The Lagoon Restaurant

Just left there after sitting at a table for literally 30 minutes without anyone asking me if i want a drink or anything. Not even «hi, ill be right with you.» wow. 5 servers on staff and one was smoking on a break. It seemed like the kitchen staff are the only ones that actually know how to work in a restaurant. The tacos a few weeks ago also made me very sick.

It’s been awhile since I’ve been to what was once my local watering hole.
Came in on a Wednesday for their .40 wings!!! The wings IMO tasted better than several years ago. They were fried crispy so, I know they were not under cooked. Old Bay were good! Garlic Parm was good but, not the typical Garlic Parm I’ve had at other establishments. There were no buttery bits of garlic or Parm that I could tell. Fries appeared and tasted homemade/​house cut. Good stuff & they had Malt Vinegar!
Tabitha was our waitress and she rocked! Very upbeat and accommodating. Outstanding service always makes a dining experience 10x better! We had a lil snafu with our fries but, the manager (Julie?) came out to discuss and apologize. She was so nice. Great service makes a world full of difference. Mistakes happen but, to rectify in the most professional manner is a thumbs up.
The restaurant has been working on a facelift it appeared. The walls were covered with murals. There was a dart board and pool table. My daughter and I played some darts while we waited for our food. Good stuff! We’ll be back!

Food is not bad. The Nachos are pretty good. For some reason they do not bring out the whole tables food together when it is all done. They brought one plate out at a time for 5 people over the span of about 10 minutes. This has happened multiple times when I have come here.

Awesome view overlooking marina. The tuna bite is excellent. The fried fish (Flounder) sandwich is must get… good portion. Tropical island like setting.

Bottom line upfront: If you like sitting on deck bars, drinking beers with friends, watching the afternoon turn to evening and the sun going down, this is a great place. If you’re looking for great food to impress your friends or family, you may want to try another place.
Layout: Small bar and restaurant are in the main building. I think the building used to be offices for the marina, but it can get a little loud inside if the restaurant is full because the ceiling is so high. There’s a separate bar and eating area overlooking the water with a deck on top. You can eat at both. During spring, summer, and fall, when the weather is nice, the crowd is out there. Happy hour is 3−9pm.
The deck bar is the smoking bar. During spring, summer, and fall, when the weather is nice, the crowd is out there. In the winter when the windows are in, it can get a little smoky depending on the crowd. During daylight savings time like now, the ambiance is provided by 2 bare bulbs in ceiling fans just so you get that full East Beach meth mood.
The Review: Food can be hit or miss. Not my top 20 list to eat if you’re looking for good food. Had a burger once that was gray inside and out… no taste. Wednesday wing night and pizza Thursdays are good. Wait staff has a high turn over rate. They have a good variety of beers on tap.

Good customer service. Nice view of the marina.
Food is average. Come here for pizza night, pizzas are fairly cheap l (around 7 – 8 dollars)) and good for 1 – 2 people. Doesn’t completely fill you up but is tasty. 10% military discount.

Amazing amazing amazing! My husband and I stopped here on a whim, not expecting to be wowed at all. Not only were we wowed but we were really amazed at how flavorful the food was. I ordered crab cakes and he ordered butterfly shrimp. The crab cakes literally melted in your mouth, and the shrimp were huge and seasoned to perfection. The French fries were freshly cut potatoes. They were a little pricey bit oh so good. Check out the pics.

I always enjoy this place… good drinks and killer food. Try the fish sandwich!
Also the veiw and boat access! Woohoo.

Happy hour is best in OV. Pizza night is a great deal!!! A lot of locals hang out, is if you’re visiting Norfolk you can get a down low on some local things.
The spicy spaghetti is highly recommended!

We waited 2 hours, not to mention waiting 45 minutes to have the waitress ask us what we want for food. completely absurd expecting money for awful service, falling apart tables, and the food non-​existent. Not to mention we all got sick later from the food. Nasty and ghetto establishment. Get some real restaurant employees!

The outdoor seating and the drinks are great. But the food. is awful. Granted everyone is very friendly, but the food is blehhhhh. So basically if you’re looking for a place to sit outside and drink on the water, this is the place for it.

Just a quick update to my previous review… the food was disgusting! I’ll save the details because I really don’t want to re-​live that horrible meal!

The views are great, the staff friendly, and there are specials running it seems everyday, so a good bargain if you order well. Drinks were made with a generous hand, and the desserts can be described as «hit the spot» with the funnel cake fries and the filled churros.
Why 3 stars? The Jersey girls (Sara L and myself) opted to roll in here with high hopes. She ordered the Philly cheese steak, I ordered the lobster roll. Her’s was a little disappointing, mine so sad the server took it off the bill. Julia had a meatloaf sandwich, which was okay. On this day, entrees were not strong, but I’d be willing to visit again just to sit on the second deck and watch the sunset over the harbor.

Awesome lunch spot! Found this place on Unilocal and could t be happier! Jolene and Tom, owners, were so hospitable. Great view of the marina and Navy ships.
We split the Crab Cake Sandwich and shrimp Po Boy to have the best of both worlds. They were amazing! Check the much for lunch specials.
Wish we lived here so we could visit again!

We went back for drinks at night. Dive bar atmosphere. The bartender, Jess, did not want to be working and let everyone know she was miserable. She was openly rude to the other staff. Not a fun, not friendly place… Drinks in plastic cups even inside.

Great location and good views. They have a terrace style sitting. The food is not that great but its cheap and portions are big.

They ONLY good thing about this place is the view of the water !! DO NOT waste your time going to this restaurant ! The service was terrible! Rude bartenders that made watered down drinks !! We immediately tossed our drinks and got out of this place and proceeded to go to The Surf Rider Restaurant down street.

I came to The Lagoon with some local Norfolk friends on Christmas Eve. It’s the restaurant right at the marina, and it has a fun vibe to it. Our friends know all of the employees because they eat at The Lagoon often, so I think we probably had more stellar service than the usual customer. But the appetizers were good, especially the loaded nachos and crab-​stuffed mushrooms. I got the daily special, which was shrimp, scallops, and mussels with creamy tomato pasta. I asked for a split plate with my daughter, and each of us got very hearty portions. The tuna bites are also tasty.
If you’re going on a cold night, make sure to bring a jacket. Because it’s a restaurant that opens up all the windows during the summer, it gets cold and drafty in the winter (despite the warming fans).

We’ve been back this summer and were pleasantly surprised by how much better they’ve gotten. Don’t get me wrong — neither the food nor the service rocks my socks off. However, the servers were genuinely nice and eager to feed and water us on our last few visits, and the food is vastly improved. We’ve started making their $ 4 burger night on the upper deck a weekly event and our neighbors enjoy Thursday night pizza. As always, the view of the marina and sunsets are well worth your time. So glad to have other eating options in the neighborhood.

Ahoy matey! This marina driven restaurant is fan-​effing-​tastic! Superb in food, service and space! There’s loads of seating either in the main building restaurant or over to their dock side double decker. The top deck has the most amazing view of the water and the boats as they come ashore. Space would be perfect for a party!
The people that gather here are all super friendly and fun. We were greeted by a regular walking in, he made us laugh all the way to the bar area where we sat and watched the football game. The owners are both present when we walked in and I was informed that the husband is the actual chef! He even let us taste one of his experimental cinnamon apple pie. It was a bit too sour but he’s still tweaking it.
There’s an outdoor smoking area near the front door (kind of a no-​no if you ask me), but once you walk in there are stairs to the VIP patio. To the left is the regular tables and chair seating and to the right is the bar area, also with tables surrounding the rounded curved part of the building (pretty cool if you ask me). There’s a large round table in the middle of the bar area for those who would prefer to stand, drink and mingle. Currently, there are 3 smaller flat screens and one large one on the back wall of the bar.
The food, oh, the food. We opt for their Thurs. special «pizza» night. They make it from scratch, including the dough! Fresh tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese on top. The pizza isn’t on the menu, but we were told by the waitress that they could make possibly anything for you. Any pizza topping you can think of, just ask them and they may be able to make it, depending on their available goodies in the pantry. They apparently ran out of fresh basil that night, which was a bummer. However, the plain cheese pizza was good enough to stand on its own with no toppings. We also ordered calamari for an appetizer, a bit pricey for an appetizer and a little on the mediocre part of things. It’s not as «fresh» as any of their other menu options. The squids were tiny. I think i would like them to be a little bigger, or wider in cut. The breading was perfect on it, so I wouldn’t change that. The tomato/​marinara sauce they had with it was bland in comparison to their wasabi aoili special sauce. Definitely ask for that! It’s not spicy at all, just has that wasabi taste. Of course if youre not into that taste, by all means, avoid it! They have other special sauces. Just ask them.
There’s a $ 2 off promo on their sandwiches on Unilocal.Take advantage of it if you can. They also have $ 4 sashimi grade tuna bites from Sunday — Thursdays. You can have them cook it blackened, jamaican style, canjun or any others you can think of. They also do 40cents wing nights on Wednesdays and their special Stella night where you pay $ 6 and you get to keep the cool Stella chalice cup! Will have to go back for that. Also on Saturdays if you bring a college coozie, you can get happy hour pricing on your beer all day/​night and on Sundays, wear a football jersey for the same discount on booze! Their normal happy hour time is from 4pm-​9pm daily with $ 1.50-$ 2.50 pint beers. oh and need I mention their $ 1 taco night every Monday with $ 2 fish tacos!
This place has a lot of potential. Going to the top deck alone is a whole experience by itself.
–1 star for their far location. I suppose it’s not really their fault, especially since there’s a view to make up for their super way off the main road location, but it is a drive. And also for them running out of fresh basil. I think i’ll bring my own garden fresh basils next time.