've literally never had a bad meal here. On the other hand, I have had bad service and it seems like they are constantly out of things on the menu. Today they were out of tuna salad, soup, bacon, potato salad and a few other things. It might have been more useful for them to tell me what 4-5 items on the menu I could have instead of what I couldn't. The girl behind the counter was signficantly more interested in her plans for the evening than refilling my water, so I finally got up and brought it to her. I settled on the surry ham and cucumber sandwich. It was really delcious, fresh cucumbers really complimented the salty -proscuitto like ham in the sammy. My only complaint was that the bread was toasted to all hell -- so crispy that it was literally scraping the roof of my mouth when I took a bite. This is a block away from where I work, so I will definitely be back, but I won't be a regular. read more

I cannot stop thinking about the grilled cheese I had at the Lizard Cafe. If I didn't know it was mozzarella in there, I would assume it's made of dreams. And the rosemary bread: outstanding. I've eaten here a handful of times and everything is always top notch: salads, biscuits, sandwiches. I honestly don't know why I ever consider going for lunch anywhere else in downtown Norfolk. First of all, the portion sizes are huge. I ordered a half-salad, half-sandwich combo. The salad was quite literally as big as a full salad at any other restaurant. AND it came with potato salad and a slice of watermelon-- all for under $10. Second, their produce is in season and locally sourced. BONUS. Third, did I mention the grilled cheese? read more

I went in a couple weeks ago and got the chicken salad sandwich "with curried mango chutney, roasted almonds and yogurt." Everything tasted fresh and good as it always has when I've been there. I thought the chicken salad could have used a bit more zing. The ingredients sounded a little more delicious than it actually was, but I gobbled it up. I have to give props to the Lizard Cafe for their commitment to local ingredients and plenty of just-picked and house-made freshness. The service has always been perfectly good when I was there, too. And it's just cool to have a nice little sandwich shop inside of a locally owned book store. read more

Excellent lunch, the Tuscan chicken sandwich was great and potato salad was really nice. The quinoa salad was nice however lacked cheese, but they were more than happy to provide extra. Thanks. The location is great, the atmosphere is quiet and the staff are great. Would recommend this to anyone in the area. read more

Best soup I've ever had. Had the soup and sandwich twice since I discovered this place. Well worth driving from Virginia Beach.

Located inside Prince Books, Lizard Café is perfect for lunch. Popular amongst the locals for a working lunch, Lizard Café offers salads and sandwiches. I had the tuna salad sandwich, which was great and huge! You'll definitely want to bring your leftovers home. Sandwiches come with a slice of watermelon and a side of potato salad. The potato salad was a little bland. I also like this place because it's locally sourced and they have quinoa on the menu (as a Californian, I'm always excited about quinoa). Staff is super friendly, but not very knowledgeable about the beer they serve. I asked what was available and my waitress didn't really know, but she told me that all the beers were local. I thought that was cool, so I told her I'd have a pale ale of whatever is local. She went back behind the counter to look for one, and couldn't seem to find one, so she asked if an IPA was ok. As she held up the beer from across the café, I immediately recognized the iconic green flash logo. I'm a fan of green flash and IPA, so I agreed. When she brought it over I told my waitress this beer is actually from San Diego (so not local) and she was really humble about the mistake. I found the place charming and the food appetizing, but working knowledge of the menu a little lacking. read more

Lizard Cafe - Dilled Tuna Salad Sandwich and Green Flash IPA - Sandwiches Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

Fantastic food, had the sweet potato biscuit with ham and jam and it was sublime! The meal was a great deal for $10, includes a cup of soup, half salad, and a helping of the house potato salad. read more

Lizard Cafe - Sandwiches Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

Was out exploring with my three girls who love books. We decided to visit Prince Books, a small local book shop, and make a day of it by eating at the cafe located inside. The cafe, like the book store, has a very mom & pop feel. The lighting is amazing and the booths are cozy. The staff was very friendly. The menu is basic but the food was good. The girls (3,6,8) really enjoyed the egg salad, though they took the ham off and ate it separate. I enjoyed the sampler salad. The chicken and tuna salads were fresh and the sun dried tomatoes were a nice touch. read more

Very quaint and delicious food. Really enjoyed the soup and wrap. Would do again and try bookstore.

Lunch + Literature Roasted Red Pepper Sweet Potato Purée soup was delicious! Small selection of beers, but some interesting micro brews read more

Great little cafe tucked inside a bookstore had some great vegetarian options I got the sweet potato biscuit special minus the ham Wonderful vegetable soup and quinoa salad So glad we checked this place out read more

Lizard Cafe - Sweet Potato biscuit special - Sandwiches Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

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Wow ! Awesome little Cafe/ lunch spot attached to a book store - very reasonable prices and fresh food . The soup and the sweet potatoe biscuit with ham And peach jam was just delicious! Nice quiet atmosphere too and super Friendly staff . read more

Delicious. A little pricey but a lot of food options in one meal. I got the sweet potatoes biscuit special which came with a soup, salad, slice of watermelon, and a sweet potato biscuit with ham and jam. Yum. read more

Second Review: I had the special (sweet potato biscuit with onion garlic beer soup)....holy moses it was delicious. the biscuit is as moist as cake...its like you dont even have to chew it...how is that possible?!?! I dont care what kind of kitchen chemestry experiments you've got going on back there I WILL ORDER THIS AGAIN! read more

Very good lunch, food is good and the service is good. Prices are good too... Its tucked away in small book store, and it really is a gem of a find. Eat there, you will not be disappointed! read more

Friendly, efficient, and courteous server. Great locally sourced food with ample portions. The fresh baked sweet potato biscuit with Surry ham and peach jam was a great combination of sweet with the slight salt of the ham. It was rounded out by the delicious biscuit. Fresh greens as a side salad and potato salad were part of the meal. Admittedly, I bought dinner to save for later too. Excellent hidden gem. read more

I do my best to support this business to keep it in downtown. Great, fresh choices. My fave is the thin-sliced Surry ham and turkey with melted cheese and sundried tomato mayo on Lizard's homemade bread... simply awesome! and their zingy baked potato salad is a wonderful side! Big enough for 2 meals. read more

Ate here today. Had a hummus wrap that was delicious. The restaurant was very veg friendly. The staff were courteous. I enjoyed myself and highly recommend this place. read more

I went for the last time today. Its convenient for me because I work in the building, but the last few times I've ordered, scattered out over a few weeks or so, my order has never been right. Once I ordered a 1/2 sandwich and soup and got no soup, the cheese sandwich says light mayo and OMG it was smothered in it !! Today, I ordered a sandwich but I wanted it as a wrap. Specified I wanted a wrap because I didn't want so much bread and guess what ?? I got a sandwich ! I'll make my own lunch and bring it in. read more

I was in between meetings so stopped in for lunch on Friday 15 November. I was greeted by the friendly wait staff who immediately directed me to a table. The establishment was very busy (a good sign that something good was going on in the kitchen). I ordered half an egg salad sandwich and salad combination. To put it simply, the food was fantastic! My order was quickly prepared and promptly served. The sandwich was excellent and the bread was superb. My plate came with potato salad, an unexpected and very tasty bonus. Also on the plate was a delicious quinoa salad, a new dish for me that came highly recommended by my server. The entire ensemble was one of the best lunches I have had in a very long time. My meal was punctuated by the best oatmeal raisin cookie I have ever eaten -- moist, fresh and perfectly "chewy" --- almost a meal in its self. Listen folks, it you are in downtown Norfolk for any reason, make it a point to have lunch at the Lizard. read more

Great place, have been there twice and ordered the identical meal both times because it was that good. Got the special which was a sweet potato biscuit with ham between it, a choice of side salad, potato salad, slice of watermelon, & a small soup all for 10 bucks! The wait does tend to be a little long so I would advise calling in advance if you're taking out, they have about 6 to 8 tables for dining in as well. Now about the food, the sweet potato biscuit sandwich thingy is awesome, full of taste and just the right amount of sweetness in a biscuit, countered by the saltiness of the ham is a great balance. I generally don't like potato salad, but this is not like your average barbecue potato salad, it is served warm, has very little if any Mayo, and has the skin of the potatoes left on for great flavor. Probably the best potato salad I've ever eaten, the salad that I usually get.. The name escapes me, but it has gorgonzola, and is dressed with just the right amount of dressing and cheese. The soup I've gotten both times, soup of the day, is the summer vegetable soup fell a little flat to be honest, but the rest of the meal more than made up for it, definitely will be returning here read more

I ordered the Chicken Bacon Ranch wrap. The wrap was tasty, it had boiled eggs but the chunks were a litttle too big. The wrap had great taste but the potato salad seemed a little dry for my liking. My coworkers come here often for lunch so I thought I'd try it out. read more

Lizard Cafe - Sandwiches Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

I love the food at this place but the service can be so hit or miss that I often will not go. The wait staff do not seem concerned with customer service. Today my friend and I waited 10 minutes for the servers to simply clear a table so that we could sit down. We were ignored that entire time until I finally asked one of them if they would please bus the table so that we could sit down. There was food all over one of the benches so we literally could not sit. The girls walked past the table with empty hands multiple times, so it was not like they were unable to clear the table. We finally gave up and left. When I explained to the one server why were leaving, she laughed in my face. I waited tables for years during college and graduate school, so I have patience and understanding for the "lunch rush" however these girls just have no customer skills or concern. Its too bad because I really love the food. read more

We happened upon this cute book store cafe while waiting for our boat tour...so glad we did! I had the signature salad with the addition of a scoop of their egg salad. The greens were wonderfully varied and fresh and the fruits, nuts, cheese and dressing perfect. My husband had the Tuscan chicken sandwich which he thought was excellent. The service was friendly, promt and attentive. The prices were very reasonable for the quality and quantity. Great lunch! read more

Great selection! I loved the turkey wrap - expected it to be plain and simple but their flavor packs a punch. Attached to the bookstore, which is a bit odd at first, but the cafe vibe was great for lunch. read more

Great lunch spot. Everything on the menu is great. I recommend the half and half special. Get a sweet potato biscuit with jelly to go.

We picked this cafe because it was near the Nauticus Museum and our parking garage. Excellent Pimento Cheese and Surrey Ham sandwich served with homemade potato salad and apple slices. My wife and daughter both had the Egg Salad and Surrey Ham sandwich which they also thought was excellent. read more

I got a greek salad and i could not stop eating it! The sweet potato biscuit was delectable and the great big cookie to finish off the meal was "melt in your mouth" good! My whole family loved the experience! read more