Terrapin Restaurant — Restaurant in Virginia Beach

I actually went last May to this gorgeous restaurant with a small group. We had initially made the reservation because they were a nice higher end place which was the theme of our trip, but also nicely reviewed already and upon sending them a message on Facebook, they said they would be happy to accommodate my friend's celiac- an allergy to gluten. Our expectations were high and we were not dissapointed.

It seemed at first glance to be a great local favorite and there was no dress code that I could tell. We came dressed to the 9s but I could definitely come back in something more casual (but nice).

The atmosphere was classy and comfortable, but this trip was about indulgence and they were more than willing to let us play out our fantasy of being rich and glamorous. The man who seated us actually offered us different colored napkins so they wouldn't leave color on our dresses. An incredible step above and beyond that was completely unprompted. We had some fabulous food to go with our outfits that night.

The butter was shaped like a little turtle to go with the bread that was served with their incredible and sophisticated options on the tasting menu. Much of the food was described as local which was nice for us as visitors to the state. They also have a great wine selection with who I'm fairly sure is a sommelier, otherwise they just knew their wines very well.

Of all the places we went to at Virginia Beach, their desserts were the best. They mentioned having a pastry chef whose name I really should write down. We had a gorgeous chocolate shelled treat that was melted at the table and one that was so satisfying that I broke the "No phones at the table" rule so we could have pictures of our desserts. I have no idea what this incredible apple dessert was called, but it was creamy and delicious enough where we actually asked for MORE of them to take back to our hotel. I have never asked for a second dessert to go, that's how incredible this was. They were plated in to go boxes like we had ordered them to sit down and we had them in the middle of the night with some wine and it was one of the best decisions we made the entire week.

I'm looking at returning to VB someday in the next few months and Terrapin is one of the places we HAVE to revisit. We look forward to seeing what new treats and food they'll be serving...

This was a very bad experiences in dinning. We’ve been here four times and this time shows a rapid decline in food and service. The server did not know what drink or food to place in front of each of us. I should have been on alert. The waiter didn’t ask if we were ready for anything so we had to ask. After the bread and soup course I motioned for the waiter to clean off my part of the table. Guess I made a mess. He didn’t know what I was gesturing about, and I had to ask him verbally. He still didn’t understand and the exchange was quite embarrassing for my guests. In the past the waiter has always used a bread scrapper to clean off crumbs. I asked for hot sauce for my soup. I like it also for my fish entrée, but after taking the empty soup dish away, the waiter appeared again and swooped up the hot sauce without so much as asking. I had to make a loud request for him to return it since he was walking away before I so much as had time to utter the request in a normal voice - another embarrassing scene for all of us. On to the drink and food; my Manhattan was $15.50 (with tax and tip that’s $18, a record price for Virginia Beach since I order Manhattans everywhere I eat out). The soup was bland and so was the Haddock. We ordered it two ways, small and entrée (mine). After it was served I told the waiter the two Haddock pieces looked the same. He assured mine was bigger, but after a few bits I discovered that there were very few veggies on my plate and again the server had gotten it wrong. What the waiter described as the small plate was loaded with veggies and a bigger piece of fish. One of my guests had the special of the night, fried chicken with a complementary glass of wine. After almost finishing his chicken, he had to ask for the wine. He said his fried chicken was not as good as Pollard's Fried Chicken, neither was his less-than-warm mac-n-cheese. We ate outside which may explain the service, but when we left we noticed that the packed house was so load, my guest couldn't hear me until we got outside. The best thing, not to be totally negative, is the free and close-in parking. I suggest you try two nearby restaurants, Zoes and Eurasia Café. they are premium establishments that are consistently...

This restaurant is the pinical of the saying lots of flash and no substance. Me and my wife went to this establishment for my birthday. When we arrived the hosts had given another group of dinners. After we made the registration 3 days in advance. Leaving us with no other choice but to leave and go to another restaurant called watermans which was surprisingly great. The next day the manager of the restaurant informed us of his condolences in regards to the issue that happened the previous day. As well as informing us that our entree’s would be covered fully. Witch me and my wife took them on there offer. We made it our new reservation to be greater by our waiter that was well mannered. He offered us overrated tap water in which he tried to justify with a long winded explanation of said water that it is water from Virginia that goes through a five step purification process which is only one more step than regular tap water not including if you have a filter at home. To tide us over the host left us both a single slice of sourdough to eat for approximately 30 min we We eventually got our menus to order to see that entrees have there own very own very limited section which made me and my fiancé feel duped.but we were not deterred we made our selection. But instead of the joy of delecious food hitting the table a wave of apprehension poured over our faces. As we pick over our food my wife ordered a simple hand burger which was Luke warm in the middle, bland, as well as tasting like cheese when she ordered it plane. Then my steak frites was the most bland steak that I have ever had in my life, it was dry, and very bland. I tried salt, pepper, and even ketchup. But nothing could save the train wreck that was terrapin. For the price of this bland food I don’t understand why or how this place could could have a 5 star or even a 2 star review. If you would like to waste money on people being paid to be nice to you than look no where else...