Virginia Beach Oceanfront

Local ’Verse – Fun Before & After The Ball

Virginia Beach Oceanfront
Virginia Beach Oceanfront

You need to know from a local where to go to find the best.  And we want to save a tree.  So here’s some advice on where to go and what to do.

Quick Address Codes:
# St/O – Street number and Oceanfront (sand)
# St/A – Street number and Atlantic Ave
# St/P – Street number and Pacific Ave

** – has free parking, * – has valet parking

Where to Eat – Oceanfront

If you want to dine like a Tam ($$$$) then head over to Catch 31 or Salacia.  (31 St/O*)

If you want to dine like a Tam on a budget then we suggest Big Italy (pizza and Italian – 33rd St/A**) or Captain George (all you can eat seafood – 1956 Laskin Rd**).

If you’re regular crew, check out Abbey Road Pub (sandwiches and seafood – 22nd St/A**), Waterman’s (oceanfront seating, seafood and entrees – 5th St/O*), Pocahontas (tourist breakfast place but yum – 35th/A**), Doc Taylor’s (foodie breakfast/lunch – 23rd/P), or Murphy’s (Irish – 30th St/P**) are all great choices.  Chances are you’ll see us there.

Dinner and a movie?  Beach Movie Bistro – 941 Laskin Rd.**   View?  Ocean Eddies on the Pier (14th St/O), eat outside.

**If it’s a buffet and not on this list above… let’s just say that it’s not on the list for a reason.  Other than warning you off of tourist trap buffets, all the other local places that we’ve tried have been good.  But we frequent (or wish we could frequent) the establishments above!

Where to Eat – Inland
All inland restaurants have free parking.  Most are located in Hilltop or on the way there.  Turn right on Laskin and Hilltop is the shopping plaza 3.5 miles from the hotel.

Hilltop is where Laskin and 1st Colonial meet.  This creates 4 shopping centers.  NE is the first square on your right coming from the hotel.  NW 2nd square on right after you cross 1st Colonial.  Likewise SE is the first on left, cross the street and SW is the second center.  Addresses are for your GPS.

Why eat good when you can eat extraordinary for the same price (or less), here are our top picks by genre. Topping the list is the “If I could only send you to one place” then Bread Box Cafe wins.

Bread Box Cafe - Meatball Sub
Bread Box Cafe -Meatball Sub

#1 Winner – Bread Box Cafe – 2372 Virginia Beach Blvd.  No website.  It’s a small, single-owner, family, European cafe.  Read: European.  This is not your AppPanFriWaysHut Americanized fare.  Different, very good, and you’re supporting a nice lady not a corporation.

Chinese – MeiZhen – NE Hilltop Square – 742 Hilltop West Shopping Center

Japanese – Blue Fin – NE Hilltop Square – 1625 Hilltop West Shopping Center

Thai – Bangkok Garden– NW Hilltop Square – 737 First Colonial Road #307

Pizza – Brothers Pizza or Ynot – 401 N. Great Neck Rd or  2102 Great Neck Square Shopping Center respectively.  There’s a lot of pizza on the oceanfront and it’s fine – but trust us – Brothers or Ynot are worth the small drive.  Sadly neither deliver to hotels.  Now you have me wanting pizza.

Indian – Nawab – NE Hilltop Square – 756 First Colonial Road

Mexican – All equal.  We’ve liked all the Mexican places fairly equally.  Our favorite is the furthest out – Senor Fox – 1080 Nimmo Pkwy, but all local spots are good.

Steak – There’s a lot of over-priced steak on the oceanfront.  We tend to go to Outback – SW Hilltop Square – 1757 Laskin Rd.  But I can see the logic to eating somewhere you can only do here.  If you want a local treat and you’re willing to pay a bit more – Black Angus (7th St/A)

Things to Do

The local tourism board has a fairly extensive site on things to do in Virginia Beach.  We won’t recreate that here, but we will list some of the highlights.  For the most part we have limited ourselves to the oceanfront itself.  Look to the other tracks for other places to go as well.

Not mentioned are of course the myriad of shops, ice cream places, miles of sand and common beach activities like bike riding, swimming, fishing, surfing etc.  If you’re an artist or photographer you can’t go more than a block without stumbling across art, sculpture or memorial.

Virginia Beach is very bike friendly with a “Bike Highway” running the length of the Boardwalk.  Please do not bike on the Boardwalk during on-season (you risk a ticket) and please don’t walk along the bike path!  Don’t be that person.  It’s not safe, it’s for bikers; walkers have the whole boardwalk to roam freely.

Amusement Parks

There is an amusement park at the oceanfront and 14th St.  The pier is there as well.

There is another amusement park – OceanBreeze – on General Booth (Pacific becomes General Booth when you drive South) that is about 2 miles away.

Busch Gardens is internationally award winning and is about 45 minutes away.  If you’ve never been to Busch Gardens and you have the time, it is a MUST DO.

Mini Golf

Museums/Intellectual

Water Activities

Many companies in the area are willing to offer lessons, tours, trips or other water amusements.  Throughout the oceanfront you will find free guides and coupons to entice your business.  Pick that which feels right for you.

  • Surfing
  • Paddleboarding
  • Jet Skis
  • Parasailing
  • Fishing
  • Dolphin/Whale watching (seasonal)
  • Pirate Boat parties

Nearby Honorable Mentions

There is a lot to the local area, especially the more you’re willing to drive.  Here are a couple of honorable mention items that you might want to add to your agenda if you have time and gas.

Sundries

Finally, you need a grocery store, booze, pharmacy etc.  All the following have free parking except $2 to park at Mall.

Grocery (listed by nearest to hotel)  & *Pharmacy also

  • Harris Teeter* – 2800 Arctic Ave
  • Farm Fresh* – 521 Laskin Rd
  • Heritage – Organic/Holistic – 984 Laskin Rd
  • Fresh Market – NE Hilltop Square – 1544 Laskin Rd
  • Kroger* – NW Hilltop Square – 1800 Republic Rd
  • Whole Foods – NW Hilltop Square – 1800 Laskin Rd
  • Trader Joe’s – SW Hilltop Square – 503 Hilltop Plaza
  • Target* – SW Hilltop Square – 525 First Colonial Road

Alcohol beyond Grocery Store selections

  • Total Wine – NW Hilltop Square – 1744 Laskin Rd
  • ABC (liquor) – 405 30th St

Other Needs

  • Walgreens – 25th St/A
  • Target – SW Hilltop Square – 525 First Colonial Road
  • MacArthur Mall (furthest mall out, but worth the extra distance) – 300 Monticello Avenue Norfolk, VA 23510 (parking usually $2)
  • There’s a 7-11 across the street from the hotel
  • During the Ball visit Ma Cobb’s Purse in the Blue Surf room if you need something small.