Margie & Ray's Crabhouse and Restaurant — Restaurant in Virginia Beach

"Howdy y'all!"

...is what I imagined the hostess would say when we walked through the doors of Margie & Rays Crabhouse. Honestly, I'm not sure if she did or not because our party of nine had essentially pinned me into a corner and I wasn't able to hear anything that was said. We had walked in a peak lunch hour with a pretty large party to a pretty popular restaurant in the Virginia beach area. So I was surprised when, within seconds, we were walking walking back to a table.

We stepped across creaky floors, went around corners and finally settled at a long table near the back of the restaurant near the bathrooms. Initially one of the first things that we couldn't help but notice was a strange bulge in the ceiling above our heads that, I kid you not, was leaking some sort of liquid out onto the table. When one of the members of our party sat there, and was subsequently dripped upon, our waitress, literally said, "That's disgusting..." Honestly, it was...but also par for the course with a hole in the wall seafood place, so all was well.

Speaking of waitresses. Our waitress, I believe her name was Abby, was wonderful. She was attentive, extremely helpful in walking us through the menu and giving us recommendations. She provided excellent service throughout our whole experience along with all the other staff members I came into contact with.

Then came the food. I am, admittedly not a seafood junkie. On the contrary, some might call me a seafood antagonist. I've struggled to enjoy it all my life and perhaps Margie & Ray's wasn't the place to try and break my predisposition to dislike seafood, but I figured that was the place to give it a shot. So, with a gaping, dripping hole in the ceiling above my head and the toilets flushing to my right, I went out on a limb and ordered the She-Crab Soup which was, according to the menu, the speciality of this crabhouse.

The soup came out pretty quickly and it was piping hot. It honestly looked delicious but upon the first bite/slurp/scald I knew that my anti-seafood streak wouldn't be broken that day. The soup itself wasn't particularly seafood-y, but perhaps its because every flavor was overpowered by the salty chowder. Honestly, the little chunks of crab suspended throughout the molten chowder ended up being little havens of flavor and rest from the flavor of the soup. Eventually though, even those little pieces of respite weren't enough to keep me going. I only ate about half of my bowl and filled myself up on hush puppies.

I tasted a few other items that folks had ordered and, overall, I wasn't impressed. For the non-seafood lovers like me, there were fried chicken options but, honestly, the chicken was so dry that it almost didn't even go down my throat. I had one bite and was so parched I couldn't go on. Another person ordered a BBQ sandwich (albeit a risky move) and reported that it was so vinegar-y that it, "took away my lifeforce." I'm not entirely sure what that means, but also get it.

A few other folks ordered actual seafood: calamari (which I thought was good, fried oyster (which I did not), a tuna sandwich and a seafood platter of sorts. Unfortunately, I don't believe anyone had a meal that they'd write home about.

All in all, it would take quite a change of heart for me to find myself walking back over the threshold of Margie & Ray's. The staff was great and the atmosphere, while kind of gross, was charming – but the food sealed the deal.

Farewell Margie & Ray’s. Farewell hopes of someday...

Margie & Ray's Crabhouse is located along Sandbridge Rd. It's not hard to miss the place when heading to or from Sandbridge. It had been quite a while since I had been here, but recently came in for breakfast and also a lunch special. My most recent visits here were in September 2021.

Margie & Ray's Crabhouse has been around since 1964, but it actually started out as a tackle shop and general store, but would later become the seafood restaurant it is today in 1997. They do have a good amount of parking, but I do want to note that the lot is not paved, and you may need to dodge a few holes. They have seating available both inside and outside. As for Covid-19 restrictions, there aren't many. Staff are using masks, etc. Guests are allowed only if they do not exhibit any symptoms of the virus, which is the norm now for many establishments in the area.

My first visit in a while here was on September 5, 2021. On this visit, we came in specifically for breakfast as we had been hearing good things about it. It was busy, but not overly busy at the time, so we were seated inside immediately. Our server came to the table very quickly. She asked us for our drink orders and then gave us time to look over the menu. A few minutes later she was back and we were ready to go. For breakfast, I went with the Margie & Ray's Blanton's Hungry Man Platter with eggs, bacon, French toast, biscuit and fries (subbed the fries instead of the hash browns). My mom went with the Benedict Andy.

After about 10 minutes or so, our breakfast came to the table. The food looked really good and it was nice and hot too. The meal that I had was great. Everything was cooked perfectly the way I had asked. I was definitely full by the time I was done. My mom had a similar experience with her Benedict Andy as well.

Fast forward to September 14, 2021. They have daily lunch specials during the week. On Tuesdays, that special includes shrimp, so we came in to check it out that day as well. Service and the overall experience were the same as the one for breakfast a little over a week before this. We were both ready up front since we knew what we were doing before coming in. After ordering, it was about 5 to 10 minutes when the food came out. Much like the breakfast visit, the food came out hot. Even though the size of the shrimp were small, you got quite a bit of shrimp, so it was definitely worth the lunch special cost.

Overall, things are much better now than when I had been here several years ago. As time changes, things change too, and this change was for the better. The food and service are great. Be sure to check out the daily lunch specials too, which are available until 4 pm. If you are headed down to the Sandbridge area and looking for a seafood place, or even a breakfast, this place is worth...

The prefect place for good seafood or NC style BBQ. Not many people are aware of this gem in Sandbridge. In the winter months you have the all you can eat 3 tier menu. It comes with two sides and it's quite the feast. I always get the grilled shrimp, and grilled scallops . If you order that "tier" on the menu you can also have all you can eat NC style BBQ and the flounder. Everything is fresh and delicious. The food is grilled to perfection with just the right amount of spices. The hush puppies are hot off the pan and are served with REAL butter, not a butter imitation.

The Restaurant also offers she-crab soup- one of the best- filled with chunks of crab.

There are many things one will find here- fun atmosphere for families and parties, and quiet place if you are alone, good drinks and fun people to meet and the best seafood ( or if you are my Aussie boyfriend- the best NC style BBQ). They have good wine as well- the Pinot Grigio is delicious and chilled quite right.

As a coffee snob I quite like the coffee- they brewed new pot for me and my friend and it was delicious- full bodied dark roast. The coffee was perfect addition to the key lime pie I ordered. The pie was GOOD- the right amount of tangy and taste mixed with the fluffy whipped cream.

The staff are always friendly and accomodating.

Something that you should know: if you are eating outside, the smoker section is very close to the outside non - smoker section, and if there are avid smokers sitting at the table by the front door, and you are not- it could be unpleasant. However, if you ask the server to be moved, they will gladly do so if there is room inside. The staff is truly very kind and responsive.

Otherwise, this place gets 5 stars from me.

I highly recommend you...