Kim Cafe

I’ve been coming here with my parents since I was 8 years old, I’m 23 now. I love this place. You can’t go wrong with Kim’s from the blts on rye to the gyros everything is delicious. every time I come home I always have to visit!

I am giving this 4, because the breakfast is solid as well as the coffee!
Yes, the décor is dated. And yes, it is less than pristine. BUT the food is solid. Traditional breakfast — eggs, bacon, sausage, omelettes, ect. This isn’t fancy. It is made to order, when ordered. So plan to sit down and slow down.
As mention in other posts, this is a mom & pop establishment. They work hard and it shows. Her love of cooking shows and that little extra ingredient of love makes rainy days feel a little less lonely when you are miles from a «home cooked» meal.
Located just east of Lynnhaven Rd on VA Beach Blvd, you could drive by and never see this place. Take a moment, put your book-​cover-​judging aside, and sit down for a good breakfast.

I get that ambiance is a big deal to some folks. For me, good food is good food and Kim’s has very good food at reasonable prices. I hadn’t been here in a few years and wanted to check it out again and nothing has changed (apparently some people have an issue with this). The owners are super friendly and hospitable. The bacon cheeseburger was large and tasty… I think they cook it with Worcestershire sauce. The fries were crispy and generous. I even like the little cup of coleslaw they include with the lunch plates.
If you can get past the hole-​in-​the-​wall vibe, I think you’ll be impressed with the portions, flavor, and pricing.

Initially, my boyfriend was planning on taking me to a restaurant that I had never been to before that had lots of great reviews. After being told that there was a 40 minute wait, we decided that we’d go somewhere else. We checked a couple other spots with high reviews and they both had lines out the door. So, after much deliberation, and realizing that we didn’t have much time before we had to go back to Rudee Inlet, we decided we’d go somewhere close. I noticed Kim Café on Unilocal and the reviews were mixed. I decided that we should give this place a shot since it was directly across the street from where we were at the time. It didn’t look like much from the outside so we weren’t expecting a fancy interior.
When we entered the restaurant, we were greeted by an elderly gentleman who we believed was Mr. Kim. The entrance was cluttered with boxes and other items that should not have been at there that were piled up beside an old cigarette machine. There were barstools near the entrance where patrons could sit at the counter and the booths and tables were towards the rear. Mr. Kim walked us to the rear and seated us at a booth. He was very friendly and took our orders in a pleasant manner. Looking around the restaurant, we saw senior citizens enjoying themselves watching a bird watching show on the television. The restaurant is in need of a complete make-​over. The paper placemats appear to be from the 60’s with popular drinks from that era printed on them. The décor and Karaōke machine are clearly from the 70’s. Our table, utensils, and glasses were all clean but the walls and bathroom were filthy.
I ordered the vegetarian omelet, French toast, and hash browns. My boyfriend ordered a cheeseburger (he didn’t want breakfast food). We were both pleased with our meals. By the way, Mr. Kim also served as our cook. I believe he’s running this place alone. There weren’t any other servers or cooks there. So, I can only imagine how challenging it must be if he’s running this restaurant solo. If that’s the case, I hope he receives some assistance to get this restaurant back in shape.

Simple. Easy. Cheap. No frills here at all.
I had a greek omelet with toast. Good sized portion, good food and plenty of it. Coffee was only okay but I’m here for breakfast! Coffee isn’t that important when you have great shredded potatoes and a huge omelet with tons of stuff mixed into it!
I’d totally hit this place up again!

Service was great, but that was it. Received a very dirty spoon with my coffee, asked for another one and the gentleman grabbed a clean one then wiped it off with his thumb. Ordered biscuits and gravy, scrambled eggs, and bacon. The biscuits tasted like they were from a can or something… couldn’t quite figure out the off putting flavor. The eggs weren’t completely done. And not sure what the problem with the bacon was. It tasted horrible. I paid extra for it and then couldn’t even eat it. I won’t be back, which is disappointing since it’s close to my office.

Kim’s is a small family owned place. They serve simple home-​made foods for breakfast and lunch. Nothing fancy, but always good food and good value. Service is efficient and friendly. They’ll remember you on your second or third visit. Lots of regulars come here.
Although my friends and I really like this place, it is not for everyone. The décor and feel is very out of date. The menu probably hasn’t changed in 10 years.

This place has a lot of fans, but I’m not one of them.
The place is kinda dirty, dingy, and extremely dated. The service was not great. The food was not good at all. I was so grossed out that I couldn’t eat anything.

Look up «greasy spoon» in the dictionary, and you’ll find a photo of Kim Café, the grubbiest, tastiest little dive in Virginia Beach!
The Great: Lou, the owner runs, serves, and cooks, so the restaurant is run on minimal but effective service. The Double BLT Club is one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had, with probably a good 10 slices of crispy bacon per sandwich. Burgers and gyros are also very good, and the breakfast is exceptional. Takeout is fast, and there are very few items on the menu over ten dollars, so lunch is always a bargain. His family is very pleasant when they’re workin. g
The Questionable: The kitchen and dining area are indisputably grimy, with ancient, yellowing ceiling tiles, a thin film of fry oil floating in the air and clinging to EVERYTHING; just like your grandfather’s favorite diner. None of the dinnerware matches, seats tend to be haggard, and there’s a bizarre low wooden lattice that serves as a ceiling/​distraction from tile water damage. Honestly, I’ve never braved the restroom, but expect it to follow the same cleanliness guidelines.
Overall: It’s not the place to take a date, but if you prescribe to the «God made dirt, so dirt don’t hurt» dining philosophy, you won’t find tastier, cheaper lunches in VA Beach!

Kim Café is a little dinner tucked away on the East Virginia Beach Blvd/​Great Neck corridor. According to one customer I met they are known for the best Gyros in town. However, on this day when I happened to see the sign for the first time I was setting a course for breakfast.
The place can be a little bit difficult to locate quickly, so maybe those Unilocalers who know where Love Shack store is and who doesn’t right… can find it in the same small strip. There is adequate parking for the amount of business these stores carry.
A walk through the doors and I was quickly greeted by Lou, Kim’s husband. Lou has a pretty heavy Asian accent, but we communicated fine. In the front is the bar counter/​kitchen area and to the back a set down dining area and small overflow. I have to tell you, I was a little bit worried about how this story might end when looking at the places early 80’s décor, it looks like the restaurant is in a time warp and not in a good way unfortunately. Nothing about the place has had an update in 25 years. But fear not, being the good Elite I am I took one for the team and hung in there to provide this review. I have been down this road before and know that you don’t judge a book by it’s cover and by darn I not going to leave without ordering breakfast so I can see what some of the other very good reviews on Unilocal were about.
I utilized the facilities in the very back before setting down and found it to be adequate, but could use some really good scrubbing. The sink is shared in the hall with the women’s restroom. I then proceeded to my booth to look over the menu that was awaiting me. Lou quickly got me out a water and hot coffee. Looking over the menu I was a little surprised by the variety. basically they can do just about anything you want on the breakfast menu. Omelettes, panckaes, french toast and prices were very reasonable. The coffee was solid too and I was enjoying it while trying to figure out what to order. I had to ask what they do well and was pretty much open. I was just hoping for a decent meal and gotta tell ya holding my breath. Lou said «anything, all good.» Ugh, at this point I felt doomed, all good, really are you serious! So I ordered the French Toast and sausage patties with a side of eggs over easy.
I noticed only three other tables were occupied, but it was around 10:30 AM. One of the women struck up a conversation with me and smelled rookie blood. She said she had been coming to Kim Café since they opened in 1986 and the owners were Vietnamese and escaped out of the area in the early 70’s. The customer raved about what a great cook Kim was and said she makes a mean Chef’s Salad, burgers and Gyros, but in general everything is good.
My plate of food was delivered to my table in less than 10 minutes, looking and smelling YUM! i really liked the looked of the two over sized sausage patties (see pic) and was ready to dig in. Everything was hot and prepared correctly, with the taste being spot on delicious. So bashfully I have to say I was wrong to judge by appearances only.
I learned a little bit more about the place by an interaction that I became involved in with Lou and customers around me. He and Kim supported 5 children now all grown up that went through college and are successful. They both did this all the while running the small restaurant that was named after his wife. The business was a Gryos joint before they bought it in 1986, but the previous owner who was Greek stayed on for weeks to show them how to prefect a really great Greek staple, so this is how it became they have a solid reputation for making these.
Lou was constantly moving around the dining room and doing something the whole time I was there. He timed his check-in’s perfectly and never let water, or coffee suffer. Lou is a man of little words, however I could just tell that he was a very hard working man that loved what he was doing. When finished he quickly cleared the area and had my bill on the spot.
I would love to come back and experience the lunch menu and would have no apprehension in doing so at all. The rating I used to come up with the 3 is a two on décor and a four on food. I just could not get over how badly the place needs a renovation. As well, a good cleaning I believe is warranted. I really love the story behind this restaurant and the fact it is a small family business is really appealing to me. Chain places are a dime a dozen, but give me a locals place like this and I could be happy for life. Next time your going to resupply some necessities from Love Shack hit them up and see what you think for yourself.

One of the best little gems at the Beach! Great food, reasonable prices and friendly owners. Have been going here for years. Patty Melt, bacon cheeseburgers and salads are the best! Check this place out. Great for lunch and breakfast!

Really like that you can get lumpia/​spring rolls as your side with your meal. Club sandwich is very good. Don’t expect anything fancy, just good old fashioned american food.

Love the food, so reasonable, but good. This place has been here forever owned by Kim. We there for lunch recently. Easy to get your food and eat in the normal lunch break of an hour. I will be back!

This is the place for simply the best bacon cheeseburger on the planet.