We live in a beautiful area.
We’re surrounded by water at every turn: The Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean lap at our shores, and the area is cut with gorgeous rivers, creeks and other waterways. We have urban areas andbucolic countryside.
Another charm is great restaurants offering local produce and seafood with terrific water views.
I’ve come up with a list of a dozen; the first criterion was that you could see the sea or another body of water. The second was that a restaurant be local and independent, with eats and imbibes that sate the stomach, while the view sates the soul.
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CHESAPEAKE
Lockside Bar and Grill sits in the shadow of the Great Bridge Bridge and provides sweeping views of the structure and the Intracoastal Waterway from its expansive covered deck.
The restaurant is bright and open, and it’s relaxing to sit — perhaps in a swing seat — and enjoy a bite and imbibe while watching sailboats get underway.
The Eats/Drinks:
The dinner menu offers dishes from burgers and tacos to pasta, steak and seafood. There are also Cajun and Creole options.
We favor the shrimp and grits, a creamy, cheesy bowl of grits topped with a generous amount of andouille sausage and plump, tender shrimp. It’s pulled together with a drizzle of light, savory gravy.
We selected a glass of chardonnay from a compendious wine list.
200 Battlefield Blvd. 757-410-5999; locksidebarandgrill.com
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PORTSMOUTH
Fish & Slips Marina Raw Bar & Grill doesn’t just offer water views — it offers views from the water. Midway down a pier in Crawford Bay along the Elizabeth River, the casual, comfortable restaurant sits amid countless pleasure boats in their slips. The Norfolk skyline looms to the north, and commercial and military traffic plies the waters. It’s a real treat when a cruise ship is in port. Views are afforded both inside and alfresco.
The Eats/Drinks:
From a menu with raw bar offerings, burgers, sandwiches and a mix of entrees, we love the crabcake sandwich. It’s a large cake of jumbo lump crabmeat that is grilled until golden. Seasonings are present but muted, allowing the sweet crab flavor to shine.The cake is served on a toasted potato bun with lettuce and tomato. I opted out of the chili aioli.
A bracing rum runner co*cktail, filled with tropical fruit flavors, is a delicious addition.
10 Crawford Parkway. 757-998-6631; fishnslips.com
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NORFOLK
Longboards East Beach, set in an imposing multistory coastal-inspired building, rests at Little Creek Marina on the namesake body of water that leads out to the Chesapeake Bay. Indoor and alfresco dining is casual.
The Ocean View restaurant is beautifully appointed and is true to the theme. Surfer. Beach. Salt living. The menu reflects influences from this region and the Hawaiian childhood of chef/owner Todd Leutner.
The Eats/Drinks:
Tuna is one of our favorite fresh catches, and here the 8-ounce blackened yellowfin tuna steak was cooked perfectly rare, its interior vibrant and flavorful and the outside seared just right. The fish was arranged on a bed of jasmine rice and spicy sautéed vegetables, accented with an addictive ponzu sauce.
Longboards is heavy on tiki-inspired co*cktails and we loved the mai tai, crafted with pineapple juice, orange juice, grenadine, amaretto, spiced and coconut rum, and topped with dark rum.
4521 Pretty Lake Ave. 757-399-4010; eatatlongboards.com
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Willoughby Fish House is tucked into a marina in a little curve at the end of Willoughby Spit, just before the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel.
The restaurant offers views of pleasure boats and, across Willoughby Bay, military craft at Naval Station Norfolk. Enjoy the food and the views indoors or out.
The Eats/Drinks:
An extensive menu includes a raw bar, burgers and other sandwiches; pasta, seafood and steak entrees. We like the shrimp tacos: Grilled or blackened shrimp — we prefer blackened — rest on shredded napa cabbage and are topped with shredded cheddar cheese, fresh pico de gallo and a zesty chipotle crema.
Refresh with a seafoam co*cktail, the fish house’s version of the popular crush, crafted with vodka and juices. There are more than a half-dozen varieties, including the classic orange, but we find the lime bracing and delightful.
1525 Bayville St. 757-937-6913; willoughbyfishhouse.com
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SMITHFIELD
Smithfield Station stately stands on the shore of the Pagan River, which turns and twists as a tributary of the James. The scene is beautiful — a view across the water with marshes beyond. There is an adjacent marina. Inside the lifesaving station-inspired eatery and inn, a casual nautical theme reflects the menu.
The Eats/Drinks:
An addictive crab dip is the way to start: a bubbly hot mix of lump crabmeat, heavy cream, red peppers, chopped spinach, sherry and Parmesan cheese pleases when slathered on toasted pita chips.
The Norfolk Combo is a fun take on the classic Crab Norfolk and a dish we’ve enjoyed many times. Sautéed in rich, garlic-spiked butter is a generous amount of local crab, sea scallops and wild-caught shrimp. Delicious decadence.
Try a Pineapple Crush. Here pineapple vodka, pineapple juice and a splash of lemon-lime soda come together over crushed ice.
415 S. Church St. 757-357-7700; smithfieldstation.com
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VIRGINIA BEACH
The Back Deck is just that: A deck that wraps around the back of The Shellfish Company, an expansive fresh seafood market. Sister to Bubba’s Seafood Restaurant next door, this is a laid-back eatery overlooking Lynnhaven Bay, right at the Lesner Bridge. The views are gorgeous: The blue waters of the Lynnhaven are dotted with a small oasis of marshy sandbars with tall, green grass blowing in the wind against the distant shoreline of tall pines.
The Eats/Drinks:
From the casual menu, we like to start with a dozen steamed, sweet local middleneck clams, their meat delicate and tender. Fish tacos are another favorite. Fresh catch fills three soft tortillas resting atop crisp cabbage. An addictive mango salsa, made fresh, adds a unique tang. The fish was perfectly cooked: moist and flaky with a nice balance of seasoning.
The Back Decker co*cktail is light and refreshing,with a skillful mix of grapefruit vodka, lemonade and grenadine topped with lemon-lime soda.
3323 Shore Drive. 757-481-7512; thebackdeckvb.com
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The Porch on Long Creek, at the end of a short peninsula with a fishing store, is perched to give stunning views of Long Creek, located just off the Lynnhaven River. Sunsets are awe-inspiring here. Enjoy the well-appointed dining room or outdoor seating.
The Eats/Drinks:
We love that The Porch has a sushi menu that augments other offerings, such as flatbreads, sandwiches and entrees. We began with the Porch Roll, an artfully crafted offering with salmon, avocado, masago and ponzu. Keeping things casual, we opted for the Flounder BLT: a delicious flounder filet atop a soft roll with bibb lettuce, tomato and applewood bacon. I opted out of the lemon-caper tartar. The founder was wonderfully flaky and flavorful. Fries were included.
We started with a gin martini and enjoyed a crisp white wine.
2109 W. Great Neck Road. 757-496-4350; theporchonlongcreek.com
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Rockafeller’s provides deliciously prepared food and affords gorgeous views of Rudee Inlet.
Family-owned and -operated since 1989, this building has two levels. On the first level, a glass wall opens to the view. Upstairs, a small lounge and patio seating offers cool breezes and an elevated view of the inlet, looking south toward the Virginia Aquarium and east towardthe Atlantic Ocean.
The Eats/Drinks:
We love Rockafeller’s at lunch and dinner, but the Sunday brunch is truly special. Start with Oysters Rockafeller, a signature dish of oysters on the half shell swimming in a mix of rich, creamy spinach with bacon and cheese, broiled until bubbly. The Seafood Mac & Cheese is decadent, a large bowl filled with tender macaroni loaded with shrimp, bay scallops and lobster in a wonderful cheese sauce.
Bloody marys are special here, and we always start with one before enjoying a nice white wine with the entree.
308 Mediterranean Ave. 757-422-5654; rockafellers.com
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Waterman’s Surfside Grille, the venerable Oceanfront eatery, may be known for its orange crushes, but there’s more to enjoy here. The restaurant, right on the Boardwalk, offers sweeping views of the ocean for diners inside and out.
The Eats/Drinks:
The Spicy Buffalo Tuna Bites are a great way to start. Perfect cubes of tender tuna, cooked to a delightful medium, are tossed in a classic, sassy Buffalo sauce. We love the Surfside Fish Tacos — blackened tuna or fried fish, atop mango slaw and with pineapple-tomato salsa. We beg off the sriracha aioli. It’s worth a few extra bucks to add housemade guacamole. The fresh catch is always a good bet.
If you haven’t had one of the orange crushes, now is the time. The OG surfside co*cktail of the region is a delicious mix of freshly squeezed orange juice and orange vodka from Waterman Spirits, and topped with lemon-lime soda. It’s summer in a glass.
415 Atlantic Ave. 757-428-3644; watermans.com
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HAMPTON
Bull Island Brewing Co. is in downtown Hampton, along the Hampton River and just around the corner from the Virginia Air & Space Science Center. The river views are filled with small boats and the occasional working crab or oyster boat.
Across the river is Hampton University, and just forward, on the horizon, is the Hampton Roads harbor, where the piked head of Blackbeard the Pirate was placed for years in the 18th century as a warning to ne’er-do-wells.
The Eats/Drinks:
This is a fun pub filled with lots of energy and a casual menu to match. All go great with the beer.
Start with the crab pretzel, a generous-sized, soft pretzel smothered in the house-made crab dip and cheese. It’s rich and a good appetizer.
We love a good supreme pizza, and the Bull Island Brewing supreme is a 12-inch pie slathered in house marinara sauce and topped with pepperoni, sausage, onions, mushrooms, green peppers and black olives before being topped with mozzarella, then baked.
This is a brewery, so look for an assortment of occasionally changing brews. A favorite of ours is the Bull Island Red Beard Pirate’s Red Ale. This flavorful American amber ale is balanced and comes in at a respectable 4.7% ABV.
758 Settlers Landing Road. 757-884-8884; bullislandbrewing.com
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NEWPORT NEWS
Crab Shack on the James, adjacent to a fishing pier next to the James River Bridge, has dining room and deck views of the ancient river. The sunsets are exceptional.
The Eats/Drinks:
An order of a half or full dozen steamed blues is the way to start. Get in, get picking and get messy; it’s a wonderful tradition.
The flounder stuffed with backfin crabmeat is an amazing offering of fresh flounder, a favorite in this region, generously topped with crab and then broiled until fork tender. A dreamy béarnaise sauce is drizzled over the fish.
A fun drink that stays with the crustacean theme is the Blue Crab Margarita, a frozen colorful and heady mix of gold tequila, triple sec, blue curaçao, agave and more.
7601 River Road. 757-245-2722; crabshackonjames.com
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YORKTOWN
Water Street Grille sits on the shore of the ambling York River and in the shadows of the Coleman Bridge. Watch pleasure craft go by here near the site where the Revolutionary War ended.
The Eats/Drinks:
We start with Big Island oysters, locally harvested and among our favorites. Freshly shucked on the half shell, they are served with housemade mignonette and spicy co*cktail sauce.
From an offering of entrees, pizza, sandwiches and tacos, try the Crab Daddy Burger, an addictive grilled and smashed double burger topped with a generous amount of rich crab dip. It’s served on grilled Texas toast with arugula, bacon and pickles, and comes with chips, fries or a salad. We love fries with our burger.
Beers are the thing here,with a constantly revolving list of brews on tap.
Water Street Grille is the sister restaurant to Riverwalk Restaurant, which reopened in mid-May, having been open largely for banquets and events only since the pandemic. We are excited to visit them soon.
323 Water St. 757-369-5644; waterstreetgrille.net
Do you have a favorite waterfront restaurant? Share it with me at patrick@virginiaeatsanddrinks.com
