A four-day culinary adventure to the Virginia Beach area introduced us to over 20 restaurants and specialty food shops to enjoy many of the local flavors of this bountiful region, famous for its plentiful seafood, smoked hams, and farm-fresh agricultural heritage. During our visit, we tasted such delights as local oysters and clams, barbecued shrimp, just-caught fish dishes, crab lollipops, smoked country ham on fluffy sweet potato biscuits, hearty Brunswick Stew, fresh-baked pastries and breads, banana pancakes, a favorite local carrot cake, lavender ice cream, deliciously creative salads, hand-crafted beers and green cocktails, as well as many other local specialties.
If you are planning your own food adventure or a visit to Virginia Beach, it is truly worth your while to choose area restaurants that buy local with an emphasis on freshness and sustainability. To help you get started, here are brief descriptions of the places we dined and shopped, each selected to highlight the diverse and flavorful specialties of this unique region.
- Restaurants and Shops in the Virginia Beach Oceanfront Resort Area
- Restaurants and Shops Located a Short Drive from the Virginia Beach Oceanfront
- Restaurants and Shops in Charming Nearby Cape Charles, Virginia
- Restaurants and Shops in Smithfield, Virginia - The Ham Capital of the World
- Virginia Beach Food Tour Photos
As is common in the travel industry, the writer was provided with complimentary accommodations, most meals and tours for the purpose of reviewing those services. While it has not influenced these reviews, About.com believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest. For more information, see our ethics policy.
