Punches above its weight class. WBTB is absolutely a beachy neighborhood dive bar, with minimal ambiance and no pretensions to be other than it is. Small, and super-casual with a long bar, maybe 8 or 10 tables, a pool table or two (I didn't look to be sure how many), friendly staff, and a good mix on the radio, it serves up exactly what you expect. But when it comes to the food, it does a surprisingly solid job of basic seafood classics. The steamed shrimp are gently poached with aromatics and are perfectly tender, generously dusted with Old Bay. And the tempura-dipped soft-shell crabs are pure summer on a plate. Cole slaw is classic and not excessively sweet, and the hushpuppies are spot-on - also not overly sweet. The crab cakes fine, but not at the level of the other items we tried - shredded crab, rather than lump. Overall, this place is a fine spot for a cold drink and some friendly seafood - recommended. read more

Food is always amazing on point every time !! Service : The owner is top notch. The customer service is 5 stars on its own . Ambiance is amazing fit right in . read more

See all

We decided to have a last minute dinner for my friends bday. We usually go to longboards but decided to try a new spot it was a last minute decision but not a regretted one The menu is pretty basic the fried shrimp are really good. I had an order of tacos one chicken on shrimp. Obviously the shrimp was delicious but the chicken was unimpressive it was basically a chicken strip on a taco shell. I expected marinated chicken but I should of asked before ordering. The waitress was also the bartender and working the floor alone. It was a Saturday night so this surprised me a bit she was very nice and did her best to keep up. However we had to ask separately for napkins and had to remind her about our drinks a few times overall her personality made up for the lack in service hopefully they are able to add another employee on the weekends to help her The drinks were pretty tasty and had a good kick to them They also have a pool table and are right by the beach so it is a great spot to just chill out there is a gorgeous outdoor section that I look forward to taking advantage of this Summer read more

See all

So I'm good with second and third chances...so what can I say? I support local business and I'm sympathetic... I came here strictly for drinks...they have live entertainment and the vibe is good. The drinks are great and hit you before you know it... The tiny beer is my favorite based on sentimental reasons but I'm pretty sure I've had every drink on their menu... So cheers! read more

Willoughby By the Bay - Tiny beer - Seafood Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

See all

A dive bar at the very tip of ocean view in Norfolk- Simple menu with many fried options. It's a great local spot that's welcoming to everyone!!! Plenty of parking both in private lot as well as.over flow street parking when needed! Best drink prices around ! Staff is so friendly and welcoming! Great daily food and drink specials! I had the best oyster shooter I've ever had here ! Several seeting areas, including an outdoor deck ! Brittany and Arizona are amazing bartenders also! The kind of staff that makes me want to come back !! So glad I found it read more

Willoughby By the Bay - Seafood Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

See all

Horrible service, but thankfully good food. It's incredible to to me that they continue to employ an old, outdated, disconnected from current times nasty KJ for their karaoke. He is a penny pincher and out of touch with the crowd. Now, that said, this is NOT a place to host karaoke. The layout is weird and not conducive to a performance of any kind. I suggest- they get rid of grandpa and focus 100% on the quality of the food and service. Until then, they will flounder--pun intended. read more

Really great fried and steamed shirmp that we really enjoyed here. Also really friendly service. It's a little divey, at the absolute end of Willoughby, so don't expect anything fancy, but it was a nice, friendly neighborhood spot with really good food. We had a nice meal and a good time and will be back. read more

Willoughby By the Bay - Fried shrimp - Seafood Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

The service and food were great. The cat fish Rueben sandwich was delicious as was both the steamed and fried shrimp. Annie and James provided great food, service and ambience. read more

The hubs and I were trying to head on home, but traffic was backed up on the 64 tunnel. We decided to burn some time at Willoughby by the bay. There was number of signs plastered on the door before entering with Covid mask rules upon entering. Every business has their right to refuse service to those that do not comply. I noticed it was dimly litted inside with a bar and a few tables. A bartender greeted us and handed menus once we were seated. I noticed The table had some water residue and crumbs. I ordered a half pound of steamed shrimp while my better half opted for shrimp tacos. Water followed once the menus were taken. There were Pre-Covid specials on a blackboard towards the back near the bar. I can understand some people's frustrations, and confusion from their reviews on not able to partake on those deals. It should state it on the blackboard or be erased, but that's up to the business itself. There was about 8 fat pieces of steamed shrimp in my order. Cuts of onion and celery were dressed on top with a side of melted butter. Unfortunately, the shrimp was not deveined, and it is a personal preference of mine not that it should be done. Otherwise it was a good snack. The shrimp tacos were ok. Shrimp was battered from a box a lady was holding earlier before entering the kitchen. And the fries were the frozen kind to accompany any fast food meal. We ate, paid, and left. I noticed a sign that non-tippers were prohibited back into their establishment since they are dependent on tips. Keep that in mind as bartenders and waitresses are struggling in the restaurant industry. The service given should be recognized unless it's bad then that is up to the customer. Don't mind coming back as things get back to normal. I believe they have live music coming in the future. Its a place to hang out with friends, and sit back while grabbing a drink. read more

See all

Straight people are not welcome, nor are visitors from outside of the area. Food sucks, and servers like to play dress up.

We decided to try this place after hearing some info from friends. What a hole in the wall and everything was very good. I had the steamed shrimp and they were jumbo and very well steamed. Not soggy. Good hush puppies. Dad had the burger and it was big! He said he was actually very good. (The guy from restaurant rescue says that every place needs a good burger) husband had tuna bites (rare) and they were cooked perfectly. We joked about the good crinkle cut fries! Reminded us of Manny Burger fries. Atmosphere is nothing to write home about but go for the food, not the decor. read more

Love this place food and service are amazing. Love the staff and the drinks def get a tiny beer!

So this place is the epitome of a hole-in-the-wall kind of bar. It's literally right near the water on the Ocean View side of the 64 tunnel. Tiny little place with a non-descript bar, a few parking spots and a bit of an outdoor area as well. The staff was super welcoming when we arrived for karaoke. It's clearly the kind of spot that has a Cheers sort of vibe because every other person that walked in was greeted by name. Most likely a spot that locals walk to to hang out after a long day, and hidden away enough that tourists don't overrun it. We ordered a few drinks and some basic food (chicken strips and fries) -- the food was a-ok for bar food, and the "beer shot" I got was really fun! They don't have much of a wine selection, and the other drink options are limited as well. So, if you're looking for chill and don't need too many options/variety, this is a good spot to check out. read more

Willoughby By the Bay - Seafood Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

Came here for the first time for a birthday party. The space had been updated with indoor and out door dining. It is a nice spot for quick eats with views of the bay from the Norfolk side. It's a very casual place. It is also very tiny. I gather it is more of a locals only spot. Those local to Willoughby area. Parking is conveniently out front with lots of parking spaces. The restaurant is in a building with other businesses so the parking lot is shared. There is no valet parking. The service was good no complaints there. However the food and alcoholic mix drinks were not the best. We got fries for the kids that had Old Bay seasoning all over it and very salty. All the mixed drinks ordered were very strong and were not delicious. This is a great spot conveniently located off of hwy 64 right after/before the HRBT. However, I wouldn't go out of my way to eat here if I'm not nearby. It's a great quick eats and kid friendly spot. read more

Well since mojo bones moved locations my friends and I tried this place. It's cute and cozy the staff is very friendly and the place was very clean. I tried the calamari, it was pretty good but the best part was their shot menu! They have about 20 different shots, some where traditional and the other were bar creations. Definitely a good time not far from home read more

Had a great time after a nice, hot day on the beach. Great Food ,Cocktails & Staff. Had a blast singing Karaoke. They have a cute patio to hang out on too. Can't wait to go back!!! read more

Yelp doesn't allow zero star reviews. Willoughby by the Bay is a dump. The owner is unfriendly and unwelcoming. The draft beer selection was terrible. There were two taps open, both of which I killed and twice, the owner tried to charge me full price for less than half a beer. The jukebox plays terrible country music, unless you pay a dollar for two songs, I'm which the jukebox will immediately go back to terrible country music. We gave the place a second chance, and walked in 12 minutes before happy hour ended. The brand new bartender said her trainer would not allow her to give us the happy hour deal, because the bar clock said 7PM. read more

Willoughby By the Bay - Seafood Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

Everything is great with the exception of customer service. Great location, great food and good prices! I have been 4 different times and the customer service is the worst in town. The last time was the last straw. Being a local I would love to go back, but it was take some ownership convincing. read more

Probably the worst dining experience I've ever had. They promote false specials on their giant chalkboard and then after the bill came claimed those are "pre-Covid specials"... They also only had one or two things on the menu that could be ordered due to being out of any batter for fried options. Pretty ridiculous. Steamed shrimp were okay, but way over priced. Stay away, very poor management and service. read more

My family and I came here while we were on vacation for Labor Day weekend. We were looking for some good seafood that was close to our Airbnb. We found Willoughby by the bay, and sat out on the patio. Let's just say, we will not EVER be returning here. We ordered buckets of crab legs, so excited to eat our steamed crab meat and dip them in some melted butter, until the waitress brings out our $40 crab legs, and says "Oh sorry we don't have butter for your crab legs. The buckets also came with corn and potatoes that would have also been nice with some butter, but that was not an option. On top of that, the portion was very small for the price. I would never even dream of paying this for the amount you get and not even melted butter to dip your crab meat in! Everyone working was on different pages, the bartender told me they were in the back melting butter, and then the waitress then told us one of the cooks went out to go buy butter? I of course complained and told them by the time the butter gets here, our food would be cold. Basically, all the staff is very inexperienced. Management was a young man that didn't even want to take our crab legs off of the bill, he was very hesitant until I put my foot down. I have my bachelors degree in restaurant management and have worked in restaurants all my life and I was just very shocked at each of the staffs behavior. I would definitely avoid this place on holiday weekends because they were very unprepared. read more

Willoughby By the Bay - The restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

Dude behind the bar was cool at first. We ordered a Miller Light. He said they were out. Ordered a Stella. He looked around for a bit. They were out of that too. Then our food order. He had to ask me THREE times for my order. Was he nervous or just really stoned, who's to say. We got the "Surf & Turf". Decided we would drink and play pool and select songs off their juke box (neither are free). An HOUR later we got our food. Well the side salad was okay. The hush puppies were okay. Shrimp was okay. But the steak was... I don't think it was steak. I'm not sure what it was. It was gross. No seasoning. I think they steamed or boiled it maybe. We both left the steaks and just ate the sides. Honestly this place sucked. I was wanting real seafood and left with a nearly empty tummy. :( read more

Willoughby By the Bay - Seafood Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

Cool spot off the beaten path, great vibes, great food and drinks. After being on the water all day, this is the spot for a cold drink with local company. read more

Fantastic food and cocktails! A real secret treasure in Norfolk! Get the shrimp. Great service. Friendly and safe. No regrets. We will return. read more

Cute little dive bar! Friendly staff and the food came out hot, fast, and delicious! We will definitely be back read more

Willoughby By the Bay - Coconut shrimp with fries - Seafood Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

See all

A hidden gem!Good service, great food and drinks. Nice outdoor seating. Enjoyed the entire experience.

Looking forward to having dinner there again. The view is spectacular and the food is delicious!!

This place is great! Kind of hidden, but we found it easy enough with GPS. It's a small restaurant with a nice patio. The view is fabulous. Service was super friendly. Everyone there was so nice! Tonight I ordered a fried flounder sandwich (the fish of the day might change depending on what they have fresh- I love that!) ... it was delicious. Nice light breading and flaky fish. Can't ask for more! read more

Decided to come here with a coworker after work one day. Place is nice and quiet, pretty empty when we came around 2 PM Saturday. Nice bar, country music playing. Some tables to the right and a party area to the left with a pool table. It's a small kind of hole in the wall type of place. Nice vibes. Service is good, there was only one server here for everyone that came in but he still made his rounds and made sure to talk to us and ask us how our food was. Food was OK. I got the crab-cake sandwich and steamed mussels. The mussels were great, perfectly cooked and came with some very tasty melted butter. Sandwich was very bland and the bun was very thick and wasn't toasted or anything. The crab cake was good, I ended up pulling it off the bun and eating it by itself. Fries were alright, I feel like they could've been fries from a bag out of the frozen section of Food Lion. Personally, I would not come back here, and was expecting much more than I got. Also 5 stars to Ronnie he was a cool guy and very friendly. If you can, ask for him. read more

Norfolk, Virginia (Willoughby) --- "Willoughby Inn" is now "Willoughby by the Bay" (for last 3 years with new ownership) ... bartender David remembered me from my last visit (which I forgot ) ... nice view of I-64W ... I like it! Day 041 "666 Bars of 2017" / bar 079 "Run-A-Way Bill" was here! 02.10.17 read more

See all

I'm not too sure if people leaving their reviews were at the place I was at, but if you like everything on the menu fried except the lettuce this is perfect place for you . I'll order a pizza or starve before coming back here if you want to be disappointed go for it ,if not heed my warning!! read more

Came out to have lunch with my sister place was nice and clean menu was very limited due to the COVID We both ordered drinks and our food at the same time it took about ten minutes for our drinks so we figured it was only one waitress working when our food arrives my sister tasted her fried oysters and the batter was VERY SALTY so I tired the batter to see if she was tripping and BE hold the batter was EXTREMELY SALTY she told the waitress and asked for a different item now as she completed the new order the waitress tells her she still have to pay for a meal she didn't eat because it was cooked. (That's how the seasons come the owner said before she asked us not to come back) but why would We Just wanted To try a small business and give support, but lord since When you have to pay for a meal if u can't eat it. Other than that I actually thought it was a nice spot just need better people skills the customer is who you are there to satisfy I'm just saying. Plus it didn't feel right going inside anyway so please go there with a POSITIVE ATTITUDE smh they kinda rude. read more

So, based on the Yelp reviews, I wouldn't have gone to this restaurant, haha.  Thankfully, one of my friends had been here before so it was on his recommendation that they have amazing shrimp that we went here. We were the only ones in the dining area, and remained the only ones throughout our dining experience there.  It took a curiously long time for us to get our food, though that might be because they just got a new shipment of supplies in.  Though we waited for awhile, the food was very good.  The warm crab dip was amazing and I was really impressed with the salmon that I ordered.  My friends really enjoyed the shrimp they offer (and are apparently famous for!). At this point, I would have rated this place three stars... But the service bumped it up another star.  The waitress was very apologetic of the situation and very pleasant to deal with.  She really helped save the evening for me. If you are looking for good food and good people, and a place that isn't too pretentious, I'd recommend giving this place a whirl! I can't believe so many people rated this place so poorly.... read more

Fairly new to the area ...have been several times! Friend loved the Fresh oysters on the half shell, have enjoyed the yummy shrimp & fish tacos. Steamed jumbo shrimp are deeeelish & Recent lunch ... lightly battered flounder sandwich that was wonderful! Server, Theresa is great! Only one recommendation, the martinis were made for the wee people! The tiniest drink ever, lol. read more

So, I moved to Norfolk from Detroit, Mi. I was looking for a cool local type hang out with good food, and good drinks. ( I'm kind of a bar rat, being in the industry for 17 years) This place was literally down the street from me. I had a couple beers and shots, and had my GF meet me up there after work. She ordered the hush puppies, which she loved. I wasn't impressed, but went back a couple more times. The older lady grumpy cook is usually sitting at the bar taking up the TV (with volume up) watching soap operas. I've also encountered this owner on more than one occasion, and she is not very nice. However, she will ask for cigarettes. I WOULD NOT recommend this.place no matter the convenience. I now go to The Thirsty Camel, or to Cap N' Ron's! Better food, atmosphere, and drinks! read more

I liked the bar, divey and cool. Bartender was nice, it's cheap and tasty. Don't read the negative reviews. read more

Willoughby By the Bay - Seafood Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

Horrible customer service, over-priced food My wife and I came in Sunday afternoon. We ordered 2 rounds of drinks and asked for a menu. Waitress never came by to take our food order, but was more concerned with the party of 6 that was at the table next to us. All we wanted to order was a combination platter to share. We settled the tab and didn't leave a tip. It's a shame, it's a quaint little spot to relax in, but with awful service, it makes me regret even stopping in. read more

Makes me very sad to write this review, I had put this place on my 757 bucket list after I heard an advertisement on the radio. Came here on a summer Saturday night and there was NO one in the bar, and a few customers on patio. I was surprised to see this since I thought the location might attract a good crowd. Bartender was not welcoming, friendly or attentive. Beer was cold and refreshing, food was average but took a long time. Before we left some more customers started to come in, they all seemed to be in bad moods. Not my kind of place. Have no desire to return. I hope the managers see this and all their other poor reviews and take it as feedback and decide to make a positive change. I believe this place can be Amazing by being put in right direction. read more

Well, my first impression of this bar was not the best. I found it a bit too dark and old looking. However the service is superb. The ladies behind the bar are friendly and helpful. The food was just okay. The shrimp tasted alright, the broccoli was bland, the green beans were probably the best thing on my plate. I also ordered chocolate cake which was dry and hard to eat. But what made up for the lack luster food was the service and entertainment. Everyone who is in the bar is friendly and helpful. I never felt alone as the customers even treated me like I was one of the family. The parking lot is small, but I got lucky and snagged a spot. read more

Food is mediocre at best and way way over priced. Nothing was made fresh except maybe the salad. At the very least the frozen shrimp could've been defrosted before being steamed and the potato could have been cleaned of the eyes growing out of it. They should also provide decent napkins or put paper towels on the table. read more

Delicious food in a relaxed super casual atmosphere offering a pool table and tv and bar area