We came to Ballyhoos because it was recommended by various friends of ours. Their website clearly states that they are open until 2:00 AM. We arrived around 12:30 AM, and were immediately approached by one of the blonde, female bartenders, who told us that they were now closed, and were no longer serving anyone, implying that we had to leave. Because of this, we had to stand outside in the rain for over twenty minutes waiting for an Uber to pick us up, as the same bartender and others continued to serve seeming "insiders" for the entire duration of our time standing outside. At one point, these insiders who were still there being served, as well as the very bartenders who told us we wouldn't be served, were looking at us standing outside in the rain and laughing at us. I'm a local attorney in the area who simply expects hospitality and simple courtesy from any local establishment, and I can honestly say that I've never experienced worse service than what my friends and I received tonight at Ballyhoos. It was a truly disappointing experience, given the great recommendations we originally received. My friends and I will be sharing this horrid experience with anyone who asks about this place, moving forward. If I had the option to give no stars, I would. read more

Average at best in terms of food quality. I had the crab cake sandwich and a bunch of different apps. The crab cake was nothing special, definitely not lump and for the price I would think it would be better. The main draw of this place is the atmosphere and location. It's on a corner lot with great open space and the walls open to the outside lawn with live music. I would definitely come back for the bar scene but maybe not the food. read more

This is my first time eating at Ballyhoos. They are very dog friendly for sure. I had to make sure some of the dogs didn't get my food. Most of the dogs were well behaved with some being retired military dogs. I had the Mexi Cali sandwich. It was with a side of sweet potato nuggets. The tables were spaced to allow separation due to Covid19. Clean bathrooms. There is outdoor seating was available. My friends had the Philly cheese sandwich and the mushroom sandwich. I would recommend this restaurant. read more

Ballyhoos - Mexi Cali sandwich and sweet potato nuggets - American Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

We had the all you can eat crab legs tonight. The crab meat stuck to the shells and it was hard to get a whole piece of crab out to be able to dip in butter. I was hoping the legs might get better as the night went on, but they did not! The hush puppies were very tasty and the corn on the cob was as good as any I've had during the growing season. Small kernels and very sweet. Did not need any butter or salt. I am not sure as to why the crabmeat stuck to the shells, but overcooking might have something to do with it. Our server was very attentive and on spot. We didn't have to wait long for another plate of crab legs. My wife had the avocado appetizer and the cherry tomatoes were bitter. The mozzarella balls were tasty. She said the avocado was good. My brother in law had a tasty burger and fries. I probably will go back sometime to this establishment but not for the crab legs. I will definitely try another entree as the menu was quite varied! read more

Awesome Live music Great food Gotta get the crab legs Mac n chess as is the bomb Fries scallops are like something you wanted but couldn't haVe but then haVe an love so much like you use to... omg! read more

Love this place! Had the Blue lemonade alcoholic beverage so yummy! Perfect vibe! We've gone several times for dancing with our friends and have always had a good time. Every time the music was a good mix of: reggaeton, hip hop, and house music. Fun place! read more

Definitely never knew this bar was here until workers from another restaurant told us about it. Cute little bar with big doors to open up in the summer. When we went it was still cold outside month of January i believe, the live band/singer was so loud we has to ask to move somewhere else or else we would've had to scream at each other in hopes of hearing one another. Menu was okay not a huge selection of food for everyone to eat but it was good enough. read more

Everything was great here. Had a good time! Drink was good n reasonable price. Have life band. Will be back read more

Can't seem to go wrong here. Third visit and it just gets better. Food, service and atmosphere. Brittni was our waitress and handled our table of 9 as if it was second nature to her. I had the Cioppini - to die for! read more

Ballyhoos - American Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

I wish I could rate less this ugly bar less than one star. The staff is incompetent and drunk at all times. I have been here at multiple occasions, came to this underdeveloped bar tonight and had a real ID bent at the door. The initial outdoor staff was too drunk to realize that the ID was real. Each "bouncer" had drinks in their hand, all of which were under 25. Asked for the manager, whom admitted that the ID was real and that the young staff had messed up. Wasted my time tonight at the door and now have to pay to reorder a real ID due to the drunken underage staff. Even the "managers" were holding drinks during my entire experience here. Do not waste your time at this bar, your night will be ruined and your real ID's will be bent. Unless you want to reorder a new ID for fun, then go to this bar! read more

The environment was awesome. Band was playing, the food was good, and the staff were super friendly!

My wife and many of our friends live in Lynnhaven Colony and Cape Henry Shores and Bay Island are regulars.My daughter and husband and our two grandchildren wanted to try Ballyhoos after us telling them about the place. After a day on the beach watching them surf and watching the grandchildren we went there tonight to eat. Unfortunately we never were seated after an hour wait with many people coming in after us. My wife asked several times, I asked several times over an hour. Finally frustrated after asking so many times. The hostess suggested we go eat somewhere else. I could not believe she would say that after witnessing all of these people getting seated ahead of us. Who does that? I asked to speak to a manager and explained we just needed a 4 chair table and two high chairs. While talking to him 4 more people came in and were seated. Wow is all I can say. Any way we left and went to the porch. The hostess said there were six ahead of us so we ordered a drink at the bar and talked to Bill the bartender. We ordered our second and were seated. The food is better the atmosphere is better and they have competent staff. This is our new place. Much better for sure. read more

This is the worst restaurant I have ever been to. Young children are more important than paying customers. We had visitors from the UK to take to dinner and show off VB. We showed them alright! We were subjected to screaming (!) children 10' away from us, and parents who were too lazy to control them. Manager said that there was nothing he could do! Nothing? Considering that we spent about $400 (there were 9 of us), and that we do this kind of thing once a month, surely there was SOMETHING he could have done. Food was okay, broccoli was cold, waitress hard to find. one of our guests was afraid that he was going to be shot. It's the kind of place that the British perceive has gun-toting patrons. read more

Really neat new spot located right over the great neck bridge where the O'Leary's was originally. There are two large rooms, one indoor and one out with plenty of space for parties and activities. Super friendly servers and bartenders approached us outside while playing giant Jenga and never felt like we were ignored. Drinks could use a little work and a bit more variety but note they just opened last Friday. Now, the outdoor space, that was something to write about. They provide plenty of picnic tables while playing/watching people play cornhole or just enjoy a few drinks in their spacious yard. I'm really happy they did something with this place as it is definitely gives the area a fresh new feel and a new hot spot for chicks locals. They still have a lot to do with the place in terms of decor and outdoor bar liquors and beers but I see a lot of potential for a fresh shore drive hang spot. read more

Such a nice new restaurant with a good variety of food and drinks. There is an outdoor where you can play several games, such as cornhole, or just sit and relax on the picnic tables. There is also a lovely indoor dining area if you prefer to sit inside. Great food, great drinks, great prices. You will not be disappointed! read more

See all

Bottom line first: This is a bar that serves food. Don't expect great food but expect bar food. I won't be back but I wish them well. During a busy pre-4th of July and us being a spontaneous party of 6, we had immediate attentive service. Yelp suggested this restaurant so we came not knowing it's been open less than a month. It's loud for sure inside. We placed our food order and waited 45 min. My spiral potatoes were not hot and I ordered a cold wrap and it was good. My mom's lump crabcake wasn't. My brother's calamari had a bad tasting breading and was overcooked. He's not a snob. My husband's seafood platter had great broiled food but the fried flounder wasn't good at all. He doesn't have that high of a standard. My sister-in-law had shrimp quesadilla and hoped for bigger pieces of shrimp. It's fine though. It's all good. I took a straw vote and the decision of 6 people is to give this place 2 stars. This place will get better. read more

I come with my softball team every Tuesday and we always have a great time. Live music, good specials, super good food, and awesome service. Thank you, Ballyhoos. read more

Me and my sis in law went out here one night and loved the atmosphere! All the employees were inviting and very friendly! Also the fried pickles were the best I've ever had yummmm read more

WOW! What a place. The outside yard is massive! DOG FRIENDLY & KID WELCOMES. I was super impressed about the service & how much potential this place has. I highly suggest coming in with family. The menu is priced for locals! Crab legs, shrimp, scallops, crab cakes. I 100% percent suggest ballyhoos! read more

The food was alright. However service was somewhat of a train wreck. Incorrect drink orders were put in. I tried ordering the Tuna Poke bowl only to find out once the server came back that they were not only out of build your own wraps & salads but also rice. I ordered the broiled scallops instead and was told they came with a side. The server came back to the table again telling me that only fried seafood gets a side and broiled seafood does not. That really doesn't make sense to me but okay. The food came out in stages- most of our side salads & sides were forgotten and we had to ask where they were. All in all- for the average food and service that needs improving- I can't say there's anything enticing me to go back read more

Wonderful service. Burger and fries and bone in chicken was delicious. Shrimp scampi missing flavour and pasta was overcooked and bland but overall decent place to come on a beautiful sunny day read more

Ballyhoos - American Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

Went here for my birthday and was highly disappointed. My wife and I had scoped out the menu on their website and when we got there, found out they had greatly reduced their offerings due to covid. Of course, everything we wanted was no longer on the menu. The wings were very good, but overall a very disappointing experience. read more

Just found this place, not to far from the house . New owner and use to be some other sports bar. Outdoor patio added and tents coming soon for out door games during the winter . Can't say enough about the staff here. Each person i have come into contact with yesterday and today, have been absolutely wonderful . Yes, it was so good yesterday, that we came back again. This is one of those places that feels like home . When you go in, ask for Charlie. She is such a delight and very accommodating to your needs. Now the food is so fresh and clean and taste yummy . This is defiantly our new spot to come . There are a number of large tv screens for the sports enthusiast. Let us know what you think when you go read more

So, let me paint a picture. It's 80 degrees on a Tuesday night. A buddy of mine both of which are public safety and 1st responders, walk into this fine establishment. Good atmosphere and vibes. Walk up to the bar ask for a Miller lite and tequila and pineapple. We get a tequila on the rocks and a bud lite instead, ok..... Next we grab a table, take on the regular conversation that two close friends have. My buddy goes to the bar to order food and is told a waitress will be sent to the table. He comes back to the table with a orange crush and pineapple and tequila, the correct drink order this time. 30 mins later a waitress comes down from the heavens to finally take an order. Food comes out shortly after, my buddy eats and were still working on our drinks. After food is done the young lady ask if we want another round of drinks, a enthusiastic "sure" is the response as we get another orange crush and pineapple and cranberry with double tequila is order. "Wow, that sounds great" is boasted by our waitress. 30 mins goes by she comes over and tells us she forgot the drink order,lol. At this point maybe we are thinking it is the heaven's way of saying go home. So we ask for the tab on one check. Another 25 mins pass and no check. Yet our waitress can be seen having what can only be identified as the equivalent of a exclusive interview style conversation with another young lady. We look at her several times with no break in her convo. My friend had to physically get up walk over and finally catch her attention, as she casually passed the bill to him as if he was a co worker doing her a favor. Yes never again to this establishment and the service read more

Great atmosphere. The drinks and decently priced and very refreshing! Although, do not recommend the food because it reminds me a lot of basic bar food. read more

The ambiance at Ballyhoos in Virginia Beach is wonderful. I ordered an orange crush, and it didn't seem to me to have much alcohol in it. It was like drinking watered down orange juice. The band was fun. read more

We stopped in yesterday for the first time an I was pleasantly surprised. The drinks had great prices and the atmosphere was phenomenal. The bar tenders were very quick an attentive. We had eaten at the last place we went to an I really wish I hadn't. The food that seemed to be going past is looked amazing an 10x better then the food I had just eaten at Chick's Oyster bar. I didn't feel like I was being over charged for alcohol like I did at the previous place. We enjoyed a couple games of cornhole and jenga as we were there for my sisters 31st birthday. I would highly recommend it so far, can't wait to go back an try the food. read more

Great casual atmosphere, lots of space. The Cobb salad was delicious - didn't expect one of the best salads I've ever had to be at a bar! Looks like they have good happy hour deals too. read more

one of the best atmospheres in VA beach for sure. saturday nights are a blast and the crowd is huge.

The draw for this place is their layout - outdoor and pavilion space. Otherwise, it's a dive bar with your standard beer, liquor, and subpar wine selection. Bar-quality food, crabcakes were more like bread flavored with Old Bay and some claw meat. read more

We made our visit to Ballyhoos yesterday (Saturday). We just went for drinks, but after reviewing the menu I would plan to eat there next visit (tuna poke, may I say more). We enjoyed sitting in the covered outside area with hanging light above us. I would recommend this place for large parties or events, lots of space and fun atmosphere. Another gem just off shore drive. read more

Ballyhoos - American Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

See all

Three because of location and atmosphere and was clean! First time, drinks good $ great happy hour hours was surprised place so dead...read other reviews but still wanted to try, went midday Friday, place was dead, server was 50/50 defiantly was someplace else:( wings really good, shrimp tough and chewy on poboy, not good at all Mushroom Swiss burger was cooked OK but the glaze was too sweet for my liking not to say it was bad just too sweet for me. Definitely the space is an awesome venue I will try it again was a little disappointed but there's always another meal read more

This bar...where do I begin. From the terribly rude management, to the workers drinking on the job, and the scary looking food and watered down drinks, I will never bring my friends here ever again. We were never welcomed in the space. I'll take my hot girlfriends and business elsewhere. Thank you for wasting my time, energy, and money. read more

I had the tuna sandwich and my wife had poke bowl. Very fresh tuna, good portions, and cooked just right. Great service and good selection at the bar. read more

Great food and atmosphere! We stopped by on our vacation and loved how the outside area had games set up. The food was great, the staff was friendly and working super hard! read more

When I visited this place I went outside to make a phone call tried to come back in and was not allowed in. When I asked why there was a guy there standing by the entrance next to the bouncer that threw me to the ground which put a hole in my Columbia shirt. No one did anything and just continue to not let me back in when I did nothing wrong. Unless you want to have your night ruined I do not suggest going here. A lot of little man syndrome in the air. read more

Lunch and lunch drinks are great but forget going at night unless you order a drink they are crap unless you get a beer even then it's hit or miss read more

This place is fun to go to on the weekends or summer nights. It has a great outdoor area with corn hole and Jenga and an outdoor patio area with a full service bar. The bar staff was great and helpful and the food was average. Would definitely come here again for a good time but probably not again for dinner. read more

First impression is the vibe is fantastic! There is plenty of activities outside, unfortunately for me we can at night in a weekday, but I can't wait to come back and play a game or two of Cornhole, giant jenga, or connect four or many of the other options. The decor is pretty cool too. We sat I. What's considered the outdoor area wgich was pretty cool. There's a full bar and plenty of tables and while it's outside you're in somewhat of a super cool space with roll up doors and open walls. Heaters were great because it was a bit chilly. Service was spot on. Our server was very attentive and was great. We ordered the tequila chicken. Very fresh and tasty and I would definitely order again. Came with fresh grilled zucchini which was cooked to perfection. The downfall for me was the rice... everything was fresh and cooked to perfection until you got to the rice. I myself would not have served it and cooked a fresh batch. The only way to describe it is a gooey paste of mush. My husband has ordered the same dish and thought it was potatoes. My daughter who brought us here and talked up this specific dish said that she orders this pretty much all the time and has had this same rice experience one time. In the future I will probably give this dish one more shot to see how it is with rice and hope that my experience was just a fluke. Overall the place is pretty cool and the food was great! read more

I went here on Saturday (6/13) and made a reservation for 12 for me and my friends to celebrate my birthday. Once I got there I called them and was helped by the two of sweetest hostesses (I asked there names multiple times & still managed to forget them lol). They informed me to go ahead to the front of the line to meet the security. The line was easily 2 hour+ and definitely felt a little awkward skipping the entire line. The security was definitely stressed out & told me that my name wasn't on the list. I told him that I was just following the directions the hostess gave me and would never skip a line unless I was given approval. The last thing I wanted was him to think I was lying. There was miscommunication but he still allowed me and my friends to come through. I really wish I got his name because he was so sweet & understanding! (He was bald if that helps). The waitress we had was amazing as well (again forget her name) and even the bartender did the best he could with the amount of people he had at his bar. The only issue I had is that the rest of my party that took a different Uber tried to meet up w us. But the owner told the two hostesses that nobody else was allowed to come in. That was a little frustrating but honestly the place was extremely packed and I'm sure she was just trying to enforce the 50% capacity so I completely understand. Thank you ballyhoos for making my night great. Will definitely be back again!! read more