Surf Rider — Restaurant in Virginia Beach

One of the worst dining experiences I've ever had -- a complete disaster from start to finish.

Honestly, writing a bad review is usually hard for me, but this place makes it easy. Let me start with the only decent part: our party of over 20 people was seated in a semi-private area, and our server Elsey was initially quick to get to us. That's where the good ended.

Throughout the night, things only got worse. We had guests arriving staggered, and Elsey took our orders as we were ready -- fine so far. I ordered an appetizer (crab dip), and about 20 minutes later, I was told they were out and it would be another 30 minutes before they had more. I was asked if I still wanted it, and since I'd already ordered my main course and expected it to arrive soon, I didn't want the appetizer to come after the meal so I declined. Big mistake.

An hour later, still no food, and when I asked about it, I was told the order was just now put in the because they wanted everyone's food to arrive at the same time. If that's their policy, they should tell guests upfront -- manage expectations. At that point, we were ready to leave, so we asked to cancel the order, only to be told it was "impossible" and we'd still have to pay.

About 15 minutes later, our food finally arrived -- cold and unappetizing. The collard greens were the worst I've ever had. We paid the bill and started to leave, but then my aunt, who paid her check in cash at the adjacent table, was chased down by the server and falsely accused of not paying her bill. The server then lied and claimed others in our party said she hadn't paid, which was completely false.

To make matters worse, they added a 20% gratuity to our bill. This is exactly why tipping culture has a bad reputation -- tips should be earned, not forced. There was no acknowledgment of poor service or attempt to rectify the situation; it felt like they just expected to be paid regardless of how badly they treated us.

When the manager got involved, she apologized by offering excuse after excuse instead or trying to make things right; they simply ignored the mistake and offered no accountability or remedy. You can't say you're sorry but this is why. If it's wrong it's wrong and if it isn't don't insult my intelligence l. It was a truly horrible experience, and honestly, traumatic for my aunt.

I can't imagine a worse restaurant experience, and I will never go back -- even if they paid me. I paid over $100 for the same food quality I could get at Long John's Silvers. Avoid this place...

My first time to this restaurant. I'm truly sorry, I should have taken pictures because it was a great lunch and pictures of the soup and our meals would make you want to visit too. My friend wanted seafood and I love seafood, so we decided on Surf Rider. We arrived around 11:45 a.m. On the board were the specials and topping the list was broiled scallops with salad. I stopped there. We were seated in a booth within a minute of entering and the place was packed; we were told Verizon was having their Holiday luncheon. The waitress explained they had no heads up on the luncheon; however, our service was terrific. My friend has been here previously and I knew I wanted the scallop special. We ordered ice tea for drinks. My friends ordered a small Caesar salad and Fish Tacos that came with tortilla chips , salsa, and guacamole. The soup of the day was she crab, my favorite, so I ordered a bowl and the scallop special and was told a salad or two sides. So, I chose two sides, coleslaw and fries. The she crab soup was very good; yet Mannino's Italian Bistro, Watermans Surfside Grille, and sorry it closed because I found it the very best in VA Beach, Charlie's Seafood Restaurant on Shore Drive have/had she crab soup a bit better. My broiled scallop meal was perfect. Scallops are easy to under or over cook, but mine were spot on perfect and a very good portion. The fries and coleslaw did not disappoint. My friend's meal was also very generous and delicious. Our waitress was wonderful. Our drinks never went below half-a-glass prior to her refilling. Appropriate attention to see if we needed anything during our meal. And at the end - dessert? Not this time, full. In a nutshell, most enjoyable and very tasty food with a bit above average portions at a most reasonable price in a very clean place with terrific customer...

We visited the Surf Rider on Providence Road on 4/26/25. We had a party of 32 people. In fairness they were only expecting 25 so they only booked one waitress. The restaurant was NOT busy. We appeared to have more people in our party than was in the rest of the restaurant. The waitress took our orders but neglected to tell us that all the orders would be put in at the same time. When we asked about it she said its done that way so people don't get angry with her when some food comes out but not others. EVERYone's food came out COLD over 90 minutes after the order was placed. I decided not to complain as I did not want the entire party to complain about their food.

I requested my check and a to go box. The waitress was not in site when I was ready to leave so I handed my paid check to the hostess that was assisting her with bringing the food out. I was standing outside the front door when the waitress burst through a crowded lobby with new diners accusing me of leaving without paying. I told her I gave it to the hostess and she sharply replied I should have given it to her! The manager tried to apologize but still defended the waitress. At that point I shared my thoughts on the food and service. She said if I came back she would take care of me, what ever that means. What sane thief stiffs a restaurant and stands at the door? She loudly embarassed me in public and quietly apologized in private. We dined at the same place on Valentine's Day and the food and service was great. Too bad it was...