Mangia Qui Italian Bistro

By far the best Italian restaurant in Virginia Beach. Previously, we have been loyal Mannino’s fans as well as Il Giardino, too. Now, MQ Italian Bistro has proven to be THE local example of excellence in Italian dining. Their fresh homemade marinara and pasta has not been duplicated in any local establishments. Add to that, attentive and knowledgeable staff along with visible, invested, management representatives, this will now be our «go-​to» Italian restaurant. In regards to suggestions for improvements, we’d suggest dimming the somewhat stark overhead lighting as well as possibly staying open a bit later than the current set weekend hours.

Beautiful table settings get me ALL OF THE TIME, and it was only lunch! White table cloth with a burgundy drape under a glass table top. White square plates and black cloth napkins top it off. Fresh flowers would make the hair on the back of my neck stand up, but there weren’t any. The table setting still made me tingle.
Service was definitely on point. There were two ladies tending to the tables and they certainly took care of all of us. I love seeing wait staff cross paths and take care of each others tables. Our glasses were filled by both of them.
My man INHALED his lasagna, I only got half a fork full to taste it. I ordered a shrimp with vegetable medley on angel hair with a lemon and white wine sauce. I need to learn to order whatever he orders, his has consistently been better. My shrimp was nicely cooked but the sauce was lacking in flavor. Don’t get me wrong, it was exactly what the menu described it to be but I wasn’t salivating over it. I actually brought half of it home. Not sure if it will get consumed… well, I’ll eat the shrimp for sure.
We also shared the dessert special, a slice of a rum cheesecake. It was flavorful but more dense than I prefer. I like the tall fluffy and creamy cheesecakes.
It’s good. I’m a fan. I’m going to go back and get myself a meatball sub, very soon.

My favorite place to eat, hands down. Everything I ever have eaten here is delicious. The Chicken Francise is my absolute fave! Their salad with the strawberry yogurt dressing, so good. I can’t say enough great things about this place! The Lemon Berry cake for dessert, out of this world. I tend to go here quite a bit with my Grams and she really enjoys it too. She is from North Philly and knows good food! Tomorrow is my birthday and I am crossing my fingers that someone will surprise me with dinner! Hopefully I will be seeing you soon!

We went to Mangia Qui with another couple for dinner on a Tuesday night. There is very little parking on site but there is a church across the street that ‘may’ allow overflow parking in the evenings. Typical of many restaurants in the area, it is nothing special from the outside. Inside is pleasant and casual with a small bar area (Happy Hour 4 – 7 during the week). There is booth seating along one wall.
The restaurant was a little less than half full at 6:30. Our drink orders were taken and delivered promptly and our dinner orders shortly after. We had the Calamari which was excellent. The house Chianti was decent.
The major concern was the delay between appetizer and the meal coming out. It was about 50 minutes between order and food up. Way too long by any standard. We had a 4 year old with us and they did get the child’s pizza up and out with the appetizer. The manager apologized for the delay and took 25% off our check without prompting so I assume this is not standard or acceptable service.
The food was good but I would not say great. I had the Seafood Ala Vodka and my wife had the Tuscan Chicken. The scallops and shrimp were well cooked and tender and the sauce was decent. My wife felt her chicken was above average. Our friends had dishes with the marinara sauce and were underwhelmed.
3 stars for now based on the food (not deducting for service as the discount indicates this is not acceptable). However, waiting that long for food leads to higher expectations of ‘from-​scratch’ freshness. I can’t say it was not, but overall the dishes lacked the freshness and texture found at higher end bistros.

Great local spot. Generous serving sizes, friendly staff, relatively cheap prices (quality + quantity= well worth it), and most importantly, awesome food!

This was our first visit to this restaurant. I was in a party of eight and all eight of us couldn’t stop raving about the food, service and ambience. Everything, including dressings, are homemade and you can tell. The bread (and butter) were excellent. Donna, our server, was excellent and knowledgeable. We can’t recommend it enough!

Wow we really enjoyed our visit. Food was scrumptious great wine selection and warm friendly atmosphere. This place us so good they should have a line around the block waiting to get in

My leader and i decided we wanted meatballs, so we head to our favor spot for them. we actually have two favor spots, but this one wins out most of the time for the wonderful sauce.
now one of the specials for the day Shrimp Parmigina so chris decided to miss the meatballs and try it — OMG
Great red wine — we get the same everytime.
see you soon.
and last was the best of it… Tiramisu.

Not only is the food delicious the waitstaff is attentive and the owners make sure you are satisfied and happy with your visit. The scampi sambucca appetizer has a unique and delicious flavor. The hits of the evening were the sausage and chicken, tortellini and pork saltimboca. Please treat yourself and Mangia Qui!

Friday night was our second visit and it was awesome. The calamari is small and crispy. I had the honey pecan pork chops and they were fantastic. Hubby had chicken Marsala and it was okay. But there was so much food, we brought it home and just finished it.
It is nice to have a quality, locally owned Italian restaurant that is really close to home. We will be back!

What a great little place — delicious authentic food and friendly staff! We had the Scampi sambuca appetizer, crab cake appetizer, pasta special with chicken shrimp and sausage, veal francaise, Lemon berry cake and sorbet. It was ALL delicious.

Wine List was good. Service was great. She was very nice. Food came in at good timing. Everything was homemade. The cook is very good we will be coming here over and over again. Pork chop with pecans according to my husband was out of this world. Alfredo I got was great both dishes stayed hot. Dessert chocolate cake lemon berry. If you have never come to this restaurant all I can say if grab the one you love and come on down. You will not regret it at all.

An excellent restaurant, with fine food and an efficient, friendly and attentive staff. The ambience is very low key and relaxing, and there is ample room to park. The only low point was the bread served with dinner, which was at room temperature, not warmed, which seemed to be an odd misstep.

From the made from fresh pasta (yes even in the lasagna) to the imported from Italy deserts this place is OUTSTANDING!!!
They offer the usual suspects as well as some authentic Italian dishes. Chef John is making a statement here and it’s, this isn’t Olive Garden folks!
Mangia means eat, eat (Italian grandma anyone?) Oui means here. You bet… I want to try everything on the menu. Especially those Italian desserts.
Congrats Chef

I really enjoyed my visit to Mangia Qui today. My intention was to stop into the baseball card/​coin store to pick up some hard plastic holders and after realizing I haven’t had a meal since yesterday’s breakfast, I quickly decided that I was going to give this place a shot for lunch.
Open floor plan. They can probably sit 50 or 60 people inside.
The staff was very friendly and engaging. Three ladies were chatting with an older gentleman and all were having a great time.
This is so not me but I decided to go with their meatball sub. What a great choice. For $ 10, I had a big sub and a side of fries. Very filling for any person. It hit the spot with me because I was so hungry. The sub will fall a part because of the marinara sauce so be prepared to use a fork and knife. Big juicy meatballs, crunchy fries, and a honey mustard sauce that was more on the honey side. A delicious lunch.
A definite must try. I’ll be back to try more of what they have to offer.

This is the 6^th time this month I have come here. Such great food and amazing atmosphere. I have to say I will be coming here for the rest of my life. Had the veal parm today and it is so juicy and filling just an amazing amount of food for the price. I have found my new place to come and eat. So happy with this place. Love it.

A change in management and name especially in one of my favorite restaurants causes me a moment of pause and concern. I’d been here when it was Chef’s Table and had come to enjoy it.
My concerns were assuaged and my moment of concern passed almost immediately. Mangia Qui is the real deal in Italian cuisine in Hampton Roads.
A friend and I swung by on our way to the movies. We were seated right away. The inside is just as it was under previous management. As a matter of fact the current owners had worked at Chefs Table and bought the restaurant from the previous owners. They decided to focus on Italian cuisine.
We decided to start with an order of calamari. This calamari was fresh, tender, spiced perfectly, and probably the best calamari I’ve had in the area.
Got out main we had the sausage and pepper pizza. It was fantastic. The sausage was spicy and the pizza dough was tender yet just the right chewiness.
I’m glad the Mangia Qui reopened. The management knows what they’re doing. I know I’ll be back soon.

Formerly as Chef’s Table this place was exactly the same during the tenure of Chef John — the guy used to run this place. Although, its a new management but I’m actually glad that they maintained the great hospitality and terrific customer service. I love dining here simply because everyone is warm welcoming.
It was a bit busy today, a friend and I were lucky to have spot for two so we’re directly seated. Coming to the premises we were greeted by one of the hosts and guided to the table. I love the family atmosphere of this place. I feel like I was dining in my mum’s place. Truth, this is probably one the warmest restaurants I’ve ever been in. I admire the passion and work ethic of the staff here. I can tell their vibes how the truly enjoyed of what they do.
For today’s visit, we started with calamari served in marinara sauce. I thought the calamari was fresh, well-​seasoned, and succulent. The marinara sauce alone taste absolutely divine. Together it was simply delicious, perfectly blend and complimented each other. For main course, we ordered the large sausage and pepper pizza. It was cooked to perfection. I enjoyed every bite of it, love the dough alone as it was crunchy and a little bit of charred. The entire dish was very complex and flavorful.
I have to admit that I was skeptical of coming back. I’m glad that I gave it a try because it was worth it. I highly recommend this place, I assure you that you’ll love it as much as I like it.