Chow Restaurant & Bar

Chow is a great restaurant with great service! The food tastes very fresh and is just awesome!

First let me say the service has been great every time we have been there.
Beers are way overpriced even with the ones from our Local breweries like Smartmouth @$ 6 or more. Chicken & dumplings had hardly any chicken in it. Food is good just overpriced. Desserts are fabulous because Nathan is the baker!

So today my friends and I came in for some good food. This is my second time coming to Chow and it was even better than the first time. The food was hot and fresh. I ordered the blackened catfish, Mac and cheese and the sweet potatoe mash. Everything was great, even our server. Jamie was friendly and simply had a great personality. I would definitely recommend to my friends.

Delicious. The choices are unique but familiar at the same time. Both times I’ve been the food was delicious and the service was great. Highly recommended.

Vegan food rules my life!
It might be kind of simple and expensive but I love the vegan bbq plate here. You have to get the scoop on which sides are vegan but I’m always satisfied with the v-​bbq plate. I’ve tried the vegan chicken sandwich but would recommend sticking to the bbq.
Cute trendy interior, almost always slammed, plus good for larger groups.

Though you will most likely have to park a block away and hoof it, it’s totally worth it. Huge portions! And they’re take on southern cuisine is inspiring, I mean, I have a kitchen. Fried green tomatoes are to die for! Only thing I’ve had that was a miss for me is there mac n cheese, gasp, I know. Just not enough cheese or seasoning for me.

I had heard so many great things about Chow and finally a couple of us from work went for lunch. I have to tell you we loved it! Our waitress was Michelle and did a great job with detailed explanations of the different dishes. We split the fried green tomatoes as an appetizer and they were good but the chopped ham salad that came with it was spectacular (favorite part). I had the Grilled Chicken Club with the Mac n Cheese and it was excellent. I couldn’t finish it had to take half of the sandwich and the half Mac n Cheese to go. Definitely recommend it. I can’t wait to take my wife there for dinner.

Great atmosphere and even better food! I’ve never had to wait on a table but it is always packed. The service is wonderful and even though I’m not a beer drinker, the selection is fairly large.
I highly recommend the pork chops or pulled pork.

Not a huge fan. Beer selection is pretty decent… BONUS. It is pretty low key and I would recommend it for getting together with friends but I tried it a couple times and both times I was underwhelmed by the barbecue, first the brisket then the chicken (both were oversauced in my opinion).
Great service though.

Stopped for a quick brunch before hitting the road again, and was pleased with my experience. The food is fresh, service was prompt friendly and helpful for our large party of 7. I opted for the seared ahi Tuna burger served with fresh avocado. Unfortunately — the server stated they cut open the avocado and it was not fresh so they couldn’t serve it to us, so she substituted for arugula instead which was kind of a bummer since I felt like the contrast in texture of the tuna with avocado would have been perfect.
Our whole table got bloody Mary’s, and they were well made I recommend them if you’re a bloody fan. The prices are also insanely fair. I’m not sure if it’s because I live in the city, but I think they were like. $ 6 a piece or something around that — amazing. My whole table was pleased with all their food, and their menu is quite expansive, there’s something for everyone. If I was from the area I’m sure I’d frequent this place and try their many options. Great restaurant.

Just got back from a pretty huge meal here.
The portion sizes of this place are pretty huge!
Okay so, here we go. Walking into CHOW made my heart soar. The atmosphere is chic and southern. The menus are written on chalk boards on the walls and they have weekly specials. And I don’t know who writes/​wrote on the menu boards on the walls but WOW do they have some nice handwriting. ha.
My sister and I ordered 2 appetizers. We got the Fried Goat Cheese (I’ve never had anything like that before) and we also ordered the Pot Liquor and Cornbread (come to think of it I’ve never had pot liquor before either. well, I’ve never ordered it at a restaurant). So! Id ‘have to say we (well, I) was very pleased with the apps! I thought they were innovative and the fried goat cheese was BOMB! I loved the bed of slaw it was served upon. The slaw consisted of slivered apples, carrots and onion with dill. It was a great dish BUT I do think the onion was too strong. I think they should have cut the amount of onion in half and added more carrots or more apple. And I’m a huge onion lover too! Soo, yes. But still! Lots of points for lots of fun flavors with that dish!
Onward on app 2. The pot liquor was nice and spicy due to their collards being spicy. As a spicy lover this actually means NOT spicy but a nice kick of flavor. Nothing that would make your nose run (can’t speak for those who are more sensitive to spicy foods). The cornbread was great! I liked the idea of this dish but my only gripe would be that the cornbread needed to be more dense. If the entire idea of this app is to dip the bread in the juice then the bread can’t be as fluffy as this cornbread was. Every time I went to dip my bread in it fell apart and I had to scoop it out with my fork :/​I mean, don’t get me wrong, it was yummy! But not. functional? If that’s the right word?
Entrees:
I got the Half Beer Can chicken? I think that’s what it was called? It was supposed to be served on top of french-​fries (cottage fries?) and grilled fennel with bacon beer cheese on top of it. That all seemed a bit much for me, and I’m not a fan of French fries or fennel. So I asked for the chicken to be alone and just switch everything else out for collards. When my dish came out the chicken was served with the bacon beer cheese on top. Most people would have loved this, but for some reason I just wasn’t feeling cheese on my chicken that night. Anyway, cutting into the chicken right away I knew it would be amazing because soo much juice came pouring out of the breast. As I dove in all I could think about was how much this chicken could seriously just stand on its own. It really didn’t need the beer cheese. In fact, I felt like the beer cheese took from the chicken. I understand the concept, which is cute and it made sense, and maybe/​PROBABLY would have tied together more had I kept the fries. but since I was being a pain in the ass and tore apart the carefully put together menu item, this was what I got. NOT complaining! Just stating facts.err.opinions?
My sister got the Coffee Rubbed Flat Iron Steak per recommendation from a friend of mine. I’ve heard that a coffee rub goes well with steak. In fact, I think Trader Joes (or maybe whole foods?) has a steak coffee rub that they sell which I’ve tried which was good! This, however was a bit TOO coffee-​ish for my sister and my liking. Everything else on her plate was good! Gouda mash and asparagus. You seriously cant go wrong with that combo.
Dessert:
We got the Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding ala mode. Good! Not the best I’ve ever had though. Slightly on the dry side for me? I get that’s what the ice cream is for but I still love a moist, stand alone bread pudding. When diving into this baby I could feel the texture of the separated bread pieces, so to me that means that it’s a little too dry. Everyone enjoys their bread puddings in a different way though so don’t let my review deter you from trying this one!
End result. I’ve heard and read so many good things about this restaurant so I feel a little weird only giving it 3 stars. Which specifically says its A-​ok! not bad!!! I’m not giving a bad review by any means. but to me, it really was just, ok. And I probably wouldn’t come back out of my own free will but would give it another shot if a friend was interested in going. Does that make sense?
Definitely a spot to try! I’m all about everyone taking chances with food!

I moved to Norfolk this past weekend & was exhausted, sore, and hungry once all was said and done. My roommate suggested Chow for a late dinner, as it was a 5 minute walk down the street. I’m so glad we chose this establishment because 1. the staff was extremely friendly & played an awesome 90’s R&B playlist (don’t judge, you know you secretly love Genuwine) and 2. their fried pickles are DA BOMB. (That’s a serious professional review term btw…) I figured I’d play it safe and go for a classic: a bacon cheeseburger. This was a huge motherfluffin burger, and the bun was ciabatta which added fancy points. It was cooked exactly the way I wanted, and do we need to talk about the frind pickles again cause I feel like we need to talk about the fried pickles again. Pickle chips. Fried. God bless u whomever came up with that combination.
Anyway, go to Chow. I aimed to be comforted and Chow gave me a blanket and petted me and told me how special I was.

This place is pretty close to ODU, so I went here during one of my breaks with some friends. We were on a time crunch, so we ordered some sides: P If you’re near sided like me, it’s best to bring your glasses because all of the menu items are written on chalk boards on the walls !!
I got mac and cheese with fries, and my friend got mac and cheese with fried pickles! I honestly was not a fan of the fries. They tasted slightly burned, and under seasoned to me. The fried pickles were really good though! I’d definitely come back for those. The mac and cheese was okay, as well. I love my mac and cheese to be creamy and the noodles to be firm, not too soft and this was neither of those things. But I’d definitely come back to try their other menu items, their sandwiches and burgers sounded really yummy!

A friend and I visited on Sunday for brunch after attempting to visit another restaurant in Ghent that we found was unexpectedly closed. My coworkers always talk about how yummy the food at Chow is.
We arrived around 11:30. Something to note: their parking lot is extremely small. There was only one other car in the parking lot, so I didn’t think that they were open, but they were. We decided to sit on the enclosed patio, which has ceiling fans and the ambiance is SO nice. Of course they have the infamous menu chalkboard, but since it was Sunday, they also have a paper menu with brunch specials on it. Unfortunately I cannot remember the name of the entrée my friend and I got (we both got the same thing) but I DO remember what it came with: 3 eggs, corned beef hash, 2 sweet potato pancakes, bacon, sausage and a biscuit.
When I tell you that we were both pleasantly surprised with the amount of food that we received… it was like a platter. And what was so nice is that they have the big link sausages — I was so excited! And the bacon was thick cut and chewy just like I like it. My eggs were perfect and the corned beef hash wasn’t really corned beef, BUT HAM!!! I LOVE HAM!!! Anddddd I was skeptical about the sweet potato pancakes and you can’t substitute them for regular pancakes but there was honestly no need to do so because they were DELICIOUS.
I will definitely be back for another round of Sunday Brunch.

The Unilocal score and our desire to try something new drew us in.
Ambiance: Relaxed casual is a great way to describe it. The moment we walked in I thought «what a great place for friends to meet.» The restaurant/​bar has an interesting layout on the inside, and covered outdoor seating.
Service: Excellent! Friendly and fun. The best part of our experience.
Bar: Great selection of liquor and beers. The wine choices were pretty good too. The bar tender also was a fairly skilled mixer with so we were pretty happy with the spirits.
Chow: I started with the Chicken Livers sautéed garlic and balsamic with onion and cherry tomatoes over house bread. Large portion for an appetizer but it was quite tasty. My wife ordered a Baby Wedge Salad. If you like large portions you’ll like this because it definitely wasn’t very small. The salad was good but nothing special.
Meal: My wife and I split the Fried Chicken. Again good sized portions but the chicken tasted as if it needed seasoning before frying. A little bland for my taste. We also ordered the Artichoke Salad, which was good and the Mac and Cheese. That turned out to be the best of the three but nothing spectacular.
Cleanliness: Tables, floor, bar and bathrooms… all clean so no worries.
Overall: Fantastic place to meet up for a drink or make new friends as the locals all seemed really cool. That said the food was good but not much more so I’m giving it an overall 3 Stars.

Our dinner was wonderful and really giant plates!
I had the BBQ brisket with mashed potatoes and collards!
So good!
My husband had country fried steak and mashed potatoes with collards!
Great anniversary dinner!

It was a night to explore a new restaurant, so I picked this one. Came here on a late Friday night for dinner with a friend. Boyfriend and I got there first and we were seated in the back booth. We got handed drink menus and had to look at the walls for the chalkboard menu of what the place had to offer.
We started with a pork belly appetizer. It had a nice crisp to it and I enjoyed it with cole slaw even with me not being a big fan of cole slaw. When it came to the entrees, I tried the smoked chicken pot pie and boyfriend ordered the country fried steak with sides of mac and cheese and mashed potatoes. When our food came out, I was just amazed by the HUGE portion of food they handed my boyfriend. The country fried steak would fill up any normal plate. He couldn’t finish it and ended up taking the biggest to go box I have ever seen him take back in the time we’ve been together. He didn’t really rave about the food, but was satisfied with it. Meanwhile, I enjoyed my chicken pot pie. The smoked favor adds a unique flavor to it, but the pastry puff they have as the «pie» portion was not as flaky as I would have liked.
Service was slow. It took a while to get our waitress’s attention. Maybe it had to do with my friend running late so we were waiting on her arrival, but still slow after that to get refills. Other than that, our waitress was nice and helpful.
There is an outdoor seating place to enjoy on a cooler night. The place also offers brunch which people seem to really enjoy, so I think we might be back to try that out. Parking is a bit tight with the small gravel lot, but we didn’t have a problem finding a spot.
Overall, I was not wowed by the place. The food was good, but nothing particular for me to rave about. I have nothing really bad to say other than slow service so I would give this place another try.

Where to start? This spot is… well, spot on!
It is warm, friendly, and inviting. The service was flawless. They were the perfect balance between ensuring I was taken care of and leaving me alone to enjoy a terrific meal.
I came in after church for my typical brunch. My friend and I were seated right away. Initially I was hesitant because the menu was split between the Sunday brunch menu that was presented and the rest of the menu that was on the chalkboards around the restaurant.
I can honestly say that you need to come in hungry but don’t come in starving. If you’re not hungry you’ll never finish the serving size but if you come in starving you’ll over order and leave miserable due to how much you tried to eat… Be warned!
I had the biscuits and chorizo sausage gravy with two eggs over-​easy and a side of sausage. WOW! It was perhaps the best biscuits and gravy I’ve had in a long time. The biscuits were fluffy and not dense, the gravy was just thick enough but not overly creamy and it had just enough spice.
My friend had the big chow brunch. The name says it all. Eggs, sweet potato pancakes, hash, sausage, bacon, and some fresh fruits. The pancakes were the highlight of the plate.
I can see why this place gets the great reviews that it gets. I am also bewildered at the few lowball reviews that are listed. This is a definite bookmark and return trip! I want to try it again for lunch and dinner. I don’t think I could ever be disappointed here.

Its been awhile since the last time I’ve written a review. I must say this is the easiest five (5) star I’ve given. I’m ready and back on track to share my thoughts. It may sound strange but I’m glad this is the first five star rating for this year.
To tell you honestly, I’m actually surprised and blown away about this place. Everything about this place is tremendous. I love the chalk board menu displays all over the restaurant, I thought it was clever and innovative.
What an absolute pleasure to visit this place. I’ve passed this restaurant but never have a chance to dine in. For today’s visit, I ordered the «CHOW BIG BRUNCH» a platter dish consisting of sweet potato pancake, bacon, sausages, eggs, hashbrown and fresh mixed fruits. Thought it was incredibly delish. I know it was huge meal but the flavor of each item blended perfectly together. The flavor profile was enormous, it well-​balanced and thoughtfully matched up. The sweet potato pancakes was the highlight of my meal. I thought it was the best by far I’ve ever tasted — just simply divine.
The customer service on the other hand was terrific. The staff was very friendly, attentive and polite. I couldn’t asked anything more. My heart was filled of joyous sumptuous dish and my tummy was full.

Chow celebrated their two year anniversary in September. I am confident that many have still not tried it yet which is a shame. I too am guilty for setting on my hands for too long and not pulling the trigger sooner.
So on a downright nasty cold, windy and rainy day in Norfolk I sat out to try Chow for the first time for lunch. Arriving at the location at a little after 11 AM I was pretty much lost. I have never been to North Ghent before, it’s like a little town of it’s own with a few Mom & Pop businesses sprinkled in. The revitalization of the area really began with Chow moving in. Now others are doing the same such as the newest Cogan’s which is a block away.
I had not seen any pics of the place, so to my surprise I had it all wrong when I stumbled upon a roadside diner joint instead of a fancy building with big sign and parking lot. What was I thinking, this is Ghent after all. However, this is not the Ghent feel that I have become accustomed to on the South end. I found parking easily in there small lot. The area was clean, no issues. I was just in shock that they have such a lack of spaces for their customers.
The exterior is wood plank, it’s not a big place and possibly you could drive by. There is a large sign on the building if you travel from the South. From the North the only signage is on the door. It is such an unassuming establishment. I walked in and found a patio with a half dozen tables. The patio has a think plastic up for Winter use, but no one would dare today. I continue inside the business and was immediately greeted by a waitress. The place was dead except for a group of military in the back. The dining room was immaculate and ready for lunch customers.
I sat off for the restroom first, they are located to the right and rear as you enter. I found them in tip top condition. I looked around a bit and found the place to be much more casual and comfortable than I envisioned, more like a pub. Well, it’s a combination of both really. The bar is to the left as you enter and seats 12 – 15 and is attractive to the eye with over a dozen tap beer spouts of various designs. As I usually do when alone I took up space at the bar and was greeted by bar manager Priscilla who turned out to be one of the more friendly and knowledgeable bar keeps I’ve come across. The first thing she did right was to steer me to possibly the best Stout I’ve ever had a Siren Noire by Heavy Seas out of MD. With a 9.5% ABV I knew that I would be setting my keister on the stool for a while.
The menu is huge, they seem to do everything and I do mean everything. The menus are in three locations on the walls. The menu is open all day and dinner specials are something that is only reserved for the evening meal. I asked for a recommendation of an appetizer and was given a few options, but by far the Fried Green Tomatoes sounded best. As I enjoyed my beer I did feel chilled even with a hoodie on and noticed the staff all had sweaters, or outerwear. When asking Priscilla about this she said it’s an improvement, but the building is old and it would be a very expensive problem to completely fix.
Appetizer out within 15 minutes and looked fantastic. It comes with ham salad and two large shrimp. Priscilla said she cannot help herself but to serve it with a a small cup of house roasted red pepper sauce to dip the tomatoes in. Boy was she spot on, the whole dish was fantastic, but without the red pepper not as good.
Next up the main dish which was discussed and ultimately decided the chicken pot pie. As I enjoyed a second beer my lunch meal came out within around another 25 minutes as they were now busier. I had already told her I was not in a hurry. The pie was served with a large puff pastry in a gigantic bowl full of yummy cream peas, carrots and everything you can imagine that is delicious for a pot pie. It was so big I could not eat it all. Check was correct, but a pricey meal for lunch, $ 55 w/​tip… YIKES!
During my meal I did strike up a conversation with a regular who is practically in every day. He said he lives close and this is the only business at the location that has staying power and he loves them. Another couple came in and said it was there first time and raved over and over about there dishes.
I will be coming back, but would need to be back everyday for months to get through their large menu, it’s insane. I have no doubt there are many treasures to unveil and can’t wait for my second trip. I’m at a 4.5 rounding down due to parking which is more than challenged, it’s a deal breaker when busy. Also the climate control which was not a big deal, but something that needs to be addressed in the future as budget allows. I am no deducting for prices, but be aware, it ain’t cheap. Be ready to have you socks knocked off.