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.

One the better dining experiences I've had this year. Both servers on the floor were fantastic -…read moreTravis helped us was great at anticipating our needs (we were celebrating my mom's birthday). I believe the only issue we encountered was our table wasn't ready at exactly 7:00p (our reservation time), but they only seat a max of 38 guests (including the bar), so that wasn't a major issue. Once we were seated, we were able to enjoy Ilo's food and service. Mom and I had two appetizers - Grilled Octopus (skordalia, kalamata olive, caper, pickled red onion, arugula) and Laughing King Oysters (from Cape Charles). The octopus was perfectly cooked as it wasn't tough and rubbery, and the oysters were fantastic. Mom had the Wild King Salmon, which she enjoyed (but couldn't finish). I had the Hanger Steak, cooked to a perfect mid-rare. I gobbled it up. Dessert came in the form of a Cheesecake Semifredo. I had a couple of bites and it was delicious - not overly sweet and light enough to not completely wreck the little appetite I had remaining. Since ILO is located in the Freemason portion of Downtown Norfolk, parking will always be an issue. But that's not their fault (just something to note if one is interested in dining at this fine place). This was an excellent experience overall - a perfect way to celebrate my mom's birthday. I look forward to visiting again! Thank you, Ilo Bistro! JV

This wasn't just a dinner - it was an experience. Our service was top notch. They ask you to order…read moreeverything at once and they space out your food. They give you new plates and silverware between each dish! Cocktails: I got the gin fizz which tasted like an alcoholic cream soda. My husband got the alligator tears which was amazing. It was citrusy with the perfect amount of bitters. I liked it better than my gin fizz Food: My favorite thing was the beef tartare. It was buttery and delicious. We got the oysters with caviar and it was very fresh and citrusy with the sauce. The flavor dances on your tongue and stays on it. Compared to the apps, the entree was good but did not blow me away. I did enjoy the veggies it came with though. We got the dessert with the coconut and pineapple. It was nutty and not too sweet.

WOW! I've been trying to come to this place for a few months…read morenow and I'm So glad I finally tried it! My wife and I went out to get some wine before our 5 year anniversary this year, and it was awesome! The staff were friendly, made great recommendations as to what to order, and were very personable! Thank you Amanda and John for a great experience! Will definitely be back!

This place is not handicap accessible regardless of the law. I went with six women from a senior…read moreindependent facility. One of us is wheelchair bound. There was a lift visible but we were told it hadn't worked in two years. When the reservation was made it was stated that there was a lift. The manager offered to carry her up the stairs, a very unsafe and humiliating option. This was a very embarrassing situation for one of us and uncomfortable for all of us.

My reservations fell through at a different location, and I came about this restaurant online. Most…read moreplaces were booked on a Saturday night. However, I called 508 locals to see if they had any availability. The hostess told us to come on through. When I pulled up it wasn't too busy. They were welcoming and sat us right away. We had an awesome waiter. Judging from his accent, he was from Ireland. He was great. Very enthusiastic and attentive. I was pretty hungry. I ordered the crab cakes (great sauce and aioli), Brussels (hot honey with goat cheese and cranberries), junglebird drink (delicious, it wasn't overly sweet), and ribeye. All delicious. I was not disappointed. It was such a chill place. It wasn't overly loud. It was clean. I recommend.

So we have been here twice now. I'm going to give each one separately:…read moreFirst time: Came in after a VA Stage show so kinda late. Sat at the bar. Service was absolutely awesome. Bartender was incredibly attentive for having a full bar. We each had 2 different cocktails and both were distinctive and excellently crafted. We had shared a couple of the small plates and enjoyed them both. We enjoyed the place so much that we decided to come back with a group of 14 for All Lovers Eve. Second time: Made the reservation with ease. If you've ever made a group reservation you know how complicated some places make it. This was a large group and they were short handed. This lead to a slower service which actually worked out well for our group. We didn't mind the gaps. They put us in their back room (hint - GREAT for groups) there was a little confusion with the order to include an extra dish we didn't order. We still ate it and paid for it though. The staff was great with our large and rather disruptive group. The food was all excellent (local oysters on the half shell and the apple desert were my highlights). Multiple cocktails that were all wonderful. My only real negative was that there was a $50 "loyalty club " charge that was never mentioned and I didn't even notice on the $1200.00 bill. This is, I believe, some sort of credit card fee. Both times were good. Both times staff were wonderful. Both times we were comfortable. Give the place a try. I don't think you will regret it.

We had such a great experience at Omar's Carriage House. Our waitress was amazing--super attentive…read moreand genuinely helpful with recommendations throughout the night. We came in for the dinner special but also caught happy hour, which was a nice bonus since we were able to try a few extra appetizers. The bacon-wrapped dates with balsamic glaze were incredible, and the lobster croquettes were just as good. Our server even made sure we got our happy hour orders in before it ended, which we really appreciated. The drinks were solid as well. The Caesar salad was good, but a little hard to eat since the lettuce wasn't chopped. The atmosphere made up for it though--the decor is beautiful and we sat outside on the patio on a perfect day. It was relaxing, comfortable, and not too loud, with good music in the background. After dinner, we walked over to First Friday to end the night, which was the perfect way to walk off the meal. Overall, I'd definitely recommend and would return again, especially to try more of the happy hour menu.

Omar's is a mainstay in Norfolk but my recent visit was disappointing…read more Our party had reservations and was promptly seated at the covered patio. What we didn't know is it would be three hours (!) until we left and the patio was unheated. 54 degrees. It was cold. The main issue of the night seemed to be understaffing. We literally waited an hour to order and then the food came 45 minutes later. The waitress seemed overwhelmed (which I'm sympathetic to). This was during the time they run dinner specials but the place was not crowded. Especially on the cold patio. Food wise, the Jamaican fish was very good for a main dish. The starter salad was tiny and unremarkable. I had the lemon soufflé for dessert. It was not soufflé. And not very lemony. More like lemon whipped cream. Wine prices are reasonable. Checks got botched at the end, despite us walking through it at the beginning. It was a fun night because of the company, but not Omar's. What's funny is I was surprised the manager didn't come out and talk to us about the evening.

So, if you look upon the menu and see the words "smash burger" be warned. Not smash burger. It's a…read moreburger burger. Very much like inch thick burger. I expected smash, I definitely got burger. But hey, we can't all be winners. Meat is meat. I'm glad to be fed. You will be left looking at the meat wondering what went wrong. Did a baby smash the burger? A hamster perhaps? When one asks for a SMASH burger, they expect a milli-inch of meat. Does this look like smash borger? No. I am not crazy. I wanted a SMASH. This s a BURGER. God bless. Thank you for reading my review.

I came to Torch Bistro on a weekday night around 8 p.m. and decided to sit outside. Overall, it was…read morean okay experience. Nothing particularly bad, but nothing that really stood out either. I ordered the Frisco Melt with sweet potato fries and a Torch Runner, which is basically their version of a rum runner. The Frisco Melt was good enough. I believe it's the only smash burger on the menu, although it was quite a bit thicker than most smash burgers I've had, so I wouldn't necessarily describe it as super "smashed." Either way, it tasted fine. The sweet potato fries were actually the highlight of the meal for me. They were really good. The Torch Runner was also fine. The outdoor space itself is nice and has a relaxed atmosphere. There were some kids playing with the jumbo Jenga blocks while I was there, which added a little life to the patio. They also have two bar-height fire pits that I've sat around on previous visits, and those are always a nice touch. It was a little too warm for me to enjoy them this particular night, but I can definitely see the appeal when the weather cools down. The biggest downside to sitting outside was the bugs. I eventually had to break out the Off bug spray because they were pretty persistent. Obviously, that's not necessarily the restaurant's fault, but it's something to keep in mind if you're planning to sit outside during warmer weather. All in all, Torch Bistro was just okay for me this time around. The outdoor space is nice, the sweet potato fries were great, and everything else was perfectly fine. Not a bad experience, but not one that particularly wowed me either.

I definitely got food poisoning after eating here last week for restaurant week. I think it was the…read morecobbler. Other thoughts: 1. this place is overpriced and outdated 2. service was good. No notes.

We stopped by Todd Jurich's Bistro recently to get a drink before our show and the experience was…read morefantastic. Rob the bartender is always quick with a joke (and a lite of your smoke, just kidding that's from a Billy Joel song, everyone knows there's no smoking in restaurants and thank goodness for that!) but he always makes us feel special every time we go there. They have a fantastic Happy Hour menu but unfortunately we had dinner elsewhere (and I'm still wondering why, but I digress again) we couldn't eat there but rest assured we will be back...

Back at the old favorite. They have a a trivia night special, the BBQ Pulled Pork Flatbread, and it…read moreis one of the best things I have ever had at Public House. I would eat this every time if it was a permanent addition to the menu. Tuesdays are always great with Trivia provided by Bar Trivia Live. Nick, Kevin, and Dave make everyone welcome and make sure the game is fun for everyone. Keep up the great work! P.S. RIP Public House Crunch Wrap. Good night, sweet prince, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.

Well we finally made it back here for dinner on a Wednesday night. We started with the pretzel…read moreflight. SO disappointing. The sauces were good, especially the beer cheese (at least they haven't changed that). What was pretty terrible were the pretzels themselves. They take the longer soft pretzel logs and cut them into bite size pieces. And then they are FRIED. Who fries soft pretzels? They were hard and greasy. This is the first time in our history of ordering a soft pretzel appetizer that we just couldn't finish it. They were that bad. For entrees Hubby ordered the crispy chicken Caesar and I got the burger with fries. Hubby's salad was huge, but there was way too much Parmesan cheese. He never did get a good taste of the dressing because of that. The chicken on the other hand was well fried and still juicy inside. I ordered my burger medium, and it came out mid-rare, which is how I eat them anyway. The burger itself was salty - guessing the flattop maybe hasn't been cleaned after lunch? The top bun spent a little too much time on the flat top as well. The pickles they use are sour (some people like that, I don't mind), but if you are not a fan of sour pickles, you'll want to skip them. Service was fantastic and it's a very clean place (restrooms are particularly clean). I am sure it is a great place to go for drinks - the bar is pretty extensive. But since we don't bar hop anymore, I don't think we will be going back. One last word on the pretzel appetizer because I am still shaking my head over that. If you want to serve pretzel bites so there are more ways to try all the dipping sauces, just purchase pretzel bites and bake them.

We did not eat here. We were going to but the rep behind the counter was so rude before we even…read morecould order it turned us off.

A newly opened grill downtown Norfolk at Nauticus, and a great place to stop for lunch. Been here…read more3 times already. The smash burgers and Philly cheesesteaks are excellent and made to order. They have a nice variety of food. Their hours are limited to lunch time. Will be back next week.

Kelly's has fallen from grace. What was once the premier burger joint is dead. It's gone down hill…read more The service is not good, keep your expectations low...be prepared to wait if in person. They prioritize the delivery orders. The ambiance is old, dated and dirty. It's sad to see. The food was mediocre at best and I led with their strongest the crab soup, Burger and fries. It was average.

Awsome place great food great prices. Always have good staff available. Ask for the frequent…read morelauncher card.