Surf Rider Grill

The best place in Virginia Beach for seafood… hands down. EVERYTHING is amazing… the appetizers, the dinners, the desserts… all of it. They have the best hush puppies I’ve ever eaten and their homemade tartar sauce is unbelievably good. During a week stay, my family ventured here THREE times… it was that good. Add a crab cake to your meal, they are worth it… and add a few extra puppies too. I don’t remember the name of the desert, and it is not always available, but it was a «pie» of orange sherbert and oreo cookies (sounds gross), but it was HUGE and AMAZING! I’ve been travelling to Va Beach for over a decade and just found this place… man, all those years of delicious I have been missing.

Went for dinner and the food was ok. Beautiful night and friendly service. I suggest you do not order the she crab soup. Ours was congealed with small pieces of crab and what we think was melted butter on the top. not very good! First time I didn’t finish a cup of she crab!

What’s not to love? Excellent food, friendly staff and beautfiul view!

Food was overall good. But the customer service is horrible. We were a party of 13. Celebrating a friend’s 50^th birthday. A woman named Lindsey was certainly proud she was in charge. «I am the general manager». Flustered, with pure attitude, agrummentative, not accommodating. Other guest were upset with her too. Surf Rider, we do enjoy the food, $ 10 rum runners. We enjoy you all summer. Assuming you appreciate your customers and want to provide excellent customer service. Her demeanor did not convey that. It seems to have a trickle down effect to the waitresses. We left feeling full and that our business was less than appreciated!

Ain’t what it used to be when manager Taylor was around!!! service really sucks these days ! It has been our favorite hangout for years. Food still great but with poor service it cancels out a good kitchen

It is hard for me to write a review with just 1 star.
Since we enjoyed the food and atmosphere and had good service on our first visit we decided to go again on a double date. We got there first and checked in. I asked how long the wait would be and the hostesses just looked at eachother and the crowded dining room and one told us, «40−45 min» and another agreed. We notified our friends who were parking their car and we decided the wait was okay. It hadn’t been even 5 minutes when our buzzer went off. I find it irresponsible to give your customers inaccurate wait times, we could have decided to take our business elsewhere.
The service was ok, good even, until we felt like we were being rushed out. We hadn’t even been there for an hour. My husband is a sailor and the Navy has taught him to inhale his food without tasting so he was done eating first. I ate half of my meal with the intention of taking the rest home. My friends were still eating and my girlfriend had barely started on her meal when the server asked if we wanted boxes for our food. My friend politely told her she was still working on her meal and I said I’d take a box. Shortly after she brings my box with my girlfriend still eating with half her meal on her plate, our server brought our checks without asking if we needed anything else. I have never felt so unwelcomed in an establishment.
We like the food here but will not patronize a place that makes us feel that way. We hardly go to dinner as a couple on opposite schedules and we were there to cheer up my friend who’s close relative recently passed. It was a disappointing evening. I hope they don’t do this to other customers.

Everything we had last night was delicious. I had the lobster roll, which was on special. The wife had a salad with a crab cake added to the top. The «world famous crab cakes» were mediocre. The amount of shells was a little disturbing.

Two words… RUM RUNNERS… Their signature drink and sooo good… Especially while sipping them and enjoying the beautiful scenery. On this visit I had the crab dip to start and it was amazing! The crab cakes are probably the best I’ve had and the side of broccoli was massive. I’ve eaten here a few times and have never been disappointed. This place is a great locals hidden gem.

Very good food and loved walking around the marina and looking at the boats.

This restaurant is 2 stars quality. My boyfriend had to send his side back twice and they still didn’t get it right. Smh.

This place is full of incompetent people. It was a busy night so my fiancé and I opted to eat at the bar. We walk up and one of the girls hands us two food menus. We stood there with FOOD menus in our hands for 15 minutes and when we go to have our order taken, we are told we cannot order food. Wtf? Thanks for wasting my time. Walked right out.

Decent location on the water but awkward to sit right next to a crowded swimming pool. Food was just okay (grilled fish tacos), not enough seasoning so they were pretty bland. Service was not great, only saw our waitress twice– once to take our order and again to bring food; never came to check on our food or refill drinks until after we had finished eating.

Great location! Sat on a deck overlooking the marina — the location is probably worth 4 or 5 stars. However the food is only 2 stars. Overpriced, small portions, and not much flavor. French fries weren’t even hot and popcorn shrimp was mostly breading.
My suggestion? Eat somewhere else, and come here to enjoy a drink with a view.

Stopped by to take out an order. It was the late afternoon and the place was pretty much empty. The hostess was nice and gave me a menu. I ordered Crab Cake sandwich with fries and hush puppies. The food I received was hot and smelled delicious. I did notice a few crab shells in my sandwich but I just picked them out. Shortly after eating this entire dish, I fell ill for some reason and had severe gastrointestinal distress for about an hour. I don’t know if that is an isolated event but the dish from Surf Rider is the only thing I ate all day. So, i’m sure this place is good but I won’t be back until I buy an iron stomach.

I love their steak bites. I get them every time and they never disappoint. And of course, no one can complain about the view. I don’t go there too often, but I love that they’re on the water and that I could paddle board there rather than drive my car.

Food was pretty good but service was slow. Prices are about average. Not a big fan of hush puppies but their’s are kinda yummy. Great portions on oysters. The «colossal» shrimp seem more like jumbo size. Didn’t see waitress for too long of a period of time so no drink refill. Great view.

2014. We decided to give this restaurant another try. The location is great! We were very pleasantly surprised at the upgrades in appearance and the menu. AND the Rum Runners were authentic, including the 151 down the straw!!! I hadn’t combo platter with crab, shrimp, and clams. Delicious! And of course the head of broccoli was perfectly steamed. Rumor has it, sometimes the vegetable of the day is collards. Sure want to try them. Glad we came back and for sure, we will be back again!!!
The following was last year’s review 2013
Such a disappointment. I like the new look, but the Rum Runner was the first disappointment, then it took forever to get the pathetic salad. The main course was ok, the asparagus was great, but overall quite disappointing. The prices are significantly higher. Sorry to say, this favorite of ours, has been crossed off our list.

A pretty neat place if you are in the area, but I don’t think I quite understood what was happening when we were sat next to a pool with kids playing in it.
Am I at the right place?
Wait, I think you seated me at a different facility.
I still don’t understand what happened there. It felt like they didn’t want people to see our group so they sat us as far away as possible. ANYWAY–
The area where all of the other people were sitting was big, and airy! Right next to the docks of the boats, the view from those seats was beautiful! Our view of the swimming pool was very… blue. And chlorinated.
The Crab Dip app was exceptional. Absolutely order it and eat it with all of your heart.
I got the sampler seafood dish, which was just okay. I wouldn’t order it again– instead, I would put all of my focus into the amazing crab cake.
Drinks were limited it seemed– the waitress didn’t have a drink menu, and only offered us margaritas. Which were just okay.
I would go back again for the crab dip, but next time I’ll make sure that I’m actually seated at the restaurant.

Service is top notch. Came here for an early dinner didn’t get the chance to sit outside due to heavy rains.
Had the ceasar salad with grilled tuna. The tuna was a bit hard and dry but the salad was great. The crab ceviche was good although there were hardly any crab meat, just tiny wee bits and the price was $ 9.99. She crab soup was kinda salty for my taste. I have to say that I had tasted better.
Kinda out of the way, wouldn’t really come here next time.

To be honest, this is my favorite place for seafood. You can only come to the Surf Rider at Marina Shores in the warmer months, but I think it is the best location they have – not only for being on the water, but it has the best food. This is my go-​to place for broiled crabcakes or fried flounder.
The crabcakes are bursting with crabmeat and the best flavor. They are so perfect, all you need is a little lemon juice with them – no need to coat them with tartar sauce. And you will love the accompanying hush puppies. I highly recommend the broccoli and hollandaise on the side!
Nobody can touch this fried flounder! It is huge and very shareable. The batter is crisp and tasty. My favorite meal in Tidewater! I add a little lemon, malt vinegar, and hot sauce. And, of course, broccoli and hollandaise on the side. You will thank me for telling you about this. It is not on the real menu – they always have it listed as a special because it is THAT special.
All open air – just wish we could be warm enough year round so I could enjoy this place all the time. See you at the Surf Rider Marina Shores!