The Top 5 Best Restaurants in Virginia Beach
VA Beach Oceanfront: Not just a relaxing getaway, but also a ‘Culinary Destination’.
The sound of the Atlantic tides tumble in and out of the beach. The saltwater glistens under the stark rays of the sunlight. The Southern air cools and prickles your skin. And your stomach starts to grumble in dismay due to the lack of restaurants in the beautiful Virginia Beach Oceanfront view. But fear not as this article guides you to the top 5 restaurants in the area!
The world’s “Longest Pleasure Beach” has a distinct variety of restaurant cuisines. From the usual suspect of fresh seafood to unexpected Chinese and Italian cuisines. Fortunately for you, I have sorted and narrowed the many lists of most recommended, best rated and awarded restaurants into a short list of the top 5 restaurants in VA Beach Oceanfront. Let’s jump right into it!
5. The Hunt Room – The Hunter’s Classy Tavern
The tavern is a historic icon as it entraps the stories shared among men, it has a furnace still burning until today to keep the hideaway cozy and alive, a rustic menu with seasonal cuisine inspired by old world traditions, and an array of handcrafted cocktails.
The Menu
The Hunt room being a tavern says it all. They offer 12 handcrafted cocktails, 10 wines and 7 draft beers (The Hunt Room Drink Menu). Even if a tavern does not seem like a place to get a full meal, the Hunt Room is an exception. Their appetizers, entrees and kids’ meals consist of many types of vegetables and meats including seafood.
The Online Reviews
We just started with the lowest ranked restaurant on this list and it has an average of 4.2 stars across the websites TripAdvisor, Yelp and OpenTable. Almost like every other restaurant in this list, the reviews consisted of comments about their high-end food and great customer hospitality.
The Hunt Room Tavern
Despite the Hunt Room being a Tavern, it still has a lavish and long list of dishes on its menu for lunch, dinner and kids. The “old timey” yet exclusive aura of this tavern inside the Cavalier Hotel was preserved as it was once a gathering place for men after their day-long fox hunts in the woods. Stepping inside such a place would make you feel like a leap back into the past, but with power and class.
If you have any further inquiries or if you would like to make any reservations, you can contact the restaurant at (757) 333-6727. If you would like to drive up to the place and relish the vintage setting and food, then go to the address: 4200 Atlantic Ave, Virginia Beach, VA 23451. Keep in mind that they are only open from Mondays to Saturdays for nightly dinner service. Wouldn’t want you to drive up there only to wait for its opening.
4. Murphy’s Irish Pub – “Bold Red and Green Hues All over the Restaurant? Ahh, it’s Irish.”
The pub is a place that make any customer brightened up by the festive atmosphere of the red and green hues of the interior, the many flat screen televisions with the sports channel on, the free-of-charge live band, the Irish Happy Hour at 3pm, and, of course, the Irish food made from fresh ingredients.
The Irish Food
The Irish pub is officially an exclusive partner of the Chesapeake Wild Seafood. I think that answers the question of what quality of food they serve. Their menu may be only a page full, but that shows the quality over quantity. Their menu consists of soups, salad and sandwiches to full-fledged Irish and seafood meals.
The Online Reviews
The pub gets an average rating of 4 stars from the websites TripAdvisor, Yelp, and their Facebook page. Most of the reviews praised the great food, the lively atmosphere and the very accommodating customer service.
The Murphy’s Irish Pub
From the open and refreshing patio to the festive and cozy interior of the pub, Murphy’s Irish Pub is a place you’d want to go no matter what time of the year. Their humungous four-sided fireplace ready for the chilly winter times and the open-air patio for the warm summer times.
It is currently open from 11am until 2am on the weekdays, 9am until 2am on Saturdays, and 11am until 12am on Sundays. If I were you, I’d pick to go to Murphy’s on Saturdays. Who doesn’t want to stay at a lively place that makes you feel like family?
If you have any other inquiries before you take off to this gem of Virginia Beach, you can contact them at (757)-417-7701. If you plan on going there asap, remember this address: 2914 Pacific Ave., Virginia Beach, VA. Oh, and remember to bring your A-game just in case you go on a Tuesday night. Why? Well for Trivia Night of course! You better win that trophy!
3. Terrapin Restaurant – The Strict yet Delicious ‘3-Course Prix Fixe Dinner’
The Food
The menu is simple yet packed with finesse. The appetizers are the usual salads and some light seafood, the entrees consist of seafood, ribeye, chicken and lamb chops, and the desserts are all about chocolate, vanilla and ice cream. Perfect for those with a sweet tooth. Instead of me critiquing their food, I think it’d be better if you read their goal straight from their website:
“We are proud to present our guests with a menu free of hydrogenated oils, and high fructose corn syrup, yet full of flavor that only the freshest ingredients from local sources can provide.” (Terrapin Restaurant Website)
However, since the pandemic, customers are supposed to order a 3-course pre-fixed dinner that consists of an appetizer, an entrée and dessert. Fortunately, for all those who don’t think that’s enough, you can still add an extra course.
The Online Reviews
The restaurant has an average rating of 4.6 stars based on TripAdvisor, Yelp, and Terrapin Restaurant’s Facebook page. This judgement was made mostly because of the architecture of the restaurant’s interior and the freshness of the food. The Terrapin Restaurant is just that classy and high-end restaurant you go to. Only this time, it’s by the Virginia Beach.
The Terrapin Restaurant
To dine here, you need to remember to first make a reservation. Due to the ongoing pandemic, only the restaurant’s terrace is open for diners. This doesn’t seem like much of a compromise as you get to enjoy the air and view. That definitely adds and boosts to the dining experience. Although, the restaurant is only open from Tuesdays to Saturdays from 5:15pm until 7:45pm and you should be able to finish what’s on your plate as takeouts are not available. Despite this very precise and short span to dine, remember that it’s on the top three on this list. For a two-hour dining experience at the third best restaurant of Virginia Beach, it would definitely be worth the compromise. Just remember to only order what you can eat.
If you have any more inquiries on the policies set out by the restaurant, you can contact the Terrapin Team by dialing (757)-321-6688. But if that doesn’t work, you could also try (757)-321-7269. Again, make sure to call the Terrapin Restaurant and make a reservation before going to 3102 Holly Rd. Virginia Beach, VA.
2. Le Yaca French Restaurant – “May I have the Menus?”
The Food
It might just be me, or the French usually has an enormous number of dishes on the menu. I mean like, two lunch menus for prix fixe meals or an ala carte meal? Four menus for dinner? And a whole menu for brunch? Well, all of you who want a variety of dishes to choose from, come on in to Le Yaca French Restaurant.
The Online Reviews
This French restaurant has an average rating of 4.96 stars from TripAdvisor, Yelp and their Facebook page. Wow, those reviewers are cutting it close, aren’t they? Based on the majority of the reviews, the restaurant just simply had good food, ambience and customer service. They also advised that since it is a bit pricey, it’d be a perfect place for special occasions and events.
The Le Yaca French Restaurant
The restaurant oozes with elegance and finesse. It’s the type of place that may seem simple, yet is high quality.Dining in the Le Yaca French Restaurant is the perfect reason to finally use that fancy tux you haven’t used in a while.
If you want to call the restaurant for a reservation, dial (757)-500-4773. Make sure to take note of the various opening schedules as they may be open from Tuesday to Saturday, but their brunch, lunch and dinner timings are all specific and are subject to change. But once the reservations are set and you’ve picked out what you want to order from the many menus, go right on to 741 First Colonial Rd Ste 107 Virginia Beach, VA and ‘dîner’ (which is French of the word ‘dine’).
1. Blue Seafood & Spirits – A Taste of the Sea
Fresh seafood dishes, vast choices of alcoholic beverages and great customer service makes it to the number one spot of the list.
The Food
And last but definitely not the least, our top contender in serving the best seafood in the Oceanfront, the Blue Seafood & Spirits restaurant. The restaurant’s appetizers, entrees and kids’ menu are dishes covered with the locally fresh creatures of the sea. With the exception of vegetarian and glutton-free dishes and the desserts to satisfy all types of customers (Blue Seafood & Spirits Menu). This shouldn’t be surprising as the restaurant is owned by the culinary educated and experienced chef, Charles Thain, who he, himself, lives in Virginia Beach. With Thain’s wife as the sous chef, I can’t see how this fine establishment can disappear from the map.
The Spirits
Who says a restaurant can’t be famous for its alcoholic beverages? Apparently no one as Blue Seafood & Spirits not only takes pride in its food, but also in its local beer, wine, and, well, spirits. They offer their local beer through nine taps and six bottles. Their vast wine collect consists of 17 red wines and 18 white wines. They sell 15 types of distilled spirits.
The Online Reviews
On the restaurant’s Facebook Review page, Blue Seafood & Spirits boasts their five star rating (Blue Seafood & Spirits Facebook Review Page). In the TripAdvisor website, it scores yet another 5-star rating from 965 reviews. While Yelp echoes this pattern with another 5-star rating. If that does scream, “We are the best there is!” I don’t know what does.
The Blue Seafood & Spirits Restaurant
Even with the COVID-19 ruining our vacation plans and travelling dreams, the Blue Seafood & Spirits lifts our spirits by announcing that they are still open for business and ready to take in hungry customers at a limited seating capacity.
If you want to contact the restaurant for further questions, dial (757)-689-5395. However, do keep in mind that the restaurant currently does not does not accept any reservations nor do they host private parties. You could leave them a message on their website, https://blueseafoodandspirits.com/contact/.But if you want to see the restaurant in all its glory, go to the address: 2181 Upton Drive, Virginia Beach, VA, and judge for yourself on why Blue Seafood & Spirits is at the top of our list. Before you go out of your way and visit the place, you might want to check out their merchandise store just in case you wanted a souvenir (Blue Seafood & Spirits Store).
Main Takeaways from this List of the Top 5 Best Restaurants in Virginia Beach
For those looking for a quick reference rather than an elaborate article, here is a summary of the top 5 restaurants of Virginia Beach:
1. Blue Seafood & Spirits
· An all-out seafood restaurant accompanied by tap beers, wines and distilled spirits.
· Has an average rating of 5-stars.
· Currently open with a limited capacity.
· Has a merchandise store for all you souvenir collectors.
· Contact Number: (757)-689-5395
· Address: 2181 Upton Drive, Virginia Beach, VA
2. Le Yaca French Restaurant
· Has a wide variety of dishes for brunch, lunch and dinner.
· Has an average rating of 4.96 stars.
· Currently open from Tuesday to Sunday.
· Contact Number: 757-500-4773
· Address: 741 First Colonial Rd Ste 107 Virginia Beach, VA 23451
3. Terrapin Restaurant
· (Currently) a classy terrace to dine.
· Has an average rating of 4.6 stars.
· Currently open from Tuesday to Sunday.
· Contact Number: 757-321-6688 or 757-321-7269
· Address: 3102 Holly Rd. Virginia Beach, VA
4. Murphy’s Irish Pub
· Has festive and lively atmosphere in the inside and an open-air patio on the outside, making it versatile for the customer to go to at any day all year long.
· Has an average rating of 4 stars.
· Currently open.
· Contact Number: 757-417-7701
· Address: 2914 Pacific Ave., Virginia Beach, VA
5. The Hunt Room
· A vintage and historical tavern at the center of the Cavalier Hotel.
· Serves seasonal cuisine based on old world tradition.
· Serves handcrafted cocktails, wines and draft beers.
· Has an average rating of 4.2-stars.
· Currently open for nightly dinner service from Mondays to Saturdays.
· Contact Number: (757) 333-6727
· Address: 4200 Atlantic Ave, Virginia Beach, VA 23451
Conclusion
And there you have it! A complete background check and guideline to dining at the best restaurants in Virginia Beach! Well, what are you waiting for? Get ready to admire the oceanfront view of Virginia Beach, which includes the best restaurants for an exquisite fine dining experience of course. If you’re already there, well you’re missing out on a lot if you haven’t tried dining at The Hunt Room, Murphy’s Grand Irish Pub, Terrapin Restaurant, Le Yaca French Restaurant, and / or Blue Seafood & Spirits.
APPENDIX
Consists of tables that show how we got the top 5 restaurants of Virginia Beach
Figure 1 | Top 10 Best Restaurants from 5 Different Sources
Note: All restaurant names bold / underlined indicates that it is mentioned in the list of another source.
Figure 2 | Ranking of Best Restaurant in Virginia Beach
| Rank | Restaurant | Breakdown (The lower the score, the better) |
| 1 | Blue Seafood & Spirits | Top 2 + Top 1 = 3 / 2 = 1.5 |
| 2 | Le Yaca French Restaurant | Top 1 + Top 7 = 8 / 2 = 4 |
| 3 | Terrapin | Top 1 + Top 8 = 9 / 2 = 4.5 |
| 4 | Murphy’s Grand Irish Pub | Top 5 + Top 5 = 10 / 2 = 5 |
| 5 | The Hunt Room | Top 4 + Top 7 = 11 / 2 = 5.5 |
