We stopped by Craft on Colley, located at 4110 Colley Avenue in the heart of Norfolk, just north of…read moreGhent. Kendall, our bartender, took great care of us throughout the afternoon. Friendly, attentive service without being overbearing is always appreciated, and she struck that balance perfectly. My wife ordered the Red Curry Bowl with blackened chicken, baby bok choy, radishes, carrots, green onions, cilantro, and rice noodles in a rich red curry coconut broth. This dish was both aesthetically pleasing and delicious. The vegetables were fresh, the broth was flavorful without being overpowering, and the generous portion made for a hearty meal. In fact, there was simply too much to finish, which is rarely something to complain about. She thoroughly enjoyed it. I chose The Richmond, a fried chicken sandwich topped with pimento cheese, bacon, jalapeños, Mike's Hot Honey, spicy aioli, lettuce, and tomato on a potato bun, served with fresh-cut fries. The chicken itself was excellent, and the fries were crispy, fresh, and plentiful. Where the sandwich lost me was in its identity. There was so much happening between the pimento cheese, spicy aioli, bacon, jalapeños, and hot honey that each ingredient seemed to compete with the others rather than complement them. Somewhere along the way, it crossed the Rubicon from a Nashville hot chicken sandwich into something entirely different. That's not necessarily a bad thing. It simply wasn't for me. I finished it, and I certainly didn't dislike it, but I wouldn't order it again. Sometimes restraint is the better part of culinary creativity, and I think this sandwich would benefit from letting one or two of its ingredients take center stage instead of asking them all to share the spotlight. Overall, we enjoyed our visit. Good food, generous portions, excellent service, and a relaxed atmosphere make Craft on Colley a place we'll happily return to. While my sandwich wasn't quite a home run, my wife's meal more than made up for it.

Aww maaan. I can't complain about nothing. The food was amazing. We had the double French…read moreconnection, short rib grilled cheese and gochang wings. The fries are fresh cut and delicious. Service was fast and attentive. The atmosphere is laid back and chill.

We were in town and a friend recommended the Kobros coffee so we went to Toast. I'm glad we did…read more It's a cute place with an outdoor space with benches and lots of plant life. The place inside is very cute and reminds me of a nice punk pop bar. The bar wraps around and there's some tables and a side table that we sat at to eat. I ordered one of their specialty coffees and it is quite the journey but I enjoyed it with the ginger beer and the coffee. My quiche was fluffy and delicious. It jiggled when I tapped it and the side salad tasted great with dill in it and it brightened up things. The combination of both was great. The crust on the quiche was nice as well. My spouse enjoyed their sandwich but didn't realize there was mustard so he ended up just using the chips to eat his egg and sausage. His egg was also fluffy. The patrons that came seemed friendly and you can tell who are locals since they greeted by name often. I love that this place is open. They also have local wine you can purchase. Next time we're back in town, we will visit again.

I didn't get pictures of the drinks or food but TRUST it's a vibe. Great customer service, tasty…read morecocktails and The Fresh Start/Smoked Salmon & tots were hefty and delicious. I'll definitely be back when I come back home. Keep the good vibes going!

Don't forget that on Wednesday's it is Wine Wednyand it is half off of bottles of wine! If you…read morecan't drink it all (tsk, tsk), they will bag it for you to take home. On this occasion we sat at the bar and enjoyed a lovely dinner. I had the white chicken chili and my husband enjoyed the always tasty Igloo burger. Our white wine, the Zenato, was delicious and accurately described as "crushable" on the menu. It was a porch pounder for sure. Our bartender was lovely, attentive and friendly. The hostess who greeted us was welcoming. A lovely Wednesday night in a great setting.

Food is good but the star is the bread pudding. The bread pudding will ruin you for all future…read morebread pudding to come. They have rotating favors every week. In terms of entrees my favorite is the pulled duck BBQ. Their menu is rotating but this is one of the dishes that stays Drinks were always good and refreshing Service was good. Never had bad service there.

They have an upstairs rooftop bar that you can sit at. Only downside is they will close that area…read morefor events. When that happens you have to sit indoors and it gets pretty loud indoors. However, when the rooftop is open, it's a very nice space with great vibes. Food was typical bar food. Nothing amazing but not bad. They have a beer wall but their selection was pretty limited to IPAs and ales. Not too many sours or ciders unfortunately

10/10 I knew this place in college before it changed to this I can say it's a great spot now. I…read morewent for the first time and thoroughly enjoyed myself. I got the shrimp Poboy pizza and about five different rounds of cider and seltzer on tap. I enjoyed every drink and got some recommendations from the staff. Their rooftop is beautiful and spacious with the tap upstairs and downstairs.

Food was average coffee shop food! It wasn't excellent but it was tasty and would order again…read more The fruity pebbles latte left alot to be desired. I feel like it's a solid coffee shop on a college campus. Very friendly staff and the vibe is chill. I would do work there!

Nice staff, quick service, great coffee, tasty & hot fresh breakfast sandwiches. A Relaxing and…read morelaid back atmosphere.

On the advice of a friend, we decided to try LeGrand Kitchen, located at 4226 Granby Street near…read morethe foot of the bridge in the heart of Norfolk. The atmosphere here has quite a flair. Not overly dramatic, but it's definitely a vibe. Allen, the bartender, greeted us warmly as we settled in at the bar, our favorite perch in most restaurants. My wife perused the drink menu and decided on an Old Fashioned. They do it correctly here, using a mixing glass to properly combine the ingredients before pouring it over a large cube of ice. She thoroughly enjoyed it. Little things like that get my attention, and it was an early indication that the rest of our evening was going to be memorable. We indulged heavily in the appetizers, starting with LeGrand's rendition of a Wedge Salad with bacon, cheddar, dill pickle ranch and fried pickles. The pickle influence was a welcome twist. Everything was fresh, delicious and incredibly well balanced, and the dressing complemented the ingredients perfectly. We really enjoyed this salad. Next up were the Smoked Wings, tallow fried and served with Vietnamese-style ranch, pickled vegetables and fish sauce caramel. This was an amazing dish. I generally like my wings spicy, but I didn't miss the heat at all with this version. They were perfectly crisp on the outside while remaining juicy inside, and the pickled root vegetables were a wonderful touch. My wife ordered the Berkshire Heritage Pork Chop from Twisted Willow Farms, served with garlic-fried Carolina rice, haricot vert and harissa carrot purée. I knew how good it was by the stingy offerings made by my wife. Just kidding, but she really did enjoy it very much. The pork chop was cooked perfectly, with the fat properly rendered and slightly crisp. Everything was beautifully seasoned, and all the components worked together exceptionally well. I opted for the LeGrand Burger: double patties, American cheese, pickled lettuce, jalapeño, griddled onion and roasted shallot mayo on a Big Marty bun. Every so often, I encounter a burger that requires nothing. Please bear in mind that I am a self-proclaimed Condiment King. I LOVE ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise on my burgers. I didn't even bother asking for anything extra to put on this wonderful creation. Everything was incredibly well balanced and delicious. If I have one complaint, it's that they don't offer French fries with the burger. But in retrospect, I didn't really miss them. And I love my fries (or, as my wife calls them, "ketchup conveyance vehicles"). This was probably the best burger I've ever eaten. Check out LeGrand Kitchen. You'll be happy you did, and you can rest assured that while enjoying some seriously good food, you're also supporting our local restaurant community.

Grand was great! I met up with a few colleagues for dinner and it was a great experience. The food…read morewas great, the service was attentive, and the vibes were 10/10.

My partner and I were celebrating our anniversary after he had returned from deployment. They made…read morethis the best choice for having a memorable, romantic, and delicious experience. Our server was amazing. There was a small delay in getting our first round of drinks to the table, and he took it off our bill without us having to say a word. It was very generous. We were on the patio which is covered but airy, and perfectly spaced so you don't feel crammed with other guests! We ordered the Charcuterie, crispy octopus, and the Four Eleven Salad. For main entree I got the Filet, and my partner had the Pork. Everything was cooked to perfection and delicately layered with flavor! It will NOT disappoint. Be aware of smaller portion sizes. They offered complimentary bites throughout, including delicious cheddar biscuits, and an Anniversary cake.

Located near Ghent and downtown Norfolk, this restaurant was a really pleasant find. The parking…read morelot is small, but we had no trouble finding street parking nearby. It was a little chilly tonight, but I imagine the outdoor seating would be perfect on a warmer evening. We didn't have a reservation, but luckily we were seated within seconds. The space itself is on the smaller side, but it's thoughtfully designed and perfect for a cozy date night. Every employee who passed by greeted us, which made the atmosphere feel especially welcoming. We started with the octopus, served with potato foam, pickled pear, and chorizo. For entrées, he ordered the duck and I had the pork bolognese. Both dishes were full of flavor and cooked perfectly. We also ordered drinks. I do wish they had come out a bit earlier so we could enjoy them sooner, but the selection was impressive. We chose the bartender's choice, which was a really fun experience. The waitress asks a few questions, and based on your answers the bartender creates a drink they think you'll love. We were too full for dessert, though they did offer four different options. Overall, we were really happy we tried this restaurant and will definitely be back.

I have eaten there about 50 times over the years and every time it was very enjoyable.read more

Stopped in downtown Norfolk and decided to try Freemason Abbey Restaurant after hearing about it…read more The area itself was just okay, but the restaurant is definitely worth checking out because of the building. It's an old church built in 1873 as the Second Presbyterian Church, and it's been home to Freemason Abbey since 1989. The inside is really cool and gives the place a lot of character. You'll see some of that in my photos. I started with their she crab soup, which was excellent. It's one of their specialty soups and had that creamy, rich flavor you'd expect from a good she crab soup. For dinner, I was originally going to try the smoked gouda dish, but they had a chicken parm special for $24, so I went with that instead. Chicken breast, marinara, linguini and provolone cheese. Really glad I did. It was hot, flavorful and presented nicely. My only complaint was that it could have used a little more marinara, but I asked and they brought me some without any problem. Service was great from start to finish. I was there around 5:30, before the dinner rush, so it wasn't very busy, but everything came out promptly and there were no issues at all. Overall, definitely a cool place with a unique atmosphere, good food and great service. I'd absolutely go back again. Sometimes the building is half the meal, and this one definitely has a story to tell!

Barrel 17 offers their amazing burgers with GF bun and lettuce wrap options. I ordered the Jammin'…read moreG.O.A.T which was fantastic. The wagyu beef was prepared to a perfect t medium as ordered. The restaurant has a modern, industrial style: concrete floors and benches along the walls. The restaurant was fairly busy when we there with only one server working. My first thought with a party of 5 this will be a disaster. I was wrong. Diamond was a great server who seemed to keep all of her tables satisfied. We were extremely pleased with her friendly, efficient, and smooth service.

I liked the look and feel of this restaurant. It went well with the barrel theme. At the entrance…read morethey had barrels that also doubled as ash treys and on the were placed all over the restaurant and even used to as light fixtures from the ceiling. The waitress and bar tender were super nice and helpful with menu recommendations. I order their fried shrimp appetizer which came with 8 large shrimp and a side of tater tots. It was tasty but lacked seasoning. When I sat down, I noticed a lot of salt on the table....i understood why haha as I found myself sprinkling salt throughout out. They were crunchy and tender on the inside. Getting to this location was super easy and they own their own parking lot which is free for patrons. If you're not able to find parking, they have plenty of paid street parking. I also want to add that they do offer discounts but to service members who are in uniform. Service members rarely ever wear their uniforms just to dine out unless they are on official orders or are working full time. I find that a bit unfortunate because the value veterans and military service members bring should be honored while they are and are not in uniform so I hope that the management changes that policy someday. They offer no other forms of discounts as I asked about teachers and emergency personnel too just to give people something additional when seeking this place out. It's still a good lunch spot tho.

I stopped by Town Center Cold Pressed in Ghent around 2:30 on a Saturday afternoon, about 30…read moreminutes before closing. I honestly only walked in because I wanted to check the place out and had no real plans to order anything, but I'm glad I did! First, the space itself is really cool. It has a darker, industrial feel with wood accents that fits right in with the Ghent vibe. It's a nice little spot with a lot of character. Makayla was working the counter and was an absolute pleasure. She made some recommendations, and I decided on a lavender matcha with their house-made pistachio milk. Somewhere between us chatting and having a genuinely good conversation, neither of us was paying attention to what she was making and I ended up walking out with an iced lavender pistachio latte with espresso instead of matcha. I took a sip outside and immediately thought, "Wait a minute...this is NOT matcha." I went back in and told Makayla, and she immediately realized what happened, apologized, and remade it correctly. No big deal whatsoever, especially considering I literally stood there and watched her make the first drink and didn't notice either because we were too busy talking! She also offered to let me keep the latte since it would have just been thrown away otherwise, so I ended up getting to try both. And that pistachio milk?! They make it in-house, and it is SO good. It has this really interesting nutty, almost umami flavor that I loved. Both drinks were delicious flavor-wise, although they were definitely much sweeter than I personally prefer. Next time I'll just ask for significantly less sweetener. For these, I'll probably blend them with some ice at home to mellow out the sweetness and turn them into frozen drinks. Overall, this was such a random, serendipitous little stop that turned into a really enjoyable experience. Great atmosphere, delicious drinks, and Makayla was incredibly pleasant, relatable, and fun to talk to. I'll absolutely be back, especially for that pistachio milk!

Cold Pressed - Norfolk International Airport (ORF) Visited:…read moreApril 2026 Stopped in while killing time at the Norfolk airport and decided to try one of their juices. I ordered a 10 oz drink for $7.99, which honestly feels a bit steep for the size--especially for something you finish in a few minutes. That said, the juice itself was actually very good. Fresh, clean flavors, and it tasted like quality ingredients were used. No complaints at all on the product--just the value. Overall, it's a solid option if you're looking for something healthier than typical airport food, but be prepared to pay airport pricing. Good juice, tough price point.