Taste Unlimited

This review is based strictly on the gift shop and the gelato! 5 stars seriously for me!
On a little corner tucked away on the side beside the Hyatt and apartment complex of the greenbrier area is «Taste!» I love the name and the concept!
I was so excited to see they have a wine selection and went straight for that area! Seriously because I love me some wine I had To grab me a bottle of prickly pear Riesling and their gluten free chocolate chip cookies to bring home.
Beverages and a little freezer of assortments to buy, cheese, crackers, cookies! They also had samples of the Virginia nuts to try and an assortment of goodies that are awesome take homes and evening for gifting. It’s a little market, restaurant and gift shop in one.
I’m seriously enjoying my Thai coconut gelato and the classic 70’s music outside in the patio. It’s a casual environment but with a classy flare with simple foods and sandwiches that I did not order. I will definitely be back here and «taste» all menu has to offer here.
I’m in love with the ambiance great for groups, dates and hang outs with the girls. My boys will certainly love the gelato! Will be back soon!

Never disappointed with Taste! Try the Inlet sandwich. It’s awesome and a delicious vegetarian option.

Not what I expected. This has the look and feel of a Whole Foods market — bright, clean aesthetic, helpful people, uniquely branded food items with (sometimes) even more unique ingredients, and pricey, pricey, pricey.
Eschewing the «market» portion, and focusing on the soup and sandwich portion, I was unimpressed. To be frank, I felt ripped off. We got the Chesapeake Crab-​cake which was quite delicious I must say. It wasn’t $ 11 for a crab-​cake on a roll delicious, but it had nice chunks of crab, was seasoned well, and the brioche roll was buttery smooth and fresh. The only saving grace. The Lynnhaven was a sandwich with an identity crisis. Room temperature chicken with room temperature pimento cheese (which was a sort of spread, some pizazz to it, but terrible, awkward congealed texture due to temperature) with cold bacon, spinach, and tomato on non-​toasted or warmed Italian flat bread. it was almost gross and felt sloppy and ill prepared. I’m a huge fan of New England clam chowder, and also love sampling new things at new places. so I ordered a cup ($ 5!) yea… I won’t do that again. If you refer to my terrible photography attached to this, not only can you see the aforementioned congealed cheese but more importantly, you can see the ring of grease bouying the soup. How cooking a burger pushes the fat to the edges? That’s what the soup looked like and tasted like. More potato then clam, and all lard. The bread it came with was stale and got thrown out. These three items with one (1) fountain drink. $ 32. Yea.
Honestly, this place deserved a worse review, however some places have off days. If they had prepped the Lynnhaven correctly, it wouldn’t have been a bad sandwich, and people seem to love their soups, and I imagine not all the bread is stale. so perhaps I was just unlucky and in this circumstance, i’ll give the benefit of the doubt. My lasting impression though is that this place doesn’t live up to the hype, and is basically an expensive Panera Bread dressed as a Whole Foods, titled as an eatery.

This place has VERY delicious salads! I created my own salad and it was really good. You also get to create your own sandwich too. Went here for lunch and it wasn’t crowded, which was great. They even make their own gelato. I shall be back to get some gelato! I love how they have a lot of gluten-​free options such as their croutons and their salad dressings. I will definitely be back to try more of their delicious foods.

Just a winner. Everything fresh good well priced and clean. Great prices. A must try been there 3 times this week

Had the Ghent sandwich and some Chesapeake Crab chips. Both were great. Cute place and very friendly staff. Some fun specialty items for sell as well.

Tried the hilltop sandwich. It was rather bland. Bread, turkey, cheese, and a dressing. I couldn’t really taste the dressing. I’m thinking it was a type of mustard mix. Quality ingredients, but rather pricey for the amount of food you get. I would not eat here again.

Great variety and lots of delicious options. They have the most AMAZING iced tea that is phenomenal. Its like a vacation for your mouth. They have some fun and trendy treats to take out for entertaining when you don’t quite feel like doing the work yourself. Great selection of local items too.

Super cute interior with loads of seating and a retail section (wine, jams, other fun stuff). You order at the counter and seat yourself. I enjoyed a half portobello mushroom sandwich, a half Greek salad, and sweet tea. My boyfriend had some kind of chicken sandwich that he didn’t really care for.
Seems like a great lunch spot and judging by the lunch crowd that day, the place is quite popular.
Vegan tip: i replaced the cheese in the mushroom sandwich with avocado and removed the dairy from the salad and thought both items (especially the sandwich) were tasty. I think there was another veganizable sandwich on the menu but i can’t recall for now. The mushroom sandwich was good enough that when I return, I’ll probably just order a full sized sammy.
D-​lish!

Taste is a great lunch place. They have both the classics and some more modern combinations. I like the nice rustic feel of the sandwiches and soup, and I appreciate that the menu changes seasonally. Soup comes piping hot, with a nice bit of starchy bread and cold butter. I would avoid the cold pea soup if it comes back on the summer menu– it was gluey and gloppy.
What I really enjoy is the catered food. Taste’s grilled vegetable platter, could turn a veggie hater into a believer. The vegetables had nice grill marks, and were super flavorful. I found myself coming back for more, and more.

I love this place. They have the best crab ale sandwich in the area. I think it’s the brioche bread and red pepper aioli that makes it! They have a wonder assortment of sandwiches, organic drinks galore, and wonderful gift baskets! They are on the pricey side so I’m not able to eat her everyday but it’s a wonderful weekend treat!

Awesome place. I love the idea of a deli and a store taken upscale. The fresh ingredients are to die for and all the healthy options anyone would want. This was right next to our hotel so we stopped before we got on the road. The cookie I got from here made me want to drive all the way back down here. The mozzarella was super fresh and so was the bread I loved everything about this place.

I love Taste! The fresh natural ingredients makes my body happy! The soups are always tasty. They always experiment with new flavors.
This is my go to place for Salads, the dressing is sooo yum! With my sandwich I always get The multigrain bread and it is always soft. I will say that this place is a little expensive for what you get, getting reward points help after buying 12 sandwich you get one free.

Delicious delicious delicious!!! I am so glad we decided to come here for girls day out!!! I had the Northerner half sandwich which was absolutely refreshing, light & delicious!!! It had smoked turkey, bacon, avocado, tomato, lettuce and some kind of sauce on a French baguette. Aaaaaaamzing…
Also had some Cajun corn chowder with crab. Yum!!! It was creamy, hearty & crabby!!! Unfortunately i had a few hard crab pieces in it from the meat. other than that it was so so so good!!!
It also came with a big piece of freshly baked bread with a little piece of butter. I broke it into pieces and put it in the soup. So good!
Tons of little gift shopping inside the Taste. Wine, cheese, little salad mixes, candy, dips and so much more. Perfect for a one stop shop for the holidays.
Place was very clean. A little pricy though. For a half sandwich, cup of soup and fountain drink it was $ 15.02. I did not expect that. But you get what you pay for.
The place still smelled for fresh paint.

Sadly they will be closed for a week for renvo but place is still yummy!!! Closed from 10÷19−10÷27 so make the extra drive to the taste for now. I’m sure it will still be amazing
Again as always the sandwiches are so yummy house dressing all day buying one to take back to NYC

I eat here at least once a week for lunch. Is it overpriced? Absolutely. Unfortunately my addiction doesn’t understand what that means.
Before I went vegan my go to was the Tidewater. I could eat it everyday it was that good. The chicken salad paired perfectly with the salty ham, swiss cheese and house dressing. Now my go to is the First Landing with no cheese and add avocado and roasted red peppers. Fellow vegans– try it. It hits the spot every time, it’s amazing. Their baked pastries and desserts are also really good but unfortunately none are vegan.
Employees are great, always smiling and seem happy to be there. Definitely check it out but be prepared to pay a pretty penny for lunch, but know that you’re getting fresh quality ingredients.

Okay — totally funny going to this location. It is hidden from normal travelers. You are definitely looking for this location because it is not visible as you travel on the main roads around the shopping area.
The regulars here are just as impressed with themselves as the regulars at the oceanfront. How dare that newbie darken our doorstep. Funny! They look as if you showed up to Ruth Cris in shortie shorts and flip flops. Taste is a private restaurant — Correct?
The location is well organized and very clean. The outdoor seating is so cute. I will be back just to sit outside and enjoy my sandwich while I people watch. The parking here is 100 percent better than the other two locations. I pulled up to the front door and parked at 1 p.m. A first for me at Taste since 1985. I always come around lunch time no matter which location I visit.
This place is for foodies. Freshness everywhere. Great tasting novelty foods that will amaze your taste buds. Love my Gluten free Tate’s cookies in every flavor. Samples of lovely food greet you at the door.
The sandwich of the day was the Northender with a side of shrimp salad coupled with a tasty bit of tea. Everything was amazing. The service was good. The cashier was so sweet and the cook has amazing attention to detail. Just the way I love my sandwiches made. No complaints from me on the service of the order taker and the cashier. Thanks!
Now to address the issue of the lady looking at me looking at items on the shelves. Not sure where in my no room for a pocket shorts with credit card in hand that I was going to hide anything. I kept smiling at her and making loops around the shelves for a few minutes to see if she would get dizzy «watching» me. I commended her on her surveillance of me as I left. She gave that uncomfortable you noticed me watching you smile that made my day. I wanted to say — «Yes I see you walking two feet behind me in a circle. Ha ha! Now go take an aspirin for that dizzy spell.» I have not experienced that treatment since Rices and Nachman’s in the Mall (circa 1981).
I will be back because all Taste stores serve amazing food and the portions always cover two meals. The prices are so low for such high quality food. All the sides are fresh and well prepared. You cannot go wrong. Always a winner. Yummy!
I like the attitudes of the staff at the oceanfront much better. All customers in the other two locations are treated equally and the wine tastings at the oceanfront are a lot of fun. I will not give up on this location because it is 20 mins closer to my home. ‘The watcher’ just needs a reality check. There is no one type of customer that she needs to follow around. Provide great service to each customer and all will be fine. Taste is a location for foodie ‘folks’ of with many different physical characteristics.
I will be back. Next time I will hug her for fun. Taste is my sandwich place no matter what decade she mentally resides in. Smiles!

Other than the prices there’s really nothing I have to complain about. The food is fantastic. Both the housemate meals and prepackaged foods are wonderful.
Service: Taste and Apple always seem the same to me… happy people making others happy through their work.
Cleanliness: Even the outdoor seating is clean and welcoming. From the bathrooms to sample table, no messes here.
Overall: If you’re looking for a quick healthy quality meal at a somewhat decent price and positive atmosphere then you’ll agree Taste is the place to be. 5 Stars

While I don’t frequent Taste as much as I used to (because let’s face it, it’s gotten pretty pricy), I try to go in when there’s a good Peter’s Pick on the menu, or I feel like splurging a little. Also, for a while after moving into this location, Taste was becoming really hit or miss with me. Lately, however, I’ve been excited to see them get back to good form!
They seem to be getting their groove back. Fresher bread, and better fixin’s between the slices. I have also been rather impressed with some of their chalkboard specials. it used to be the same old 2 – 3 Peter’s Pick on rotation, but they’ve even been changing that up to.
Not sure what’s motivating the change in the right direction, but I hope they keep it up!

Since I last worked out in the Greenbrier area 4 years ago Taste Unlimited has moved from their old space that was behind Cracker Barrel over into a new larger space in the Greenbrier Townplace shops.
We walked in and the first thing you notice is that the new location is easily 3 – 4 times the size of the old one and contains a larger deli, dining area & store. It’s actually a bit ‘over the top’. I ordered a Northender and I believe my co-​worker William ordered a Beach Club. We were given little flashing light disc’s and told they would let us know when our sandwiches were ready. After a short wait the device went off and we grabbed our food.
I have to say for the almost $ 10 I dropped for this artsy sandwich there wasn’t much to it. My co-​worker agreed. The meal was kinda flavorless actually… mundane to say the least. I finished my entrée however my co-​worker only ate about half of his and tossed the rest in the trash. We decided to grab some Gelato. Mine was a sorta peanut butter crème with chunks of chocolate in it while my co-​worker went for plain chocolate. Again, off the mark, even more so than the tasteless sandwich. This Gelato, if you want to call it that, was like eating raw sugar. I can’t put my finger on it but there was something not right about it. Neither of us finished our Gelato’s. I was really disappointed with this visit.
Something has happened, Taste Unlimited has changed. Their locations used to be cool little sandwich shops that was a bit over priced but always had great food with decent portions. Now the theme they seem to be going for is a upscale corporate hipster executive soccer mom kinda place with bags of designer cookies and coffees. It reminds me of that scene from the Steve Martin movie LA Story when they’re all ordering coffee
.
There’s certainly plenty more bang for your buck around Greenbrier and for now I’ll stick to downtown Norfolk for my Gelato.