Hilltop

Where locals eat: strip centers hiding some of the city's best independent kitchens. Also the gateway between the Oceanfront and the rest of the city.

• Aldo's Ristorante

  Hilltop$$$

  Hilltop's white-tablecloth Italian standby since 1988 — seasonal pastas, an award-winning wine list, and indoor-outdoor dining at La Promenade.

  • Date Night
  • Outdoor Seating

• Another Broken Egg Cafe

  Hilltop$$

  Hilltop breakfast-and-brunch cafe open daily 7am-2pm, with a pet-friendly patio and a full bar for spiked cold brews and mimosas.

  • Dog Friendly
  • Outdoor Seating
  • Family Friendly

• Cobalt Grille

  Hilltop$$$

  Polished Hilltop grille with seared scallops, whole bronzino, a Monday-Saturday 3-6pm happy hour, and $15 burger Tuesdays.

  • Happy Hour
  • Date Night

• Dave's BBQ

  Hilltop$$

  All-wood, no-shortcuts barbecue on Laskin Road — brisket, spare ribs, and smoked wings from a pitmaster who's lived here 40 years.

  • Hidden Gem

• Eurasia Cafe & Wine Bar

  Hilltop$$$

  Hilltop wine bar and New American kitchen operating since 2007, built on fresh seafood, handmade pasta, and a sommelier-curated wine list.

  • Date Night

• Gaston's Italian Steakhouse

  Hilltop$$$

  Hilltop Italian steakhouse at First Colonial Road pairing Wagyu Bolognese rigatoni with steakhouse surf-and-turf and veal chop.

  • Date Night
  • Outdoor Seating

• Pho 79 Hilltop

  Hilltop$

  Traditional Vietnamese kitchen in Hilltop Plaza built around long-simmered signature pho and fresh spring rolls, open daily 11am-9pm.

  • Family Friendly

• Hackers Bar & Grille

  Hilltop$$

  Golf-simulator sports lounge at the Shops at Hilltop — seven bays, 85 virtual courses, a cigar lounge, and breakfast-through-dinner service daily.

  • Family Friendly
  • Date Night

• Wasserhund Brewing Company

  Hilltop$$

  German-inspired Hilltop brewery known for its bratwurst-and-sauerkraut Wasserhund pizza, Doggy Paddle IPA, and a dog patio with its own secret menu.

  • Dog Friendly
  • Outdoor Seating
  • Family Friendly

• Roast Rider Coffee + Tea

  Hilltop$$

  Hilltop's gear-obsessed cafe — triple-filtered water, ethically farmed beans, house-made syrups, and a dog-welcome veranda at the Hilltop shops.

  • Dog Friendly
  • Outdoor Seating
  • Vegan & Vegetarian Options

• Sleepy Cowgirl Coffee

  Hilltop$

  A retro pink horse trailer in the La Promenade lot on Laskin Road, pouring Frothy Monkey espresso into lattes and seasonal matcha, mornings only.

  • Hidden Gem

• Francis Land House

  Hilltop

  Built around 1805 for Francis Land VI, a wealthy Princess Anne County landowner, this Georgian plantation home with Federal-style interiors is furnished to its…

  • Free
  • Family Friendly

• Pinboy's At The Beach

  Hilltop

  Pinboy's At The Beach is a bowling-and-bar entertainment venue on Laskin Road in the Hilltop corridor, about 1.8 miles from the Oceanfront via 31st Street.…

  • Family Friendly

• The Virginia Beach Craft Beverage Trail: Breweries & Distilleries

• Oceanfront
• Great Neck
• Red Mill & General Booth
• Town Center

• Abbey Road Pub & Restaurant

  Oceanfront$$Military Discount

  Beatles-themed pub a block off the beach at 22nd Street — 42 taps, live music, a dog-friendly patio, and a Monday military discount.

  • Dog Friendly
  • Live Music
  • Outdoor Seating
  • Military Discount

• Adventure Parasail & Rudee Inlet Jet Ski

  Oceanfront$$$

  Virginia Beach's original watersports operator since 1985 — parasailing, jet ski and kayak/SUP rentals, and banana boat rides at Rudee Inlet.

• AquaMan Sportfishing Charters

  Oceanfront$$$

  Two-boat Rudee Inlet charter operation — The Flat Line and The Game On — running inshore, nearshore, and offshore deep-sea trips around the clock.

• Atlantic Wildfowl Heritage Museum at the de Witt Cottage

  Oceanfront

  Built in 1895 as a wedding gift from Bernard Peabody Holland — Virginia Beach's first mayor — to his bride, the de Witt Cottage is the oldest remaining private…

  • Hidden Gem
  • Family Friendly

• Barclay Cottage Inn

  Oceanfront$$

  The oldest lodging in Virginia Beach still open to guests — an 1895 cottage with five rooms and wrap-around porches two blocks from the boardwalk.

  • Hidden Gem

• Barclay Towers Resort Hotel

  Oceanfront$$

  All-suite Boardwalk tower at 9th Street — 138 two-room suites, every one with a full kitchen and ocean-view balcony, plus a heated indoor pool.

  • Family Friendly
  • Waterfront