Leaping Lizard Cafe — Restaurant in Virginia Beach

I can't believe I have never left a review here. I LOVE this place. When we lived in Norfolk and I was unemployed I'd come here all the time (off season because let's face it, tourist money is great but they make enjoying life here challenging). I've brought many a friend and family member here and we have never had a bad meal. Once we moved to the country, trips out this way were far and few and it's been so long this is the first time here since they expanded (and boy was that greatly needed).

In town to get our taxes done and this was the only place I wanted to dine at. Despite the parking lot looking packed, the inside was surprisingly unpacked.

I read the menu to hubby on the ride over and he already knew he was having the breakfast burrito. This thing was so full of ingredients he couldn't eat but half. And this man NEVER comes home with leftovers but he hust couldn't eat it all. And he loved the pear salad. For him to comment on something that is a fruit, you really have made an impression.

I picked the wrong week to remove bread from my diet because the bread pudding French toast was screaming out my name. Lynne!! Lynne!! I know you see me here and I know it's been 5 days since you've had bread. You know you want to eat me. Man oh man!! The urge was strong but I resisted. I did get pancakes so kinda bread but don't ask me to explain the reasoning in my head, you would just get lost and I might forget how we started that conversation lol.

The buttermilk pancakes were nothing really special but they were very light which allowed me to eat more than normal. I ate mine with butter and that blueberry topping that was positively delightful! I gave my harvest sausage to the man but not before having a bite and boy was it good. It has the consistency of a meatball but the spices of sausage. Initially I was not visually attracted to it as it comes with some little tomato salsa mixture (main reason why the man got it) but I cut myself off a piece without the mix on top. Good flavor. I also had a side of home fries that come with peppers and onions. Some folks would not like these (my brother for one who has an aversion to all things plant grown in the dirt-I don't know how we can be related. Veggies are awesome!) as they were not fried like most home fries but tasted sauteed with oil and the veggies. I loved them. So much so I didn't want to share with the man. Selfish I know. I did tell you I'm off bread. I can only sacrifice one thing at a time.

All in all, another great Lizard experience. Thank you again for the expanded...

Leaping Lizard Cafe is a real Virginia dining treasure and well worth the few minutes metro-area drive. The casual atmosphere pleasantly grabs you from the moment you enter the drive way; a peaceful rural oasis amidst the VA Beach hustle. We were promptly seated on Friday July 24th at 5:30p on the covered back porch at a round table for five which overlooked the tree-shaded, open-air, outdoor seating area (appropriately social distanced if that's your thing) with a well-kept, clean, red barn and mini farmyard vista.

Wine and beer selection was good and its quality confirmed by my four dinner mates. As designated driver, I opted for one of the fresh pressed "Hydration Station" juices, and thoroughly enjoyed it.

I am not sure I could say enough good things about our server, Shelia, to adequately encompass her casual charm, professionalism, deep menu knowledge, efficiency, and impeccable timing. Extremely well done, Shelia!

We ordered a variety of menu items, and each was outstanding; Cioppino, Kimchi Fried Rice, Hummus Platter, and the amazing Halibut "Catch of the Day." My mouth still waters thinking of the perfectly grilled halibut filet on a bed of white shoepeg corn topped with warmed wonderfully sweet, ripe peach morsels...quite simply pure lusciousness. The accompanying glazed carrots and tabouli were perfection.

We all were excited to try the Empowered Plant Based desserts and selected five of the six choices to sample. And, oh my, what a inspired decision, as we were able to collectly compare, discuss, taste and eventually vote/rank our favorite. Three things were unanimous: 1) wish we would have ordered the sixth dessert-Keylime, 2) Lavender was the hands down winner, and 3) The Kitchen Sink was ranked fifth-not for taste or presentation, only because the other four selections were so delicious. Did I mention plant-based...you would not not know! Second place was Blueberry and split-decision between Pineapple-Banana and Chocolate-Peanut Butter to round out the top four.

As you know, Leaping Lizard Cafe receives great online reviews, and this will be no surprise, we fully concur and the destiny of this review is to be only be yet another fully satisfied customer! Ask to be seated in Sheila's section and enjoy your dining experience.

A nit, the universal waterglass condensation issue, let me know if you ever resolve the outdoor dining water glass condensation issue with an environmentally safe coaster and not potentially litter the lovely barnyard area with windblown...

I popped by this unassuming café at the recommendation of my coworker. It was a lovely day, so I opted to sit outside. There was a canopy of trees providing plenty of shaded area.

I ordered the duck hash, the blueberry basil drink (honestly can't recall what it was), a stuffed sweet potato biscuit, and a slice of key lime pie.

The good: The duck. Cooked perfectly, not gamey at all and very tender. It tasted fresh. The sweet potato biscuits!! Oh gosh I could just buy a bag of those and take them home. Crisp on the outside but soft and chewy. The stuffed biscuit. Calls on my favorite element of the meal, but the jam was delightful. The service. My waitress was very kind and helpful even as she rushed around to seemingly serve the entire outdoor area. -The atmosphere. On a not too hot day, opt to sit outside. Their backyard is very cute with all their animals and garden. You can tell they're very proud of it too, as they should be.

The soso: The blueberry basil drink. Refreshing, but honestly the alcohol didn't add as much lemon as I would have liked. The hash. I preferred the elements separately more than I did together. I also asked for over easy eggs and received sunny side up anyway. Not a big deal but noted nonetheless. It was also a little disappointing that it wasn't a true "hash" because there weren't any fried potatoes included. The duck and the biscuit really carried this dish. The key lime pie. My true motive for coming out was to try this highly recommended pie. I really enjoyed the taste of the filling, but the texture wasn't to my taste. If you enjoy a softer texture pie with a more gentle crumble crust, this is the pie for you. It was like pudding texture almost in the mouth. I prefer a more firm pie. The flavor was still amazing.

The less enjoyable: Occasionally the wind blew in a wafting smell of garbage. I don't know if the scent was coming from a trash container in the backyard or somewhere else. I still really enjoyed sitting outside despite that. It wasn't so bad that I couldn't enjoy my food.

Now, the real STEAL and best part of my experience was visiting the bakery on the way out. I bought an entire loaf of rosemary bread for $5 and had a nice chat with the French (?) baker. She was very nice. It's a more dense bread, less airy and squishy. I toasted a slice of bread that evening for a snack and woahhh. It had crisped up perfectly it was still soft on the inside and with a bit of salted butter it was truly divine. Best thing I...