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In Virginia Beach, finding food and drink with a local vibe is no challenge. The only problem might be how to devour all the delectable options in just a few days. Here are some ideas to get started.
Feast on the famous
In this beach destination, where seafood seems as plentiful as sand, the region’s most famous mollusk, the Lynnhaven oyster, is a must-eat.
“There’s no food more famous to Virginia Beach than the Lynnhaven oyster,” said Jim Coggin, tourism sales manager for Visit Virginia Beach. “It was first documented in 1607 by the first permanent English settlers who discovered these beautiful oysters in the Lynnhaven River.”
On boat tours with Pleasure House Oysters, local watermen tell the history of the Lynnhaven oyster, from its discovery to its decline due to pollution to restoration efforts that have made the oysters plentiful again. Afterward, it’s off to one of many local restaurants that serve Lynnhavens. “Even those who think they don’t like oysters will want to give these a try,” said Coggin. “They have a sweet taste.”
Next up are Chesapeake Bay blue crabs. Restaurants all around, including the popular Rockafellers, put a pile of crabs in front of guests, then teach novices how to reach the delicate meat inside.
“I learned to crack a crab before I could crawl,” said Coggin. “It’s a lot of work but worth it for the richness of the crab, dipped in warm butter, served with a cold beer.”
Lift your spirits
Speaking of brews, breweries are popping up all over Virginia Beach, with 14 at last count, and now distillers are also at work, making bourbon, vodka and other liquors. Among them is Tarnished Truth, housed in the lower lobby of the Cavalier Hotel. It welcomes tours and offers tastings of its bourbon. Chesapeake Bay Distillery makes vodka in the city’s ViBe Creative District, and Waterman Spirits, a distiller associated with Waterman’s Surfside Grille, gives tours, hosts cocktail-making classes and is located on Atlantic Avenue. The vodka Waterman makes is organic and filtered through coral. Vodka is also a key ingredient in Virginia Beach’s most famous libation, the Orange Crush, a drink so good, “it can sneak up on you,” said Coggin. The drink, first served at Waterman’s restaurant, is now on menus all over town.
Easy to eat fresh
Dining at local chef-owned restaurants gives visitors a taste of the fresh ingredients raised and grown on the area’s 120 working farms. When strawberries and blueberries burst forth in spring and summer, a U-pick farm can be a fruitful stop.
The Virginia Beach Farmers Market, open year-round, is also a delicious destination. Groups can arrange for A Taste of the Market tour, and sample Virginia ham on biscuits or local ice cream along the way, leaving time for shopping and perhaps a box lunch, arranged in advance.
It’s just one more way for groups to, as Coggin said, “immerse themselves in everything that makes Virginia Beach Virginia Beach.”
For more information, contact:
Jim Coggin
Tourism Sales Manager
757-385-6642
