Virginia Originals and Chesapeake Grill

Great service, good food, fun experience for the family. Accommodated our son in his wheelchair and service dog very nicely.

Having spent many years stopping to enjoy breathtaking views from the pier of the Chesapeake Bay and a delightful lunch as we roll into town, I don’t know why I haven’t review this little gem yet. I always get the fish and chips it’s actually the best I’ve had always extremely fresh and delicious. For a small road side stop the culinary delights are very unexpected. We have enjoy soft shell crabs, fresh tuna BLT, oysters Po’boy, Cajun chicken clam chowders and southern pork BBQ just to name a few. As regulars who stop probably 2 times a year for several year I can confidently say we have never been disappointed. The cost is very reasonable, the staff is always friendly and helpful and the views are wonderful. There is a great gift shop to browse clothes, jewelry, glass trinket etc. and a convenient store layout with quick grab and go items for your travels. Be sure to find some time to stop and enjoy the beauty of the water around you, the smells of fresh ocean air and finally fill your belly to satisfaction to make your road trip travels

We chose this spot for a quick takeaway lunch for the road, but it was not at all quick. The staff is very friendly, but seemed a bit disorganized. A simple sandwich and pretzel took about 20 minutes to prepare, with no orders ahead of ours. The mozzarella and tomato sandwich was bland and more like a plain old grilled cheese. Otherwise, this is a clean restaurant, connected to a fun gift shop. And honestly, there aren’t many options once you get off the bridge.

We expected a tourist trap with over the top prices and bad food. We got the vegi sub with coffee and fries with key lime pie for dessert. We loved everything but the pie but I’m picky about my key lime pie! I would recommend this stop. The view was the topper.

On our anniversary we stopped at Chesapeake grille and had lunch. John ordered a classic burger and fries with a diet coke, I ordered off the dinner menu the seafood platter with pan seared scallops, grilled shrimp crab cake and fries flounder with seasoned veggies and red potatoes. Completely fresh and cooked perfectly an amazing feat as each seafood selection was the best I have ever had at any other restaurant. The service was superb and the view could not be beat! Be sure to be specific on how you want your food prepared! A hint I give all my friends and colleagues when eating out. My compliments to our server Trop and the chef !

So the view is nice, and the staff friendly. However, the food arrival is a rather slow. I was expecting some very tasty food since it’s the middle of the bay. The clam chowder was acceptable but not awesome and the hush puppies were subpar. I’m going to need a Tums after eating them. The gift shop inside was okay. I had some of the softserve ice cream, and it was not good. I ordered the butter Pecan and it was basically vanilla ice cream with butter pecan syrup flavoring. Was not very tasty. On a positive note the food inside the restaurant was definitely cheap.

Two stars for the view and the novelty of eating on a bridge, kind of. The food though? Terrible. The claims casino were a joke of undercooked clams with a ton of not-​so-​melted-​plastic-​greasy-​cheese. The oyster soup? Tasty! (This was easily the best part of the meal.) the kids’ menu chicken nuggets? Also undercooked and served lukewarm. The crabcake sandwich was OK — super bland and very gently cooked. In fact, almost everything we got was lukewarm and served a bit bland. Service? Nothing special, though not bad. I wouldn’t go back, especially considering prices here.
Recommendation: keep on driving.

I would most likely skip this place if I ever go back on the bridge. Service was very friendly but the food was okay to awful. The appetizer chips with crab dip was a waste of $ 9. Chips were so oily and spicy. Dip was dripping over the side of the container. The chef didn’t even bother to clean up for presentation. There were just a few shredded pieces of crab on top. Ate like 3 – 4 chips and gave up, they tasted so bitter. Fish and chips were acceptable. Crab-​cake sandwich was bland, worst crab cake I have had so far, but the pasta salad that came with it was good. Menu is very limited, very few options. The view is breathtaking at first but gets boring fast. You can enjoy the view from the road where it’s free. The food is not worth the money.

This place was a treat and a true surprise. The location is very cool, but what was surprising was the actual restaurant. Great service and great food! We tried several things off the menu and it was all good. Reasonably priced too. Gift shop was also fun to walk through. A lot of great gifts, wine, and beer. If you don’t mind the $ 13 toll, this is a nice getaway from the norm.

I was torn between giving this place a 4 or a 5 star. After righting down all the pros/​cons, It would not feel right to give it a 4. Too many things were right about my visit today. Let me start by saying the location is unique and super cool! The one downfall is that it is $ 13.00 in tolls to get to this restaurant. You make up for that in the cheap prices of the food though. Seriously, how many restaurants have you heard of in the middle of a bridge right by the tunnel that goes underwater in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay! To start off, you enter the doors and there is a very neat gift shop. Tons of cool local things to buy. Candles, puzzles, clothes, jewelry, playing cards, spoons rests, picture frames, mermaids, lighthouses, shells, lamps, ornaments, toys, and more. The best part was that they have a very nice selection of local wines and beers. Once you pass all that up there is a dining area overlooking the water. There is also outdoor seating as well. We were quickly greeted by our waitress and seated where we wanted. We had a great view! She took our drink orders and quickly returned with hot fresh coffee. I looked around the dining area and noticed it was very clean. There was also a display of some wines and beers in here as well. Our waitress, Stacie, was excellent! She would refill our coffee and water before we had to ask. She would clear our dirty dishes the moment we set them aside. We ordered a few different things off the menu to get a variety off their menu. We had their waffle, pancakes, and two different breakfast sandwiches. All the food was very good! We sat and enjoyed the view and several cups of coffee. The waitress was friendly and never made us feel rushed to leave. After our great meal, we decided to do some shopping in the gift store. Overall, we had a very enjoyable time and left with full bellies! I would frequent here if it weren’t for the $ 13 toll. BUT, I will return on occasion. It is a must try.

I love to share special hide away places that few seem to know about. So when traveling on the Bay Bridge Tunnel out to Virginia Originals/​Chesapeake Grill I felt like there is a big story to share. This review will solely focus on Virginia Originals, the gift shop connected to the restaurant. There are two Unilocal check-​ins, this one and another for just the restaurant side.
Let’s first breakdown where it is. To access you do need to travel on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel and pay the $ 13 toll. The trip is no more than five miles and it’s weirdly enough still in Virginia Beach, that’s right! So when traveling from Chicks Beach it is the first island before entering the tunnel. A sign is around a half mile out to prepare for making a hard right turn that takes you above the tunnel.
You will find plenty of parking and immediately a nice view of the bay, but it gets even better. If you want to return to Chicks Beach you go around the entire building to head back South. If going to the Eastern shore you travel back where you came and enter the tunnel. This is the rest stop for the tunnel, no other stops are permitted except for one scenic overlook on the Southside and no restrooms can be found in that location. There are also vending machines that are across from the grill. To access restrooms you must go into Chesapeake Grill. You can also walk the fishing pier, no cost is associated. However, you may have to dodge some blood and fish guts. This is an awesome photo op place.
Once you have parked and enter the restaurant you will arrive at the gift store. The food operation is to the back left. Gift store center and right. If your like me than you probably will expect to find a hokey tourist trap. For goodness sake YOU are on top of a tunnel and a glorified rest area. Do not think for one second this is the case at all. I was pleasantly surprised to find a shop that would rival anything you could find in Virginia Beach, yes I said it and not taking it back either. But there is a catch to this store and I want you to say the name with me… «Virginia Originals» So what do they have, you got it… tons of Virginia local items all in a one stop shopping. I found the prices to be fair for the unique offerings.
The displays were attractive, clean and inviting to shop. You can expect to find Virginia Wine from all over the state and not just a few varieties, we are talking a really decent selection. From Williamsburg, to Charlottesville, to the Shenandoah Valley and even Northern Neck. Prices are somewhat inflated, but the key take away is if you had to drive to get them, or have them shipped it would more than likely be more. Also, you cannot find this much Virginia wine in local wine stores, I know this to be true. The same can be said for the craft beer from Williamsburg, Richmond and Roseland. Alewerks Legend and DB among others, I was impressed. They even have some wine and beer in a chiller ready for consumption with a meal and an awesome view of the bay.
I would be short changing the rest of the store if I only focused on the beer and wine. I know. But truth be told how many times have you had that special gift, or unique item for the house you just can’t find any where. Don’t answer that, we have all been there. This place is loaded with great local items that are nautical themed, from clam shaped wreaths to recycled wood frames from local artist. Yes throw in souvenir t-​shirts and other trinkets too… you can find this. Even a kids section with unique games and puzzles. Is your appetite wet now, well it should be because this was a really awesome find for me and I took full advantage of purchasing items such as wine and gifts. Not to leave out a few of the staff people that assisted me the hour or so I browsed. They were just terrific.
Something that many would not be aware of is that the fact they have a full time Virgina Beach Tourism staff person to answer questions. A huge wall that holds area attractions, maps and even a monitor running segments is present. I spoke with the friendly older staff lady who is a retired teacher. She was delightful and ready to answer any of my questions. It is focused on Virginia Beach, not Eastern Shore. If you need Eastern Shore info you can find it at the visitors center on the other end of the bridge as you exit Fisherman’s Island.
For those that may have hit them up several years back they have changed ownership around six years ago. I discussed with the staff how excited I was to find them. They shared with me that new owners are fanatics about running the business the right way and passionate about supporting local. Not to mention the food end which offers delicious and reasonable fare.
This is my kind of place. I’m thrilled I finally got to try. Make it a special trip to enjoy a meal, shopping and a gorgeous view with a glass of wine. This is indeed a special place that is a Virginia Beach treasure.

My wife and I were traveling south to Va when we stopped here. The wait staff was exceedingly polite and courteous, and we’re happy to accommodate my wife’s need for a special diet. The food was served quickly and was delicious. My fish and chips were light and flakey and the chips were Boardwalk Fries. My wife’s tuna burger was perfectly prepared. Did I say the view was spectacular? Large windows overlook the Bay. All in all a very pleasant dining experience.

The food is delicious and the view to die for! We stopped on our way over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel to Cape Charles and stopped for lunch. Well worth it! Fried flounder sandwich was HUGE, fried to perfection and delicious. Crab cake sandwich was average but huge portions again. The seafood was fresh. Highly recommend!

Average food with an amazing view of the bay. I had soup & salad (the she-​crab soup tasted good but had not much crab in it.). I added a deviled egg for $o.75 on top of the (iceberg) salad.
El kiddo loved her Fish & Chips — but I found it very greasy. She devoured the entire plate — and instead of chips had hush-​puppies with honey butter. That’s a smart kiddo!
DH had a smoked turkey sandwich with some sort of aioli. Not bad, but not earth shattering.
Meanwhile, we were able to use the restrooms (scary and disgusting) and browse the (overpriced) gift shop before hitting the road.
A unique place to stop for a break.

Yummy food, great local beer selection, and beautiful view of the bay. For apps we selected the bavarian pretzel and fried shrimp, both very tasty. Our lunch selections were just as yummy — fish BLT and crab cake sandwich. Very fresh seafood and promptly served. A great breakfast or lunch spot if you are crossing the Chesapeake.

Pleasantly surprised! Virginia bbq sandwich and hush puppies were great! Beautiful views! Lots of seafood selection. Can eat indoors or out with waitstaff. . They have take out counter as well. Fresh fruit. Wine tastings. Bar. Very cool place to stop !

Service was fast. Fried Flounder sandwich was awesome. Shrimp over salad good. Real chicken in the chicken nuggets. Kid approved. Soft serve ice cream with a twist of flavor. Very tasty. View is great. Everything priced very reasonable. Will eat here again.

Food was not too great, but the location was wonderful. I could have sat up on the deck all day. Drinks came fast but food took over 30 mins and it was just brunch.

Great service but the view was even better. we just ordered drinks so I wasn’t able to comment on the food. The View is worth sitting in the patio

We were heading home from a vacation and knew there wasn’t anything home in the frig. so finally stopped to check out the Grill.
The location and view of the bay are breathtaking however it’s not a clear view from the windows inside. They are in need of a cleaning. The dining area isn’t very large but the tables and floor were clean and we didn’t have any problem with seating.
Our waitress was very friendly and attentive. We each ordered the fish and chips, she said it was fresh Atlantic haddock, maybe it was. The fish was beer battered with a crisp fry but lacked any seasoning. However the French fries were hot an delicious. My Cole slaw had a pink hue, probably from the red cabbage but his was perfectly white. It was obvious than mine was the bottom of the bin and his was from the newly made container. Why would they do that? I sent mine back and got a perfectly white dish of slaw.
I wouldn’t pay the CBBT bridge toll to stop in for lunch but if you are crossing and going home to an empty kitchen pantry stop in and fill up.

I have no idea why as many times as I have crossed the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel that I never thought to stop in and check out the restaurant. For some reason a conversation came up where this place was mentioned and like a light bulb turning on I thought, «Gee, I bet you could get a good fish sandwich there». I mean really, if you cant get fresh fish dining over the Chesapeake Bay some 10 miles out over the water, then where else are you going to get it.
I still figured that this was going to be frozen food service product like you get at most restaurants. I was wrong.
I can be such an airhead. Parked my car, walked in to this place which up front looks like a gift shop with a little bar in back where you can order a limited menu, of which I did not see any fish sandwich.
I ask the lady behind this little counter if they had a fish sandwich on the menu. Fact is, this is all about I was expecting, a small food counter to order, small selection, and mostly to go. The lady said,
«Well, if you don’t find what you like here, why don’t you try our full service waterside dining experience?» I said,
«I thought this was it!»
«No sir, just walk down this isle and take a left, a waitress will be right with you»
OK!!! Now I got my game on, getting pretty excited here. WALLLA!!!
«Hi there mam, and sure I would love this table right by the window. Fantastic!!! I see one of my buddies fishing the rock piles, also a great view of a nuclear submarine heading up the bay, and a great view of a massive approaching storm moving eastwardly. Better call the girlfriend and tell her the Eastern Shore is about an hour away from building an ark!»
I sat down, and had excellent service from the waitress who was very attentive. Large selection of beer, I don’t drink beer really but had to have a Legend Brown Ale, just had to. The menu was fairly large and well laid out. It was explained to me that the fish was fresh local Flounder caught commercially and all the seafood, Oysters, Clams, everything was fresh.
Very pleased with what was brought out for me, a free cup of vegetable lentil soup that was awarded to me because of a free coupon I got when I purchased my CBBT Toll Ticket. The soup was excellent. I also tried the she crab soup and it was with out a doubt fresh crabmeat. I could tell is was all backfin lump, and not frozen. GREAT STUFF. Of course it needed more sherry, but I always like extra sherry with bisque.
The main course for lunch was beer battered flounder. I usually go for a lighter breading, but was curious to see how they would prepare this. It was fantastic! FRESH FLOUNDER!!! Totally awesome. The tarter sauce was great as well as the slaw. Fries good to!
The atmosphere and view is really awesome and I was totally impressed with how good the service was. These people are on top of their game and really do a terrific job!
So I will say this, even if you don’t need to cross the bridge tunnel, going to this restaurant is worth the toll and the trip. A truly great experience and I for sure will be back.
Jim Baugh
JBO TV