Boy oh boy do we we miss Ghent Seafood! We visited John a few times a week when he was at the old…read morewhite shack location. It has since before been torn down and they have moved just down the street to their current spot. We unfortunately are not able to frequent Ghent Seafood since our move to Iowa, although it's on of the first stops when we are in town. While visiting some friends in the area for the new year we of course swung by for some delicious seafood. We decided on some salmon and scallops to grill up that evening. The scallops we huge and beautifully sweet and the salmon just as delicious. John always gives great cooking recommendations and will cut everything to order. He even remembered us after being away for 2 years. If you are looking for great seafood Ghent Seafood is really the best stop around!

This fishmonger guy is really cool. Really friendly and very helpful. He really explains to you how…read morethe different fish taste and the best way to cook them up. Really friendly. I think he's one of the few in town so you better call ahead and get what you want! He seems to have a lot of regular customers so that should tell you something. It's a nice fish market that also sells other little snacks and wine. He's a really cool guy. Good price is. The fish was fresh I have no complaints! (He seems cool so he's always welcome to call me)

The food was great, service was excellent and sitting by the dock, perfect!…read moreWe had a small wait but it was a busy Friday night. Great experience

I've wanted to try Stony's for quite a while so my friend and I decided to stop in for lunch around…read more1pm on a Saturday. It was challenging to find parking but thankfully, we were able to find a spot right in the front. We were greeted as soon as we walked in and were seated right away. With it being lunch time, we assumed we would be able to grab some lunch but to our surprise, they were serving brunch and we were only able to order off the brunch menu. We were slightly confused and definitely didn't have taste for breakfast items so we had to choose from a small selection of non-breakfast items. We started with Palomas. The drink menu only included the drink prices for Happy Hour, and it definitely wasn't Happy Hour, so we weren't sure how much the drinks were. The server mentioned one price, then came back and told us another price but either way, all that would've been eliminated if the prices were on the menu. After looking over the brunch menu, my friend didn't see anything appetizing so she asked if they could make a BLT Sandwich, which wasn't on the menu, and they agreed. I decided on the Crab Cake Sandwich. The food was served in decent time. My friend had an end piece of tomato on her sandwich, which was disappointing. Our server took her sweet time checking on us so and we literally had to flag down another server just to get ketchup. My sandwich didn't even come with remoulade sauce that was supposed to be added. I did enjoy my sandwich though, it was very tasty. I also ordered the Bourbon Glaze Wings 'to-go' and they were delicious. From not being able to order from a lunch menu, to our server not being attentive at all, our experience wasn't that great. We also had to battle flies the entire time we were there, and we were sitting inside so that was a bit frustrating. The restaurant is located right by the Marina and it has great views but the service left a lot to be desired. I may return for dinner in hopes of a better experience but it probably won't be any time soon.

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!

Freemason Abbey is the kind of place where you walk in expecting a nice dinner and walk out…read morewondering if you accidentally joined a secret society. The food was , the atmosphere was incredible, and the building has so much character that I half expected a guy in a robe to appear from a hidden hallway and whisper, "The appetizers have arrived." Everything was fantastic. The service was great, the food was delicious, and the atmosphere was so cool I almost forgot I was there to eat and not investigate a 200-year-old murder mystery. Five stars without hesitation. I'd come back again, although I'm still waiting for someone to tell me the password to the dessert menu. 10/10. Would eat here again. Would also investigate suspicious-looking fireplaces.

Wonderful place to get great cocktails! I highly recommend the ole' fashion. You get what you pay…read morefor. Noah was our server and he went above and beyond to make our social gathering even better. The Red Snapper, trout and the crab cakes were beautiful. Very cool environment! Eclectic and trendy. Definitely going back! BTW: She Crab Soup is extremely good.

Saltine is a restaurant focusing on seafood with a pretty wide range of raw shellfish and fresh…read morefish. Situated in the Hilton it features a large bar area and a quieter dining area as well as some private rooms. I had a the old bay shrimp, tuna poke, she crab soup, and the rockfish (served bronzed which is like Cajun and brown sugar) on top of succotash. I had two mocktails too which were great. Service was friendly and the bread they brought out was delicious and served with herb honey butter. Overall I really liked this place and recommend it if you love seafood.

Over five years later. We are finally back. How often is a restaurant as good as you remember? AW…read moreShucks is even better than we remembered. Oysters! All VA and none any fresher. Great fish entrees perfectly cooked. Fresh sides. Great service. Nice bar. Comfort seating. Check the board for specials.

AW Shucks is by far one of my favorite restaurants in the 757…read more Food: Delicious! Best oysters in this area for the most reasonable price. Go on Thursday for $20 for a dozen. The oyster po boy is my favorite. The oysters are plump and delicious Service: Quick and polite. No complaints Ambiance: The outside doesn't look like much but the inside is very chill

We were out celebrating my sisters birthday (9/5) at the Atlantic we sat at the bar, Eliza waited…read moreon us. She was very nice, sociable, had amazing customer service AND great drinks! definitely would go back and ask for herrrrrrr!!! #Gingerbear Thank you!!!

Loved loved loved the valet service! Parking can be a pain, but valet made it so we could just…read moreenjoy our evening! The food was exceptional. The baked scallops was delicious, however I'd recommend a side of bread to help soak up the extra sauce / cheese at the end. The crab dip was also lovely, flavorful and filled with crab (great ratio!). The shells were good, but not something I'd get again. The portion is also small for your price.

Sunday lunch, not packed thankfully. Great service and excellent portions!…read more Crab boil Mini combo gives you two half pound items while the standard combo provides one pound of each. Both came with many potatoes and a corn. Add-ons and basket meals also available. Fast service and the house sauce was delicious. Definitely had to get a side of rice so I didn't waste any of that fabulous sauce. Dungeness crab was awesome!!! Shrimp cooked perfectly. Big place and was clean. Left very happy and full. Thank you!!!

Oh My Goodness!! We ate at Shaking Crab at Fordham Dr, Virginia Beach, VA on September 10th for the…read moresecond time and it was still awesome. I highly recommend this spot! The food was delicious, the server was awesome, and the atmosphere in the restaurant was outstanding. We selected shrimp, blue crabs, and several other side dishes and they were all very tasty! I would definitely go back there again! Our waiter was friendly, funny, knowledgeable, all around a great guy! If you like seafood then this is the place to go in Tidewater!!

I was curious about barbecue in Norfolk so we got some takeout from The Fishin' Pig…read more I decided to get the fried green tomatoes and the beef brisket platter with extra brisket (because two people were sharing), collard greens, and green beans. I had a few allergy-related questions and was able to get answers quickly because the cashier checked with the kitchen. Unfortunately my questions were focused on dairy so we were surprised by the bacon on the beans and other meat (probably pork) under the collard greens. My husband doesn't eat pork so he ended up only eating the beef. The cashier said the order would only take about ten minutes so I enjoyed a quick drink at the bar while waiting. If we get a chance to return I'll probably get the fried green tomatoes and just beef brisket (no sides).

The best thing we had and the only thing we'd probably order again was the green beans. They were…read moreflavored so well - a nice bit of smokiness, good about of pepper, and perfectly salted. A couple specific food problems were: 1) Friend green tomatoes. Given the presentation, we asked our server if they were fried pickles. Nope! Okay, that's fine. At first. Thought they were just super hot and need a minute to cool down. But they were drenched in oil from the fryer. At first I tried dabbing them in the basket. Then, realizing that was doing no good and the breading was just going to be soggy, I took them out and blotted them on the brown paper table cover. We only at a few. Not good. 2) The meat - pulled pork, brisket, and Alaskan haddock - were all lacking flavor.

I used door dash to order from them as i was leaving my work site and heading back to my hotel…read more Once the food arrived I was impressed. It was meant to be poured out on a table or large platter. It was provided in a thick see through plastic bag inside of a thicker bag tied in a knot inside of a brown bag. It also contained alot of napkins a d plasticware. I ordered 1/2 lb shrimp, 1/2 lg scallops, 1/2 lb sausage corn and potatoes in butter. The taste was amazing. If they were closer I would dine in. I definitely recommend it to anyone in this area.

We find ourselves coming back here even after trying other places. The food here is always…read moreconsistent in flavor! Our go to for seafood boil and Juicy special for flavor is always so savory! The service is always quick whether we are dining in or calling in our order for pickup. The restaurant itself is quiet, has a bar, and plenty of big screens through out to watch a variety of shows and or sports! The drinks are always satisfying as well, the Poseidon Punch is our favorite drink. The staff is always great! The only negative is that they never have King crab despite it always being on the menu.

It has been nearly three weeks; I can stop thinking about No Frill Bar and Grill…read more I'm a military spouse, so I know my time in Hampton Roads is coming to an end soon. I visited a Hampton Roads Restaurant group on FB and asked if someone was visiting from out of town: What is your go-to place to take them? Out of 90+ comments, No Frill Bar and Grill was mentioned the most - six times! So when I finally had a day off and some other business to tend to in Norfolk, it was the perfect excuse to finally try them. No Frill Bar and Grill has been open for nearly 30 years by Jerry Meltsner. Jerry's nephew Jon Kliner helps co-own and manage operations. It originally opened on Tidewater Drive, but the space didn't allow for much growth - 10 years later, he moved to a location off Colley Avenue and Spotswood Avenue. Growth continued, moving from counter service to table service. The second location, at 1620 Laskin Road in Virginia Beach, opened in 2005. The restaurant's longevity stems from quality, consistency, price, service, and staff who genuinely care about the business and serving the community. I asked the server for her opinion on two options - Salmon, Shrimp and grits won. The dish was incredible: lightly blackened salmon, for once blackened food that doesn't just taste like salt. I don't dine with the swine, so I asked for no andouille sausage. The sautéed shrimp, caramelized onions, tomatoes, and spinach simmered in Norfolk Canyon ale sauce over cheesy grits and Boursin lavash cracker. The cheesy grits were smooth, and the Boursin lavash cracker was a nice touch. The Boursin added extra creaminess to the meal. The cracker wasn't really a cracker - more like little toasted bread. After this first meal, I know two things for sure: 1. I definitely understand why it is such a local favorite, and 2. I will be back.

Service is prompt, salads are good, parking sometimes can be an issue due to the narrow streets and…read morelimited parking.