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.

My husband and I came for my birthday dinner this year. You need to walk down the alleyway to find…read morethe entrance. The outdoor seating looked cozy, however, we sat inside. Inside, there are a small number of tables and a bar. We had the crispy octopus to start. It was cooked perfectly, was tender and had great flavor. For my entree I had the halibut. It was slightly overcooked (a little dry), but the portion was a good size and flavors were nice. I don't remember what the dessert we had was called, but it is the reason for -1 star. It was chocolate something but the flavor was just weird, texture was not great either. They gave me a complimentary small piece of chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream as well for my birthday, but that was not good either. Cake was dry and ice cream tasted watery and the texture was off. This was disappointing because I love dessert, but probably wouldn't risk ordering it here again.

This is an excellent restaurant! The food, the service, the vibe is awesome!! Our server was great…read moreat telling us what could be made gluten-free...I really appreciate his knowledge of food allergies as it relates to ilo's menu. I started with the tuna crudo, which had a drizzle of mint. It was excellent, and the mint wasn't overpowering. I tried some of the mixed greens, tossed perfectly, and the blue cheese and dates were a great accompaniment. For my entree, I had the flounder. It was in a curry broth with peas, which was melded wonderfully with the flakiness of the fish. There were also homemade potato chips atop the fish...perfection!! For dessert, we shared the flourless chocolate cake with coffee ice cream. The cake was not as moist as some other flourless cakes I've had. I also had the violet hymns cocktail...yummy! They have several tables, and I highly recommend making a reservation. It was an excellent dining experience!!

Vibes - excellent Service - exceptional…read more This place is really intimate, cute, thoughtful, inspiring. It plays with antique vibes, but then food and cocktails are so new and bright. What an experience. Clay makes some pretty awesome drinks. Check this place out. Great date night spot or just a spot to grab a fantastic cocktail. Will have to try their wines sometime! Particularly the orange wine sounded really lovely.

FANTASTIC! Vibes? Yes!…read moreFood? Yes! Wine? Yes! Thank you to John who welcomed us and recommended good wine for our food We came here with our son, who recently moved to Norfolk. He came here for his first meal in town and John treated him to a glass of wine with his gourmet grilled cheese He brought us to the experience : Brussels sprouts -- delicious with sweet and spicy and hazelnut Goat cheese and beet salad: good dressing, nice mix, exactly what I wanted for dinner Truffle tots: yeah, tots are good, but with truffle and Parmesan? Wow!! The vibes here are great. There's music on but you can still talk to people. Seating at the bar or tables or, if the weather is nice, on the front porch. It has an elegant but relaxed feel that would make this place great for a date or friends ( or family!) We will be back And yep, we are back for tapas Tuesday where all small plates are $2 off Hummus -- ok Duck egg rolls good Lamb meatballs : GREAT flavor!! Roasted Carrot beet with labneh and dukkah : delicious Dumplings-- good but spicy for me Miso butter gnocchi with mushrooms-- delicious Roasted salmon-- folks were split on this between "solid" and good Salad of farro and spinach with beets and goat cheese and pear -- this was amazing. The dressing had awesome spices in it that made the whole thing complex. 3 new wonderful wines ! Thanks to all at this restaurant for another amazing meal. You are our favorite Norfolk spot!!

From the moment we walked in, the ambience was warm and inviting. The service was truly…read moreexceptional--every team member was incredibly friendly, attentive, and genuinely seemed to care about making our visit perfect. The food was fantastic across the board, and the presentations were exceptionally creative, making each dish feel special. Everything came out beautifully prepared and absolutely delicious. A wonderful dining experience from start to finish. Highly recommended!

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.

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.

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.

I went to Omar's Carrot House in downtown Norfolk for their $28 three-course deal and overall had a…read morereally good experience. The atmosphere was cute and relaxing, and we chose to sit on the patio which was perfect on a nice day. Service was excellent and our waitress was very friendly and attentive. I'd definitely give customer service a 10/10. For the meal, I started with a Caesar salad. It was good but needed more dressing for my taste. We also ordered extras: the lobster croquettes and bacon-wrapped dates. The croquettes were solid, but the bacon-wrapped dates were the standout, absolutely delicious and the best thing I had. For my entrée, I got the Boursin Chicken. It wasn't bad, but it needed more seasoning for me personally. I also wasn't a big fan of the sun-dried tomato mashed potatoes, it just wasn't my preference. I did try the beef bourguignon and liked that more. For dessert, I had the lemon soufflé, which was light and really good. Overall, the $28 deal is a great value and the experience was enjoyable. Not every dish was my favorite, but nothing was bad. I would go back, especially to try their Moroccan Monday menu.

We have eaten here three ties now and all the food has been great. I've had the Reuben twice and…read morethe Torch Burger once. The service has been very helpful and in a good mood. The ambience is sort of industrial/warehouse but its very comfortable and the bar seems to be popular. A Torch Burger and iced tea (non alcoholic) were $23.87 including tax and a 22 percent tip. Reasonable by today's standards.

Love the atmosphere and great service. Food was mediocre. Highly recommend the brussel sprouts on…read morethe appetizer menu. We ordered the fried cheese balls and it was okay. Super crispy outer shell with melted spicy pimento cheese inside. My husband ordered the kicking chicken (fried hot honey tenders) in the wrap, not sure of the name but he said it was okay. He got Mac and cheese on the side and it was probably one of the least favorite mac and cheese we've ever had at a restaurant. Very bland and basic. We got a side of the broccoli and it was extremely salty. I ordered the crab cake sandwich and sweet potato fries and actually enjoyed it. The crab cake tasted like any other crab cake but the sweet potato fries were hot with cinnamon sugar coated in the outside. It was pretty good. We order a hot dog and fries for my toddler and she enjoyed the hot dog. Overall we probably wouldn't come back. We enjoyed the outside patio with the live band but the food was lacking. It reminded me of basic bar food. Our server with the pink bangs was awesome though!!

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...

Pretty disappointing experience!…read more Arrived ahead of reservation to have a drink at the bar. The bartender, scooted in from behind us to place a bunch of dirty glasses on the bar from a high top behind us. Ultimately, the drinks were ok and the bartender was busy but friendly. Our server for dinner, Wilson, was very inexperienced and lacked professionalism. He struggled to open our wine, and was clearly fearful of holding his tray. He, nor anyone else ever checked on us throughout the dining experience. The little things, like runners bringing courses and not knowing who gets what, literally barking, who gets the poke bowl was off putting. The steaks came out very undercooked and lukewarm and the mashed potatoes were cold. The sides were also cold and the truffle fries were tiny little pieces from the bottom of a bag. Such a nice restaurant but needs a lot of work.

Came on St. Patrick's Day. The Open Faced Corned Beef and Cabbage Sandwich I had was truly…read morephenomenal and should be a permanent addition to the menu. Our servers Nick and Kevin were extremely knowledgeable and helpful with our orders. This is one of the absolutely best places to go in Norfolk.

Great vibes and well-poured drinks, but the service was extremely disappointing. One bartender in…read moreparticular was very unprofessional. I asked to close my tab twice, and on the second request she used profanity toward me and refused to return my card. Another staff member stepped in and was excellent--he helped me get my card back--but I was never charged for the drinks. When I later asked the original bartender whether my tab had been closed or paid, her response was, "I don't f****** know." Aside from that one individual, the atmosphere was good and the other staff member provided great service. Unfortunately, that experience seriously took away from what could have been a great spot.

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.

This restaurant seems so unassuming but the food was so good! We started with the cheese curds then…read moreI ordered the chicken Caesar wrap with garlic Parmesan fries while my husband ordered the Reuben with onion rings. Literally everything we had was delicious and we will be returning to try more menu items. The service was also fast and very friendly.

NON-SMOKING! You can not smoke here. I came here for a drink and smoke. So too bad. However, the…read morebartender Amy was very pleasant. The place is cute. I recommend it. Yelp should remove it from bars you can smoke at.