Willaby’s Cafe’

I met my brother-​in-​law for lunch today, and we had an excellent experience. The owner seems to have worked out some problems regarding staffing (kitchen), service, and the loss of a chef on short-​notice last summer. We had Asian Asparagus and Shrimp Soup and crab cakes. The food was well-​prepared and served warm by an attentive wait staff who did not seem over-​extended. The view of the River and the Norris Bridge is always beautiful, and I would recommend Willaby’s without hesitation.

I would have rated this restaurant higher, but here’s my experience. We came here tonight from out of town and arrived around 7:00 on a Friday night. It was crowded in a good way, we got seated within 15 minutes. We were right next to the «bar» area which isn’t separated by anything structural from the dining area. [bear in mind, I love a good bar/​music scene at the right time and place]. There was a band playing, a «mature» group of nice guys playing garage band music from the 70’s. It was SO LOUD and obnoxious I kept asking my boyfriend if my ears were bleeding. I completely «get it» that a cool waterfront place would offer live entertainment.. . it just started two hours too soon in my opinion. Too loud. Period. On the plus side the food was good and our server was as sweet as sugar!

Lunch for six outside on a beautiful August day. Service was excellent and the food was very good… excellent crab cake, very good fried flounder, tasty oyster stew, good chicken salad. The service was excellent with timely refills on beverages, attentive but not bothersome and helpful on menu selections. All this at reasonable prices in a great location.

Great view of the Rappahanock River. BBQ and seafood have been good each time we donned. Outdoor dining space in the summer to dine with a great view.

Great service and Excellent food! I’ve not been able to stray past the fried oysters (addictive!!), but every time I’m there, my dining companions rave about their meal, too! …and the Mac and cheese… oh, my!

Pros were great live music, the bread and the view. Cons were the clueless hostess, the slow wait staff and the only so-​so food. To top it off, our table, my seat and the wall adjacent to our table were crawling with dozens of sugar ants during our seating. How could they not notice these when they were everywhere? (We kept squashing them with the kids’ disposable menus. After our food came, I tried to hold them down under my salad plate.) Our family of two adults and two freaked out kids ate quickly and left. We told our waitress about the ants but management never came by to do anything about our situation or move us. I think the reasons to visit this establishment are the view, the bar and the live music. It is small, so go on the early side on nights when they have music. I hope they do something about the ants. Gross!

Good food, nice beer selection, fast service and friendly atmosphere; don’t dress up! Recommend the teriyaki salmon and the number 3 tap.
definitely will come back :)

We stopped here for lunch while on a motorcycle ride. The best part of this restaurant is the location right on the east side of the Rappahannock River. It has both outdoor and indoor seating facing the river. The food is good and the staff is friendly, nothing fancy, but a great place to stop if you’re passing through.

Willaby’s was a great local find! The friendly, attentive waitstaff were efficient and well versed with their menu. The specials, a 16 oz Porterhouse Steak, and Rack of Ribs both came with 2 side choices. We debated the size of the portions, but figured leftovers would be welcomed the next day… Our dinners arrived in a timely fashion and we enjoyed every delicious bite! The T-​bone side of the porterhouse was just as tender as the fillet side and was butter soft with nice seasoning. We ordered medium rare and that is exactly how it was served. The ribs had a nice spicy kick and that fall-​off-​the-​bone goodness that makes you want to lick off every finger!!! The homemade Mac and cheese, collard greens, and baked potato were great sides. We stopped for dinner, their lunch menu is different. We are looking forward to trying their famous, Tangier Island Hot Crab Dip the next time, but be warned it’s only available on their dinner menu. Hours: Th-​Sat 5 – 9, M-​Sat 11 – 3
$$

This place is charming and the food is excellent. But the service can only handle a few tables. If you visit at a peak time the service might be horrible. Great selection of beers on tap and the ribs were excellent.

We stumbled upon this restaurant and had a great breakfast with an excellent review. All five of us the breakfast buffet which was reasonably priced. The sausage gravy and biscuits were great. So were the cheese potatoes. Everything else was good too bit those were standouts. Nothing beats the view. And our server, Tia, was fantastic! Thanks Tia for taking such great care of us!

Had crab cakes and shrimp. Food was awesome and dessert was sweet. Our server Reva was over the top nice. Stop on by.

Did Sunday brunch there the other day. Great coffee and decent food. My only beef here was that the poached eggs were more like hard-​boiled eggs, which is a shame. Portions are great, and views are outstanding.

My family came up from Newport News, VA and down from Potomac MD for a special going away dinner for a military member of the family. We had hoped to be able to have a nice family dinner followed by some toasts and well wishes to honor him.
Unfortunately we chose to go on a Friday night when they had a duo singing, who was right next to our table, and enhanced by an overhead speaker pointing directly at our table. Needless to say, conversation, yet alone any type of toasts were impossible. After our meal, we left without being about to honor our family member who will be shipping out next week.
So while I could compliment the food and the service, I will not be going back there as the whole experience left a bad feeling (even after I asked to speak to the manager who was not available, and mentioned it directly to the person who was more than happy to take my credit card in payment for our over $ 210.00 meal)…

We revisited Willaby’s after a long hiatus. We hadn’t even been to this location. We were pleasantly surprised. Our lunch was timely, good-​looking and tasty — including delicious hush puppies. Service was good. The view is great. I remember their pies to be very good. We will go again. The only blemish for me is that they use generic ketchup. When I don’t see Heinz, I think a restaurant is cutting corners on food costs.

Drove 2.5 hours to get here Saturday. After living on the beach for 4 years finding steamed shrimp & a beach type restaurant is a challenge. But this place scored! The steamed shrimp was perfect, the crab cake was all crab, and the hush puppies would make you slap your momma!
We will be back, often!

Quaint restaurant with a great view of the Rappahannock River and bridge.
The food is consistently simple, yet good. I have 2 favorites that I usually alternate choosing from: chicken salad and the BLT. The chicken salad has grapes, walnuts, manderin oranges and red onions. I like the varying textures and tastes that accompany this sandwich. The BLT is always made with fresh produce and crisp bacon, creating another simple yet stellar sammich.
Throw a side of hush puppies and it’s the perfect lunch date! Those suckers are piping hot, making your butter meltdown instantly. It’s crunchy outside coating gives way to a dense cornmeal and onion middle. I can just taste them now…
My mother is a big fan of the club sandwich and the willaburger. Right along side her order of hush puppies!
The staff at Willaby’s usually provide good service. There have been a few along the way who have obviously needed an attitude adjustment or some work on their appearance, but for the most part they’re all good-​natured, hardworking people.

Great view of the water!
An elderly uncle took me to lunch there when I was in town for a quick visit. He was a little thrown off by a slightly rude hostess but the service by a friendly waitress made up for it.
The menu offered typical lunch fare once would hope to find near the water. Uncle enjoyed fried catfish and I had the crab cake sandwich. I was bummed to find lunch only came with cole slaw (I hate cole slaw) and Sysco hush puppies.
Not bad, but not great either.

This is my second visit at this location. I miss the old building, but this one has such a terrific view!
The first visit after they reopened was disappointing (this was maybe two years ago), but this visit hit the mark. Service has improved greatly, as has the food. They even serve alcohol now.
I had a simple ham, cheese and bacon sandwich. It was prepared perfectly. The potato chips on the side were fine, but potato chips are disappointing as a side unless they’re freshly made. I go to restaurants to be impressed with what they do, not what they dump out of a bag. Their waffle fries are good, but didn’t come with my sandwich.
Service was satisfactory — not fast but not slow. It was only about half-​full when we ordered. Parking was kind of chaotic since someone parked wrong and it threw the whole pattern off, but I didn’t downgrade the rating for that. Just something to be aware of when pulling into their lot.
Prices are average for the area, meaning this is a good value! Food is fresh, hot, filling, and relatively inexpensive. If they keep up on the service, this place could once again be a destination restaurant.
A note about their beer menu. I’m not a big beer drinker, but drank quite a few on this trip to Virginia. I had the Old Rasputin Stout. It’s a very nice stout! And only $ 6 for a 12 ounce bottle. The beer menu seemed well constructed with some interesting offerings. I tried the Washington Porter elsewhere and liked it as well. I didn’t look at the wine menu, which is my usual drink of choice. I don’t think they serve liquor, but I could be wrong.
When I come back through again I’ll likely stop here for lunch or dinner.

This review is long overdue. I was a customer at their old burned out location in downtown White Stone.
Fresh food and a great view from this steamship shaped building on the Rappahannock River. Great burgers, bbq, sandwich menu. A very creative kitchen that knows how to source fresh ingredients. The specials are always good. It’s always fun when you go by and your waitress remembers you from a year ago. :)