7 Martini & Tapas

If you want a friendly atmosphere, great drinks and food at a great price… Just try this place… You will thank me lata!

This place was terrible! For the life of me I could not understand why this place was packed. The hostess/​waitress was not pleasant and very Un-​knowledgeable about anything to do with the menu. I was hoping for a glass of wine, but they only carry Oak Leaf and Barefoot! Yuck! I wouldn’t have ordered that if it was $ 1.
So, I opted for a dirty martini (this is a martini and tapas bar after all) it was the worst dirty martini I had ever had. My friend enjoyed her fruity martini, but I am not a fruity drink kind of girl… And if you are going to call yourself a martini bar… Your bartenders should be experienced in making all kinds of Martini’s… Especially a standard martini, dirty!
Moving on, we were starving… So we ordered the caprese stackers and tuna tartare. My friend and I consider ourselves somewhat of Caprese gurus. We order it everywhere we go and make it at home on a regular basis. Thinly sliced tomato (not fit for a cheeseburger) CUCUMBER???, 1″ cubed processed mozzarella cheese, what appeared to be some dried basil flakes and balsamic is NOT caprese (I am KICKING myself for not taking a picture to share). It was disgusting and I am sad to say I ate it because I was famished. The worst part is they charged $ 9 for it.
The tuna tartare was actually not that bad. I’m happy to report I’m not vomiting this morning…(cause trust me, I did worry). Again, at over $ 11 it was extremely overpriced for the quality.
This place achieved an EPIC FAIL TRIFECTA! Poor service, poor drinks and poor tapas.
We quickly paid our tab and high tailed it to a more appropriate establishment for wine and tapas.

Visited this place for the first time… it was late night, great dj and good crowd for a restaurant turned party after hours. Friendly staff and a perfect martini (I’m extremely picky). The one sad experience was the tuna tartare. I’m in the service industry and tend to be VERY forgiving when it comes to bad food. What was described on the menu as well as here on Unilocal sounded fantastic! What showed up was a martini glass of canned tuna. Yes, seriously canned tuna. Not sure what happened in the kitchen but our waitress was gracious about taking it back and not charging us. Be cautious when you order this… hopefully it was just a fluke. This wouldn’t stop me from coming back.

Very cool, friendly with an upscale menu and great prices. We tried two tapas, and the steak was cooked perfectly. Guys, the place attracts lots of women! Duh. Nice bar and décor.
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Apologetically giving a 2:5 stars… just went in today to try some tapas and possibly a martini. Ordered calamari, BBQ egg rolls and bruschetta because that possibly can’t get messed up. Calamari is always a good gauge of restaurant quality… the calamari rings were so small, they likely were smaller than my pinky finger and there was sooo much breading we could hardly find the calamari. The BBQ egg rolls were not bad so no complaints however the bruschetta… rye toast? No baguette and the bread was soft not even toasted? Topped with fresh tomatoes but not seasoned and no vinaigrette etc. we intended on ordering dessert, but the waitress said we have fried Oreos and bananas foster, ‘whatever that is’ — why doesn’t the waitstaff know the menu? So we didn’t get to the martini because I was too frustrated and instead went to handel’s to enjoy some homemade ice cream.

Great décor, great martinis, and fresh fresh food prepared elegantly makes this place a go to for after work. So many choices you just can’t lose.

Great service. Calamari and Poke were underseasoned. Crab dip =yummy. Martinis were great. Ants crawling on your leg after dinner, not so good. Used a Groupon and they comped our drinks.

Love, Love, Love this place! The owners are great! Nice to go to a restaurant where your appreciated everytime you are their guest! The food is delicious and beautifully presented. Happy Hour is ridiculous! What a deal! I can’t believe when I tell locals about &, and they’ve never been there. SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL RESTAURANT OWNERS! Jeri

My most recent return trip to 7 was by-​far the best (out of three) meals I’ve had there! My Cake Martini (with sprinkles) and my chilled chicken lettuce wraps were absolute perfection and our bartender was wonderful.
I strongly suggest the crab dip or steak kebabs for any new customers and always check the chalkboards for the specials!

The first Unilocal Elite event in Hampton Roads was being held here so I decided to make the trek from Yorktown to check it out. The event itself was pretty cool but I will focus on the food, which is the main reason I wanted to try it in the first place! We tried a few of their tapas to include the kabobs, calamari, chicken breast and shrimp & grits. Everything was full of flavor and in decent portions to my surprise since tapas normally aren’t very big portions but I’m not complaining! The owners were awesome hosts and went out of their way to make everyone feel welcome. I would definitely go back if I’m ever in the area.

The wife and I enjoyed a Unilocal Elite Event here last night (23 May) and had a great time talking with the owners while enjoying some martinis and calamari.
I didn’t get the cheese tray concept at first, probably because most of us Americans are a grab-​n-​go nation rather than taking time to consider the chocolate truffle pâté and its proper proportion with the rasperry honey (If I recall correctly). Regardless, once the cracker/​pâté/​honey/​bleu cheese concoction was demonstrated to me, it was thoroughly delectable. The calamari was excellent and not rubbery.
It’s a small venue, making for a great intimate social event without feeling you’re lost looking for your table. The bartenders were friendly and never seemed to tire from pouring martini after martini for our two-​hour partini (ouch, right? … hey, it was there). The owners, Rob and Bridget (sp?), did a great job of hosting and conversed with many of us; Bridget took the time to explain the menu items and some of the favorites — my wife raved about her tuna tartare, and we’ll have to try the shrimp and grits whenever we’re in the area again!
I think we did overwhelm them a bit as they ran a bit short on the martini glasses at one point, and they ran out of whip cream for some sort of chocolate/​espresso martini that was excellent regardless. The waitresses were professional and kept up with the chaos pretty well; one mentioned that it was her first night, but it seemed like she knew exactly how everything ran without any issue.
Despite any minor hiccups, I thought this place did an excellent job accommodating our party. We look forward to going back; thanks!
(I accidently posted this on the event-​specific site… too many good martinis!)

Cozy? check
Fun? check
Great place to get drunk on martinis and fat from tapas? check!
The crab balls were to die for. That will make it into my top 10 favorite dishes in Hampton Roads. It’s worth the drive out there! Interestingly, they serve it with a blueberry/​raspberry sauce which you wouldn’t think goes well with the dish, but IT DOES. I will always have fond memories of this place since it’s where Unilocal HR was born. Thanks for being a great host!

Thoroughly enjoyed the crab dip and the tuna tartare. The martinis were delicious. I had the Dirty Banana Martini (scrumptious chocolate concoction) and Espresso Martini that wasn’t on the menu. We had a great time making new friends and like the DJ’s choice of music. I will definitely be recommending this place to my friends.

This is a great place that I didn’t even was out there till I went to this party. I like how the bar is set up next to the tables. The food is good and the service is friendly. I will go back again!

This restaurant just opened up in the space that used to house Conklin’s Irish Rover before it died a quick and justifiable death last year.
I was a little cautious about trying a new place on their opening weekend since it sometimes takes a while before a new restaurant hits its stride. There was no need for caution here. The restaurant was packed and the staff and kitchen were operating smoothly. Very impressive.
They blow that God-​awful Tapas joint by Regal Cinemas Strawbridge out of the water.
I don’t know who the chef is here but whoever he or she is, they are rocking out some righteous food. Everything we tried was lick the plate delicious. Mushroom and smoked gouda soup, she crab soup (with huge chunks of lump crabmeat), lobster rolls, crab fried rice, pulled pork egg rolls. Even the fried doughnuts with raspberry, caramel and chocolate dipping sauces to end the meal were perfect. The owners had better tie this chef down with a long-​term contract. This food is going to get noticed soon I’ll bet.
They have a very creative list of martinis but I always like to stick to the classics. The bonus was that we were there during happy hour so I was paying just over $ 5 for my dirty martinis. The usual price is $ 7 which I will gladly pay anytime. But I do have to be a bit critical as they do not currently have Bombay Sapphire Gin (my fave!). I had to settle for Tanqueray but I did notice a bottle of Hendricks on the shelf behind the bar after I placed the order with the waitress. I hope they correct this discrepancy soon. No martini bar should be in business that doesn’t carry BSG. It almost feels like a law is being broken. If I see a bottle of BSG the next time I go I will raise this review up to five stars.
Speaking of wait staff. Holy eye candy, Batman! Every waitress is young and, um, shall we say… healthy in appearance? Yeah, you get my drift. And the fact that they were all wearing LBD’s makes your martini drinking experience all the better. But it isn’t all about the looks. These ladies were seriously efficient and kept the orders flowing out to the busy dining room. The owners did a good job hiring their staff.
Needless to say we will be returning. The food, drinks and atmosphere are superb and the prices are incredibly reasonable for what you get.
This place is a gem.