Drift Seafood + Bar — Restaurant in Colonial Beach

We visited Drift Restaurant in Colonial Beach and were very excited for date night. At first, it was a pleasant experience and the server was very nice. But then we placed our order. First, we ordered oysters, and they did not come out on time. While waiting, we ordered a burger and the seafood boil. Both items were way overpriced and the burger was very burnt and looked like something you would find at an elementary school cafeteria. The seafood boil was frozen and had no taste at all and was way overpriced as well. Then, The oysters came out after our entrées were delivered, and then the waiter was scared to tell us about what happened and wouldn’t even fill our drinks back up. The oyster were also full of shell debris and couldn’t be eaten. There were two general managers working that night and both seemed to be completely out of it and had no ability to diffuse the situation. They could have comped us but didn’t even offer. We were informed that this restaurant is relatively new, but it’s a pricey restaurant. It really turned into a disaster. This is also one of my first reviews, EVER. I have worked in the restaurant industry for over 20 years and this was one of the worst experiences I’ve ever had. This area and restaurant has a lot of potential. Whoever is running this restaurant needs to get their act together if you’re going to sell food for this kind of price, otherwise there are fantastic, Mexican restaurants and barbecue joints in Colonial Beach that are worthy of your money than this...

We ate next door for an excellent pizza lunch and were excited to return to Drift for dinner. Very disappointed with some things, others were good. Prices were competitive with DC fine dining. However, the preparation was not. They have a decent selection of craft cocktails. A Good riff on an old fashioned, passable margarita. They could use a good rum based cocktail in addition to their gin and vodka. The oysters were huge and local and the sauces were good. I completely didn’t understand the cornbread appetizer. The pimento cheese and the sorghum butter were delicious and flavorful. The cornbread itself was blue and cutout into cute shapes but served stone cold and extremely crumbly. The staff told us it’s made earlier and they do not heat it so it doesn’t dry out. Very challenging to apply pimento or whipped butter spread to crumbs. I guess the intent is to eat with a spoon?? The gumbo had decent flavor but was so thick, it was a warm paste. Too much starch in the roux?. It was the texture of seafood pudding. The side dishes are $12 each and clearly designed for a table of four but they have no half portion options. The field peas were a highlight and I took a giant leftover tub home along with the pimento cheese and butter. The setting is beautiful and right on the beach and the decor is simple and seaside fresh. I sincerely hope they can improve the food preparation so that I might...

Here’s a rewritten version of the review:

Let’s start with the positives. The restaurant is beautifully designed, with a great bar and impressive drinks (my husband really enjoyed the oyster cocktail). It has the potential to offer a great atmosphere. Unfortunately, that’s where the good experience ended.

The service was incredibly slow, despite the fact that there were only two couples at the bar and one table occupied when we arrived at 7 PM on a Saturday night. We placed our order around 7:15 PM, but by 9 PM, only two out of the six items we ordered had arrived. We eventually had to ask for some of the missing items to be removed from the bill because they never showed up.

When I asked our server if slow service was normal, she just shrugged and said, “Oh, it’s the slow season.” I was baffled—what does that even mean? It also seemed like there was no one in charge, with no sight of the owner or executive chef anywhere.

To top it off, the prices were outrageously high. $25 for a basic burger that wasn’t even Wagyu or Kobe—just local Virginia beef. And to charge an extra $3 for cheese? This isn’t DC, it’s a small beach town where the prices should reflect the local market.

This place could be a fantastic addition to Colonial Beach, and they have the potential to build a loyal local following, but they need to address their service and pricing issues if they...