I used to live in Chesapeake/Norfolk til '07 and have been back 5-6 times over the years (haven't been since '18). Blows my mind how much the beer scene has exploded out there. Anyways. I'm bringing my wife and kids (aged 10-19) along with my mother-in-law from Indiana. Looking for solid recommendations for: - brewpubs with decent food menu's (pizza, burgers, tacos) in the Hampton Roads (Ches/Norfolk/VAB) area - places with good pizza and a decent enough tap list - cool donut shops (Duck Donuts is fun but we've got those out here) - a good spot to eat/drink in Williamsburg after a day at Busch Gardens - a place to eat/drink on the oceanfront with a view of the ocean (doesn't have to be fancy) I'll be going to Commonwealth again with an old buddy and hopefully Benchtop. I wanted to hit Esoteric again (really enjoyed it last time) but those prices for a 14oz pour are hilarious. Outside of those places, Three Ships Coffee and Philly Style on Tidewater are the only places I have lined up so far.
-You should definitely go to the Veil in Norfolk, it is only a mile from Benchtop. They have food also (burgers/pizza, etc) you can see their menu online. -Commonwealth's pizza is actually quite good since you mentioned pizza specifically. -We love Esoteric and there is a new-ish Aslin location nearby there if that interests you. Nice outdoor space there, the beer is fine. There is a nice Smartmouth location at the oceanfront also. The other VB area breweries (town center) like Voodoo and 3 notchd are mediocre at best. -1608 Crafthouse is in VB shore drive area, has a great beer selection and the food is good. -The last two times we went up to W-burg/BG we stopped in at Precarious - solid beers, tacos, and arcade style games for the kids. -Watermans or Chix I guess would be my oceanfront view eating suggestions? They are the classics, since you lived here you also prob never ate on the boardwalk so I cant say myself. Love Song, Eso, or Sushi Vice for actually good food located around the oceanfront but not on the actual boardwalk. -There are breweries in Chesapeake but nothing worth driving to imo.
Thanks for the recs! So Commonwealth makes their own pizza in-house now? Last time they had food trucks if I remember correctly.
When I was at the VA Beach location in 2023 they had their own in-house pizza, was pretty good. As for my own experience in that area a couple years ago didn't find much else in terms of breweries, though The Casual Pint had a nice can selection and seemed like a good draft list. Veil was closed on the day we passed by Norfolk, though I did hit Benchtop on the way out and that was pretty great. Went to New Realm with my wife and in-laws, huge space if you want kids to run around but the beer isn't good and when I went they had some generic band playing and had to pay another $5 cover, don't recommend. If I end up back down there this summer I'll probably check out the new Aslin location, though I've been super down on their beer for years now.
Yea they put in a big oven & have a kitchen now, the majority is pizza with a few other things sprinkled in. It’s pretty good pizza imo.
Kids, family, beer and pizza. Might want to look at Wasserhund. I like their food and beer. Maybe the beer is not as well regarded by some as other places in HR but all in all a very pleasant. A place in VB and a newer, larger one in Chesapeake (closer to a hotel we frequent.) I’m a sucker for dogs on beer labels so, I’m biased. The pizza is deck oven, sort of pretzel dough quality, in a good way. Generally I’m a wood-fired snob but make an exception for an outstanding Detroit style and usually decent tap list, High Street Pizza and Pourhouse in Portsmouth is not cheap but is great.
