Buoy 44 Seafood Grill — Restaurant in Virginia Beach

Great location on the beach with a good view of the bridge. There is a parking lot right next door that I imagine would be packed in season. There is also street parking in the area. Outdoor seating is available, but it was a little too cool to be comfortable. We came for a late lunch and a few drinks. It was not crowded. We were greeted at the door and picked our table. Our server came up right away and after a brief description of the drinks (specifically beer on tap), we ordered. The beer I ordered, based on our server's description, was not what I expected and I was unable to drink it. Our server quickly corrected the problem and brought me another drink. We had the bouy nachos as an appetizer and they were good, not great with a healthy serving of shrimp and jalopenos; I think a little more cheese would have made them great. I had the 44 burger with sweet potato waffle fries. Both were good though the fries were a little soggy. There was lots of food and after the appetizer and nachos we were stuffed. Service was good throughout the meal and I would like to visit on a warm, sunny day.

They have valet service, but I got there before the service started and I am glad I did. The parking lot is right accross the street; and I would have been frustrated to have to wait while the valet walked to my car to drive 50 feet. It might be good if the lot and adjacent streets were packed, but on a cool, sunny January afternoon the valet would have...

We've lived here in the neighborhood for nearly four years, and have seen Buoy open, have time to get the kinks out, but still each time we go, we're reminded why there're so many other better options. Our most recent visit, their fryer was down, so they were operating from a reduced menu. No big deal. We also wanted a seat outside on the patio, but were told it was a 45 minute wait for a table when it was half empty out there. Not unusual for this to happen, for it's happened to us several times. We were extremely hungry this night and couldn't wait to eat. My wife and I are then seated inside, order drinks, and try to find something we'd like to eat from the reduced menu. We decide quickly, but our server doesn't reappear for nearly 20 minutes. That's when she tells us the kitchen is closing down early (at 8:10), and won't be making any more food, period. This, after we'd been seated, ordered drinks, and waited for nearly 25 minutes watching other tables get food! As we tried to quickly finish our drinks and leave, it felt like we were being asked to get moving, even though closing time was still over an hour away (and yes, food was still being brought out of the kitchen to other tables during this time). The staff clearly wanted to go home and wanted all their customers to do the same....

Buoy 44 has prime oceanfront real estate in Chic’s Beach. The restaurant offers complimentary valet parking. Diners can sit in a small bar area at the front of the house, in the air conditioned indoor dining room with water views, or on the outdoor patio with ocean views. My fiancé and I opted for bench seats on the patio. The server shared the happy hour menu with us ($5 crushes), but told us the restaurant did not have a beer menu, so she recited a handful of draft beers. Looking over the menu, there weren’t any particularly wow-worthy food options.

Though, the restaurant touts themselves as a seafood grill, the food includes a lot of fried options and pretty limited/standard options by way of seafood. We opted for orders of the hush puppies, the Mahi tacos, and the shrimp tacos. The hush puppies were the bright spot of the food ordered as the tacos were very underwhelming. While Buoy 44 isn’t a complete miss, it leaves a lot to be desired by way of service and menu options. I recommend visitors stop by for a drink and venture elsewhere for dinner.

Slightly unrelated, but maybe another reason to grab a drink at Buoy 44, the restaurant shares a street corner with an adorable Little Free Library (painted like a...