The Virginia Beach Food Guide 2025

Getty Signature

By Dogwood Staff

December 22, 2025

If you’re visiting Virginia Beach, you’re probably hoping for golden sands and oceanfront views. But what you might not know is that this vacation haven takes its food seriously. From laid-back seafood shacks to stylish brunch cafes and the unassuming dives that serve killer wings and pizza, the food here is no joke. Some local restaurateurs have been putting their own spin on coastal classics for decades, while the newcomers bring their own magical flair.

So, what’s cooking in this year’s Food Guide? Readers helped us uncover not just the winners but also the runners-up who missed the number one spot by just a handful of votes. We believe these silver-clad near-winners deserve some special recognition. Meanwhile, if you’d like to see who nabbed gold, plus the full lineup of places that earned their spot on the list, you can go ahead and click through to the full articles.

Consider this list your teaser menu: a taste of Virginia Beach dining at its most exciting. And if you think these amazing places deserve gold, come back next year and vote for them to get the top spot in 2026!

Getty Images Pro

The second-best restaurant in Virginia Beach

If you’ve spent time around Rudee Inlet, you know Big Sam’s Inlet Café & Raw Bar. Since opening in 1996, this dockside hangout has built a loyal following thanks to its unfussy atmosphere, cold drinks, waterfront views, and a menu packed with fresh seafood and filling breakfasts.

Big Sam’s is the antithesis of Coastal Grill. It’s a place to don your finest flip flops and bring the kids. For lunch and dinner, you can relax with a cold beer while shoveling down steaming plates of crab legs and fried seafood baskets. The raw bar is a highlight, offering oysters, clams, and peel-and-eat shrimp that taste like they came straight off the boat (because they pretty much did).

The second-best seafood in Virginia Beach

Few restaurants feel more “Virginia Beach” than Margie & Ray’s Crabhouse, a Sandbridge landmark that’s been serving locals and visitors since 1964. What began as a simple country store has grown into one of the region’s most beloved crab houses, famous for its casual charm and down-home atmosphere.

Margie & Ray’s isn’t a polished dining room or classy waterfront deck. It’s a place with paper-covered tables, wooden mallets, and heaps of steamed blue crabs that bring people together in a mess of shells and laughter. Over the years, the original store has transformed into a sprawling crab house that seats hundreds, yet it still retains the laid-back, beachy character that made it a community staple.

The best pizza in Virginia Beach

Guess what? There was no second-place winner in the pizza category. Only one pizza took the prize and left all the rest in the crust…I mean dust.

If you ask locals where to grab a pie in Virginia Beach, chances are they’ll recommend this place above all others. This neighborhood spot has been serving up pizza, burgers, the best wings in town, and cold brewskis for over twenty years.

The second-best brunch in Virginia Beach

Set in a charming 1919 cottage in Sandbridge, The Bee & The Biscuit has become one of Virginia Beach’s most iconic brunch spots since opening in 2016. The wraparound porch, mismatched vintage furniture, cute decorative touches, and garden setting make it feel more like your cool aunt’s house than a restaurant..

The menu celebrates Southern favorites, starting with scratch-made buttermilk biscuits served every way imaginable. They are the must-have item on the menu. The Fried Chicken Biscuit Benedict, topped with poached eggs and hollandaise, is a crowd favorite, as is the classic Shrimp and Grits, featuring stone-ground grits loaded with cheddar and topped with Gulf shrimp. For something sweet, the pancake stacks and rotating French toast specials never disappoint.

The second-best wings in Virginia Beach

Open since 1987, Lendy’s has earned its reputation as one of the most iconic wing joints in town. Tucked into a low-key strip mall, it’s a no-frills, sports-bar-style restaurant where the wings—and the famous, flavorful house-made ranch—do all the talking.

Over the decades, Lendy’s has become synonymous with Virginia Beach wing culture, even hosting spicy eating contests back in the ’90s that still get talked about. The menu covers comfort food favorites, but the wings are what keep regulars coming back. Crispy, saucy, and served up with generous portions, they’re exactly what you want on game day (or any day).

The second-best waterfront restaurant in Virginia Beach

Earning the second-place position in our readers’ poll, Terrapin represents the sophisticated evolution of Virginia Beach dining, a restaurant where award-level cuisine meets the relaxed elegance of coastal living. Terrapin has established itself as the standard-bearer for fine dining in Virginia Beach, attracting visitors from across the Mid-Atlantic region who make special trips to experience Chef Rodney Einhorn’s innovative cuisine.

Tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the Virginia Beach Oceanfront, Terrapin is a sophisticated restaurant serving contemporary, fresh, innovative American cuisine. The food is modern but classic, and new items are introduced each season with a mission to support the local community.

The second-best Indian food in Virginia Beach

Rangsa is described as a Modern Indian Kitchen with oceanfront views. Delightful, right? If the location wasn’t lovely on its own, the food further exemplifies why Rangsa takes home the silver. This second-place winner has incredible food, drinks, and views—all reasons as to why a restaurant is considered one of the best in town.

Rangsa’s curries are rich and spicy, and since they’re oceanside, their seafood dishes are also perfect. Love a rich Masala sauce? Try it with a twist. Get it with either crab or halibut for a seafood take. If you love Indian food, but don’t love seafood, rest assured. Rangsa’s butter chicken and tikka masala are the most popular and most delicious dishes.

The second-best sushi in Virginia Beach

Nara Sushi is our second-place winner, and patrons are impressed by the food, staff, and prices. Though the prices are lower, the quality is top-notch, which is always ideal when it comes to raw fish. This place isn’t fussy, but they don’t compromise on quality at all. Not sure what to get? Nara Sushi has all of the standbys, but the yellowtail comes highly recommended.

The second-best burgers in Virginia Beach

Craft Burger Bar put up a good fight, sliding into second place and snatching up the silver. Craft Burger Bar proudly serves up wagyu burgers in all varieties. Their most popular burgers are the Whiskey, Willie Nelson, and the Habanero Firecracker. If you’re not afraid of a little heat, the Habanero Firecracker might be the perfect challenge for you. However, if you’d like to play it safe, the Whiskey and Willie Nelson are respectively tame. Craft Burger Bar lives up to the hype—and its name–serving tasty and inventive burgers.

The second-best Mexican food in Virginia Beach

The silver goes to Taqueira La Hacienda, a family-owned, authentic taqueria that has been open since 2013. By merging the traditional taqueria with West Coast flair, Taqueria La Hacienda prides itself on serving up authentic food. Being a coastal taco shop, you can imagine that their fish tacos are of the utmost quality. Patrons \ brag about the fish tacos being some of the best they’ve ever had. Even if fish tacos aren’t your thing, the selection of authentic Mexican food leaves you with plenty of options to enjoy.