Coastal Grill

This place is amazing! Just had dinner twice while in town. The staff was friendly, attentive and professional. The food was great. My favorite was the bone in ribeye and grilled corn on the cob! This place will not disappoint!

Excellent food. Brought second glass of wine when first glass half full after being told will have second glass later. My mistake. Should have sent it back

A trip to Virginia Beach is not complete without a dinner at Coastal Grill. Superb food and ambience. The valet parking is a nice touch. Tables separated enough to invite pleasant conversation. Wait staff is unobtrusively attentive.

I took my son and Fiancé to the Coastal Grill last night for her birthday. They had not been there, and I ate there before they changed locations, and was really looking forward to dinner there again. The new place is beautiful, very welcoming and relaxing. Our waitress told us about the Specials. One was Deviled Crab Cakes. I asked her if there was a lot of breading, and she assured me there was no breading. She also said the veggies were Baby Russets and Corn-​on-​the-​Cob. I asked if we can substitute the corn for another veg. She said no, unless we pay a substantial up-​charge. Ann and I stuck with the corn and ordered the crab. My son ordered the Shrimp and Grits. Our dinners arrived, and I couldn’t believe what I saw! The corn was a large cob, and the kernels were dried up! It had been on the grill, but that didn’t account for it’s looks. Some of the kernels looked like it was old and going bad. We had to sit in a nice restaurant and shell it ourselves– Very tacky (I expect that at a B-​B-​Q place)! Corn was hard and tasteless as it looked. My attention went to the 2 – 50 cent sized crab cakes. They were obviously frozen cakes, and when I cut one open, there was mostly filling and VERY little crab. Ann found shells in her crab, and could barely eat her dinner. I left a crab cake, I couldn’t eat mine, either. Oh, I forgot the 1−½ tiny baby russets. I told the waitress I was unhappy with our dinners, and she offered NO compromise or substitutions, made no comment at all. Not a dinner I expected for $ 28.50 each! Not the service I expected from a restaurant like this, either. I wanted to send them back, but my son didn’t want me to do such a thing. He said that’s what Unilocal is for, so here I am. By the way, he didn’t say anything about his dinner, but it looked like just plain Grits with a few Shrimp placed on the top. He said it was OK — I expected a better critique than that of his dinner from a restaurant like this. So very disappointed in the food and welcoming attitude. A dinner for $ 130 for 3 is not bad, unless you get a dinner and treatment of this caliber. By the way, I know few people over 40 who can or will eat Corn-​on-​the Cob in public, except maybe at a picnic! Very tacky, indeed! They seem not to care if they get return customers or not– Not to worry. There are FAR better and less expensive restaurants all over Virginia Beach that actually want customers to return.

Really good atmosphere, the waitress was beyond helpful and friendly the entire night. Calamari was probably the best I’ve had. Roast chicken dinner was amazing as well.

A great spot to dine on some great food without completely busting your wallet, Coastal Grill is a treat for diners who want a great experience without the stuffiness. For an appetizer, we had a delectable prosciutto board complete with toast points and fig spread as well as a TASTY Caesar salad.
My wife dined on one of their specials — an orange glazed cut of rainbow trout that was sweet and savory simultaneously. I had an excellent seared tuna in lemon butter sauce with a nice arugula salad and roasted potatoes.
The waitress was polite and professional and she graciously recognized my request to wish my wife a Happy Mother’s Day early. She could have been slightly more attentive, but she did fine.
BONUS — my Old Fashioned was made perfectly!

A lovely, upscale, dining experience. Every part of our meal — the food, service and the presentation — was wonderful.

First impressions… great curb appeal and an outstanding interior design. Sort of a Hampton’s beach house meets a Fixer Upper episode (HGTV reference). Service was prompt, informative and friendly. They have a full bar… I started with a classic margarita. I have to admit it was nothing fancy but obviously their bartender knew what he/​she was doing. Appetizers included the steamed clams (outstandingly sweet) and the calamari (also outstanding). Their main menu is really limited, however they offer a ton of different specials everyday. Moved onto the salad/​soup portion which included the spinach/​chicken liver salad and the black bean soup. The soup had scraps of pork, pico, cilantro and sour cream which lead to perfection! The chicken livers were sautéed with a balsamic reduction which was also included in the salad dressing… a little too much vinegar for me and most of the population. My dinner mate and I both ordered the blackened Maui Maui special. It looked really good, however the taste was not as appealing. It was salty along with the fish being drowned in a jalapeño, caper, cream sauce. I usually don’t insult anything with the word «jalapeño» in it but the sauce was just too much. I believe they used pickled jalapeños and capers together — both of which are already salty on their own. My dinner mate had the same comments. I would have scored Coastal higher but the entrees were disappointing.

I enjoyed the scallops and fried oysters, while my wife enjoyed the homemade pasta with shrimp. The prices were reasonable but the food lacked that special «something» you look for at that price point. The service and ambience were excellent. I’d go back but would be a little more careful about my selection.

I wanted to love this place, but for my first time I wasn’t impressed.
I dined her with my bae for Valentine’s Day dinner. They had a serious amount of specials last Sunday, but only three seemed interesting enough to try. Therefore, we ordered the shrimp and grilled Atlantic salmon. The shrimp and grits sounded amazing, but it was already almost 9pm and I didn’t want to eat that heavy at night. Nevertheless, we may return to split that meal. Nevertheless, when our waitress Meredith finished the list and took our order, she began to let me know what toppings were on the salmon. I’m thinking, oh no, I don’t need any toppings. She mentioned some mushrooms and tomatoes, I was immediately turned off. Well I guess I’m not one to rate this restaurant because some things I just don’t like and even at the sound of some things I will not even try it. As a result, I asked for the salmon blackened instead of grilled. Meredith went to check to see if my request would be honored and yup… no worries!!! Thank you!
Now the sides, squash and red potatoes. But it wasn’t just squash cut up into pieces or a medley of veggies. I had Meredith explain the squash dish to me at least two times. I still didn’t get it, but she rest assured it was more like a dessert and that it is delicious. I thought to myself… I don’t know. The sides were already paired with the featured dishes that night. I wasn’t feeling to excited about my meal, but I remained neutral. The table next to us a lady also cosigned on the squash… but I still remained straight faced… like I don’t know!
I ordered a cocktail and when it arrived to the table I let it sit for about three minutes. I took one sip… tasty! Began chatting with my bae and before I took another sip, I noticed my glass was rusted on one side — eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!! I showed Meredith and she took the drink away without hesitation. She brought my drink back within a minute, so I assume the bartender just pour my previous drink into another glass.
I checked into the restaurant via Unilocal and noticed there was a check-​in offer to receive a free Caesar salad (not valid on Friday and Saturday) — oh what joy! I told Meredith about it and clearly she knew what I was referring to, she didn’t even look at the phone to verify, she said ok… and wahla!!!
So the salad… I had the dressing and cheese on the side. This way I could control how much I wanted on my salad. Sometimes restaurants will drown salads in dressings and cheese, but nope… not mine!
Well I did try the salad, but I don’t know, I didn’t like it at all. I don’t know if it was the dressing, the lettuce, I just don’t know, but even though it was free, I couldn’t bare to take more than three bites. I passed it on to bae to see if his pallet would allow him to finish it for me. I don’t like wasting food. He took three bites as well, but he didn’t care for it either. But I did notice a couple next to us, they both had the same salad and ate it all without hesitation. Nevertheless, the appetizer of the shrimp and bread arrived. This dish looked marvelous!!! And tasted even better!!! Now the flavoring here… suuuuuuperb!!!
I was wondering when my entrée would arrive, but I learned Meredith was waiting for us to clear our plates before bringing it out. But I told her, oh no, I’m ready now :)
Now my main course… the salmon was so delish!!! The red potatoes nothing not to like there — cooked to perfection. But this squash thingy… oh that was just too much. Meredith said it would be sweet, but sweet and buttery to the max. OMG that had to be at least 300 calories alone. Yes, it was a good size piece of squash, but the butter just sitting inside and I think sugar and/​or cinnamon was mixed in at the bottom… omg! I just couldn’t. I tried it. Yes, it’s good, but that was definitely more of a dessert than a side dish. Now if bae would have shared it with me I may have eaten more, but i don’t know. I definitely wasn’t checking for all that. I’m still lol about it, that was crazy!
But my salmon and potatoes, crushed them!!! I had about three or four pieces of salmon, nice sizes too.
Overall, the ambiance is intimate. There is a full bar and bar top seating is available.
We sat on a long cushioned bench/​table top (on the other side).
The restaurant wasn’t filled to capacity Sunday night around 9pm. The restaurant closes at 11pm so other parties may have dined earlier.
Parking wasn’t an issue and the restaurant offers complimentary valet parking. The restaurant was easy to find as well.
I didn’t check out the restrooms, but as far as I could see, the waitresses and hostess seemed to be on point and attentive to all guests.
I wouldn’t count this place out, but IMO it’s not going to be my go to place next time.
Glad I could experience Coastal Grill! And Meredith was super fantastic!!!
Have fun :)

After being contacted privately by the manager and urged to update my review I have done so.
Here is my update.
I will update my review if we ever return. Your lack of professionalism shows every time you turn around. First by not handling the situation in the restaurant, second by not returning a call and suggesting the message was lost in your purse for over two weeks. Third by acknowledging and apologizing that your staff creating a problem that no one addressed at the time of service. You would think you would have been more quick with a return message considering that. And last by tying to make it right with a gift card over a month later. You think I should come back and be treated piss poorly by staff and uncontrollable bar guests for a second time? Or was it a staff who is unwilling to lose a large party dining income?
Currently my review stands. Morgan is terrible server. I did not say she was my server. Her mentality toward guests and snotty attitude could not possibly do her any favors up close and personal while delivering the specials. Its your inability to handle problems lead me to think that bc you are employed in a restaurant that is considered fancy that you feel that earns you some kind of elitist recognition.
It’s seems pretty typical that you reacted so personally to this review. As I said.
UNPROFESSIONAL!

We had a lovely birthday dinner for my wife. There were five of us, including mom. Our server was awesome, friendly, knowledgeable and patient. Thanks Paola! All of the food was prompt and delicious. My grouper with eggplant and butter sauce was exceptional. Of course the acorn squash swimming in butter and brown sugar is superb, though maybe not as heart healthy as one would like to have on a daily basis. We had reservations. It was expensive. The crowd was a little older, maybe not too many Unilocalers. An actual old-​school dining experience. Try it for an occasion other than just for your pre or post hangover rave.

Simply AMAZING! My wife & I are newly weds and this is our first New Years together & we spent it here; needless to say we found an annual restaurant for us on New Years!
Food was amazing! I had the duck & my wife had lamb. ¹⁰⁄₁₀ undoubtedly! The deserts were out of this world! I intend on being a long time customer along with my wife!
The staff is always helpful! Dressed wonderfully & professional! Our waitress didn’t let our glasses get below half before she was there to help. She knew the menu off the top of her head & was amazing! Suggested to anyone who is looking to have a never fail restaurant!

So many fabulous options, one really can’t go wrong ordering here. My favorite is the garden salad with salmon cooked medium rare! The new location is fantastic… great atmosphere!

We can’t try the food. Currently sitting at the bar waiting for service…
Slow Sunday night. Sitting at the bar. We would of loved a few appetizers and perhaps dessert. The bartender was very busy. Probably too busy to check in on two bar customers
We went to Havana!

Our family tried this place during vacation based upon review we read. This place is absolutely delightful! Light and airy classy coastal ambiance. They offered delicious food paired with wonderful service. Everything we tried was great. I must give a special mentioning to their scollops! They are to die for!

First timer coming here and I was casually dressed, asked valet about dress code they said there wasn’t one and come on in.
We chose to sit at bar. By the way it’s gorgeous in here. The menu is not very big but that is no problem. They are experts in the things they have and they prepare them extremely well. This place would be great for date night, it’s fresh, and has a slight tropical vibe with low lighting. For appetizer we had goat cheese which was amazing!!! And panfried scallops, they were the best I ever had. The staff was attentive and friendly. I really enjoyed coming here and can’t wait to visit again.

WOW! My husband and I finally got to try this place recently for our anniversary dinner. We loved it! Free valet parking when you pull up. We had a reservation and we were sat immediately. Our waitress was excellent! We went with several of her recommendations. I truly LOVED the Old Bay steamed shrimp appetizer. I have been dreaming of it since. LOL I would go back, just for that alone. If you do try it… eat the bread under the shrimp. Trust me!!! My husband got the tuna and it was superb. I went with the chicken and it was delish as well. I love the way they cook the butternut squash. It was amazing. No need for dessert after that! We truly enjoyed every bite of our meal and can not wait to go back again soon! I hope they expand and open up the patio soon. I would love to enjoy a meal outside this summer.

Friday dinner.
I’m actually surprised that this place was packed not knowing this is going to be the last night service as they were moving across the street.
To be honest, I am a bit confused of the concept of restaurant as it were advertised as seafood chain surprisingly it has a few varieties of dishes.
Don’t get me wrong, I had a wonderful dining experience as seems everything on point.
Just like others stated in there reviewed the steamed mussels are perfectly cooked and taste divine. It’s exactly how my mum cooked however, my friend didn’t like it much.
I had a fried oyster as my main course and it was ok.
Not so great but average. There was a quite distinct taste of the oyster.
I will definitely come back here and try something new.

A solid three star, average restaurant. Though promoted as a seafood restaurant, they only have 5 – 6 seafood entrees. And the salads offerings are very weak.
Typical of many «southern» restaurants, or those «wanabees» that think every item on the plate must be sauced, you get brown sugar, butter, or other additions on what seems like everything… and it is swimming in it, unless you say something to the server when placing your order.
Note «Ellen D» ‘s review who says it perfectly.
Reasonable selection of wines by the glass, and good wine list.
Quality of tuna, chicken was average. Pork loins looked good. Service was professional. Portion size was ample.