GREAT food! So many choices that sounded great. I picked shrimp tacos and it did not disappoint. The only complaint was very slow service and we waited a long time between drinks then apps and then main course but waitress apologized and said only two people were working in the kitchen that night but the food came out hot and fresh so I can understand short staffing and it didn't affect food quality. Also with the garage doors open there was a beautiful view and wonderful environment but man o man--there were tons of flies all around. Not the fault of the restaurant more of nature but swatting 4-5 flies all night wasn't fun. Of that really bothers you I'd steer away from sitting inside--maybe outside they're not as annoying since there is open environment??? read more

Worst meal out all year. Went with the wife for a nice evening by the water. The food was exceptionally poor. Her roasted potatoes were crunchy, not crispy. Half cooked at best. Same with the roasted Brussels. Rock hard and legitimately cold on the inside. While it seemed like decent quality ingredients they were prepared so poorly it makes me question the quality control throughout. Two stars because our waitress handled it well and was very nice. She exhibited the appropriate amount of shame for what her kitchen produced that one would expect. We will not be returning. At least until next year when some new owner will likely take over. We were really excited to try this place and just wish it was half as good as it pretends to be. read more

Our first impression of the restaurant was that it was cute and open to a beautiful river view, but that delight quickly turned to dread as soon as the food arrived. For being a seafood restaurant, it didn't do seafood well at all. Everything was way too salty and nothing was fresh, even the chicken tasted like pressed meat. The drinks were also some of the worst I've ever had. None of it was worth the price! If you don't want to spend $100+ on subpar food, I recommend going somewhere else. read more

Brought my sister-in-law to walk the point at CB and at the end we decided to stop for a beer and shared a bench menu item. Right on the "boardwalk", nice open bar and clean restaurant. Staff was very attentive and friendly. Food came out quickly, perfectly cooked and seasoned and now would like to come back and try dinner one night. They have an additional side that has an arcade and serves pizza, probably a great family spot to try as well. read more

Drift Seafood and Bar Colonial Beach - Seafood Near Me - Colonial Beach, Virginia

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The food is great. However, it's extremely hot inside... we are sweating and the ac seems to be off and there are no fans. The kids and 5 adults were all sweating it was not enjoyable. The "sea foam margarita" is more like a martini margarita. The calamari was great, fish and chips and the oysters. Just need to work on the environment. It' feel like 100 degrees outside and no cold ac/fan inside. We had to use the menu as a personal hand fan. read more

Drift Seafood and Bar Colonial Beach - Seafood Near Me - Colonial Beach, Virginia

Unfortunately, had high hopes for the new management. The view is the same view as before, sunset is always fabulous. Menu is more diverse than before, but my entree Asian salad was teeny tiny with zero ingredients besides romaine lettuce and slivers of carrots. The salad was also not served with any dressing. I added $10 steak to my salad and it came with 5 pieces of steak. I guess I'll just wait for another new owner to try to make a go. One positive was even though the service was terribly slow, the server was friendly. read more

Food + service was amazing! Can't wait to go back! Sat at the bar and the bartenders and servers were all very friendly and personable. read more

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I'm not sure why this place has such mediocre reviews. Service was super friendly and efficient at brunch on Saturday. The ambience is lovely- Drift sits right on the boardwalk at colonial beach with beautiful views of the water. My fried fish sandwich was well seasoned, crispy, and a very generous portion. My husband's colonial beach breakfast was well received and the grits and biscuit were tasty. read more

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Food was okay when it arrived after 2 hours. I understand being busy but had to ask 3 times for water and drink were not brought out timely if at all. Would not recommend. read more

Pro:great ambience and vibes, right on the water with great views. Con: short staffed with only 2 waiters(1that was new). I asked if the lobster roll was mayo or butter since the menu didn't specify, informed it was butter. Unfortunately when it arrived it was mayo. I then ordered the steak rare , not only did I get my meal after my family was done eating, but my steak was horribly tough! read more

What a gorgeous place!! We're in town visiting and staying nearby. It's a slow weekend because there was rain. The staff are really friendly. It was pretty quiet for. Friday night late dinner. The place is really well decorated, brightly lit, clean, and has a beautiful view!! The food does take some time because everything tasted like it was freshly made. The staff is friendly and helpful. Ray is a great bar tender and was on it. We got fresh oysters, Code Poutine, the Drift Pizza, and Strawberries with Cake. They take time to have balanced flavors with locally sourced ingredients. Even the raw oysters were clean and fat! They have an amazing pastry chef who baked oysters crackers that are like spicy biscuit crackers. Dessert was strawberries with cake, which honestly was my least favorite. The presentation was a bit underwhelming, the pound cake was too dense like a biscuit, and the mixture of lemon and strawberries was too much for me. I expected a light and refreshing taste, but it was overly sweet and tart....too intense. After a lot of fried bar food in the area, this was a pleasant experience. It is a must for people who want a bit more refined dining with a beautiful waterfront view!! We are so glad we stopped in! read more

Drift Seafood and Bar Colonial Beach - Seafood Near Me - Colonial Beach, Virginia

The low shrimp boil was fantastic. Very flavorful and full of a nice combination of seafood, corn, andouille sausage, potatoes. For dessert we had a wonderful custard pie that was homemade along with a suggested dessert drink by Charlie our waiter. read more

I you're not coming here the food has no seasoning I had the she crab soup as for obey they want to charge me $1.50 to add to the soup. Do not get the crap appetizers a $30 and they look like hockey puck with no taste. read more

Drift Seafood and Bar Colonial Beach - She Crab Soup. It was a pinch of crab meat. - Seafood Near Me - Colonial Beach, Virginia

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I'll start with this. I don't leave yelp reviews...ever; but I am confused as to why this place only has 3 stars. My wife and I split the oysters which were awesome, she had the steamed clams and loved them, I had the seafood boil and thought it was great with a ton of flavor. We also split the blue cornbread which was 10/10. The staff were super friendly and the bartender had a custom seasonal apple pie old fashioned craft cocktail which was insanely good. Will definitely come back to CB just for Drift. read more

Order the berries & cream cocktail here!!!!!!! It's phenomenal. The restaurant was also cute, staff was nice, and food was good. read more

Drift Seafood and Bar Colonial Beach - Berries & Cream cocktail - Seafood Near Me - Colonial Beach, Virginia

Over 45 mins for food to come out and each entree came out in five minutes intervals. Our server told us things were not available but the server at the table next to us was getting offered what we asked for. Cute restaurant and good ranch, but other than that I do not recommend. read more

The place is horrible. The customer service is not there at all. Every one that works hear makes you feel horrible for walking in the door the food it's mediocre and $290 for four people was not worth it i'm in the customer service business and I'm really surprised this place is even still in business and remind you there was very little people in a place for being for for July. The tables weren't even full will not ever come back to this place I will tell people to stay away every time I'm down hear if I could give zero star I would read more

Go for brunch! We went for brunch on Sunday. The food was awesome, and a good value. The dinner menu has premium pricing - understandable given the ingredients and location - but makes it more a special occasion restaurant. Brunch is competitive with Dockside and Fire Escape, and is worth a visit. The views from the restaurant are beautiful. It's right on the "boardwalk" on the beach looking at the Potomac river. All of our meals were well prepared, with quality ingredients. The pastry board was awesome! Even if you just want one pastry, get the board and take the leftovers home. The grits had a ton of flavor and great consistency. Real ham on the Benedict. Service was fine. Only hiccup was one of the entrees came out about five minutes after the other ones. The manager was very active walking around the restaurant and checking on things, which is great to see. We'll be back for brunch again! read more

The location and atmosphere is absolutely amazing! We ordered drinks, appetizers and dinners, all which were very good! Our server, Tori, was awesome as well. We loved it and can't wait to go back. Such a plus for Colonial Beach! We had oysters, fried green tomatoes, blackened scallops and Drift Seafood pizza. Also had a martini, 2 Negronis and a glass of Rosé, read more

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This place was okay , and that's really all. The oysters were good and nice sized, but the cobe poutine wasn't really very flavorful. Our server was nice, and we got our food pretty quickly once we got sat. The interior decor was cute and there was ample outdoor seating but the place was just dead. Overall don't think I would come back, but the drinks were good. I had the espresso martini and my fiancé had the drift. read more

Drift Seafood and Bar Colonial Beach - Oysters - Seafood Near Me - Colonial Beach, Virginia

Great late night dinner at Drift. Great ambiance to relax right on the beach. Oysters were yummy!! read more

Drift Seafood and Bar Colonial Beach - Oysters - Seafood Near Me - Colonial Beach, Virginia

Amazing view and loved the crab cake Benedict. Service was great as well - will be back!

We were the first people in the open dining room and it still took about 45 minutes for our food. I had a hard time ordering because most things didn't look good and I dish want so many carbohydrates. I settled on shrimp and grits. Shrimp plural is still shrimp and there were only two on top of a huge bowl of cheesy grits I could hardly find any ham. I could see maybe a couple shrimp for an appetizer, but this is supposed to be brunch! It was ridiculously overpriced. The sorghum syrup was weird on French toast. We took most of the grits home and the young waiter was clueless and was trying to scrape it out of the bowl with the gloves he was wearing and I had to ask him about three times to use a spoon. When we first walked up to the bar, I asked if they were serving lunch or if they were open and the female bartender said we have brunch and then she proceeded to explain to me that that's breakfast and lunch combined. As if that's a new term. Definitely would NOT recommend this place. read more

Disappointed to say the least. We started out by being greeted at the door by two girls that seemed lost in their own worlds. As we were getting seated they would start to have us follow to a table before getting confused and turning around to look at a seat map in a mostly empty restaurant. Our server, while helpful, was also a little overwhelming. In the hour it took us to get our food we had a some time to people watch and it seemed there were too many other pressing matters outside of work as there were bartenders taking phone calls and servers/ hostesses texting everywhere you looked. Our food finally arrived in increments the 3 out of 4 plates first and 5 minutes after the last plate. My biscuits and gravy came out like warm at best and extremely salty. The burgers were described as a 4/10. Overall I would just say spend your money elsewhere. read more

Incredible ambiance and views in a gorgeous dining room with beautiful bar. That's about where the "positives" stop. We dined at about 515pm (they open at 5), and we were maybe one of 3 tables. Our son's meal came quickly which we appreciated, but our entrees and side took 55 min from the time we ordered until it was delivered. And it wasn't correct; our side (French fries) never came. The crab cakes were very bleh, so I wish I could say it was worth the wait. What's worse was 0 acknowledgement from the server or manager that our food was taking so long, no apologies nothing. We will not return and I'd not recommend for others. read more

Came in for the festival. Don't waste your time at this place. We sat inside. Took over 40 minutes to get one of our appetizer. Then 20 more minutes to get the second appetizer. Finally main course came 15 minutes later. Spent way too long waiting for food when the place was dead. We went to dinner early. You don't get anything with your main course. Fish was thin and over seasoned. Salad looked like it had been sitting for over 30 minutes and was limp and lifeless. Soup- the sherry was overwhelming in it. Service sucked. No one communicated about anything. Manager came over and told her all the issues. She only said thanks for the feedback and not even a sorry. No offer to give us free dessert or comp our check. Not that I was looking for anything but dropping $150 at your restaurant you think we would have had better service. Better communication. WE WON'T BE BACK. Thanks wasting our time and money. read more

Stopped by with friends for "happy oyster hour" this evening and we were asking questions about the menu. I asked if they had "Rockefeller" and he didn't know what I was talking about. He was young and eager but has much to learn, clearly! We ordered drinks and the charcuterie board, which was, in a word, weird. It was described on the menu, but we thought what was described on the menu must have been in addition to the usual charcuterie board stuff - cheese, crackers, etc. It consisted of potato salad, Cole slaw, pimento cheese, a tiny amount of ham, a random glob of stone ground mustard, some pickled okra, and some pickled onions. It came with these weird very off putting things that looked like moldy mini doughnuts which our server told us were blue corn cornbread. It was just very strange! Don't think we'll be going back! read more

Good food service outstanding staff are awesome, I recommend very highly on board walk, colonial Beach

Pretty looking restaurant right off of the boardwalk of colonial beach, plenty of seating and not very crowded. Our first night, we went to get some drinks at the bar, the bartender was very nice and attentive. The second night we went back for dinner, and the waitress was not attentive at all and overall seemed disinterest in answering questions or getting us other things we requested. The food was way overpriced for the quality. We will definitely not be going back. read more

Got here right as they opened for dinner and we were some of the only people there. We ordered a kids pizza, she crab soup, crab cakes, and fries. The pizza and soup arrived promptly and were delicious. Then we waited ONE HOUR for the rest of our meal. At no point did our waitress say anything to indicate that this was unusual or perceived to be an issue. When the crab cakes arrived they were lukewarm and lackluster. After waiting ANOTHER 15 MINUTES for our fries, they finally arrived very hot. At no point did our waitress apologize for the delay or even ask if we wanted another drink. Truly mind-blowing how bad the service was and how mediocre the food was. Especially for the price. Will not be back here again. read more

I know they just opened. This is not about that. Every new restaurant that opens has some issues. Service, kitchen or suppliers? So I give plenty of latitude there. But, sometimes things to mention are more structural and need to be addressed. Overview: cocktails, excellent beer choices good The meal is you order your entree and the sides are separate. Fine. My entree was the blackend Rockfish for $40. When I say say everyone at our table just laughed at the portion size, well, we all did.. Simply a small piece of fish. I had the smallest portion on my plate at the highest cost. I looked at it in disbelief. Definitely would never get that again. The sides are "family style". NO, they are not. Enough for 2 people yes, not the family. I know family style from places like Morton's, Capitol Grille, etc... These are not that. The mashed potatoes side was excellent. Just don't tell me it is family style. No bread was offered or available with the meal. We were a table of 4, and the entrees came out at least 5+ minutes apart, one at a time. By the time the last entree was on the table, the first diner was almost done. You just can't enjoy a meal like that. Entrees arrived over 20 minutes in total. No two came at the same time. It was painful. Wife's hanger steak was slightly overdone. The manager came to the table and asked, I told her what I thought about my fish. I will try them again in the fall. read more

The atmosphere is nice. The service and food quality are quite low. They won't make it through the Winter. I would go there for drinks only.

Food really isn't that impressive, mediocre. Service is terrible. I provided some feedback to the manager and she didn't seem to care at all. Will not ever come back. read more

If you want to pay $40 for $10 worth of hanger steak and have your server ignore your table, this is your place.

The food was delicious! Potomac Breakfast was so good! The Pastry platter was all homemade items. The yogurt bowl was a work of art! Very affordable prices, excellent location right on the water, and great service will definitely ensure we return! read more

Disappointment at best over priced and under delivered. Wait staff was good and that's about it. At a $50 a plate restaurant the air temperature should be under control. Ambiance and location is nice minus the sub par air-conditioning. Menu items are not as described and for the price left very Disappointed. Unfortunately this is my second encounter with the so called executive Chef and still nothing but excuses and a general I know Food better then you attitude. I feel this place could be so much better with a change in the culinary execution. Unfortunately a restaurant that will be off the list for future weekend outings. read more

I love Drift. It is my go-to spot to have dinner when I'm in town. The restaurant itself is stunning. Great river views. Expansive veranda overlooking the river and the boardwalk. The wine list is fantastic. The food is exceptional. I've never had a bad dish there. I appreciate the thoughtfulness that goes into the preparation of each dish and the whole experience that they are trying to deliver. It's unfortunate that a lot of people in the area just don't appreciate good, fresh food and wine. read more

Ok I never make reviews!! I felt sad looking at all the negative reviews because this place has GREAT POTENTIAL & is an awesome spot. I've been coming to CB all my life and yes, this place is pricey and not the normal eatery here BUT it's perfect for those wanting an upscale dinner on the water :) It has a limited menu but everything you get is fantastic! The service is filled with young staff that just need some more time to learn the ways and get through their first summer. The apps are smaller so not sharing size for a group. THE WINE THOUGH! It's fantastic. Overall, this place is rare in a smaller beach town like CB BUT makes for a great date night, anniversary, birthday, & attraction for out of towners to help draw in money and job opportunities for this town :) read more

Drift is such a special place for dinner with family and friends! I love the open air concept on the water!

Beautiful restaurant, friendly staff, cocktails, oysters, and salads were delicious! Recommend during daylight hours to enjoy the spectacular view. read more