You would never know what a little gem this place is by walking by, but it is a wonderful surprise inside. My husband and I arrived rather late for dinner (10:30), so it was a little empty, but that was perfect for us. Great background music and ambiance for a date night or drinks out with friends. We ordered the dumplings/gyozas, artichoke hearts and sausage plate. Everything was awesome! Everything from the main dish down to the accompanying sauces were perfect for each other. I was a little apprehensive of elk sausage, but it did taste good. The chicken sausage was my favorite and so were the dumplings. We weren't in the mood for dessert, but would love to try it next time. read more

Very nice interior design. Good place to bring a date. Hopefully, everyone knows that tapas are small plates and a particular kind of cuisine. Pacifica has a blend of traditional American food blended with Asian and Mediterranean dishes. The absolute best thing on this menu had to be the pork pot stickers. They were the right blend of savory and sweet. I would go for a swim in the sauce if I could. The one place for improvement I would ask here would be to pace the arrival of the plates a little farther. I ordered 3 plates. I wouldn't be finished with one plate before the next arrived. I'd like a little time between plates to enjoy each a bit longer. Especially on a slow night when they don't have a line at the door. Bottom line - go here, get the pot stickers and you'll be happy that I told you! read more

Love love love this place - a local secret treasure. Private ambiance, casual and a delicious list of specials that changes daily. Tapas style servings makes great for groups looking to taste a sampling of local flavors. The staff - great team - great service. Go - you won't regret it! read more

Pacifica - Birthday s'mores by the fireplace! - New American Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

I have always loved this place!! I moved away and came back for vacation and took my boyfriend there last night. We sat at the kitchen bar in the back. The chef, Josh, was absolutely amazing. The restaurant was slammed and the server and bartender were so busy and told us it would be a few minutes before they could get to us. The chef got us waters and took our food order. Our food actually came out before our drinks, but we didn't mind. The food was amazing as usual. Flat iron steak and goat cheese and olive tapenade are always a great go to. Our experience could've gone a completely different way if it hadn't been for chef Josh!! We're only back in town for a few days, but we will make it a point to go back before we leave. Thanks again for an amazing meal and experience. read more

hands down my favorite late night spot in VB! I'm a harsh critic and absolutely in love with Pacifica- everything from their atmosphere and staff to their wide variety of crafted cocktails and meticulously put together delectable tapas. plus we love their resident bartender, Mike! read more

Get the s'mores! ok wait get a martini from their awesomely creative drink list, some hot and cold tapas...then get the s'mores. Creative and yet simple, cute and quaint. This place is Devine! A special is truly special, not just the price. This is a tapas restaurant - but the portions are larger than other tapas in the area....and much more delicious. Very courteous and knowledgable staff (which is rare in VB), chill relaxed atmosphere (2 cozy couches next to the fireplace) and I haven't had a bad experience here yet (and I don't plan on it) And the s'more come out on a pupu plater with the little blue fire pit going on in the middle of it... I suggest dipping the s'more's in the Nutty Martini ...so sinful :) read more

Where to begin, I have been coming to this place for years. I have traveled all around the world and have yet to find a place that compares to this restaurant. The concept here is brilliant, food is nothing short of amazing, and they serve till 1:30am and won't make you feel bad about ordering late. Drinks are next level, craft cocktails and the atmosphere is super chill. Mike the bartender is the man. Highly recommend read more

I love tapas because you can try multiple different foods. We may have gone overboard but it was worth it, here is what we ordered: Duck Sausage curry rice. Meh, it was just okay. Foie Gras on Gingerbread. Wow. Lamb Burger. Filling and delicious. Soy Chili Shrimp. Spicy and crunchy veggies. They also had an extensive drink menu that was impressive. The ambiance was really romantic, but maybe that's because we sat by the fireplace on the couch. Matthew, our server, was so helpful and friendly. Definitely a great place for a different dining experience. read more

This place is such a dichotomy. It's like a high end dive bar. Service was quite good. We just came in for drinks. Sat by fire on the low sofas. Very nice and relaxing. read more

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I love everything about all the little bar bistro restaurants. My fiancé is a vegetarian and this always has so many options. The seasonal menu really keeps things fresh. I know it's about to change but get there fast and get the spaghetti squash lasagna! The service is always so helpful with suggestions and knowledge of the food. read more

We came here on a Friday night with another couple, who loved this place. It was busy as we had expected on a Friday night. It was well worth the wait and it was nice to see the staff knew the couple we were with, it's hard to find that in restaurants these days. They have quite a drink menu and I wish I could of tried much more but I was driving. I did enjoy the "original daiquiri" and the "up all night" drinks they were delicious. As for the food, this place serves tapas. If you want to eat here come with an open mind and order as many things as you can and share them with everyone at the table it's an exciting way to dine. A few of our favorites were the potstickers, the octopus, and the pork tenderloin. We joked at the end of the meal that when we get rich we will just come in and order the whole menu. We can't wait to return! read more

Pacifica - New American Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

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If you'd told me, upon walking in, that I'd be leaving a five-star review, I would have spit in your face and called you a liar twice. We had a fairly newish server who, unlike virtually everyone else that I met at this restaurant, was not that into the customer experience. However, we survived him; I was in town for two weeks, and we ended up here twice. First, the drink menu is overwhelming and exhaustive - the second point of contention between my reluctant server and I (the first being our largely ignored entrance) was that, after giving him likes and dislikes, he found himself unable to suggest a suitable drink. I did not know, at that time, that he was newish. I would have preferred, of course, that he had gone to the bar and consulted the amazing Mike. Instead, I just pouted and refused to order a drink. Had I known better, I would have just walked up to the bar myself. Nevermind. My companions order the Holy Vesper and Holy something else, it was amazing. Which just set the tempo for the rest of the meal. The BLT salad was particularly notable, and caused my co-worker to summon the man responsible for the exquisitely smoked bacon from the back of the house to congratulate him. The second time, I was feeling less priggish - and our server was amazing! - so I indulged in the Pink Grapefruit and the Watermelon Basil martini. Great decision. I also had the Sesame Tuna Poke, which may have been one of the best choices I made all month. The special mac'n'cheese was good, and...did I tell you how amazing the Poke was? I wanted to bury my head in the bowl and howl. The experience was so amazing that we took our server up on the suggestion that we should go to Empire on a night she was bartending. It was good, we had fun, and the gnocchi was everything every cooking show has ever promised it should be, but Pacifica wins. All the contests. Ever. If you haven't been, you should go. Unless you want to go somewhere stodgy, unnecessarily expensive, and not very good. Then, you should definitely stay away and leave room for the rest of us by the fire. read more

Enjoyed our meal here a lot. Small and quaint. Good specials. Interesting cocktails. We had the daily sausage, the rabbit and dumplings, and the steak. All very tasty. Would like to come back and try the Mac & Cheese. read more

Decided to check this place out after the bartender at "The CHOW" recommended it to me. Upon arriving I realized that they are just like Empire in Norfolk. EVERYTHING on the menu's are ALL the same except for subtle differences. Service was VERY slow at Empire and this place isn't much better I'm just going to make the assumption that all these sister bistro's are SLOW aka: SIX, Crackers and most definatly Empire. I still don't get the "First Aid" signs located on the vodka coolers must be a metro thing. I ended up having the Dogfish Head seasonal (Burton Baton 11%ABV) and the poached salmon. Which was alright. It came out as a 2x2" square of salmon and 3 sprigs of asparagus w/ what looked like clovers. It was just ok, for $10 not so much. Coulda've got a lot more for the same price at Applebee's. **Overall this place is again "just ok" being a craft-brew guy, a place that liquor out weights the beer, you can count me out. read more

Good plates, small but yummy. We ended up ordering 7 total for our group of 3. The service wasn't spectacular - I had to try and ask my server 3 or 4 times for a beer because he kept bringing something and leaving before I could ask. They say come in and sit wherever you want but I think this may cause some servers to be double or triple sat and too busy to really help their customers. Just a guess. read more

The food was excellent. Service great. We especially loved the dessert s'mores- that we did ourselves at our table. Everything on the menu sounded delicious. Hard to choose! read more

I've always had a good experience here from the service, the food, and the wine. Their menu changes every time I visit, and everything I have tried has never been a letdown. I can't make any recommendations, because it's been awhile since I have been. Your best bet would be to try whatever sounds good, and I'm sure Pacifica will please. Can't wait to go back! read more

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1. Overpriced but keeps the riff raff out 2. Great Atmosphere 3. Always Clean 4. Food is consistently good 5. I will go again read more

Love. I had only been to one tapas bar in my life and it was all Spanish food. So when I saw tapas bar I was expecting all Spanish/spicy dishes (like the last one I went to) but I was pleasantly surprised. This is not your typically Spanish tapas bar. The cocktail menu is reason enough to stop here. Wow, just wow. The martini list is expansive and you can easily find something you will enjoy. I thoroughly enjoyed the Vanilla'tini. The food was perfectly timed, perfect portions to split many different plates between 2 people. You can't go wrong with any dish. We tried a bit of everything. Beets, hummus, crab dip, salmon, beef. THIS is the kind of food you want to have on vacation. Things you can't find at home (though I wish they would open a place in Boston, PLEASE!!). Delicious, fresh, and perfect food. Server was on point and fantastic. Couldn't be happier with our experience here. It was so great the first night, when we had to leave another restaurant for being horrible we went right back here for our last night of vacation! read more

The most amazing food and service in Virginia Beach. Chris the owner is very personable and loves what he does here and the food shows. The atmosphere is great the wait staff are on point and I can't wait to come back here again. Have been here several times and never have I been disappointed ever. Recommend highly. read more

Pacifica - New American Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

Seriously, Where do I begin....How about the simple fact that I was at this place with the impression the kitchen might have needed a Monster Clean scrub down. Come to find out it was a mere miscommunication and as I walked into the kitchen, I noticed how ridiculously organized and clean it was. By far the dopest kitchen a client has ever had. So impressive my wife and I hit up their Tapas twice that week of servicing. Check this place out, you won't be disappointed. Not the slightest. Coming from a Chef. This place is the truth. read more

Pros: Great atmosphere especially in the colder months with the seating around the fireplace. Great selection of drinks. Cons: I used to love this place but they've recently have changed. We tried their new fall menu a couple of weeks ago and wasn't that impressed with the food, but we thought it was just an off night. Previously, there tapas were amazing! Tonight, we started with an order of the roasted cauliflower and vegetable potstickers. The cauliflower came cold and rock hard and we got the pork potstickers instead of the veggie - being vegetarians this is a huge problem. Although we tried to pleasantly tell the waitress our dissatisfaction she was on the defensive and seemed to be irritated that we brought up the issue with the food. The table next to us had all the wrong orders delivered to them as well. We do come here frequently - typically more in the winter months. It was interesting that we didn't recognize anyone which could explain why everything seemed to go wrong. Not sure I'll come back after what I've experienced tonight. Seems like they've forgotten how to give good service and the tapas have been subpar. read more

My husband and I were visiting Virginia Beach for a week. Prior to going, I found some certificates on restaurant.com. Pacifica was one of the certificates that I got. My husband and I went on a Thursday night for dinner. This is a tapas restaurant, so you have various small plates and get to try a variety of things. The restaurant doesn't look like much from the outside, but it's very cute and cozy inside. They also have an extensive drink menu and a number of daily specials! I started out with a cold plate, Farro salad with sweet potatoes, craisins, and curry sauce. It was really tasty, especially if you like curry! ($6.00) I also tried the Braised Pork with kimchi, udon noodles in a pho soup broth. There is a decent amount of pork; however, it was very salty. I'm normally a fan of pho and it was good, but salty. ($8.00) I tried the mac n cheese du jour, which was steak and onion. OMG! This was by far my favorite! Their mac n cheese is very rich and had great flavor! ($8.00) My husband tried one of the specials, Scallops with kimchi and seasame seeds. The scallops were large and perfectly cooked! ($11.00) He also got the smoked shrimp and grits. He felt that the shrimp was overcooked, but the flavor of both the shrimp and the grits were really good. ($10.00) The price is about average for a tapas restaurant, but the food is above average. We'll definitely visit Pacifica again if we are in the VA Beach area! read more

My girlfriend and I were here tonight and she ordered the pork pot stickers and goat cheese app. (2 different apps) .. 25 minutes later we were still hungry. When our food finally got delivered they brought us the pork tenderloin, not the pot stickers. Then when we return the incorrect app, the bartender says he's sorry and immediately hands it to a bar guest in front of her like "hey here ya go, oops" .. The guy actually came up to my friend like "thanks sorry they messed up" as he ate the appetizer. So FINALLY 15 minutes later the waitress brings the potstickers, and my friend orders some more bread for her goat cheese. 15 minutes after that, we are both ready to leave and we finally get the bread. We were over it. While the vibe there was great, the service is severely sub par. It was the first time I've been there and the only reason I would choose to go back is if my friends wanted to go there. Sorry but get it together if you want repeat customers. Also your fernet should be refrigerated read more

Great service by a knowledgeable waiter, nice bar selection and some very tasty food. Its great to go somewhere and be surprised by an ever-changing menu and clever kitchen staff. Duck tacos with picked veggies? Awesome. Fried Green Tomatoes with Surryano (yes, it is spelled that way) ham? Fantastic. I'm actually contemplating going back this week just to have this again if it is on the board. Gets crowded late on some evenings. Two Thumbs Up for: atmosphere, vibe, service, speed, selection, quality, price. read more

Loved it. Went here w/ a large group including a table of teens. Every dish we ordered was wonderful and we tried a lot since we had so many people. The kids enjoyed their food as well, especially the smores. Will definitely go again next time we're in the area. Drinks were also outstanding. read more

Food is ok, nothing special. Drinks are ok, but very pricey. Payed $90 for 2 appetizers and 4 drunks. Never again... read more

Pacifica is an oceanfront must-try. Since it's not an all-day joint, this tiny gem can fill up fast. Unfortunately, this sometimes reflects on the service, but a good beer selection, tasty tapas, and quaint atmosphere let you bend a little on the timing. As a former server, you have to remember that a tapas joint is sort of like your appetizer and dinner combined, so many people order twice as many plates, but expect them at the same time. As with any good eatery, I find the experience is always best on a night that's buzzing but not bombed, especially since the small bar area can fill up fast. read more

I'll be going here every time I roll through Virginia Beach. Locally sourced ingredients for their tapas. I've been there twice, and the second time the menu was almost completely different from the first, so I won't bother telling you what I had, except for dessert. The s'mores are fun, especially if you are there with friends. They give you the ingredients in an old school chinese pupu platter, complete with fire, so you can make them yourself. Pretty sweet. The food was great, and they have a great selection of beers. read more

This place was fun. We crammed a corner of 13 of us and sampled all sorts of yummy tapas. Having been in Virginia Beach for 2 weeks for work, it was a great way to culminate the trip. There were a variety of tapas. I'm sure the menu has changed since I was last there, but I do remember enjoying the gyoza, meatball, and dumplings the best. If I somehow end up in Virginia Beach again, will definitely find my way here again. read more

Bartender Mike is the bomb. Pleasure House Double Mudder IPA & New Belgium Golden Ale = yum. Had smoked salmon enchiladas @ seared scallops and yellow beet risotto also both delicious. Great hipster atmosphere. Will be back on next visit. read more

Pacifica - New American Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

Wow... what a find. Amazing selection of unique cold and hot tapas. Generous portions for small plates. Expertly prepared. Creative but not too out there. Reasonably priced selection of wine. Scallops, smoked ribeye, and the potstickers were our favs. ---------- Update: Still going strong a few years later (2019). The Wagyu Flank Steak is our new go-to along with the Scallops. The scallop prep seems to change every time to keep things interesting. Wines aren't high end and would be good to have some Napa options for us snobs... on the other hand I've never had a bad glass here. read more

Whaaaat!!! $10 "can not put it in my mouth" Udon noodles recommended by the server for my kids? It was so spicy that the adults could not eat it! All this while the kids are falling asleep as we wait for one last tapas meal. We sooooo wanted this place to rock. VB needs this place and I badly wanted a 5 star review bud sadly not. The arctic char was overcooked, the pork belly was super fatty and the tuna was "fit in your palm" small for the price. I cant comment on the steak cause we are still waiting for it. It has now been 20 minutes! Im not gonna ramble on-and-on but based on other yelp reviews we are safe to say that were quite disappointment. The search continues........ read more

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Warm welcome on Christmas evening even though 15 minutes early for their opening..fun tapas nice atmosphere food was good until we got to dessert slightly disappointed 2cm thick crime brûlée and cheesecake taste more like flan..not gross just not what we expected otherwise experience was great enjoyed dinner read more

We went to VA beach for the first time and ended up hitting up Pacifica twice during our visit! It was that good. For atmosphere-- very chill, cool place to grab some tapas before hitting the boardwalk or stay longer and make it a date night. Lots of local/seasonal tapas style plates and lots of beer/wine/cocktail options. You can sit at a table, the bar or by the fireplace and chill-- which is what we did the second time we went late night. Bonus- they are open late! The food-- beets on beets on beets. The beet sliders were a surprising favorite and the beet fries too. Love both of these plates. Tomato, basil, mozzarella was fresh and tasty too. Good food, good wine, chill spot. We'll definitely go back when we are back in the area. read more

Great location down at the beach! The atmosphere is great and unique for the area which makes it refreshing. They keep it clean and use fresh products and even even grow some of there own herbs and spices!! The food is fresh with a kitchen that doesn't close. Service is top notch and personable which is refreshing and very much appreciated!! read more

Great meal. Husband and I split 5 different meals from the hot tapas menu and all were excellent. Service was attentive and professional. We have been to some of the larger and more well known places nearby and this meal topped them all. read more

Great place. Tapas until 1:30 am. Fun little bar. Very modern. Great, fresh ingredients. Lots of local beer on tap. Knowledgable, friendly staff. I had the shrimp and risotto and it may have been the best risotto I have ever had. The potstickers were OK but not amazing. Fair prices. Overall great dining and drinking experience. read more

Isn't interesting that you pay the same amount of money for side dishes (tapas) as an entree? Good thing it's sooooo good!! The service is okay, we sat at a small table and for some reason our waitress didn't take away the menus. At one point, I finally just sat the menus down on the floor since we didn't have much room. We got all the specials on the board which included chicken wings (amazing), surf and turf mac n cheese (could have done without, nothing special) and crab queso (pretty good) the beef with garlic sauteed spinach (the BEST yet)! Two full pages of specialty cocktails and martinis so come ready to drink, eat and spend tons of money! read more

So, its a fantastic addition to VB which has had a pretty decent tradition of mediocre tourist restaurants. But I was disappointed. They are definitely trying and I can certainly see the potential but they sort of fizzled the evening I was there - may have been a one off. We had about six or seven different hot and cold plates, off the menu and specials, which we shared. Several of the dishes were supposed to be hot but several of the ingredients of the dishes were cold. I am a believer in judging a place fairly (don't compare a hole in a wall against a 5 star) but with what they are going for they don't quiet reach it, I am speaking as someone who has eaten in Spain, DC, San Fransisco, Tokyo, Sydney and so on and I think I am usually pretty fair and err on the side of generous. Positives Great quality ingredients Ambiance Tomato and mozzarella was excellent and fresh Seared Salmon was excellent Nice selection of alcohol, mixed drinks, ciders, and so on Several different seating options Negatives Since they are small they get crowded they need a hostess to control traffic a bit. The NY strip is served with no easy way to share and without a decent steak knife which we needed for both orders (very tough). So I had what I think was the smoked rabbit stew, the rabbit was cold and not deboned well (I was picking out bone chips and cartilage through the whole serving) The squid ink matzo balls were almost inedible, several of us tried them and ended up not finishing them. Most of the dishes tasted like there was no seasoning used... I definitely don't want strong seasoning since I want the ingredients to be defined on their own but many dishes were very bland bland which was frustrating since I could see the quality. So excellent ingredients, great concept but needs help in plating, prepping and seasoning. I have great hope for them. read more