1. Rodman’S Bones & Buddys
City: Portsmouth, VA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (757) 397-3900
Address: 3562 Western Branch Blvd.
Description: This Portsmouth landmark is a family-run restaurant that has been serving barbecue to locals for more than three generations. Folks still come from far and wide to eat or to pack a few pounds in their suitcases to take home.
2. Brutti’S Restaurant
City: Portsmouth, VA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (757) 393-1923
Address: 467 Court St.
Description: Grand Sunday Buffet Brunch, with its waffle and omelet stations, Nova Scotia salmon, quiches, blintzes, and other edibles, has been voted the best breakfast in Hampton Roads. Of course, there’s also tasty lunch and dinners here as well, and live jazz on weekends.
3. Cafe Europa
City: Portsmouth, VA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (757) 399-6652
Address: 319 High St.
Description: This menu is hard to categorize since it blends the backgrounds of the two owners, Chef Michael, who is Czech, and his wife Veronique, who is French. Think of it as a trip to a European bistro, dark and intimate and romantic. The service is also Continental, so sit back and savor your meal. If you’re in a hurry, consider other alternatives.
4. The Bier Garden
City: Portsmouth, VA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (757) 393-6022
Address: 434 High St.
Description: If you love beer, or German food, or better yet the two combined, this little restaurant on High Street will seem like heaven. The Osfolk family has operated this place, with its little garden entrance and outside tables, since 1997. How many beers do they stock? Who can keep count? But the waiters know their inventory, and if you tell them what you already like, they can probably steer you to a new and even better brew. This is Old World dining, so don’t come in a hurry. Each dish is prepared after you order. Relax, enjoy your brew, and when the food arrives, it will be transformational. You can order a wurst sampler or go whole hog with jagerschnitzel. (Count on a hefty bar bill. You just can’t stop sampling, so have a designated driver or cab it home.)
5. The Baron’S Pub & Restaurant
City: Portsmouth, VA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (757) 399-4840
Address: 500 High St.
Description: This restaurant opened on High Street in 1988 offering pub fare. The burgers are a big draw, thick, juicy, and arriving on a kaiser roll that doesn’t get soggy or in the way. The nachos are just big, and there’s usually live entertainment as well.
6. New York Deli
City: Portsmouth, VA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (757) 399-3354
Address: 509 Court St.
Description: This little restaurant in downtown Portsmouth has been serving New York style sandwiches, soups, and sides for decades. It’s strictly a breakfast and lunch place, closing at 4 p.m.