The Roads Bistro — Restaurant in Virginia Beach

If you're looking for mini masterpieces seasoned and cooked to perfection at a restaurant with a bar where everyone knows your name, you've come to the right place. Date night, late night, great night....you name it, the vibe will do you just right. If you live in the neighborhood, don't be the last person to find out about this local hot spot. If you're visiting and want a true Virginia Beach experience, you won't want to miss this stop on your journey.

My husband and I have been going to The Roads for the past few years, and it's by far our favorite restaurant in Virginia Beach. If you have a foodie in your family, they will appreciate the specials and rotating menu, thoughtful food preparation, wide selection of quirky drinks, and outstanding consistency when it comes to the taste, appearance, portion, and overall quality of food. This restaurant has even changed the way I feel about certain food groups. Whether you're a carnivore, herbivore, or omnivore, there's something for everyone.

The service is amazing and some of the staff remind me of my family. Nicole is like my favorite aunt that's sweet, kind, funny, personable, and always remembers that I drink a Pepsi, prefer blue cheese over ranch, and can tell no matter how "healthy" I'm eating, I will regret it later if I don't have the bread pudding....especially the s'mores one. Landon and Alex are like my crazy cousins I see at Christmas that always have a smile on their faces, a good joke to tell, and make life feel easy and breezy. They make a point to say hi and bye, give off that feeling of truly being welcome, and bring the positive energy to brighten your day. One of the owners, Michael, is super nice, very present, makes sure everything is beyond satisfactory, and brings the family together. I can't think of a better place to eat where family, friends, and fun connect with live music, great food, and a true sense...

My one issue was that when I walked in, there was no indication that it was self-seating and I stood around for several minutes before the bartender said you could seat yourself and he didn’t say it to me, he said it to another guest who walked in after me. But that’s the only issue I had and I’d recommend a sign at least so people know.

Now, let’s get to the positives, and there are a lot of them. 1) The servers were outstanding. I was helped by a young man named Logan and a lovely lady named Nicole. Nicole was my main server and she was phenomenal. She did a great job explaining the concept of it being a tapas style bar. She was also very efficient while serving me and when she wasn’t immediately available, Logan was and he was just an upstanding young man. Both get high marks.

2. The food was out of this world. For my appetizer I had (I believe it was pea and fennel) the best hummus I’ve ever eaten. The flavors were outstanding and very fresh. I followed that up with one of the specials, a pork ribeye with apple butter served over an orzo carbonara. The pork was juicy and flavorful and the apple butter was a nice touch. As for the carbonara, the orzo gave it a uniqueness and it was very enjoyable. For dessert, I finished with a key lime tartlet that was so perfectly balanced between the sweet and acidic flavors and it put the cap on a wonderful dining experience. In all, I spent about $40 on the food alone which is perfectly reasonable for such an establishment.

3. The atmosphere was excellent. The lighting and ambiance coupled with the live music had the perfect, calm vibe for a nice Friday evening dinner. Best dining experience I’ve had in a long time.

Overall it was a great experience. 10/10...

Our server tonight was horrible. Took 3 minutes to give me a straw for my drink (it wasn’t very busy) only to give me a straw that wasn’t in a wrapper. Then completely forgot to put my order in. As my family sat and happily ate I was wondering when my food would come out. I tried to get her attention a few times, nothing. When I finally did I asked about my order to only be told about the second item I placed. She came back and said I didn’t put the other order in sorry. Thank you for taking accountability, I do appreciate that. But by that time my family was done eating and I would have been eating alone. And that isn’t what I expected to do on a night out with my family. I told her I no longer wanted anything for that reason. She did offer dessert, and of course I said sure. I thought it would be compt because of the poor service but no. I don’t go out wanting free things but being in the industry I do know the appropriate steps to take. After that was said and done, she picked up a napkin off the floor and placed it back on our table and said “if you need it”. Never in my life have I seen a waitress do that. This is our second time in and the first time was wonderful! Couldn’t say a bad thing, hints why I brought my entire family in. I think when I was in last the waitress I had tonight was the bar tender. I could be mistaken but I’m just really upset I left there hungry, embarrassed, and uncomfortable. (Yes I do know everything doesn’t come out all together, that wasn’t the problem. My food was just not put in at all and that’s is a huge part of a...