Bayside

Shore Drive's corridor of seafood spots and dive bars, plus the main entrance to First Landing State Park (cabins closed for renovation until Oct 31, 2026). Working-waterfront feel on the Lynnhaven.

• 1608 Crafthouse

  Bayside$$

  Chef-driven farm-to-table gastropub in Bayside with local craft taps, small-batch bourbon, and a dog-friendly patio known for housemade pork rinds.

  • Dog Friendly
  • Outdoor Seating
  • Hidden Gem

• Aberdeen Barn Steak House

  Bayside$$$

  Bayside steakhouse since 1966 serving in-house aged USDA Angus beef, seafood, and Sunday brunch.

  • Date Night
  • Brunch

• Bay Local Eatery — Shore Drive

  Bayside$$

  Daytime seafood-and-brunch spot on Shore Drive making everything in-house from locally sourced ingredients, with dog-welcoming outdoor tables.

  • Dog Friendly
  • Outdoor Seating
  • Family Friendly
  • Brunch

• BoBo's Fine Chicken

  Bayside$

  Shore Drive fried-chicken counter built on a family recipe, scratch-made except the buns, using Virginia Grown-certified ingredients.

  • Family Friendly

• Bubba's Seafood Restaurant & Crabhouse

  Bayside$$

  Family-run Shore Drive crabhouse on the Lynnhaven River for 30-plus years, paired with an adjacent seafood market and boat ramp.

  • Waterfront
  • Family Friendly

• Froggie's

  Bayside$$

  Shore Drive smokehouse near the Lesner Bridge with three house BBQ sauces, a 22-tap deck, and live entertainment every weekend.

  • Outdoor Seating
  • Live Music

• King Hua

  Bayside$

  Chinese kitchen on Independence Boulevard in Haygood, serving orange chicken and kung pao classics with custom low-sodium preparation on request.

  • Family Friendly

• Leaping Lizard Cafe

  Bayside$$

  Shore Drive breakfast-and-brunch cafe featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, known for sweet potato biscuits and weekend brunch.

  • Outdoor Seating
  • Brunch

• Session

  Bayside$

  Fast-casual Shore Drive breakfast-and-lunch counter, sister concept to the 67th Street ARE Cafe, with online Toast ordering.

  • Brunch

• The Pizzeria at Haygood

  Bayside$

  A veteran-owned, father-and-son pizza shop turning out New York-style slices for the Haygood/Independence Boulevard community.

• The Rustic Spoon — Pleasure House

  Bayside$$

  Bayside comfort-food breakfast and brunch kitchen on Pleasure House Road, open long weekday hours with a modern, local-ingredient twist.

  • Family Friendly
  • Brunch

• Ballyhoos

  Bayside$$

  A Shore Drive-area happy-hour bar with an outdoor 'Park' for cornhole and ping pong, plus live music and multiple TVs.

  • Family Friendly
  • Outdoor Seating
  • Live Music
  • Happy Hour

• Bayside Bar & Grill

  Bayside$

  Shore Drive hole-in-the-wall running happy-hour drink pricing every day, with a rotating weekly food calendar and weekend DJ nights.

  • Happy Hour
  • Hidden Gem
  • Live Music

• Champs Sports Bar & Grill

  Bayside$$

  Northampton Boulevard sports bar with cooked-to-order food, a daily prime rib, pool tables, and 7am-to-midnight hours every day.

  • Family Friendly

• Chick's Oyster Bar

  Bayside$$

  Dock bar and oyster house on the Lynnhaven Inlet since 1998, with a boat-up deck and a weekend Beach Club upstairs.

  • Waterfront
  • Outdoor Seating
  • Open Late

• Old Beach Tavern

  Bayside$$

  Upscale neighborhood tavern on Virginia Beach Boulevard with a craft beer list, a 4-7pm happy hour, and Chef Linda's scampi linguini.

  • Happy Hour

• The Back Deck

  Bayside$$

  Dockside Shore Drive bar built around its water view and sunset timing, with tacos, nachos, and casual seafood.

  • Outdoor Seating
  • Sunset Views

• Pleasure House Brewing

  Bayside$

  Small-batch Bayside taproom with five main and three experimental taps, nightly game themes, daily food trucks, and a pet-friendly patio.

  • Dog Friendly
  • Outdoor Seating
  • Hidden Gem

• American Brew

  Bayside$$

  Bayside's coffee-and-whiskey cafe on East Stratford Road, serving 100-plus drink options, acai bowls, and a signature Brewrito wrap since 2016.

• Colattao Coffee House

  Bayside$$

  Bayside cafe brewing 100% single-origin Colombian coffee sourced direct from a small farm, in a gallery-lined room on Independence Boulevard.

• Instrumental Coffee

  Bayside$

  Musician-turned-roaster's trailer outside its own Thoroughgood roastery, pouring espresso and cold brew from a short, frequently-rotated bean list, weekday mornings only.

• Marchese Italian Market & Cafe

  Bayside$$

  Italian market and espresso bar pulling Virginian-Pilot-voted best coffee from Kimbo Italian beans, alongside imported groceries and made-to-order paninis.

• First Landing State Park Beach

  Bayside

  First Landing State Park fronts 1.5 miles of sandy Chesapeake Bay beach — calmer water than the Atlantic side, backed by dunes and maritime forest instead of…

  • Dog Friendly
  • Family Friendly
  • Wheelchair Accessible
  • Restrooms Available

• Bayville Farms Dog Park

  Bayside

  The best-equipped of Virginia Beach's five free public dog parks: Bayville Farms offers three separate fenced areas so small and large dogs can be split up,…

  • Dog Friendly
  • Free

• Bayville Farms Park

  Bayside

  A 1978-vintage neighborhood park on land once part of Captain Adam Thoroughgood's 1643 land grant, Bayville Farms sits next to the Bayside Recreation Center…

  • Free
  • Family Friendly
  • Dog Friendly
  • Hidden Gem

• First Landing State Park

  Bayside

  Virginia's most-visited state park packs a genuine wilderness into the city's northern corner: 20 miles of trails through maritime forest, bald cypress swamp,…

  • Dog Friendly
  • Family Friendly
  • Wheelchair Accessible
  • Walking Trails

• Lake Lawson / Lake Smith Natural Area

  Bayside

  A 42-acre wooded preserve in Bayside with an outsized 12,000 feet of shoreline on two connected freshwater lakes — which is why anglers and birders treat it as…

  • Free
  • Family Friendly
  • Dog Friendly
  • Wheelchair Accessible

• Pleasure House Point Natural Area

  Bayside

  One hundred eighteen acres of tidal marsh, sandy shore, and maritime forest on the Lynnhaven River just south of the Chesapeake Bay — a rescued piece of…

  • Free
  • Dog Friendly
  • Hidden Gem
  • Family Friendly

• Williams Farm Park

  Bayside

  The Learning Circle campus in Bayside anchors two of the city's newer recreation investments side by side: the indoor Williams Farm Recreation Center and the…

  • Free
  • Family Friendly

• Williams Farm Skate Park

  Bayside

  The most modern of Virginia Beach's three premier public skate parks: 25,000 square feet of concrete featuring a tiered bowl, a flow park, and an urban skate…

  • Free
  • Family Friendly

• Brock Environmental Center

  Bayside

  The Chesapeake Bay Foundation's Brock Environmental Center is one of the most sustainable buildings in the world — holding both LEED Platinum and full Living…

  • Hidden Gem

• Ferry Plantation House

  Bayside

  Tucked into a residential cul-de-sac on the Lynnhaven River, Ferry Plantation House is an 1830 Federal-style brick farmhouse built from the salvaged bricks of…

  • Hidden Gem

• Grace Sherwood Statue (Witch of Pungo)

  Bayside

  On July 10, 1706, Grace Sherwood — a Princess Anne County planter's wife accused by her neighbors of witchcraft — was tied cross-bound and dropped into the…

  • Free

• Lynnhaven House

  Bayside

  Built around 1725 by Francis Thelaball, a plantation owner and ship's carpenter, the Lynnhaven House is one of the best-preserved examples of early Virginia…

  • Free
  • Hidden Gem

• The Canoes at Lesner Bridge

  Bayside

  Ten full-size aluminum canoes, each stamped and punched with a lacy filigree pattern 'reminiscent of the decorative arts of the early settlers,' are joined at…

  • Free
  • Sunset Views
  • Hidden Gem

• Thoroughgood House

  Bayside

  Likely built in 1719 by Argall Thorowgood II — who died during construction, leaving his wife Susannah to finish it — the Thoroughgood House is one of the…

  • Free
  • Family Friendly
  • Quiet & Peaceful

• Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art (Virginia MOCA)

  Bayside

  Virginia MOCA is the region's contemporary art museum, and in April 2026 it opened a brand-new building on the Virginia Wesleyan University campus off Wesleyan…

• Delta Hotels Virginia Beach Bayfront Suites

  Bayside$$$

  The Chesapeake Bay's only all-suite bayfront hotel — private beach, sunset pool deck, on-site watersport rentals, and First Landing next door.

  • Waterfront
  • Family Friendly

• Dockside Seafood & Fishing Center

  Bayside$$Military Discount

  Shore Drive's half-day fishing fleet and seafood market — morning and afternoon trips plus sunset dolphin cruises, with a Mon-Fri military discount.

  • Military Discount
  • Family Friendly
  • Fishing

• Kayak Nature Tours

  Bayside$$

  Shore Drive kayak tour operator near First Landing State Park — a 70-90%-odds Dolphin Adventure Tour, First Landing/Back Bay flatwater trips, and all-day excursions to Lake Drummond and the Outer Banks.

  • Seasonal

• The Virginia Beach Craft Beverage Trail: Breweries & Distilleries
• Deep-Sea Fishing & Charter Guide: Virginia Beach Sportfishing
• Waterfront Dining: Where to Eat On the Water in Virginia Beach
• Budget Virginia Beach: Free & Nearly Free Things to Do
• Best Sunset-Watching Spots in Virginia Beach
• Best Family Beaches in Virginia Beach

• Chic's Beach
• Great Neck
• North End
• Town Center
• Kempsville

• Amura Sushi Café

  Chic's Beach$$

  Shore Drive sushi cafe at the Chic's Beach/Pleasure House Road corner, serving sashimi, poke bowls, and noodles.

• Brue Coffee

  Chic's Beach$

  Chic's Beach's neighborhood coffee shop — Italian-style espresso, rotating seasonal drink boards, and bakery items a short walk from the bay.

  • Hidden Gem

• Bucketheads Beach Grill

  Chic's Beach$

  A Shore Drive bar and grill since 2014, known for its wings and free Saturday-night country karaoke.

• Buoy 44 Seafood Grill

  Chic's Beach$$

  Casual bayfront seafood grill on Chic's Beach with a waterfront deck overlooking the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel — try the bacon-wrapped scallops.

  • Waterfront
  • Outdoor Seating
  • Brunch

• C.P. Shuckers Cafe & Raw Bar — Shore Drive

  Chic's Beach$$

  Family-owned Shore Drive sports bar and raw bar since 1995 — 39 TVs, daily 3-7pm happy hour, 99-cent wing Mondays, and Friday patio music.

  • Happy Hour
  • Live Music
  • Outdoor Seating
  • Open Late

• Chic's Beach (Chesapeake Bay Beach)

  Chic's Beach

  Chic's Beach — officially Chesapeake Beach, never called that by locals — is the bay answer to the Atlantic beaches: gentle, shallow water with small waves,…

  • Free
  • Dog Friendly
  • Family Friendly
  • Hidden Gem