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The Birch

4.3 (194 reviews)
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The Birch Photos

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THE BIRCH ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Hipster
Classy
Moderate noise
Outdoor seating

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Recommended Reviews - The Birch

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flight
Nancy H.

Love the vibes here! Dark, cozy and very trendy. We came for a late night beer flight on a Friday night. It wasn't very busy, we sat at the bar and the servers were all super welcoming and helpful. We didn't order any food, but it smelled and looked great. Beer options were fantastic. Will be back!

New England IPA & a fall festival ale
Mary R.

Plenty of outdoor area! Kid and fur baby friendly! They have an indoor area but it's small. Clean bathrooms and friendly staff! Snacks available like chips and peanuts. Check out their social media for their food truck events. Parking lot and street parking available. Plenty of great craft beers! Gose to stouts! They have beer to go as well!

Beer and cheese pairing night. I love this place for so many reasons. Hats off to the Birch!
David Z.

Never a dull moment at the Birch. So much to choose from, amazing food, great selection of brews, stellar service and an atmosphere that can't be beat.

Menu
Alana C.

Just a really pleasant spot for a good meal and a drink (or two lol). I popped in for dinner at the bar. Very large and diverse beer selection on tap. If there's nothing that strikes your fancy on tap, there's an even larger selection of cans and bottles. Had a couple of really good IPAs and was very satisfied. Food: I mentioned to my server what I was in the mood for and ended up with the Vikings Blod sandwich. It was bacon cheesy perfection. Great beer and food? Already winning. The menu seems geared towards fancy grilled cheeses but they also have some appetizers and build-your-own charcuterie boards. Service: as I was at the bar, I ended up having a good chat with the bartenders. Along with being very helpful with both food and drink selections, it was great conversation. Winning again on enjoyment/experience. The place has a chill ambiance about it and outdoor seating is available as well. Overall, great experience and would highly recommend it for food and drinks.

Brew Board 11MAR23
Dan C.

Interesting cocept...like a wine bar, but for beer drinkers. Actually wine is also available, but this is place to go to for a world of beer experiences. We hit it just before heading back home from a day of eating and traveling through town. We only stayed long enough to taste a few ales and have a cheese snack. All good. I don't now how many brews are available, but I've included a photo of the brew board. I like the fact that one can get a taste in as small as 4.5 oz. We will have try again when we have more time.

Daleen T.

Absolutely love this place! Service is always fantastic and the atmosphere is very relaxing. The decor inside is modern yet cozy, perfect for a date night or meeting up with a few friends. Decent beer selection and the choices for charcuterie/cheese are excellent. I mean what's not to like about being able to build your own board. Parking is street parking but we usually do not have a problem finding a spot. My husband and I have been here on multiple occasions and it never disappoints!

Glass of blackberry cider.
Samee S.

My husband and I visited The Birch this past weekend for the first time and enjoyed every aspect of the experience! The venue itself is very calm and relaxing. It is an easy place for a date night or meet up with friends. There was plenty of room inside and outside for all preferences. The drink selection was also good, with a variety of beer selections and wines for any preference. I was a fan of the Blackberry Cider. Finally, the food selection was also great - however not ideal for those avoiding dairy. I had the Berry Nightmare sandwich and loved every bite! We will definitely be going back to The Birch for another date night in the near future!

Tipopils taste
Maria C.

Nice set up! I would have never found out about this place if it wasn't for a case study I was apart of. Let alone this area of Norfolk is called Chelsea - super lost! I figured Chelsea was another city in Virginia or elsewhere. Well no more worries, I am in the know now. For beer lovers or those that enjoy an open atmosphere and a cool hang out spot with outdoor seating, this is your place. Full meals are not served here, but cheeses and some small plates are featured here. The owner suggests you order from nearby eateries. The closest spot is a pizza shop next door. However, keep in mind the pizza shop closes about 8 pm on weekdays. I visited on a Wednesday and by time I thought to order, the pizza shop was closed. But there are other restaurants within walking distance but I am unsure if they deliver. I tried a light beer and it was just OK. But please keep in mind I am hardly a beer drinker. Nevertheless, if I return it wouldn't be for the beer it would be to socialize in this low lit atmosphere. Kind of sexy inside, but I'd leave the kids at home. Parking is super limited. There is street parking, but I can imagine parking may be a headache on a weekend or any special event with larger crowds. On this random Wednesday night, the Birch had about 20 patrons present. All in all, I believe this is a cool place to check out to see what IPAs interest you. But please don't expect to have a big meal while you chug. Have fun and enjoy life.

Christian S.

My girlfriend and I went here about 3 years ago and decided to come by to check out the vibes during happy hour. It's still a really great place that's low key. We got the chef selection cheese & charcuterie. Chorizo and barbers 1833 cheese were on point. Wish they gave more crackers. The beers we had were good. I had the Dugges Bryggeri I Coffee Vanilla Deluxe, and my girlfriend had the Omnipollo I Hypnopompa. It's a great place for friends and couples to have a good time in a more intimate setting. Staff are really friendly and accommodating.

Ice cream flight and beer
Heather L.

Boasting as the 4th best brewery in the nation, it definitely has amazing service and beer. Not a beer drinker myself, my husband and I went here to get one beer for my husband as we enjoyed some delicious pizza next door (the Bakehouse at Chelsea) so we can sit outside in the covered outdoor seating area. My husband ordered a draft which we cannot remember the name, and he enjoyed it so much he decided to try the Oktoberfest brew. He said it was delicious and ended up order two of those! They have a wide variety of drafts as well as an extensive food menu. I ended up trying the seasonal ice cream flight and it was delicious. The Apple pie one was probably my favorite, but the cold brew and the s'mores wasn't that far behind. The service like mentioned before was also top notch, really appreciated the staff coming out to check on us even with it drizzling! We will definitely be back to explore more of the menu because it's ever changing!

Mahogany W.

This is such a unique place. I'm not a fan of beer, but there are so many options here that even someone like me can enjoy The Birch. My friends and I rode the scooters here from Colley Ave. and it was a really great evening. The staff was nice and friendly and the ambience was great for like a date night. I was berry impressed with the cheese board selections - everything was tasty. The honey bee Gouda was the bee's knee! It was super creamy and paired well with the beer I was drinking (can't remember the name). I really like this spot and can definitely see myself coming here again!

Shawna C.

Outstanding customer Megan was a great recommendation specialist!!' I finally tried their deviled eggs which are out of this world if you like pimento and cheese which they make in house them you MUST try these. We added a the plank bier Hefeweizen which paired well and was perfect light beer. Coming back because that grilled cheese blueberry is on my next to try list

Hanging out with friends and enjoying some delicious brews!
Veronika H.

Loved the atmosphere and the beer selection. The bartender was very helpful and didn't steer me wrong when it came to beers. I decided to try food and was sorely disappointed by the pretzel and brat platter. The meat was not edible and the soft pretzel was actually hard. I'd go back for drinks but not for food.

Hardwood Raspberry

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2 years ago

Hidden gem. Great charcuterie board...probably one of the best I have ever had. I look forward to going back in the near future.

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Ask the Community - The Birch

Review Highlights - The Birch

Only complaint is they don't fill 32/16oz growlers and they lowest price for a growler is $20.

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Craft 31 - Tona Poke

Craft 31

(604 reviews)

$$

Craft 31 promised excellent food and craft beer, and delivered. Fried oysters on a jumbo Caesar…read moresalad and my wife had a chicken cobb salad. Excellent selection of great craft beer. Exceptional! Our server Jaedin was terrific. The only aspect to mar our visit was a snippy, snarky little-bit-of-a-thing hostess who never made eye contact and barked at us when we asked to be seated in a booth... said they were reserved, but we ordered, ate and finished and two booths remained open. This would be a five-star review if not for Ms. Demeanor...

My cousins came down from Richmond to visit me, and wanted to try this place. It's like a…read morerestaurant attached to a small town Midwest motel in decor, but clean and bright. We were there for a Monday lunch, can't speak to the dinner service. We also weren't drinking alcohol that day, though I thought the beer flights looked tempting. One of us had a cheeseburger that was requested to be "pink" and was overcooked and just blah. One of us had a chicken salad that was served with no chicken. Someone from the kitchen rushed out with a soup bowl filled with chicken slices that looked like those Perdue rotisserie chicken slices you buy at the grocery store. Dumped them on the salad. She did apologize. Our third order was a Restaurant Week special fried oyster salad vouched for by our server, Bailey, who was pleasant and efficient. It came with corn,black beans, mixed greens, cotija cheese and a spicy dressing. It wasn't awful but I think the overall concept was weird. Fried oyster taco salad? The few oyster pieces were tasty. Maybe we were there on a bad day, which happens. The chicken salad fiasco was funny. Not a place I would drive across town to try twice. Maybe stick to burgers and plenty of beer.

Craft 60 Taphouse & Grill - Bacon Mushroom Swiss burger

Craft 60 Taphouse & Grill

(154 reviews)

$$

Was 60 open? They had been open for a half hour and it seemed quite dead. I had to flag down an…read moreemployee to get seated. Very clean and updated facility inside. Very deceiving since it's in a strip mall. Think modern rustic. Our waiter was courteous and on point, no errors. There were 6 of us. No complaints. I had a grilled chicken sandwich. It was good. Good sized piece of chicken cooked just right. The french fries were good. Nothing super special, nothing terrible. If I was in Newport News again, I would eat here again.

So, we ordered some wings as an appetizer. They were supposed to be sweet and spicy Thai. You know…read morewe love all that, and they were supposed to come with sesame seeds on top. So, we get the wings, and the only heat they had was the warmth from the chicken. No flavor at all. It definitely wasn't sweet, and it wasn't spicy. By the third wing, we were still trying to figure out if the heat was going to kick in, and it did not. So, he's like, "OK," and I ordered the jalapeño and Swiss burger. You know me, I love jalapeños, so I'm thinking, "Okay, maybe it'll have some good savory flavor." I've done those kinds of burgers before. The flavor was mid. You could tell they just hand-patted the meat, threw it on the stove, and called it a day. No salt, no pepper, no flavor. Bland as can be. And the jalapeños weren't even hot. I was like, "What?" I grow fresh jalapeños, so I know what they're supposed to taste like, and these weren't it. One of our friends got the bourbon barbecue wings, and she said they tasted like somebody mixed a ketchup packet with some tomato paste, and that was about it. The only thing that was even decent was probably the sweet tea. And then, our friend had to order another meal. I think she got the chicken Philly or something like that, and that actually had some flavor. But here's what got me: how do the French fries have flavor, but my burger and wings don't? I will not be going back. And I'm gonna write a review, because that made no sense., they had pulled pork too. You know pulled pork is supposed to be savory, maybe with a nice sauce or two. This pulled pork they gave me? Dry. They barely gave me any sauce. No ma'am, no sir, it sucked big time. Not going back, not at all. I'm just glad I didn't pay full price, because I would've been mad.

Post Secondary Brewing - Outside

Post Secondary Brewing

(17 reviews)

Post Secondary is a very nice brewery in Portsmouth VA. It is the best and only brewery in…read morePortsmouth and both apply. Dog friendly and people friendly. Got to meet Cecil here, and he is great. The BEER: 95 Ohm IPA 5.2% ABV... this is a very smooth IPA. A little pink grapefruit l, finishes cantaloupe. Great beer here! Pouring for Neighbors Belgian Tripel 9.8% ABV... If I could only drink one beer here, thus would be the one. Not for the ABV, but for the flavor. It is quite good. Faculty Party Eggnog Cream Ale 7.8% ABV... more like a pumpkin spiced cream ale, it was good and warmed me up like hot cocoa Creme Brulee Stout 8.5% ABV... the brewer Chris "Topher" has a great palette, this is a really great stout Hibernian Rua Irish Red 7.4% ABV... OH WOW, so very smooth, slightly boozy, the Nitro makes the difference TT Bockbock smoked double bock 6 5% ABV... So I had this closer to the end of my visit, and honestly this is very well balanced beer. Almost, too perfect So, I tried the Seltzer here and it was really quite good. I typically don't like Seltzer, but I like apples and the flavor profile was exceptional. If you are visiting Virgina Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake or Portsmouth, you should probably make this a stop. Because if you don't, you are probably missing something EXTRA SPECIAL.

Great Beer and Better Vibes! It's Portsmouth Version of Cheers and they have some to the coolest…read morethrow back options..Arcade games an vending machine with local merchandise including ART!

The Veil Brewing - $6 Happy Hour smash burger

The Veil Brewing

(117 reviews)

$$

Fantastic beer and a tremendous burger and even better to be able to enjoy both at Happy Hour…read morepricing and with great company. I selected The Veil as the spot for my UYE and enjoyed an evening of talking shop with the great J David H. while we drank those great beers. The Veil is a comfortable spot in the Railroad District and we were sitting in their dining area on the ground floor. Big tables and plenty of room this afternoon. Which we needed because that burger and fries needed elbow room to enjoy. I'd only suggest a pump-based ketchup dispenser as the packet thing is tedious. They opened here in 2019 - well after I was done with my projects in Virginia Beach and Chesapeake - transforming this three-story space into a family-friendly taproom and restaurant. The full kitchen specializes in indulgent smashburgers and Neapolitan-style pizzas that pair perfectly with the brewery's bold stouts, hazy IPAs, and seasonal sours. We didn't have the opportunity to enjoy the Only You Bar & Lounge upstairs. Maybe that's the next visit to Hampton Roads. [Round number review 1500 in Virginia - 911 of 2025 - 24467 overall]

First time and so freaking overdue! The Richmond based Veil is a beer juggernaut that opened up a…read moresecond location in Norfolk's Ghent hood pre pandemic in 2019. I only experienced the downstairs on my visit with Yelp friend Bruce K. The Happy Hour pricing was a draw as well as stellar reviews. Parking in their own smallish lot on a weekday was no problem. They also have free off street parking too! No debris in sight on my walk up. The signage is the building itself which is darn cool. They also offer outdoor seating. I started off with a Blend which is a Pale and Pilsner if I recall and it was tasty. The counter service was excellent. You can cash tip or card. Customers can also leave a tab open. The seating is wood bench type that comfortably seats six. The aesthetics of the first floor is high ceilings, concrete floors and walls. The kitchen has a garage door over the front. The space was previously a restaurant, but before may have been a factory, or warehouse. Only negative was music was a bit elevated for talking. Prior to Happy Hour concluding I ordered a $6 on special smash burger that comes with fries. No other dudes are available. The regular price is $12, so this is a deal friends. In about 20 minutes burgers and fries were delivered to the table. The look was downright amazing, so pretty much knew this bad boy was gonna be a hitter. The burger comes with double patty, cheese, Dukes mayo, lettuce a pickle. If something else I'm sorry I forgot. The first bite was phenomenal! Fresh bread, perfectly cooked 80/20 beef which was not greasy. The construction was a masterpiece. The thin fries were cooked crispy and seasoned well, yum! Honestly I could eat that burger everyday. The whole experience was exceptional and worthy of a full 5. Totally recommend checking The Veil Brewing out.

The Birch - cheese - Updated May 2026

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