Waterfront Dining: Where to Eat On the Water in Virginia Beach
How We Picked
Every entry here carries the waterfront tag on its own listing — meaning the dining room, deck, or bar physically fronts the ocean, an inlet, or a river, not just a water-adjacent street. We spread the list across the city's different waterways (ocean, inlet, bay, and river) rather than clustering at one address. Waterfront seating is often first-come, weather-dependent, or tied to a marina's boat traffic, so call ahead on a windy or crowded day.
The Picks
Waterman's Surfside Grille
Forty-plus-year-old Boardwalk seafood house at 5th and Atlantic with dining-room windows that look straight out at the Atlantic.
Buoy 44 Seafood Grill
Casual Chic's Beach seafood grill with a waterfront patio deck overlooking the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.
Big Sam's Inlet Cafe & Raw Bar
Three decades of first-come, first-served dining right on Rudee Inlet, with the charter fleet idling past the raw bar.
The Porch on Long Creek
Great Neck restaurant on the Lynnhaven River with an open-air porch and wrap-around deck reachable by land or by sea.
Mahi's Seafood Restaurant and Sushi Saloon
Oceanfront seafood-and-sushi spot on a large covered boardwalk patio, open from a beachfront breakfast into the night.
Bubba's Seafood Restaurant & Crabhouse
Family-run Shore Drive crabhouse on the Lynnhaven River, paired with an adjacent seafood market and boat ramp.
Chick's Oyster Bar
Dock bar and oyster house on the Lynnhaven Inlet since 1998, where boats tie up outside the deck.