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    Boil Bay

    4.2 (473 reviews)
    Closed 12:30 pm - 10:00 PM
    Updated 1 month ago

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    BOIL BAY ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Trendy
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Boil Bay

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    Shrimp Basket (8)
    Sylvie C.

    I've never heard of Boil Bay or ever thought of visiting a seafood restaurant like this before but I am glad I did. My friend and her family had me tag along to the birthday celebration and I got to enjoy some delicious shrimp basket and cajun fried rice. The service was friendly and accommodating albeit on the slower side of things. The clam chowder is something that can be skipped the next time. It was gluey and I only found one piece of potato in the whole thing. Super disappointing. The seafood boil tasted delicious and I wouldn't mind ordering my own batch the next time around.

    Nothing
    A Q.

    I've generally had good experiences with the food and service at this location, but my most recent visit was disappointing. I came in with my kid about an hour and 20-25 minutes before closing, and the hostess seemed reluctant to seat us. After being seated, the waiter came over. We greeted him, and his response was, "your drink?" We told him our drinks and without saying anything he just walked away. At that point, I told him to forget it and that we were just going to leave. He then had the nerve to ask are you sure? Huh? Of course I'm sure! I have all the patience in the world, but no patience for rudeness.

    Shef S.

    One of my favorite places to eat. Come early to be seated! The boils are really good and the Cajun rice is a hit. We tried the shrimp po boys, hush puppies and the fried corn the other day. It was seasoned really well and delicious. I was surprised the po boys didn't come with a side, I feel like a sandwich should always have a side. If you don't like loud environments, this isn't the place for you. The bathrooms in VB location were blasting music so loudly you couldn't think. The Norfolk locations they're always playing music way too loudly and you can barely talk to your table. Some nights they do karaoke and it's even louder with bad singing.

    Martini Flights $15 (on the happy hour menu)
    Saudia S.

    If you're looking for a good seafood boil and a great drink to match, you should definitely come try boil bay on holland road ! Let's start by getting into the drinks. I ordered the martini flight for $15 and they were DELICIOUS!! They serve another flight of martinis for $25 that ain't apart of the happy hour deal. I tried their Cajun fried rice along with the catfish basket and it was so good. The catfish could have used a bit more of seasoning, but it was fresh and the Cajun fries were amazing !!! For my main dish, I ordered a "Combo C" which consisted of 1lb of snow crab and headless shrimp. The ambiance was amazing !!! They displayed a lot of Halloween decor for the month of October (not too scary for the kiddos). Kenneth was our waiter and he displayed top tier customer service !!

    fish Fried Cheese Sticks & Oyster Basket
    Sarah K.

    The outside almost made us turn around but once you step foot into the restaurant it becomes a better vibe. Service was decent, the servers were polite and we didn't have any issues. For appetizers we got fried fish sticks which were 8/10, tasted fresh. Along with a basket of fried oysters, they were decent and they came with cajun fries. The combo D was a good size for 3-4 people depending how hungry everyone is. we got boil bay special as the sauce and mild spice, 10/10 baby. we loved the flavor and the freshness of both ingredients and meat. Also ordered a mango marg, but it was nothing special. I would've preferred a beer with this meal but again, 10/10 boil I would recommend this place.

    Lobster Tail
    Cora C.

    Our server was friendly and the food came out quick. Large dining area and clean. The crab legs and lobster and shrimp were good quality but their house sauce is on the salty side. Had great flavor tho. It's definitely on the pricier side but for lobster and snow crab is expected.

    Blue Crab (6)

    amazing food beautiful presentation great service ten out of ten would recommend and clean environment

    Family!!

    My family and I had an amazing time! We went on a karaoke night for my birthday dinner. Music was nice and welcoming! Food was great! Waiter was very nice and helpful for a family of 12. Music made it 10x better enjoying everyone and We were able to create an atmosphere of song and praise unto the lord! And that meant a lot to me!

    Menu
    Ashlyne T.

    Let me tell you such a fun place. Every Friday and Saturday evening there's karaoke while you eat. Food is seasoned and tasty. Service was amazing for the amount of ppl in our group. Simply beautiful place. Can't wait to return in the summer

    Papi ..

    The food was pretty good, absolutely demolished it. The service was great and the ambiance was very laid back and relaxing with nice decorations. Spent a decent amount but don't remember how much. Worth the price.

    1/2 Shrimp Head On, 1/2 Black Mussel
    Kristen T.

    Tonight was my first time at the Holland road location! We sat at the bar and still had a great experience. There were only 2 bar tenders but ours was still very attentive. Our food and drinks came very fast.. they were doing karaoke as well so that was a fun addition. The food was just as good as the Norfolk location!

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    Boil Bay S.

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    1 year ago

    Watery very bland and I spent 140 on this today I definitely will not be going to this location ever again total waste of money

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    3 years ago

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    1 year ago

    This place was great! Great food, service and atmosphere! You get plenty for your money! Highly recommend! I'll be back!

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    5 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    Pictures look great! Thank you and we are glad you had a great time!

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    6 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Very friendly staff and such good seafood! We always try to go whenever we're in Va beach

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    Page 2 of 12

    Boil Bay Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Boil Bay

    Are the shrimp with no head deveined?

    They were definitely deveined and I think heads off. They were easy to peel because the deveined.

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    Shaking Crab

    Shaking Crab

    4.2
    (890 reviews)
    5.2 mi
    $$

    Mannnn this food didn't miss! I got the snow crab, shrimp, and lobster combination bag and…read moreeverything was spectacular! Red potato just melted in my mouth! Snow crab was cooked to perfection and slides out the shell with ease! Customer service 10/10 and I will be back next time I'm in town!

    I rarely write reviews, but after spending over $250 celebrating my friend's daughter's 16th…read morebirthday at Shaking Crab, I felt compelled to share our experience. From the moment we arrived, the hostess, Milk, was incredibly friendly, welcoming, and professional. She made us feel valued from the start, and throughout the evening she continued to provide excellent service to every table she assisted. She truly deserves recognition and a promotion. Unfortunately, our assigned server provided one of the worst dining experiences I've had. After taking our food and drink order, she returned only with our drinks and then disappeared for 15-20 minutes without checking on us. My friend's daughter's entrée arrived before our appetizers, and our appetizer--fried hard chicken wings--didn't arrive until about 20 minutes later. When we asked about the delay, the server said it was because we requested the wings to be fried hard. She then made a comment about "Black people in the kitchen cooking." Whether she intended it as a joke or not, the comment was unprofessional and made us uncomfortable. Because of the poor service and attitude, we asked if another server could assist us. While Milk continued to be wonderful, another employee with purple-blue hair was also very rude when we asked for assistance. Her attitude was dismissive and unpleasant. Later in the evening, around 11 p.m., I asked a staff member near the kitchen if they had lids for our seafood buckets. She responded "No" with an attitude. I then asked if they had to-go cups, and she said they did but claimed she was off duty. Less than 30 seconds later, she went behind the bar and began making and serving drinks, which made her response even more confusing. Shortly afterward, she began arguing with my friend at our table for no apparent reason. At that point, we asked Milk to get the manager. The manager came over, sat down with us, listened to our concerns, and apologized. He explained that he was actually off that day but had come in to help support the restaurant. We appreciated that he took the time to hear us out and said he would address the issues with his staff. The food itself was good, but good food cannot make up for poor customer service and disrespectful attitudes. We wanted this to be a memorable celebration for my friend's daughter, not an evening spent dealing with rude employees. Customer service is just as important as the food. Sadly, because of the experience we had, we will not be returning. I hope management invests in better customer service training because employees like Milk show what great hospitality should look like, while others left a very negative impression.

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    Shaking Crab
    Upcoming Specials
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    The Twisted Crab - Lynnhaven

    The Twisted Crab - Lynnhaven

    3.4
    (131 reviews)
    1.8 mi
    $$

    Came in on a Saturday evening and was told the wait would be about 25-30 minutes, which was fine…read more What was confusing, though, was that there were plenty of empty tables while we waited. We were finally seated around 5:40, but then sat for another 10-15 minutes with no service at all. Eventually I had to get up and ask someone when our table would be helped. Our server finally came over and took our full order at once (drinks, appetizers, and meals). He was friendly, but honestly it felt like we were the forgotten table. The table seated directly behind us received service almost immediately . The restaurant itself was very cold and a little dark, but the music and overall vibe were nice. By 6:17, we had only received our drinks. To make things more confusing, our seafood boils came out before the appetizers we ordered; I told them to keep them! That said, the food was actually really good, hot, fresh, and well seasoned. That's honestly the only reason I'd consider giving this location another chance. Hopefully next time the service matches the quality of the food. Sorry I didn't snap any pics! Once our food arrived, we went in; pics were an afterthought.

    Since I was craving a seafood boil, I decided to stop by the Twisted Crab around 8pm on a Monday…read more It was practically empty so I was able to be seated right away. I love that they play good music at this location, it definitely makes for a great vibe. My server quickly greeted me and gave me time to look over the menu. I knew I wanted a good variety of seafood and the Combo options didn't include everything I wanted so I opted to create my own. I decided on 1lb of crab legs, and a 1/2lb of shrimp, black and green mussels. It came with corn and potatoes but I also added sausage and an egg. I always choose the Twisted sauce with a "Hot" spice level. The food was served very quickly and I swear the bag was 5lbs, I was definitely being greedy lol! Everything was absolutely delicious though! The seafood was fresh, the potatoes were tender and the corn was sweet! It was exactly what I needed!!! The margarita was very good as well! My server provided wet wipes, which definitely came in handy! Overall, you can never go wrong at The Twisted Crab! I thoroughly enjoy their seafood and have always had a great experience! I will definitely be back.

    Photos
    The Twisted Crab - Lynnhaven
    Strawberry Margarita
    Strawberry Margarita
    The Twisted Crab - Lynnhaven

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    The Porch on Long Creek

    The Porch on Long Creek

    4.2
    (539 reviews)
    7.4 mi
    $$

    I have nothing but good things to say about the Porch on long creek. First off, there's a few…read moredifferent places you can sit at this restaurant. They have an indoor dining area that is more like intimate and has a cozy feel. They have an outside area that you can eat at and have a great view of the waterfront. And of course they have the "Porch" area which gives that outdoor vibe but you're still inside of a fenced in area. My friend and I ate in the dining room area since it wasn't a wait. We ordered drinks, two crushes which were amazing and refreshing. It definitely gave island vibes. We started off with the crab dip which was incredible and flavorful. The bread with the dip was A1. I could eat the bread alone. Now for the actual dishes. She ordered the crab cake sandwich, she really enjoyed it. Not much filler at all. I ordered a variety. So I had the Cali Virginia Roll which was amazing!! I wish I would have ordered two orders. It was just more on the pricey side. I also had the fried shrimp which were HUGE. I didn't even finish it all. I cannot wait to come back and try everything again.

    Service - the girl we got - heinous. We sat 30 mins with no visit. Finally when the server came we…read moreput in drinks and appetizers. Another 30 minutes - we sat with no water no nothing. I gave up and went to the bar. No joke. Food was good but holy crap worst service.... Until the end for the burn. When we finally got water we sat with empty glasses... long enough for me to go to the bar and get refilled and still not see her. Even my son went to the bar for a freakn soda. All of a sudden a table of 6 sat next to us for her to attend and we got our plates removed while my husband was still pulling the food off his plate. Dishes weren't fully clean- I'm being told by my husband and son- and apparently a white hair and residual of soy sauce or something so dishwasher step up your game. I dunno man- 6 years ago we came and hated the service and the food was bland. We came today for our anniversary dinner with an attempt for redemption - service continued to suck, bartender was a bad @$$- food was better than last time. Oysters were clean- so maybe next time we will just sit in the bar. My kid said for the gen A - "overall bunions service; good food- vibe chill but What's the deal with all these flies inside !!!??? Bunions. I'm gunna rate this place a 6/7 ‍out of 10 but overall mid- def bunion service

    Photos
    Drink special and pineapple upside down drink
    Drink special and pineapple upside down drink
    Chocolate mousse pie
    Chocolate mousse pie
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    The Atlantic

    The Atlantic

    4.5
    (1.3k reviews)
    7.1 mi
    $$

    We decided to enjoy a late lunch--or perhaps an early dinner, depending upon your perspective--at…read moreThe Atlantic on Pacific, located along Pacific Avenue at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront. One piece of advice: arrive a little before Happy Hour begins at 3:00 p.m. If you wait until then, you'll likely find yourself several people deep in line. Don't let that discourage you. Embrace it, because once you're seated you'll quickly discover that the wait was well worth it. The food is delicious, the portions are generous, and the prices--especially during Happy Hour--are outstanding. The Atlantic specializes in oysters, and their Happy Hour runs daily from 3:00-6:00 p.m., including weekends. We began with a Chopped Caesar Salad ($9). Every ingredient was crisp, fresh, and flavorful--a simple dish executed exactly as it should be. Next came the oysters: a dozen Rockefeller and a dozen Pacific. The Rockefeller oysters were everything you would expect from this classic preparation--rich, savory, and baked beautifully. The Pacific oysters, however, completely stole the show. Each oyster was topped with a delicious combination of chorizo sausage, pepper jack cheese, and seasonings before being baked to perfection. They were bold, flavorful, and easily my favorite item of the afternoon. I also ordered the Double Stack Cheeseburger ($7), and what a terrific value. The burger arrived piping hot, loaded with melted cheese, and accompanied by a generous serving of crispy fries. It's hard to imagine finding a better burger at that price anywhere along the Oceanfront. My wife ordered the pork, shrimp, and kimchi dumplings served with a chili crunch and ponzu sauce that tied the entire dish together beautifully. She jokingly threatened to drink the remaining sauce after finishing the dumplings (she didn't), but she did convince me to dip one of my fries into it. She was absolutely right--it was fantastic. In fact, I now regret turning down the dumpling she generously offered me. Part of the fun of dining here is watching Shuck-Master Slim work. He's not only remarkably skilled but entertaining as well, adding a little personality to an already enjoyable experience. From the fresh seafood to the outstanding value and friendly atmosphere, this was another memorable visit to the Virginia Beach Oceanfront. If you haven't been to The Atlantic on Pacific, I highly recommend adding it to your list. You'll be glad you did, and you can rest assured that you're helping support one of our outstanding local restaurants.

    Popped in in a Saturday night and we were lucky enough to get four seats at the bar rather than…read morewaiting 30 minutes for a table. We started with drinks and everyone enjoyed their cocktails and wine selection. Next were the starters of peel and eat shrimp and a selection of oysters. The shrimp were a good size and cooked to perfection. They came with drawn butter, cocktail sauce and extra horseradish on the side. My main was the roasted beet salad which was plentiful and flavorful. The addition of a fried goat cheese ball on the side was delicious. Others enjoyed hush puppies, lobster roll, and sashimi. All were enjoyed with rave reviews. The restaurant is a nice size, not too big and not too small. The noise level was decent as we could still have a conversation even at the bar.

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    Fun staff!!!
    Fun staff!!!
    Snow Crab Legs (MP) $2 happy hour beer 3-6pm daily
    Snow Crab Legs (MP) $2 happy hour beer 3-6pm daily
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    NARRAGANSETT
    Norfolk Seafood Company & Oyster Bar

    Norfolk Seafood Company & Oyster Bar

    3.6
    (383 reviews)
    12.1 mi
    $$

    Not really sure why this place has low ratings. We went there for happy hour and it was fine. I got…read morethe sangria hibiscus that was part of the $6 happy hour cocktails. It was pretty strong but not too sweet. I didn't taste much hibiscus so I'll get something else next time. For food we got the dozen happy hour oysters, oyster Rockefeller, crab roll, buffalo shrimp, and goat cheese dip. Everything was pretty good. Oysters were big but a bit on the brinier side. Buffalo shrimp was surprisingly very flavorful and it came with a ranch/blue cheese dressing. They also gave us complimentary corn muffins which were SO GOOD. Even though we sat at the bar, the service was still really good. The bartenders were very attentive and checked in on us several times. It was a little dark in the basement but I got used to the lighting

    Found this place searching for a place for a group of friends with varied tastes, with an option…read morefor Oysters a must for one. This place met all requirements and everyone left happy! We were a group of seven and selections were varied including hot honey brussels, she crab soup, clam chowder, oysters (raw), crab cocktail (served in a way that let you decide how to eat it), flounder, scallops & pork belly, and crab cakes. Dinner included the cutest (and delicious) corn bread muffins. The restaurant has a warm and intimate feel, with multiple levels. Service was friendly and attentive. It would be a great option for a date night or special event. Highly recommend and would go back if I'm ever in the area again.

    Photos
    Where the magic happens! Yesss!
    Where the magic happens! Yesss!
    Shrimp basket
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    Boss Queens Soul Cafe

    Boss Queens Soul Cafe

    3.8
    (318 reviews)
    8.1 mi
    $$

    I ordered with a large group at work . I'll give grace for the fact that it was a big party but my…read moreorder was left out completely. Once we tried to call boss queen Café we were met with an AI service. Disappointed.. especially on Juneteenth

    Good evening Fellow Yelpers! Its ya favorite critic again with another #runtellthat noteworthy…read moreestablishment -- located in Norfolk, VA. This was NOT my 1st time experiencing this phenomenal business, and I will shout from the mountain tops for all who will listen. Tonight was #Datenight. My wife, another power couple (family, not blood related), and myself. Since the 1st time we introduced them to this place, they've been #hooked. Upon entering, we were greeted by the hostess. We noticed Brie (one of the owners) and we had a conversation (expressing our fondness of the business. We waited about 5 minutes and was escorted to our seats by Brie. We were seated in VIP (Reserved) section Thursday nights are reserved for Karaoke and its was phenomenal, to say the least!! There were some real "singers" in there--not professional, but singers nonetheless. Make sure to come between 6-9 to enjoy their "Happy hour" specials. Drinks came fast. Appetizers came faster. And the food was not far behind. My wife ordered "Keishia Wings (Parmesean Garlic) and fries basket. My sister ordered some kind of dip, and my brother ordered wings. The main course. I ordered "Bad Gyrl Lamb Chops" with Rice & Gravy and Cabbage. My wife ordered the "Veggie Platter" with Collards, Sweet potatoes, Broccoli and Cabbage. My sister ordered The "Sausage, Rice and Onions" platter and my brother ordered the Turkey Wings (Fried then gravy added (no onions), Mac and Cheese and Cabbage. When I say we cleaned our plates, that's an understatement. If you're in the area, visiting the area, or just looking for something outside of the normal, this is it!!! You don't even have to take my word for it. Try it yourself and see --- You will NOT be disappointed! We will be back time after time and hope to meet/see you there! Enjoy the rest of your day

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    Boss Queens Soul Cafe
    Cinco de Mayo taco
    Cinco de Mayo taco
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    Add Lamb Chop -Fried ala Carte

    Boil Bay - seafood - Updated July 2026

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