Laine 's Profile
About Me
No Reservations
Username
LaineAndAlex
Metromixing Since
August 2008
Location
West Ghent
My Hometown
Norfolk, VA
My Blog/Website
http://laineandalex.blogspot.com/
Thing I'm Most Addicted To
Good Food
Downtown Norfolk Restaurants
Reviews of the good, the bad and the ugly of Norfolk eateries.
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1
Fellini's -
3910 Colley Ave - Norfolk (Ghent)
Report this commentFellini's is well known for its Greek salad. This salad, topped with tons of fresh vegetables, feta and Fellini's house dressing, gets my vote for best Greek salad in town. The pizzas are also a favorite. From the Bourbon Street to the BBQ Chicken, Fellini's has pretty much any type of pizza you can dream of. The white pizza is particularly good. It is easy to get a seat and the staff are always friendly and familiar. 5-7pm on weekdays, the spot has a special: cheap pizzas and beers at the bar. Open for lunch and dinner and moderately price, Fellini's is always a great choice.
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2
Kelly's Backstage Tavern -
320 Granby St. - Norfolk (Downtown Norfolk)
Report this commentFor lunch, a fiasco.
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3
Tropical Smoothie Cafe -
4191 William Styron Sq N - Newport News
Report this commentTropical Smoothie on Granby Street-Their trademarked slogan is "eat better...feel better". I can only recommend that if this is your true desire, run screaming from Tropical Smoothie Cafe and eat somewhere else! Eating too much of their food will leave you shaped like a smoothie cup. It is loaded with calories and fat. You are better off eating a Wendy's 1/4 pound burger!
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4
Fat Canary -
410 Duke of Gloucester St. - Williamsburg (James City)
Report this commentEvery course is a culinary treat. Price is a little bit on the high end, but I believe it is appropriate considering the end product. Parking can be a bit of a chore in the Merchant Square section. Give yourself some extra time to find a spot and walk a block or so. Duke of Gloucester street is always bustling, so the stroll is entertaining. For weekend dinner, reservations are a must. Holidays and other popular weekends will require calling a couple of weeks in advance. The restaurant is connected to the Cheese Shop, a Williamsburg staple since the 70's. If you have the time and are a wine lover, take a few minutes to browse the shop's wine cellar downstairs. It is impressive.
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5
Machismo Burrito Bar -
409 W York St - Norfolk (Downtown Norfolk)
Report this commentI love this place! Definitely makes my list of top 5 lunchtime favorites. The food is consistent. I always get a burrito. I love that they have pork as a meat option. The chips are just OK, so I usually pass, but who needs them? These burritos are big! Lunch is under $10 for a big burrito, adding guacamole and a soda. I am a spice wimp, but for fans of the burn, they boast stocking 100's of Hot Sauces from around the globe. There are plenty of vegetarian and vegan options available too, like vegan cheese and vegan sour cream. My only complaint is that they are a mess to eat. Most of the toppings are sitting in pans with sauces which tend to make the end product watery. DO NOT UNWRAP THE BURRITO! It will fall apart and end up all over your lap, making you the butt of co-worker jokes for the remainder of the day. Other than that...chow down!
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6
The 219 Restaurant -
219 Granby St - Norfolk (Downtown Norfolk)
Report this commentThe 219, on the corner of Granby Street and Tazwell, has been off my list of places to go lately. The past 3-4 times we had lunch there the servers snobby, it took too long to get your meal, and the food was boring. In my opinion, 219 did a 180! Service was prompt and appropriately friendly, our salads came in 10-15 minutes and the food was great. Is someone new in the kitchen? They are definitely paying more attention to preparation. There is attention to visual presentation that was lacking previously, and improved content. I had the Pecan Encrusted Goat Cheese with Pears. It was chock full of the ingredients listed on the menu, nicely seasoned and flavorful. The place was nearly empty on a Friday at lunchtime, which led us to believe that maybe we weren't the only downtowners to have written it off. Another interesting tidbit...the property and the restaurant are for sale. This may be another reason for the renewed emphasis on service and meal prep.
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7
Hell's Kitchen -
124 Granby St - Norfolk (Downtown Norfolk)
Report this commentOur food was on the table in less than 10 minutes. It was all good. Our server did a nice job, and kept our beverages full. We were out of there in under 45 minutes, leaving time to run a quick errand. It is definitely a bar atmosphere, but the smoke is non-existent during lunch and you see a lot of the business folk in there munching on chicken wings and pizzas (they are known for those two items). They play rock and roll, louder than most lunch establishments, which is a nice change.
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8
Crackers Little Bar & Bistro -
4226 Granby St - Norfolk (Ghent)
Report this commentLooking for a great tapas menu? Head to Crackers.This new location is much larger but still has the same fun, funky feel of the original scene. The menu is filled with interesting choices, walnut encrusted brie served with a specialty jam, calamari and spinach with pine nuts and raisins, just to name a few. Don’t forget their signature dessert, s’mores which you get to make yourself! They bring you a little grill with a Hershey bar, marshmallows, graham crackers and skewers with which to grill. What more can you ask for…and you are not out in the woods fretting over a potential bear attack.
