Had a great stop at Surf Rider Marina Shores on a super hot day after hitting the beach, and it was exactly the kind of laid-back coastal vibe I was hoping for. Everything felt very "summer at the marina" in the best way. I ordered was the rum runner, which they're kind of known for here, and it totally lived up to the hype. Cold, strong, fruity, and dangerously easy to sip while sitting outside looking over the water. It's one of those drinks that instantly puts you in vacation mode, even if you're just a few minutes from home. The views honestly might be my favorite part of this place. Sitting out by the marina with boats coming and going, breeze off the water, and just watching everything slow down a bit is such a nice reset. It's casual but still feels like a little escape, especially around sunset or right after a beach day when everyone's still sandy and sun tired. We didn't get food this time, but everything we saw coming out of the kitchen looked great, especially the seafood. That's definitely what I'll be back for. It has that classic coastal spot feel where you know the fried baskets, crab, and fresh catches are going to hit. Service was friendly and relaxed, nothing rushed, which fits the whole atmosphere perfectly. It's not trying to be fancy, just solid seafood, good drinks, and a great waterfront setting. This is the kind of place I'll keep coming back to all summer. Next time I'm going straight for a full seafood spread because everything about it just feels right for it. read more

Surf Rider Grill - New American Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

As usual they are running out of food. It's only may 3 2026. change your fryer oils please. Oh and they post that they are closing at 4pm today. read more

Came for a birthday dinner and was not impressed at all. Everyone raved about the fried shrimp and broccoli for the side so I chose that. The shrimp were good..not spectacular..but good. The broccoli was not amazing. It's just steamed broccoli with hollandaise and it counts as two sides. I wanted to get the French fries and a baked potato but I'm glad I didn't. Other people got it and it looked so plain and boring when it came out. I tried a fry and they were definitely frozen. Hubby got the Cole slaw as a side and he said it was also frozen. The table tried the tuna bites, steak bites, and crab dip. The tuna was overcooked, the crab tasted fishy, and the steak was good. I definitely would never come back here unless it was for someone's birthday again. read more

Fun location right on the water. The food is really good--they have the best crab cakes that my wife has ever eaten (and she's a crab cake snob.....). Also, the steamed broccoli side with hollandaise sauce is absolutely delicious. Their drinks are absolutely fantastic, specifically the rum runner. Usually crowded and can be a decent wait, but you can find spots open up at the bar first come first serve--I personally think it's fun to watch them make the drinks right in front of you. read more

Saturday night, Labor Day weekend. I expect a wait. 6p arrival. 1.5 hours to be seated? Half the tables are empty. 1.5 hours? Ordered soup. Thought they forgot the soup. Table next to me had to get their own silverware. An hour waiting for food, "oh, we are out of soup" Couldn't tell me an hour ago? 30 minutes later, we are out of the rockfish. No dinner for me. Party of four. Three got fed. Probably the worst service in the last 20 years. For the record, Ling John Silvers has better food. No apology, just excuses: We are busy and understaffed. Avoid. Avoid. Avoid. read more

They are due to open in a couple of weeks, but I am REALLY hoping they improve from last year. My previous review was 5 stars in 2021, but they certainly didn't earn that last year. We went weekly hoping for improvement, but never got it. The food was not good...over or undercooked, cold (when it shouldn't be) or ridiculously small portions compared to other times we ordered and again...this was on every dish. It seemed like they were definitely trying to cut corners or cheap out their customers. What made it worse...was when we'd complain. They were standoff-ish and not accommodating. SOOOOO...we are REALLY hoping they make some major improvements this coming season. We love this restaurant and have previously loved their food. Hoping they get back to the quality they once had. read more

We arrived at 5:15 pm 2 couples it was busy they said about 45 minute wait we thought ok we will get a drink at the bar. we waited at the bar trying to get bartender attention for 15 minutes, the husbands not happy, understand no drinks it is now 6:30pm I do see empty table for about 15 minutes now. I walk up to front desk I see our names have been lined through. they said sorry let me seat you now which is the empty table for the last 15 minutes, put our order in for drinks and waited still no drinks. needless to say we got up and walked out, it was 7pm now no food or drinks I do not recommend this location. They need better management. read more

This place isn't bad, but when I went on a Sunday evening, most of their menu was sold out. Getting here can be a bit challenging since you have to navigate through a residential neighborhood, apartment complex, and marina. On top of that, parking might be hard to find since you need to avoid any "Pearl" or "marina member" parking. While any grill on the water is awesome, this place was just alright. Lastly, if you want their full menu available, I would not recommend coming here on a Sunday evening. read more

Surf Rider Grill - New American Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

I really enjoy the food here. It's a great location overlooking the marina and it has really good seafood.

This used to be my favorite summer restaurant. Last two times were not good. The last visit I ordered steamed peeled shrimp with Old Bay. I received warmed up shrimp cocktail which ended up making me sick. I also ordered a baked potato which didn't come with my dinner. 10 minutes after receiving my dinner I was told I was getting a baked potato which, it would be little new potatoes. When I did receive them, they were overcooked. Only good thing about the meal was the Rum Runner. I'm done driving all the way out there for bad food. I'll go to the ones closer. They either need new management or new cooks read more

Absolutely great location and terrific crab cakes...and crab cake dip When I'm in town this is a favorite place to visit. Big, noisy, fun with great drinks. Don't sleep on the fried shrimp! Great staff and very reasonably priced for the quality of food. read more

Understaffed and food not available on a holiday weekend. Ordered crab dip appetizer. No crab. Ordered steamed shrimp (known for this) ...none. No baked potatoes. Uh...waited one hour to be seated because the kitchen was understaffed but vacant tables. What's going on? read more

As usual a fantastic night at the Marina Shores Surf Rider. The close the 29th or 28 and we will hit it again before the end of the season. Sat at the bar and the bartender was very attentive while still chatting with several groups. Food was hot and fresh as always. Tried the buffalo shrimp special they were great same butterfly shrimp as the dinner but covered in a super tasty buffalo sauce. Thanks for a great meal! read more

Great food great service very nice setting on the dock will be back soon would recommend to anyone read more

Surf Rider Grill - Crab cake dinner - New American Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

Wow..what a Mother's Day first of all the bartenders say they're out of a bunch of food but we rode bikes 5 miles here so we aren't going anywhere else. We ordered the food that was left on the menu.. ALMOST EVERY PERSON in this place hasn't had any food brought to their table. So anyways we order food and wait 30 minutes and get notified the kitchen is closing down because I guess chef Ramsey walked back there and saw that hell had broke loose and shut that baby down. Well we didn't get all of our food.. waitress had no remorse before I left I tried to used the bathrooms but I guess the pipes were busted..I got it out though read more

Surf Rider Grill at Marina Shores is now open for the season as of the first week of May. They are best known for their rum runners enjoyed by the poolside bar. In my opinion they are the best rum runners in the 757. Bold statement, prove me wrong. I'm disclosing this hidden gem I've held off writing for over a decade? When I say hidden I do mean that. Set the GPS and good luck, it's tucked back in the marina and to access it's necessary to drive through a condo association off Great Neck. Parking during peak times is a struggle as is seating. Go early into open and your fine. No place is a long walk. Warning do NOT park in reserved Pearl parking. However marina parking seems ok, there is a ton! I have been a customer for well over a decade but would not consider myself a regular as I typically go once or twice a season. The fried food menu with a seafood focus is timeless. However prices have gone up over last season to cover exploding food cost, especially in seafood. So I've had almost exclusively the broiled seafood platter. You can also get it fried too! The broiled is a better value as it include a 3 oz crab cake for the same price. The platter includes 6 oz filet of flounder, scallops and shrimp for just under $30. They also have pasta and burgers too! It's a large menu. I think the overall rating is best summed up as a strong 3. The service has been consistently cheery by their mostly young female staff that are easy on the eyes. No sexist hate mail please. They hustle their butt off and do everything from order, drinks and clear. Service 4 stars Their bar area has around a dozen stools plus four more by the pool. The bartenders are women and do a fabulous job. As mentioned the rum runners are well known and often dispensed four to six at a time during peak times. Matter of fact I have a pic of them doing several at once. Expect some Jimmy Buffet type of music. 5 stars Finally the atmosphere off the water is relaxing. My wife and I get vacation vibes when dining. You can also pull your personal watercraft right up to one of the restaurants designated docks. 4 stars Surf Rider at Marina Shores is a definite recommend and I always do especially for out of town guest. My overall scorecard has them at a solid 4. read more

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This place is about to get busy for the summer season!! Such a beautiful location and views. Since I came in May I had no problem with parking or seating. If you are on your way there and feel you are going in the wrong direction because you are in a neighborhood just keep going over all the speed bumps....you are going in the right direction. It was a beautiful day and all the windows were open. It was gorgeous. We sat at the bar. There is no HH and of course I wish there was a HH. Bailey was behind the bar and I remembered her from the grand opening of the Surf Rider on Birdneck. She is wonderful. Truly an asset to Surf Rider. We ordered some orange crushes and I had the special Buffalo Shrimp with Blue Cheese. My friend had a HUGE caeser salad with a very delicious crab cake that had hardly any filling at all. My shrimp were spicy but very good. They are currently working on the outdoor pool bar. That will be so nice when it is open. Once again a beautiful location, being there on a summer day will be wonderful. The only thing is that they are a very very busy restaurant so it's difficult to get them on the phone if you need something. Looking forward to sitting poolside with some fish tacos and orange crushes. read more

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This was another try to see if they improved from last year. Unfortunately it was a miss again. The ambiance is still unbeatable, directly next to the marina at Long Creek it is a nice location however, the food is disappointing. My wife had the fish tacos. They served two tacos with just salad tossed at the bottom and two bland tasting small cuts of fish. For what they served it was overpriced. The drinks are served in plastic cups, not very appealing move either. This was the last time we gave them a chance. I rather spend a bit more and have good quality food for my money. read more

Jill was our waitress and she was on point! She was friendly and made sure we enjoyed ourselves. We will back, thanks Jill!

Save your time and money. This used to be our go to, but it has continually gone down hill. Food was awful! Such a disappointment. Sadly, this will be our last visit. read more

We love surf rider. Has been a go to for us every time we come to first landing. Sadly the parking has gotten worse and worse each year. So we try to go on weekday evenings if possible but this year we couldn't even do that. It's sad read more

Run the other way. The food has basically become ballyhoos or worse. Even the rum runner was terrible. 2nd time in a row that food was awful. read more

Got dinner and had a little bit of a wait but it wasn't bad at all. The restaurant was a bit warm because it was summer and they had their doors/windows open. There was a huge ceiling fan that made it much cooler, although a little breezy! The crab dip was fabulous. It had lots of crab in it and was a generous portion. The pita bread is also my favorite! The fish tacos were pretty good. I think they could have had a little more flavor but the salsa and guac it came with helped a lot. The tots were also great! There's also a decent view of the Marina, which was nice. read more

Surf Rider Grill - Crab dip - New American Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

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Great venue with an open air dining experience by a marina. Good food and a great staff.

Food was okay, the service was great as was the ambiance but having a tip automatically added to the bill is NOT okay. Tips are for good service at the discretion of the customer not to help the restaurant pay their staff a fair wage. Between that and the food quality I will not return. Oh and let me mention that the ice cream pie that they are SO famous for was unavailable because it wasn't "set" yet and so I'll offer this hint, make it sooner. PS It's also hard to find in that maze of condos and apartments. read more

What a hidden gem! (Literally) We had to stop and ask someone where the restaurant was after being dropped off by our Uber lol. The wait wasn't too long on a Saturday night, and once set up with a pager at the host stand, we headed to an outside waiting area with a server who was bringing out drinks. The restaurant itself is pretty large with tons of seating inside, and a covered deck outside that overlooks a little inlet. All members of our party were happy with the food options, and we loved the drink menu! Our favorite drinks were the Crabby Bloody Mary and the Rum Bucket. Our only regret was not bringing the bucket home! I think the food was pretty average, but good nonetheless. The scallops in the Seafood Surf Rider were cooked perfectly and I definitely stole multiple off my husband's plate! The Clam Strips were also gone in record time, and don't knock the mashed potatoes and gravy as a side! I think the pricing is fair and didn't feel overly expensive like other seafood restaurants. Highly recommend! read more

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While on vacation in Va Beach recently, my local sisters suggested Surf Rider. I had the 10 piece fried shrimp. It was hands down, the best fried shrimp I have had in a very long time! Large, flavorful and battered just right. I enjoyed the meal and service so much, I returned the very next day and had the seafood platter. All good. Known for their crab cakes, I was not a huge fan of them. Know that I lived in Maryland for a number of years and I am very picky about crab dishes. The scallops on the platter were delicious. Sweet and cooked just right. I highly recommend Surf Rider for the food and great service. read more

We love Surf Rider. We've visited every location, and this is our favorite one. But they're all yummy!

The food was amazing! Loved the shrimp and they're huge! The sides were unsalted but besides that it was great. Would recommend the she crab soup! There were some huge fake fish on the wall which was cute. The staff was very kind answering any questions. read more

Surfrider used to be one of my favorite restaurants in the area. I always look forward to when they open, basically begins the summer for me. The other night at Surfrider totally changed my opinion of the restaurant. Basically it took over an hour to get my food and they were not that busy. I ordered steamed clams and a salad with a crab cake. The clams were rotten - absolutely disgusting. The crab cake came out and it was raw. The inside basically looked like pancake batter. I sent everything back and completely lost my appetite. The waitress told me that the manager comped the salad, the crab cake and 1 round of drinks. That was ok but honestly he should have comped the whole meal. The part that irritated me the most is that the manager didn't even come to the table and apologize etc. I am not sure I will ever go back. I have been a loyal customer for years but that was a disgusting meal. I have heard from a lot of people that the quality has gone down this year and I must agree. I hope they get this fixed because it is a great location/atmosphere! read more

Surf Rider has been one of my favorite restaurant choices for decades. For many years my Surf Rider of choice was the one at Taylor's Landing. When that location closed my allegiance shifted to Marina Shores, The location has a similar beautiful view, on the water with boats docked at a marina. The layout is quite different. One side features booths with a long window screen running the length. There is a huge fan over the tables in the center to provide a degree of cooling. The back side is totally open to a narrow deck running along the water. The most comfortable place to sit when the weather is hot is the patio, which is just outside the window screen wall. The patio has tree covering and a breeze from the ocean side. The menu is the same wonderful Surf Rider fare. It's always hard for me to choose between the yummy crab cakes and the fried shrimp. The crab cakes have to be the best in Tidewater. They have almost no filler and make one yearn for more. One menu option is crab cakes and shrimp. But I've learned that is too much food. The sides are interesting. One can choose between two sides or an enormous plate of steamed broccoli served with the best hollandaise sauce I've ever tasted. Don't immediately choose from the menu sides. There are usually a few extra choices that are really scrumptious. My favorites are the corn pudding and potato cake. Other options are collards, pasta salad and an amazing choice I haven't seen offered in a long time - fried okra. The restaurant is popular. So there can sometimes be a significant wait. But the food and view is well worth it. They don't take reservations. And the Surf Rider Web Site indicates this location will be closing for the season on September 29. I'm not sure whether this is up to date information. Why a 4 instead of 5? The difference is the uncomfortable temperature you can experience on hot days while waiting for a table. Surf Rider has really awesome fresh seafood. And there are even choices for the non seafood types. You must try it. read more

Another local seafood restaurant but this location is in a much better setting. The view of the marina is beautiful and entertaining at the same time. Just people watching chilling on their boats and yacht makes for good conversation. Anyways like the other Surf Riders, the menu is basically the same BUT I feel as though the food is a little underwhelming compared to their other locations. Sad ... My waitress didn't seem she wanted to work today, even though her shift just started, it is 4pm and the restaurant just opened up. I never got my drink refilled, nor was I ever checked on before and after I got my meal...I get it it's 90 degrees and beautiful outside but still. The waitress at the table next to me was AWSOME! I got the broiled seafood platter and the crabcake was undercooked, it was still little wet. The hush puppies was over cooked. Coleslaw was just yuck. Flounder was very thin like I had one half of the fillet? I'll just stop there....you get it. Did I mentioned the view? read more

The service was not that great brought my appetizer had to wait and flag her down 10 minutes later for silverware. The service was not that great. My appetizer of calamari was very good.. I also ordered tuna with a side of broccoli. I ask her to cook my tuna somewhat done. It was rare and cold. The broccoli was cold. She never came back to even ask how it was actually she never even gave her name I feel like if you're single diner, they might feel they are not going to get as big of a tip like a table 5.. It was nice to look and see the boats around, but I'd rather have better food. read more

Arrived and my supper time, so we had a wait which was no problem. Once seated our waitress was fantastic (Mindy), as they were all hustling because they were very busy! Food was average, but the atmosphere and service was awesome!! read more

Drinks are great, food, not so much. The "broiled" scallops I had were not broiled at all, and the muscle was not removed. They were just cooked and dusted with Old Bay seasoning. I realize that it's probably high school kids cooking but seriously, teach them to at least take off the muscle. Steamed broccoli is always great, but the hollandaise sauce from a packet is not good. Great views, food needs to be better for the price. read more

Quick stop for lunch today. We had heard good things but have never been. It is totally open with great views of boats and the water. We sat at the bar and immediately were waited on. It had rained earlier in the day so it was a bit humid but a cool drink cooled us right off! We started with the calamari, recommended by our server and it was absolutely delicious! I was sad when we ate it all!!!! We shared a fried flounder sandwich with tater tots and that too was really good. I can't wait to go back when we have more time and try one of their dinners, all sounded really good. I might add it was a bit hard to find but don't give up it's back there!!! read more

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Amanda is the absolute best bartender gang gang in the house. Food and drinks are top notch however the service was absolutely exceptional. Love this place!! read more

I view this place as more of a local watering hole. Our boat is in the marina so I see all the boaters walk up with their surf rider cups already filled to hang at the bar. It's an older crowd at the bar or families for dinner mostly. The servers are nice and the on-the-water atmosphere is relaxing. They have a great drink menu and Bloody Mary selection. The food on the other hand is a hit or miss depending on what you order. I like their appetizers especially the calamari; however, I wasn't crazy about the burger I ordered with a crab cake on top. There was barely any crab cake, and the burger was completely well done when I asked for medium rare. The prices seem fair. read more

Love this place. The location on the marina is perfect. The seating inside during these COVID times is very comfortable. The staff is very friendly and food selection is classic seafood shack with a touch of class. Love the atmosphere. We ordered our favorites and were not disappointed. This is a must go. The best crab cakes in town. Well done. read more

This place is a hidden gem. Every outdoor table has a perfect view of the marina. Our waitress was soooo sweet and made sure we always had everything we needed and went out of her way so much. The crab dip, oh my god. She crab soup, scallops, and salad was also so fresh and delicious. Rum runners and hush puppies are always fun for us and our out of town friends to enjoy. And you don't need more than one or two rum runners to feel it. Overall, highly recommend. It's rare to find a seafood place on the water in VB that isn't packed with tourists. I appreciate this place for the southern hospitality service, fresh seafood, strong drinks, and stunning views. And hush puppies. For least amount of waiting, go during the week! There's not a ton of seating outside read more

Surf Rider Grill - Rum runner - New American Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

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