It’s that time of year when the brutal summer heat turns into a warm, and welcomed, sunshine. We’re saying “goodbye summer” and “hello fall” with this list of restaurants in Norfolk and Virginia Beach where patio dining is a must during times of comfortable weather.
Norfolk
- Find sandwiches, brunch, and beer at Toast who on their website described themselves as “a different kind of restaurant that mixes a few elements from your friendly neighborhood diner or cafe and swirls it all around with a classy beer garden or charming dive bar.”
- Sit dockside at Longboards East Beach where their she-crab soup and crab mac and cheese are famous.
- The patio at family-owned Luna Maya has the perfect patio for a burrito and a mojito.
- Take in the sites of the NEON sitting out front at Zeke’s Beans & Bowls. There’s also a location in Virginia Beach.
- The outdoor patio at Baker’s Crust Artisan Kitchen in Ghent is dog-friendly.
- Sip a glass or taste a flight on Mermaid Winery’s patio. There’s a location in Virginia Beach.
- Hang out by the fire pit or try your hand at cornhole or ping pong at Hank’s Filling Station’s outdoor seating area.
- Take a step back in time on the covered patio at 50’s style Little Dog Diner.
- And of course, there are many patios at the Waterside District with a view of the Elizabeth River.
Virginia Beach
- Brunch, live music, and the beach can all be found at Chix on the Beach.
- Watch the boats on the marina from an outdoor gliding table at Rudee’s Restaurant & Cabana Bar.
- Family-owned Rockafeller’s sits at the far end of Rudee Inlet and serves a stable of local seafood daily.
- Mix sunshine with their “Colossal Cinnamon Rolls” and homemade biscuits made in buttermilk, breakfast at quant The Bee & the Biscuit is everything you need to start the day.
- Leaping Lizard Cafe has such unique flare it was featured on Food Network.
- If organic, raw, plant-based eats are your thing, sipping a fresh juice in The Green Cat’s marketplace is a treat.
- Sway to live music on the patio at the Hawaiian-inspired Aloha Snacks at the Oceanfront.
- Burgers and local brews are right off the boardwalk at Lager Heads.
- Sit on the patio at Esoteric where you’ll get to see the on-site garden where a lot of the food served is grown.
Visit Norfolk and Visit Virginia Beach have guides including more on these restaurants and others with outdoor patio dining.
