Croc’s 19th Street Bistro

I love the food and atmosphere here. I come to the drag brunch and I love it :). Their food is amazing so fresh. Love it!

This place was a pretty good local spot! Ordered the crab cakes! Boy!!! They were AWESOME!!! Lots of crab and little filling! Drinks were great and much larger than expected… plus well priced! Great deal!
4 stars because the side I ordered wasn’t too fresh (stone grits). But good customer service… the waiter brought out some more. I would definitely recommend it. Expect greatness from the main dish and less excitement from the sides:)

Awesome happy hour and bartenders. The pizzas are amazing. Happy hour goes until 9pm on Fridays — we rarely go a weekend without a visit to Crocs.

Huge disappointment for our 2^nd chance. We will not be returning.
We were excited to try Croc’s for dinner during restaurant week. We use this week to ensure that we try a new place we’ve never been. We had been to Croc’s a year or so ago late night and had a really bad experience with how packed it was and some extremely rowdy people spilling multiple drinks on people in our group.
None the less, it came back on my radar when they appeared at the March of Dimes Signature Chef Event held at The Founders Inn and Spa in October. They had a fabulous pork belly dish and actually won an award for it.
When we saw the restaurant week menu on the dineinvb website, were really impressed and excited to try it! I made a reservation for 8pm directly off the website through Open Table.
We arrived at 7:45pm and waited about 5 – 7 minutes for the hostess to finally come and greet us. She confirmed our reservation and said it would be about 10 – 15 minutes. We went up to the bar to try to get a few drinks. No acknowledgement. Ok we went to the other side of the bar. Finally after a few minutes one of the bartenders asked us for our order. 2 margaritas please. We waited several minutes for these and they were awful. The bar and dining room were all full but there was no need for the bartenders to be as rushed and non existent as they were. Its now 8:25 and my boyfriend goes to check with the hostess. He sees her just finish cleaning a table and asks if thats ours. She says yes and he comes back to the bar to close out. We return to the hostess stand only to find out that there are now other people sitting at the table that was apparently ours that we have been waiting (for our 8:00 reservation).
Apparently a waitress had seen the girls walk in, saw the open table and told them they could sit there. So they end up approaching the girls and asking them to move. They passed us as they went back up to the bar. Awkward and super uncomfortable.
We finally get to our table starving and ready to order. Another 5 minutes before we are approached by our waitress. She greets us in a rushed demeanor and makes a comment about waiting forever. In the middle of ordering we find out the Lamb is gone, of course thats what we came here to order.
We made our selections (duck and lobster carbonara) got a bottle of wine and did our best to try to turn our night around.
The first course (Spicy Tuna TarTar and Tomato Basil Soup) came. Tuna TarTar was not spicy, but had great flavor and we enjoyed it. My Tomato Basil Soup was delicious, but unfortunately it was room temperature.
After our first course the waitress came to inform is that the bread pudding (one of our dessert selections) was also gone. Seriously? We asked for another Tomato Basil Soup instead, and after hesitation she obliged.
Our main entrees came. OH MY GOD, look at that duck. The duck was way over done and the plate presentation was just horrible. The «asparagus hash» that had one little tiny head of asparagus in it, was super greasy with no flavor and looked and tasted like breakfast potatoes drowned in oil from a whole in the wall breakfast joint.
On the other hand, my lobster carbonara was delicious! Again, just barely above room temperature and a very small portion. Again disappointed. Luckily it made up in flavor and I was starving.
The waitress came over and asked how the food was and my boyfriend tried to be honest. She did not take our complaint very well and proceeded to tell us how everyone else was raving about it and she herself loves duck. Well thats great but we’re telling you that we’re disappointed that its overcooked.
He tried to eat it because at that point we’re starving. After two pieces he was done and ate a little of my plate. But again the portion size was very small and I had eaten most of it.
She brought the tomato soup out which was piping hot and delicious. Phew. Then my lava cake dessert came. The homemade strawberry ice cream was delicious! The lava cake with the raspberry sauce was pretty tasty too, just really rich — which is normal for lava cake. Not over impressed, but finally not too disappointed.
All in all it was really painful to pay our $ 110+ tab. We eat out every week and have both previously worked in restaurants for many years. We are never the couple to complain as we ourselves have been on the opposite end. Unfortunately our experience was just that bad. The level of service and quality we received for what we paid was so poor.
As it stands now, will not be returning to Croc’s. We are hoping to see Croc’s in a different light tonight at the Beach Ambassadors Mixed Cocktail Experience which they will be competing in.

Decided to have a girls brunch and reserved a table at the drag brunch… We had an AWESOME TIME! Food was pretty decent. Ordered chicken Caesar salads and a side of bacon and fries… and LOTS of mimosas! Will definitely return!

The food here is to die. literally to die~~~~ This place is always doing events and having things go on… though let me tell you, they don’t need to because the food is so good…

Went to a private social for the Christmas holidays.
Finger food was pretty good (4+ stars) but the whole place had kind of a shopworn appearance… Essentially the same layout as it was when it opened in the ‘80s as Bogies. Nothing new, nothing fresh.
The wall leading into the restroom area looked like it had been transformed into some sort of media shrine for one of the owners with various newspaper clippings and other printed media completely covering the walls.
This ain’t a place I’m going to take an out-​of-​town guest and tout it as one of Virginia Beach’s finest. A far cry from when it first opened. Maybe they’ll consider closing for a few months and get the place remodeled and refurnished. It would help.
Might go back if this happens, else wise it’s too dingy…

Who knew BINGO was so much fun!
I am solely basing my review on Croc’s Bourbon, Burgers & Bingo night that is held on the first Wednesday of every month. Reservations are needed and I highly recommended to guarantee a seat. I came with 3 other people, for a party of 4 total. BINGO is held out on the covered porch and is played traditional style and blackout style. BINGO is hosted by the same Queen that hosts «drag me to brunch». She was an excellent hostess and kept the party going… Loved her!
We started around 6pm and stayed to the final round at almost 9pm. Once you are seated, you have a server throughout the whole process. There are awesome prizes for each round. Apparently we sat at the «lucky» table because this is what our table won combined: (3) bottles of wine, (1) set of stemless wine glasses, (2) gift certificates for the next BBB night, (2) tickets to «drag me to brunch», (2) tickets to The spirit of Norfolk, Drag the Night away cruise & (1) cozy hat and scarf set. AWESOME!
Needless to say we had a great time and left planning to make our next reservation for the next BBB night already. I love doing unique things and this was def. one of those. I am also excited about getting to use all the tickets we won!

I was surprised with my 40^th birthday brunch here and I must say — Croc’s Drag Brunch never disappoints! I’ve been a few times in the past couple years and I love it. It’s not for your stick-​in-​the-​ass type of person — so if people don’t have a sense of humor and are homophobes, leave them bishes at home!
The entertainers are all fantastic at what they do — I love the hostess — also the lovely lady who is blonde — I wish I could think of her name, but she’s very gracious, loves to chat and just seems really sweet.
The food is great here. I like how they (intentionally?) served folks at one end, let them eat, then us, etc because it can get cramped. So I’m not sure if it was on purpose or just service was slow and I mistook it for awesome — but I was happy. I ordered french toast and it was yummy. You would think with the «special» brunch theme that the food would be crappy — but it is not! It’s awesome.
If you’re going to the Drag brunch — here are some tips:
1 — have fun. leave your judgment, your nasty comments and your attitude at the door. The bishes on the dance floor have the attitude, not you.
2 — bring lots of one dollar bills! If you’re hosting a party for someone — hook your party queen up! My friends and lovely ladies hooked me up with about $ 40 ones and they were all well used.
3– they will take a group photo of your party at the restaurant and it’s only $ 5 to purchase the photo and it comes in a nice card. Ask for Brian. You can’t miss him. He’s awesome! (Hey Brian! It’s Carrie from old GEICO days!)
4 — dress light — it’s a packed house, get there early with your entire party (otherwise have to wait to be seated) and when I say packed — you sit ass-​to-​ass — if this isn’t your thing… you may want to reconsider but it’s two hours of your life. Enjoy, drink up and dress light.
Have fun!

I went in for dinner on a Saturday night not knowing what to expect, and I must say, it was excellent! Will definitely come back again!
Our food was fantastic (and so is the Saturday half-​off a bottle of wine deal). We got the crab dip which I definitely recommend because I was AMAZING — barely any fillers just delicious lump crab meat. The shrimp and grits was really delicious and so was the five peppered tuna (the sauce on the five peppered tuna is fantastic!!). Both of our dishes had nice flavors and you get a lot of food for the price. Our server, Daniel, was very helpful and his wine and food recommendations were definitely on point.
The décor is «casual elegance». They do a lot to turn it from a bar-​brunch kind of place into a nice place to eat dinner (from upscale cutlery/​glasses, to black table cloths, etc.) However, it doesnt really lose its casual vibe with these changes. A fantastic place to eat, but not the place to take someone for a romantic, special night on the town.

What a fun brunch! The entertainment was awesome! They had a few entertainers come out along with the host. The food was pretty good. The drinks were good but pretty overpriced. They fit a lot of people in there which is good. The service was good as well. The show was like 2 hours long which was filled with the entertainers coming out a few times each. It got really hot in there with all the dancing and bodies which was a little uncomfortable but it was a warm day when we went. The entertainers did a great job and really engaged the crowd. The only thing that got a little awkward was that after the second time they came out, people were running out of money or just giving less so the entertainers were walking around looking but not as many people were giving at that point. The hostess did a great job and was hilarious! The DJ played good music and was having a blast which was contagious. I would go back for sure!

Food was alright two stars is stretching it for food!!! Spinach dip barely had spinach more cheese than anything else…
Crab cakes were alright the risotto on the other hand I think they need to pick a dish they can cook because it had no flavor and it was dry!!!
Drag show was ok literally once you’ve seen a good show everything else is mediocre…
For the good things about our experience,
SERVICE AWESOME AND WAITRESS WAS AWESOME!!!
DRINKS WERE AWESOME!!!

This review is specifically for Sunday drag brunch.
The Sunday drag show was a lot of fun and the restaurant managed to bring in some talented performers that are really fun to watch for yesterday’s show. They were all full of energy, gorgeous and wore some stunning pieces.
My Unilocal friend and I arrived shortly after 11 for the 11:00 show. I had made reservations earlier in the week, which was painless. Upon entering, we were given the option of sharing a large table with other groups and be in the center of the action or to sit in a smaller two top by the bar. We chose the latter, which worked well since we were able to see the show but didn’t feel pressured to tip.
The service was not so great. Granted we were both really hungry, having to wait 20 minutes after being seated to even be acknowledged is unacceptable any way you swing it. Once our server finally helped us, he was pretty attentive and fast, though had no personality (it’s a drag show man, have some energy!). Also, while the food was better than average and the portions were decent, some things were grossly overpriced. My cup of coffee was nearly $ 5 and a bloody mary was $ 8. I don’t understand why an auto-​gratuity of 20% was added to our check since we were only a party of 2. This would have pissed me off less had we been helped when we were first seated.

Crocs was an amazing experience that I shared with some close friends… it is a very small space and you must show up early as they like to seat you. The food is great everything my group had was great and the drinks are too!!! What’s even better is the entertainment!!! It’s a very high energy place they have bad language and like to pick on the crowd but in a fun way!!! It’s the best time I’ve had in a while with that bringing said… ladies you know your man so if he is not open to this kind of environment please don’t bring him I saw sooooo many men very uncomfortable today… they esp like to pick on the men dancing on them and leaving kids marks in their face. With that being said know your date before you being them!!! GREAT AMAZING TIME!!!

I came with Yajaida P. & friends for the Drag Show on Sunday. It was organized chaos. Not enough space for everyone. I was jammed in the back corner and had to get up whenever someone from another table wanted to move.
With all that being said, the queens were super sweet and meeting Jiggly Caliente was an absolute delight!
I would love to come back but maybe after I lose a few pounds so I can fit into that madness a bit more comfortably.

Drag Yourself to Brunch… more like drag yourself to crocs only expecting a fantastic drag show with a lackluster brunch.
The brunch was unoriginal and too expensive for the variety, quality, and portion size of food. I got a salad that was more olives, and peppers than salad. The meals of my mates also looked dissapointing. My salad costs 9 dollars which i was expecting to get a full salad and it was more like a half.
So please do drag yourself to crocs on sundays for the show, but eat before you come.

Came here a few times for Drag Yourself to Brunch. MAKE A RESERVATION! It is always packed for Brunch for the show!!! The food is okay, kinda expensive for generic food. The show is fun, definitely gets you moving! Bring a lot of ones to tip the girls! It’s a great time if you want to celebrate something with your girls and even better time if you bring a guy :)

This was my second excursion into drag brunches in Tidewater La Iguana was the first (
)
What they have in their favor is just a higher quality of drag, but in reality I won’t be making the trip out this way again unless they have another «special guest» like they had my last visit (Jiggly Caliente from RuPaul’s Drag Race).
First thing to understand is that you must make reservations and those must made with a valid credit card. Note as well the mandatory 20% gratuity. Other big thing to be aware of is the clear violation of the fire code. There were so many people here it was just insanity.
Logistics here overall are a nightmare. Parking is at a premium and we ended up in a lake of mud across the street. Then we fought to get through the door. Pushed past to check in, squeezed through to get to the bar and then battled for attention from the bar tender. My one $ 16 drink took 30 minutes between getting someone’s attention, getting the drink, and getting change. Over priced and underwhelming.
When we were finally squeezed into a table, despite the best efforts of a very nice server, service continued to be a ridiculous wait for overpriced food that left much to be desired.
On to the drag. It’s always going to be a good show. They only had 4 girls who made 3 rounds of 2 songs. The drag here is at a higher level than Iguana, but they have no stage, so the queens are essentially just shimmying around cramped chairs and anxious servers. I miss the theatricality. And lord the music was just too loud. Also, one queen is convinced she was Reba so be prepared for 30 minutes of just that.
Just one more show to check out. Rainbow Cactus here I come.

The first Wednesday of every month is an event called «Bourbon, Burgers, & Bingo.» It’s hosted by a drag queen. The same drag queen that does the «Drag Me To Brunch» shows on Sundays. And it is wildly entertaining.
Bingo starts at 6:00 and it lasts til 9pm but it gets super redundant after the first hour and a half, no matter how many jokes the drag queen tells. (He’s funny.)
The burgers are six bucks for happy hour and really large and tasty. Calamari was the pits. Like seriously bad. The staff was very present and friendly throughout the chaos. You could still order and actively play bingo and not have to wait forever for your food. Also, they hand out a round of free shots. Bourbon and cranberry juice under the guise of some fancy featured cocktail name.
I won at bingo, the fourth time we played. Prizes ranged from a
Frozen Barbie Princess, to a dart board, to a coffee grinder or a Croc’s t-​shirt accompanied by a $ 5 gift certificate.
It’s fun. And packed to capacity. Plus, Croc’s has a small parking lot so if you get there late, you’ll be forced to park across the street on some grass. Random.
Anyway, this is a great way to spend a Wednesday night if you’re looking for something different, and not easily offended.

When it rains on Thursday nights this is the backup plan to SkyBar. Far from the crowd I want to be around. Or maybe it is the crowd? Everyone in the place is 25 and under. At 31, i’m the old man in the spot. But hey, beers were only $ 3. It’s the I just got out of college crowd and I’m still young and partying without any worry of my future type of crowd. (Once in a while I fit into this…)
The outside patio is a little crowded. People can smoke there, too. Blah.
Wear whatever. It’s pretty casual. I mean, you can wear anything from a polo to a wife beater, dress shoes to flip flops.
Cheap Thrills was playing so that always made for a good time.
Side note: I couldn’t find the goddess hot waitress from last year.