Coach House Bar & Grill — Restaurant in Norfolk

Nicole was a great server! We had great service, great flow, and overall, a great dining experience. I will say that it was a bit put off that I spent so much and the manager/owner didn't stop by to check in.

Drinks-- the cocktail menu was clever. We tried just about everything (more than once!). The big winner was the red grapefruit vodka beverage. But all was tasty and nice in their own right! The wine menu is large enough to satisfy most tastes.

Apps: Spring rolls, shrimp dip, onion rings, side of fries. The Spring Rolls were four, perfectly crisp rolls full of chicken. Something was reminded me of blue cheese or something funky, I couldn't place the taste from reading the description unless the miso was bit extra funky. The sweet chili sauce helped with the funkiness of it, but was also spicy. It was nice to try, but I wouldn't order this again. The shrimp dip was delicious, it was the right amount of creaminess and thick with cheese. I saw bits of shrimp in the serving, but it didn't stick out to me. Think of crab dip, thats what this felt like and it was good. The star though, was the toasted bread that came with it.. there wasn't enough so we ordered more... so so good. I would order this again. The onion rings were such a small order for the price point and missing salt. The ranch balances it out, but the batter was bland. They were cooked crispy and that was perfect! The fries boasted of hand-cut, were fried well and seasoned perfect.

Salads: House and Caesar.. full, large, sharable with another. Colorful. The Caesar had dried cherry tomatoes and real anchovies. I could taste the freshness and appreciated their salad. I would order either again and share with another.

Mains: Étouffée, Ny Strip, Salmon, Fettuccine, Short rib risotto and Duck sandwich (minus the bread). I think the restaurant wins because of the main courses-- every thing was just about perfect. The étouffée was served in a heavy gravy, rice, shrimp, scallops, and a crispy cat fish. The dish was perfect, except maybe served with some more rice and served with a spoon rather than a fork. We would get this again. The NY Strip was delicious, perfect sear, perfect cook, buttery. The sides were a bit disappointing-- again with the salt missing-- the creamed spinach was creamy and delicious but needed salt. The mash potatoes lacked salt and creaminess that one would expect in a nicer restaurant. The Salmon was a super star, I would get this again and again here. The cook was perfect, not over, buttery and served with root veges that had a char and flavor that I could eat every night! The Fettuccine was creamy, but also lacking salt. We added chicken as a add on and it was actually overcooked, dry, and also missing flavor. Add on proteins should be the best cook of the night, because I'm paying extra for something. Swing and a miss. It was like they cooked it first and let it sit on the heat lamp while the other foods were being prepared. The short rib risotto was delicious with fresh veges and a creamy texture with the protein that felt like it was braised for hours. I would get this again. The duck sandwich is served with house chips, red cabbage, and fried pickles. I had it served without the bun because duck shouldn't be on a bun!! I get that it was their take of a bbq sandwich but the sauce was overly sweet. I needed the saltiness from the chip to eat each bite of the duck The red cabbage seemed flavorless. I would not get this again.

Desserts: We ordered all of them. The cheesecake was out. So we had the sinful cake (like a flourless chocolate torte), bread pudding, and creme brûlée. All three were good in their own right. The Sinful cake was decadent and creamy rich dark chocolate. It reminded me of a truffle-- small bites to roll reaching every tastebud made it delicious. The creme brûlée was served cold with a crispy top. I prefer it to be warmer but the creaminess was better than average. The creme brûlée is served hot and was likely my favorite...

Really a 3.5. It wasn't bad there were 3 different seating options inside, outside, and hybrid area. The salmon mousse was really good as were the crackers which I think were homemade. The chicken sandwich with ham was very good as well. The duck sandwich was too sweet and couldn't taste the duck which should have been the showcase, it also had fried pickles which were far too thick and really pointless. The fries could have been crispier as well, they were floppy but thin with skins and tasted good. The drinks we had were very good and well crafted including some sort of creamsicle one I got. We had an espresso creme brulee that was not thick enough and just good nothing special. The music was jazz which I like jazz but was just there, I wish the music had been more moderate in tone but that is nitpicky. The service was great but we were there when they first opened so I cannot comment on how they handle a crowd. Overall it was good not great. As one of the best chefs in the world, I would work on the details in their food and revamp their duck sandwich. Brighten the atmosphere, work on desserts, and change the music, personal suggestion acoustic mix with some classic jazz, some bird or Coltrane (but that critique is obviously my own personal taste). But it was a huge upgrade from chow which was there previously and I would go again something I rarely say even if I like a place. I am curious to delve into the main more "fancy" dishes. Price was just ok a little expensive for what we got but only about 10-15% higher than I would have liked to have seen for what we got. And I didn't get sick which is always a risk when others prepare your food, so bonus! 😀. So work on your place if you see this owners of ch don't be coddled by the high ranking of the masses, as you know it's a rough game and only the best thrive in...

My husband and I came here randomly for dinner one evening and WOWZERS!! So glad we stopped by!! I don't even know where to start I was impressed by everything from the second we walked in all the way until we left and walked out with all the staff saying bye to us.

First their bar is GORGEOUS. The restaurant dining area is pretty too. We sat at the bar, and my husband was dressed in work clothes and had his laptop. No one judged us. Smiling faces everywhere. Staff loved their jobs and you could tell. Staff knew a lot of the clientele already and was already making their drinks before the people even fully sat down. Great bartender he was so intelligent, well-spoken and knew the menu well. He gave us several recommendations we got the crab dip & oysters rockafeller. I got a special dish from the Chefs specials a braised pork belly with soba noodles and it was tasty 😋 Hubby got the lobster rolls and fries!! Ok let's stop right here and talk about the FRIES!!! Yes you heard me right, the fries. That is hands down the best tasting REAL potato batchmade/homemade fries I've ever had, reminds me of boardwalk fries. These are chefs recipe fries, not your run-of-the mill frozen fries. The care, the work and the effort is there and you can taste the difference. It was perfectly fried and crisp. The seasonings on them were delicious! So good, that we ordered an extra order of just fries alone Lol

The menu is pricey but think of the food quality. Glassware, plates and utensils are beautiful to look at, touch and eat from. Parking is limited since it's in Norfolk and I recommend making reservations unless you beat the crowds. I can't wait to go back here again for another date night with hubby. Next time he will dress a bit nicer to match with the pretty people who...