Always a great dinner at No Frill. Food was amazing and our server was very attentive. Love the…read morevibe and how clean this place is. Don't sleep on the desserts!

It has been nearly three weeks; I can stop thinking about No Frill Bar and Grill…read more I'm a military spouse, so I know my time in Hampton Roads is coming to an end soon. I visited a Hampton Roads Restaurant group on FB and asked if someone was visiting from out of town: What is your go-to place to take them? Out of 90+ comments, No Frill Bar and Grill was mentioned the most - six times! So when I finally had a day off and some other business to tend to in Norfolk, it was the perfect excuse to finally try them. No Frill Bar and Grill has been open for nearly 30 years by Jerry Meltsner. Jerry's nephew Jon Kliner helps co-own and manage operations. It originally opened on Tidewater Drive, but the space didn't allow for much growth - 10 years later, he moved to a location off Colley Avenue and Spotswood Avenue. Growth continued, moving from counter service to table service. The second location, at 1620 Laskin Road in Virginia Beach, opened in 2005. The restaurant's longevity stems from quality, consistency, price, service, and staff who genuinely care about the business and serving the community. I asked the server for her opinion on two options - Salmon, Shrimp and grits won. The dish was incredible: lightly blackened salmon, for once blackened food that doesn't just taste like salt. I don't dine with the swine, so I asked for no andouille sausage. The sautéed shrimp, caramelized onions, tomatoes, and spinach simmered in Norfolk Canyon ale sauce over cheesy grits and Boursin lavash cracker. The cheesy grits were smooth, and the Boursin lavash cracker was a nice touch. The Boursin added extra creaminess to the meal. The cracker wasn't really a cracker - more like little toasted bread. After this first meal, I know two things for sure: 1. I definitely understand why it is such a local favorite, and 2. I will be back.

I have eaten there about 50 times over the years and every time it was very enjoyable.read more

Stopped in downtown Norfolk and decided to try Freemason Abbey Restaurant after hearing about it…read more The area itself was just okay, but the restaurant is definitely worth checking out because of the building. It's an old church built in 1873 as the Second Presbyterian Church, and it's been home to Freemason Abbey since 1989. The inside is really cool and gives the place a lot of character. You'll see some of that in my photos. I started with their she crab soup, which was excellent. It's one of their specialty soups and had that creamy, rich flavor you'd expect from a good she crab soup. For dinner, I was originally going to try the smoked gouda dish, but they had a chicken parm special for $24, so I went with that instead. Chicken breast, marinara, linguini and provolone cheese. Really glad I did. It was hot, flavorful and presented nicely. My only complaint was that it could have used a little more marinara, but I asked and they brought me some without any problem. Service was great from start to finish. I was there around 5:30, before the dinner rush, so it wasn't very busy, but everything came out promptly and there were no issues at all. Overall, definitely a cool place with a unique atmosphere, good food and great service. I'd absolutely go back again. Sometimes the building is half the meal, and this one definitely has a story to tell!

Have you ever been to a walked into a bar and expected the Rolling Stones are always being played…read moreon jukebox? This is that kind of place. So cool!! The world needs more bars like this. Huge beer selection, the When in Roam Thursday special burger was awesome. Time to top it off like Keith Richard's would with a little Jack Daniels!!

Jack Browns is a hopping spot on Granby street. I stopped by before a baseball game for dinner. The…read morestaff is awesome, makes great beer and food recommendations. The décor is loud but fits the vibe. I got the Elvis Burger, a yummy little burger with peanut butter and bacon. I added an order of their JB fries as well and it will fill you up. If you are really hungry, I recommend you add the extra patty. For dessert I had a couple fried oreos, YOU HAVE TO GET AT LEAST ONE.

Great gourmet burger options! I had the French Dip, which was divine!…read more Fries are crispy and fantastic. Everyone was vey happy, especially those in the party who ordered the spiciest burger on the menu. (MAYBE it had Reaper or Ghost, but I don't recall. ) Definitely a pub feel, but not obnoxious and still great for non-drinkers like me. Excellent option for non-chain burgers. Ours was a business trip group of 10, and it was a great venue for casually meeting co-workers, many of whom had never met.

Large tavern-style space with lots of wood throughout the interior. I happened to go on Jeopardy…read morenight (Wednesdays from 7:30-9:30), which seemed to draw a pretty good crowd. Everyone plays on their phones through a QR code, so the room stays pretty calm. No shouting answers or chaos, just a lot of people quietly locked into trivia. I was seated immediately and ordered The Big Cheese burger. At first glance, it looked promising. The beef seemed like quality meat and not a frozen hockey puck. The vegetables were also very fresh. No sad, limp lettuce or those weird mushy tomato slices some places try to pass off as fresh. But here's where things went sideways: the patty had almost no flavor. I'm honestly not convinced it met salt at any point during its journey to the plate. It wasn't bad, just noticeably under-seasoned. For a place that positions itself as a serious burger spot, seasoning the meat feels like Burger 101. The fries were good. They offer different seasoning options, but I kept it simple with salt and pepper. I also ordered the Cheerwine sangria, which sounded like it would be something special. In reality, it mostly tasted like regular sangria that someone carbonated. Not bad, just not particularly interesting. Service was friendly and quick, which I appreciated. Overall, the meal was fine. But when your whole mission is basically "we're the burger experts," it's a little surprising when the burger tastes like the seasoning got left in the kitchen.

Don't forget that on Wednesday's it is Wine Wednyand it is half off of bottles of wine! If you…read morecan't drink it all (tsk, tsk), they will bag it for you to take home. On this occasion we sat at the bar and enjoyed a lovely dinner. I had the white chicken chili and my husband enjoyed the always tasty Igloo burger. Our white wine, the Zenato, was delicious and accurately described as "crushable" on the menu. It was a porch pounder for sure. Our bartender was lovely, attentive and friendly. The hostess who greeted us was welcoming. A lovely Wednesday night in a great setting.

Food is good but the star is the bread pudding. The bread pudding will ruin you for all future…read morebread pudding to come. They have rotating favors every week. In terms of entrees my favorite is the pulled duck BBQ. Their menu is rotating but this is one of the dishes that stays Drinks were always good and refreshing Service was good. Never had bad service there.

They have an upstairs rooftop bar that you can sit at. Only downside is they will close that area…read morefor events. When that happens you have to sit indoors and it gets pretty loud indoors. However, when the rooftop is open, it's a very nice space with great vibes. Food was typical bar food. Nothing amazing but not bad. They have a beer wall but their selection was pretty limited to IPAs and ales. Not too many sours or ciders unfortunately

10/10 I knew this place in college before it changed to this I can say it's a great spot now. I…read morewent for the first time and thoroughly enjoyed myself. I got the shrimp Poboy pizza and about five different rounds of cider and seltzer on tap. I enjoyed every drink and got some recommendations from the staff. Their rooftop is beautiful and spacious with the tap upstairs and downstairs.

My Mama's kitchen has amazing energy, it feels like I'm sitting waiting for church service with…read morefriends and family waiting for my food. The owner/manager is welcoming and friendly even with a larger audience of hungry patrons. She handles it with grace and kindness. Building is inviting, full bar and lovely florals around a low lit but separate seating from main area with relaxing vibes. Finally, the food was delicious, wings were cooked to perfection and the collard greens were one of the best I've had! Be sure to check this place out!

For many years, Sophia and I have dined at My Mama's Kitchen where the food was excellent and the…read morestaff very friendly. In 2023, they closed their original location of Shore Drive and set sights on a new local which was expanded. They have finally reopened and we got a chance to stop in to see how they were doing. Let's check it out shall we? We were seated a minute after walking in. There were a few people dining inside on this cloudy day. The decor is nice resembling a type of restaurant you may see in New Orleans. Right when I was looking through the menu, I ran into Chef Moe who greeted me with a handshake. It has been years since we last saw each other but the vibes came right back since Sophia and I were long-standing customers. We couldn't talk long since he was busy, but it was great to run into him again smiling from ear to ear seeing me there. Great people indeed. How was the food you might ask? Pretty damn good. We both ordered their fried catfish meals with sides (mine came with fries and sweet cornbread and Sophia's with mashed potatoes and gravy and mac-and-cheese). The fish was seasoned perfectly and was huge. It was big enough to cover a football field (just kidding). The fries, as always, tasted great and the cornbread was delish. The both of us ended up taking home leftovers where the food didn't lose any taste from before. It was so refreshing to stop by after so many years. And it was wonderful seeing Chef Moe continue to bring good vibes to the Norfolk community through his cooking. You know we'll be back soon. Till next time :)

My partner and I were celebrating our anniversary after he had returned from deployment. They made…read morethis the best choice for having a memorable, romantic, and delicious experience. Our server was amazing. There was a small delay in getting our first round of drinks to the table, and he took it off our bill without us having to say a word. It was very generous. We were on the patio which is covered but airy, and perfectly spaced so you don't feel crammed with other guests! We ordered the Charcuterie, crispy octopus, and the Four Eleven Salad. For main entree I got the Filet, and my partner had the Pork. Everything was cooked to perfection and delicately layered with flavor! It will NOT disappoint. Be aware of smaller portion sizes. They offered complimentary bites throughout, including delicious cheddar biscuits, and an Anniversary cake.

Located near Ghent and downtown Norfolk, this restaurant was a really pleasant find. The parking…read morelot is small, but we had no trouble finding street parking nearby. It was a little chilly tonight, but I imagine the outdoor seating would be perfect on a warmer evening. We didn't have a reservation, but luckily we were seated within seconds. The space itself is on the smaller side, but it's thoughtfully designed and perfect for a cozy date night. Every employee who passed by greeted us, which made the atmosphere feel especially welcoming. We started with the octopus, served with potato foam, pickled pear, and chorizo. For entrées, he ordered the duck and I had the pork bolognese. Both dishes were full of flavor and cooked perfectly. We also ordered drinks. I do wish they had come out a bit earlier so we could enjoy them sooner, but the selection was impressive. We chose the bartender's choice, which was a really fun experience. The waitress asks a few questions, and based on your answers the bartender creates a drink they think you'll love. We were too full for dessert, though they did offer four different options. Overall, we were really happy we tried this restaurant and will definitely be back.

We were lucky to get seats quickly. The location is small so it's quick to fill up. We were greeted…read morequickly and ordered our drinks. I got a bottle of ginger ale. We were at "the bar" so we were in bar stools. Definitely not my preferred seat, I squirmed a lot trying to get comfortable without kicking my neighbor. It was a pretty long wait for our food, as we salivated looking into the kitchen. I will say once we got our food, it was really yummy. My favorite part was the tomato bisque, tasted freshly made. So if you plan on going, definitely plan on waiting but totally worth it or just think ahead and do takeout.

Such a big taste from a small place. Another DDD for us and this one did not disappoint. It's small…read moreso you may have to wait for a seat. We sat at the bar and were greeted immediately. They told us the specials and we ordered our drinks. Once we ordered our food the fries and fried pickles came out so quick. Everything was delicious and hot. You can watch into the kitchen as they cook. Great experience and we will be back.

My reservations fell through at a different location, and I came about this restaurant online. Most…read moreplaces were booked on a Saturday night. However, I called 508 locals to see if they had any availability. The hostess told us to come on through. When I pulled up it wasn't too busy. They were welcoming and sat us right away. We had an awesome waiter. Judging from his accent, he was from Ireland. He was great. Very enthusiastic and attentive. I was pretty hungry. I ordered the crab cakes (great sauce and aioli), Brussels (hot honey with goat cheese and cranberries), junglebird drink (delicious, it wasn't overly sweet), and ribeye. All delicious. I was not disappointed. It was such a chill place. It wasn't overly loud. It was clean. I recommend.

So we have been here twice now. I'm going to give each one separately:…read moreFirst time: Came in after a VA Stage show so kinda late. Sat at the bar. Service was absolutely awesome. Bartender was incredibly attentive for having a full bar. We each had 2 different cocktails and both were distinctive and excellently crafted. We had shared a couple of the small plates and enjoyed them both. We enjoyed the place so much that we decided to come back with a group of 14 for All Lovers Eve. Second time: Made the reservation with ease. If you've ever made a group reservation you know how complicated some places make it. This was a large group and they were short handed. This lead to a slower service which actually worked out well for our group. We didn't mind the gaps. They put us in their back room (hint - GREAT for groups) there was a little confusion with the order to include an extra dish we didn't order. We still ate it and paid for it though. The staff was great with our large and rather disruptive group. The food was all excellent (local oysters on the half shell and the apple desert were my highlights). Multiple cocktails that were all wonderful. My only real negative was that there was a $50 "loyalty club " charge that was never mentioned and I didn't even notice on the $1200.00 bill. This is, I believe, some sort of credit card fee. Both times were good. Both times staff were wonderful. Both times we were comfortable. Give the place a try. I don't think you will regret it.