Court House Cafe — Restaurant in Chesapeake

I grew up in this restaurant weekly from like 4-6 weeks old to 17-18 yrs old. Then continued once a month till I was in my early 20's. I haven't been there in 15 years till this point and the original owners sold it around that many years ago. My family went there so consistently because it was in close proximity to our house, they were friends with the owners and the food quality down to every ingredient as well as the service and price of a meal just simply couldn't be beat. Now I'll be honest I had heard over the years that it wasn't what it used to be and I don't know if that is true or not Maybe 6 or 8 years ago However what I can tell you after tonight is that it most certainly is exactly what it used to be. The menu was nearly the same as I remember in regards to the things on the menu that matter in regards to a classic meal. Despite a 40-year high inflation and consumer price indexes that are through the roof The prices for the meals were incredibly affordable aside from a handful of items on the menu that are always going to be higher priced and that's fine. We got a handful of appetizers of mod sticks wings different soups and mine of course being she crab because it's my favorite that's what we always got as kids. We also got fried oysters and butterfly shrimp and then for me personally I again ordered what I did as a kid which was the king prime rib cut which is 16 oz and steak fries as well as green beans and the house salad. The presentation is exactly the same as it was 15 and 25 years ago. The flavor palette of every item was exactly as it was 15 to 25 years ago and the service was just as incredible as I always remembered it to be. Punctual, upbeat, professional, knowledgeable, kind and respectful to not only the customers but the staff as well. We wanted for nothing. I just wish I could have remembered her name but unfortunately I'm really bad with names. I grew up in Chesapeake and I just simply don't really go there anymore so I'd to occasionally see family but if you live in this area or if you're stopping through and I'm even going to say if you live within 30 minutes of Great bridge and you want to fantastic meal at a wonderful price with a mellow atmosphere and incredible service then go and take the drive to eat at Courthouse Cafe. You will not be disappointed in the slightest. It is incredibly rare for a restaurant who has kept the same owner to be as it used to be let's say 20 years prior yet somehow this place despite going through three owners since then is exactly what it was 35 years ago. It's...

We have lived here for 9 years and in those 9 years I have worked for the city for 5 and have ordered from almost every restaurant that offers delivery or take out but Court House Cafe. One Saturday hubby and I were out early and looking to try a new spot. The reviews led us here at their 11am opening. Initially, I had my doubts. We were the 2nd table in and despite there being more servers than diners it took almost 10 minutes just to get a server to our table to get our drink orders. I don't know why it took so long but after that, our service was prompt and lovely.

Hubby settled on what had to be the largest slice of meatloaf I'd ever seen with potato salad, green beans and Texas toast. He doesn't exactly have a discerning palate as usually food for him only settles on his taste buds for 30 seconds or less. However, that meatloaf elicited a "oh, this is good and the potato salad 1 of the 2 best I've had" comment from him. He's a man of few words so ya gotta take those compliments as they come.

The western burger screamed my name so loudly I wondered if the other diners heard it. I don't normally order western burgers while dining out because they're so messy but we were heading straight home from here so I figured if I wore some BBQ sauce home it would be me and the man's secret. I don't care for a pink burger or a well done one so when my requested done burger arrived I was so excited that I almost ate the entire thing in house! I had delectable steak fries and an appetizer of fried mushrooms. Granted, the shrooms are bar food but they were perfectly fried and the ranch was tasty and fresh.

I only found flaw in their cobbler, both peach and apple with ice cream. We took it to go & because we live so close it was still in a solid state when we got home. The dough seemed undone and smelled metallic (like how unbaked dough or crust smells). I won't let that deter us from returning. The cobblers were so disappointing I didn't even take pictures of them. I'm a cobbler fanatic so I know what to look for and it just wasn't found here.

I hope it doesn't take us another 9 years...

July 13, 2022. it has been a few years since we have been to Courthouse Cafe. Before the pandemic we were regulars. We heard that they changed ownership, so we were a bit apprehensive to see what changed. This is a neighborhood place that doesn't require reservations, but it gets crowded fast, so reservations are suggested. We arrived at 5:45 without a reservations and were seated right away, but at the last table available. Isiah was our server, and did a great job. The menu has changed. Before it was in the form of a court document, blue trifold paper with menu inside. now the menu are inside of plastic sheets, easier to sanitize. There are a few changes to the contents of the menu as well. They used to have a Flat Iron steak that was very tasty, it has been replaced with a New York cut. (note, the Flat Iron steak is still on the website menu). My wife ordered her favorite, the Queen cut Prime rib WELL DONE, with side salad, Baked potato and mixed vegetables. Everything was perfect, even the extra butter as requested. I ordered the fried shrimp and oysters. Very good. The oysters are smaller than i remembered, but very tasty and the shrimp was very large and butterflied, very good, side salad with house made ranch and a baked potato. All very good. My only issue is that the breading fell off the seafood, but not a hindrance in eating. We ordered desert (you can always box your entree), wife ordered the carrot cake, it looked very small, single layer with cream cheese frosting, she said it was good. I ordered the cherry cobbler with ice cream. cobbler was OK, but way too much crust, and the crust was tough, not flaky at all. All in all a good meal at a reasonable price, we only had water to drink and the bill was $58.00 before tax and tip. If the new variant doesn't cause another life interruption, we will be back as...