Big Sam’s Raw Bar

Always a must stop every visit to Virginia Beach. Drinks are little pricey and average, but the food more than makes up for that. Seafood is always fresh and well prepared. Small dining area, so prepare to wait, but it’s worth it.

Great food, wish there was outside seating. This little place is right off side of the boardwalk, easy to find. We ended up biking there from our hotel. I got the mahi mahi sandwich and my fiancé got the tuna sandwich, both were great! Cooked perfectly for our liking and came with fries that were really crispy and hard not to eat more and more. Just wish they had some sort of outside seating especially because you can see the water and the place looks like it was made to have outside seating. Overall; I would go again!

I visited there for breakfast on my vacation and I was blown out of the water with this place. The atmosphere was great, the good was amazing the crab cakes especially. I would definitely revisit and I would definitely recommend eating there.

You will not be disappointed. The BEST fries. If you like quality (yet, affordable) seafood, perfectly cooked and seasoned fries, and booze… go to Big Sam’s. I love this place.

3.5 stars overall~
I definitely recommend this place as a spot have a nice meal after a fun day at the beach. There was a variety of choices of food for great prices. They also have good happy hour specials ($ 0.79 oysters). We came too late last time, but I plan to come back next time!
So my bf and I got a dozen oysters, fresh with lemon, cocktail sauce, and crackers. I was really excited to get the lobster BLT, although that was really not as good as I thought it would be. It was really lacking in seasoning, and nothing brought out the taste of the lobster nor the veggies mixed in there. I ended up making my own spread of mayo, old bay, ketchup, and hot sauce, and added it into my sandwich. Part of it may also be because the bread was so thick that it devoured the taste of the filling.
We also had the wings, which was great, and the homemade ranch served on the side was perfect!

The only thing that is keeping me from giving 5 stars is the chairs! They are the worst! I have never seen another place use these cheap Walmart style outdoor chairs before. Other than that the food is awesome and service is great and friendly. My butt begs you to invest in new chairs! :)

GREAT service! Really good food. Lovely, beachy atmosphere with a view of the inlet. We had the crab stuffed shrimp and they were very tasty! I would definitely recommend this place for a relaxed, beach vibe.

Great food! Came in on a very busy Mother’s Day for a bite to eat after traveling all day. Everything is sticky and grungy but goes along with the divey vibe.
Ahi tuna sandwich, crabcakes, fried shrimp, the ribs, all delicious.
Service is more of a miss but we got everything we needed and more was in and out then most guests. Plus it was a holiday so I’m sure they were stressed out and busier then normal.

This place deserves four+ stars based on food… Our server (P. Reyes) was far from pleasant and is the reason for this review.
My friend flew in from California and I had never been to Sam’s and was excited to get the opportunity. I understand having a rough day but when people come in to pay money for food and sit down and eat, I don’t believe it’s unreasonable to expect a smile. We ordered oyster Rockefeller, she crab soup and my friend ordered clam chowder and drinks. After a couple minutes passed I realized my friend probably had no idea it wasn’t going to be clam chowder like we have on the west coast and we asked the server if she could cancel it or bring her a small taste so she understands the difference (night and day) before they bring it. Her answer was «it’s already put in and too late…» I stared at her in disbelief because I watched her scoop the soups for other tables so it wasn’t done yet, or «too late.» She could have just as easily said, «let me see what I can do…» She brought my friend a taste of the soup and then did not return to see how she liked it but passed our table multiple times. We were left there wondering what was going on while waiting to order our entrée and seemed it as though she could care less while the other server checked her tables multiple times. It took me asking her if we were bothering her, which is somewhat confrontational and extremely uncomfortable to ask but I also was ready to leave. It seemed as though my questioned changed her attitude bc she became overly pleasant which only felt fake. My friend even said, «great I hope nothing happens to our food.» I just thought it would be good to ask if everything was ok since it seemed like we were not welcome there. When we did finally order our entrée I asked if the cooks could cut the burger in half and she said they don’t do that… Really?! Is that the right answer to the simplest request?! After all her attitude that was what broke me. Everything felt like we were burdening her.
The food was good. I almost requested we just be helped by someone else but was hopeful that she would find a way to make us feel a bit more welcome… Needless to say, regardless of the food I don’t see myself returning. We live in downtown Norfolk and it took 30 minutes to drive here. We were excited for the meal. Not sure how I could ever be excited for that experience again.
Good food + unfriendly service = find another place to eat…

We came hungry & left happy! Started off with a couple Tiki Hour specials that runs 3−7pm everyday. The 69 cent wings, flash fried & finished on the grill were meaty, but due to the picky eater in our crowd we opted for no sauce. I wouldn’t recommend this just simply due to the lack of flavor. At $ 6.49, the ½ lb of steamed shrimps where large, delicious & served steaming hot.
Noticing the seasoned, crispy, crunchy french fries a table over I decided to splurge & got them with my Lobster BLT. Now these were fries worth cheating for! I’m not sure if the fries stole the spot light or if the appetizers curbed my hunger but the Lobster BLT didn’t have the robust flavors I was expecting. Regardless, very tasty though subtle, so much so that I ate all the insides without the bread when I got too full. The kids meals, all very budget friendly, were large enough for an adult appetite. We all over indulged & thoroughly enjoyed our last stop at the beach here before heading home. Big Sam’s is a small, divey, locals feel kind of place with super friendly servers & views of the lake. Great place to grab some good eats & drinks!

When I arrived at 6pm on Saturday I had to wait 10 minutes for the frantically busy hostess to have one second to write my party name on the list — so that’s the reason for four stars.
After being added to the wait list, I enjoyed a strong rum runner while waiting for a table. Other than the small hiccup, we had an excellent experience here. To start, I had the crab soup which was so good and contained large crab pieces. For entrees, my husband ordered the lobster BLT sandwich and I had the crab cakes. Both were awesome! We splurged and had the peanut butter chocolate pie which was a sweet ending. We ate half of everything and had awesome leftovers the following day.

Absolutely amazing food and service. Had the Big Sam wings (double grilled), oyster rockefeller, and crab cake sandwich. Everything was fresh and cooked to perfection. Definitely get the limeade. And be prepared to wait for a table.

Best oysters on the half shell! Shrimp basket was delicious. Definitely will be coming back.

Came here a couple Fridays ago, we had a good time here. My Mom absolutely raved about the sesame tuna dinner she had. The four cheese pasta was ok, really heavy and a bit greasy though. We mixed in all the broccoli, they give you a lot as a side, into the pasta which helped. It was happy hour so I got some wings, nothing really to report there, they were fine. The biggest disappointment was that the Mahi Mahi was sold out, I’m not sure if that means its so awesome that it flies off the shelf or they didn’t do the proper planning to ensure they had some on a Friday during lent. I’d come back, but I’m going to call ahead to see what is sold out first.

Excellent!
We missed breakfast but decided to go back the next day for a late lunch and some drinks after our Rudee whale watching cruise. Big Sam’s was great! Relaxed and friendly atmosphere and the food is amazing! We had raw oysters, hot wings, hatteras clam chowder, and a few drinks. Everything was great!
Side Story: My husband’s name is Harry (not Harold) and we happened to see a sticker in the parking lot that read, «Yeah Harry». We thought we’d hit a few surf shops the next day to see if we could find and buy that sticker. My husband casually mentioned that sticker to our waitress to see if she might know the best surf shop to try. To our surprise, she actually knew the people that made that sticker (not a surf shop at all). She called her friend, who offered to bring us one. Within just a few minutes a sticker was delivered to our table. That was REALLY cool for us. Thanks again Big Sam’s! You’ve just become our new fav in Va Bch!!!

Give it a shot if you are over by Rudee Inlet. My friends swear by the breakfast, but I can only speak to their lunch/​dinner. Not unusual to have a decent wait time in season. Parking is tight so plan ahead. Fresh oysters (raw & steamed), wings, grilled chicken strips, and shrimp were fantastic.

Heading down to the convention center for wine fest I researched cheap fast places to fill up on yummy goodness for the 7 hours of drinking we had before us. Big Sam’s it was.
Started with a bloody mary and screwdriver for a whopping $ 2.50 and I definitely appreicated the heavy handed pour. And got 2 more bloody marys which are on par with my favorites at bay local so massive kudos. Also when we left I was feeling pretty damn fantastic. So again kudos!
Food now. I got the Stacey breakfast buritto with ham and egg and cheese smothered in sour cream, which is secretly a obession of mine, and salsa with a shit ton of cubed potatoes, my favorite too! So much food I didn’t finish it all but damn was I close. The boyfriend got the country fried steak with 2 cheesy scrambled eggs and a biscutt and his own shit ton of potatoes. I snuck a taste of the country fired steak and wish I would have got that bc it was so freaking good. He couldn’t fish either and we both left happily carb filled.
Oh and the price is fantastic! Usually we spend about $ 120 on brunch but including a 20% tip it was just under $ 50. Score!
We will definitely be back.

79 cent oysters on Thursday! Food is really good. The seating is very close to each other so it feels overcrowded. The staff is friendly. All the men’s restroom say is «stand» so that was a bit confusing. The restroom was in need of attention. Other than that it’s not a bad place to get seafood.

Was introduced to this place after buying a Groupon then immediately fell in love. It’s got a great atmosphere and friendly staff. The place has parking in the front, so its not your typical oceanfront restaurant where you struggle to find parking. The food here is always fresh and flavorful. The restaurant is a bit snug and can get busy quickly. The only thing I don’t like is they don’t use a ton of reusable stuff, plastic cups, plates, etc… it’s pretty much on the water so it should move towards more sustainable resources.

We came here since it was close by the brewery we checked out and I wanted some raw oysters that were not going to cost an arm and a leg.
This place was right along the inlet by a whole bunch of other restaurants and maritime business. Parking can be a bit rough, but we got luck with a spot right by the front of the restaurant. The restaurant looks smaller than it seems. There’s not much of a waiting area inside and so we ended up just eating at the bar since it was quicker.
Our waitress came right away and we started with our always have to try the place’s she crab soup. Not too shabby. Not the best, but definitely got chunks of crab and flavor we enjoyed. I put in an order of raw oysters and boyfriend got the Oyster Rockefeller. We both finished each of our oyster meals. I ate my dozen and it tasted quite fresh and a dozen was just $ 11.99!
This place has a hole in the wall kind of feel and I mean that in the best way. It’s more of a locals kind of place, but the people are friendly to all. Nice find thanks to Unilocal