Seaside Dogs and Grill — Restaurant in Virginia Beach

Seaside Dogs and Grill is located in the Red Mill Commons shopping center. It's in the same row of places as Panera Bread and Chipotle. It is fairly easy to navigate the area to get here. One note though is that the parking right in front of the business is for 15 minutes only. This place has opened recently. My visit here was on May 2, 2019.

I've heard from a few different people that I should try this place out, so that is how I ultimately ended up here. The visit was in the afternoon, so the place was actually empty at the time I was there, but it had gotten busier by the time I was done and getting ready to leave. As you enter, there are booths along the left side and there is a bar area to the right. A booth seemed easier than the bar stools, so a booth it was. The overall theme inside is a seaside theme, which is fitting for this area. This place is very casual and good for all ages.

After getting seated, someone came over to the table to ask if we wanted any drinks. I did end up getting a drink and then continued to look at the menu. My mom was with me here on this visit. We ended up getting a few sides and shareables. They were the Death By Fries and Crispy Onion Petals. A few moments later we were ready to order and I went with the All Beef "Hot" hot dog. My mom went with the All Beef Hot Dog.

About 5-10 minutes after ordering, our hot dogs came to the table, followed by the shareables. I was a bit surprised about that as I thought he shareables would have come to the table before the hot dogs. Anyways, it was time to dig in. The hot dog turned out really good. I did think about getting another one after having the first one, but didn't want to have too much. The Death By Fries and Onion Petals were really good as well, though I do think the price is a little high for the Death By Fries based on how much you get.

As we were finishing up, my brother, niece, and his wife came in. We didn't know they were coming and they didn't know we were there either. We hung around a little while with them before heading out ourselves.

Overall, this was a very good first experience here. Although it was just hot dogs this time, they have many other options from burgers to Taylor Ham (pork roll). You don't see pork roll in many places in this area. The service was good and so was the food. If you are looking for a quick bite to eat, this is definitely a great place to go. I will...

First time visit -- we are out of towners -- and stumbled upon what seemed to be a hole-in-the-wall diner. Okay, that's actually a pretty apt description, if you only look through the window.

My daughters (8yo triplets) and I were met by a very friendly staff, who appealed to me as folks who were either family to one another or had worked together for many years (or both). There was a casual familiarity that spoke volumes. Our server was Damen (Damon?), clothed in shorts and a t-shirt (ultra casual), soft-spoken and articulate, whose accent immediately said ...Jersey? I guessed New Jersey and he admitted to hailing from there.

As with everyone else working in this "joint" (said affectionately, I assure you), Damen was polite, engaging and busy...very busy. Even though there were but a few people when we entered the establishment, within minutes, it was fairly hopping. Not boisterous, obnoxious hopping busy,...more a quiet, we know why we're here, familiar and casual kind of busy. My surmise: many of the customers were locals, and 'regulars.' Everyone, save my daughters and I, were dressed quite simply and casually. What I found most interesting, though, was the sense I had these were not "town folk.' From their demeanor and what verbal exchanges I overheard (including a conversation between a mom and her young son), these were very casually dressed, well-educated, suburbanites. Fascinating dichotomy between apparent and actual. "Never judge a book..."

The girls and I are pretty picky about our hotdogs, which was our target meal and reason for our visit. We were not disappointed. The food is simple, and simply delicious. No frills, no "airs," just good eats and a lovely, if quirky, ambience. Eight thumbs up, from four hungry travelers! Thank you, Seaside Dogs and Grill. The next time we are 'jonesing' for a good 'dog, on our next visit to Virginia Beach, we know where to go!

Thanks, again, Damen!...

Overall it was very clean and they had done a nice job adjusting seating for social distancing, including a limited number of seats at the bar, which I think is great. The staff were very friendly and quickly brought me a menu and took my order. I ordered 2 all-beef chili dogs on the Friday special, which includes fries and a drink. It was not too busy, so my food was up rather quickly. The fries were hot, crispy and very good, the serving size was about what I would expect. The hot dogs looked amazing. The meat was good, had a nice crunch from the casing. However the bun and chili were colder than I would've expected. I did not mention this to the staff as I was able to live with it. I would suggest to steam the buns rather than taking them straight from the bag to the plate. The chili was tasty but cold - this is why I docked the star. When I was paying, I noticed the crock pot with the chili and steam rising up out of the chili - so my guess is if they would've stirred the chili or covered it, the chili would've been warmer and a better experience. The burgers that I saw being prepared looked really good. So I would recommend trying them - I plan to...