1. Charlie’S Cafe
City: Norfolk, VA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (757) 625-0824
Address: 1800 Granby St.
Description: This diner in a small house on the corner of Granby in downtown Norfolk is best known for its Ultimate Omelets and killer Sunday brunches. For years this has been a place where local lawyers and beat cops felt at home. New owners a few years back saved it from falling into the hands of chains, degreased it a bit, added some vegetarian offerings, and hung art on the walls to keep pace with the gentrification of the neighborhood. But it’s still Charlie’s and still strictly cash and carry. Recently, Roadfood.com’s Michael Stern visited, ate a potato omelet topped with habanero salsa, and pronounced Charlie’s “worth planning a day around.” Here, you can get some grits.
2. D’Egg Diner
City: Norfolk, VA
Category: Restaurants
Address: 204 East Main St.
Description: Breakfast is the specialty, as it should be when “egg” is part of your name (and the last four digits of your phone number.) But this little restaurant across the street from the Marriott Hotel and Convention Center also serves up some amazing meatloaf.
3. Do-Nut Dinette
City: Norfolk, VA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (757) 625-0061
Address: 1917 Colley Ave.
Description: Another throwback is Ghent’s Do-Nut Dinette. The small restaurant is a real diner, with green interior panels, a tile floor, and a long counter with about a dozen stools. They do breakfast the way a diner should. And they do buttery grits here to go with your country ham. Of course, as the name implies, they make their own donuts. But be warned. It’s just one batch of these light, glazed gems made fresh every in the morning, so get there early or you’ll be too late. One oddity is that it opens up again in the wee hours on weekends for those who need a breakfast after a late night on the town. Another cash only place and another that Michael Stern of Roadfood.com rates worth planning a day around.
4. Jewish Mother Backstage At The Norva
City: Norfolk, VA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (757) 622-5915
Address: 320 Granby St.
Description: See the Virginia Beach location’s review on page 62 and the tips box for getting in early at the NorVa theater on page 102.
5. No Frill Bar And Grill
City: Norfolk, VA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (757) 627-4262
Address: 806 Spotswood Ave.
Description: Don’t let the name fool you, the No Frill Grill isn’t a dive, it just operates on the principal that you’d probably rather put your money on your plate than in folks hovering around with a pepper mill. That’s not to say that the service isn’t good. It’s just that people come here to eat, not for all the other frills. The menu is eclectic, running from a popular meatloaf to portabella pasta, with many adventurous stops along the way. The sandwich menu is extensive, with a variety of pita and burgers as well as creative deli offerings. The Ghent eatery spawned another in Virginia Beach (1620 Laskin Rd., 757-425-2900), which shares most of the menu and offers up some of its own specialties. They also make their own desserts and a wide variety of martini concoctions.
6. Kin’S Wok
City: Norfolk, VA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (757) 623-2933
Address: 222 West 21st St.
Description: This place always wins the best of Norfolk polls for its fast and affordable food. Folks drive across town for lunch knowing they will be served quickly and get something worth traveling for. There are lots of vegetarian items on the menu that are not done as an afterthought.
7. Bobbie B’S Deli
City: Norfolk, VA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (757) 623-7444
Address: 433 Granby St.
Description: This downtown eatery offers up deli sandwiches and homemade deserts, and will even deliver if you can’t leave your office. If you love fresh tomatoes, give the tomato mozzarella sandwich a try—juicy slices with slabs of cheese and whole basil leaves on a French roll drenched in balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing. Breakfast and lunch only.
8. Todd Jurich’S Bistro
City: Norfolk, VA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (757) 622-3210
Address: 150 West Main St.
Description: Five-star dining presented by a chef who combined classical French education in Switzerland with classical Thai schooling in Bangkok. The result is a restaurant that has been featured in the Washington Post, the New York Times, Southern Living, Food and Wine, and Travel and Leisure magazines. The menu changes daily and features local produce. The “really good meatloaf and mashed potatoes” show the chef’s skill, taking a comfort food and making it extraordinary.
9. The Monastery Restaurant
City: Norfolk, VA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (757) 625-8193
Address: 443 Granby St.
Description: This is the place to get your goulash fix. The owners are Czech, so the menu is Central European. Every meal starts with homemade bread, cheese, and an apple. Roast duck is also a favorite of the regulars.
10. The German Pantry Restaurant & Bierhaus
City: Norfolk, VA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (757) 461-5100
Address: 5329 East Virginia Beach Blvd.
Description: Eat in or grab a wurst and go—you can’t beat what they’ve been serving up here for nearly 40 years. They recently remodeled the restaurant, but the menu is still authentic Rhineland. And of course there’s an extensive beer and wine list.
11. Azar’S Natural Foods
City: Norfolk, VA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (757) 664-7955
Address: 2000 Colley Ave.
Description: See the Virginia Beach location’s review on page 63.
City: Norfolk, VA
Category: Restaurants
Address: 1300 Redgate Ave.
13. Famous Uncle Al’S Hot Dogs
City: Norfolk, VA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (757) 466-1660
Address: 1269 North Military Hwy.
Description: See the Virginia Beach location’s review on page 63. A second Norfolk location is at 155 Granby St., (757) 625-8319.
14. Kelly’S Tavern
City: Norfolk, VA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (757) 623-3216
Address: 1408 Colley Ave.
Description: See the Virginia Beach location’s review on page 64.
15. Philly Style Steaks And Subs
City: Norfolk, VA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (757) 588-0602
Address: 7456 Tidewater Dr.
Description: These days, everybody offers a Philly cheesesteak. But there’s more to the meal than some beef on a roll. At Philly Style they do it right. Why? Just look around. Those newspapers on the walls celebrating Philadelphia championships or heartbreaks aren’t replicas. They’ve earned their yellow patina with age. The folks that run this place are from Philly. The rolls they use are too. The grill is seasoned, and never seems to stop working, like the one at Pat’s on 9th and Wharton in the City of Brotherly Love. Close your eyes, and you’re back in Philly downing a “cheese with.” The subs are authentic enough to call hoagies, the name preferred in Philly. And for dessert, of course they sell Tastykakes. No credit cards or personal checks taken here.