Our alphabetical lists of places to eat inside Norfolk city limits: wings, pizza, Mexican, barbecue, breakfast, burgers, Asian, desserts, bakeries, patios.
Last checked 2026-10-23. Refreshed every three months.
Norfolk Journal keeps one plain list for each kind of food, with every place we can confirm inside the city limits, its address, its posted hours and a link to its own site. The lists are alphabetical. They are not rankings or recommendations, and nobody pays to be on them. Each list starts from OpenStreetMap records, the same data behind our business directory, and is checked against each place’s own website. Run one of these places? Write to us to correct your entry.
Where the food is
Three parts of the city turn up on almost every list. Ghent, along West 21st Street and Colley Avenue up toward Old Dominion University, has the widest mix, from bakeries and ice cream to pizza and sushi. Downtown, on Granby Street, Main Street and at Waterside, has most of the outdoor tables and many of the brunch and dinner places. East Little Creek Road and North Military Highway, near Janaf and the outlets, have many of the chain restaurants and a long run of Mexican and Asian places. Ocean View, Wards Corner and Tidewater Drive fill in the rest.
How the lists are made
We add a place the map data misses when its own website gives a Norfolk street address, and we drop a place whose site says it has closed or moved. Hours are copied only from each place’s own site; where a site posts none, the list says so. Each list is checked again every three months.
The lists
Where to get wings. Fifteen wing places, from Janaf and North Military Highway to East Little Creek Road and Colley Avenue, chains and local spots alike.
Where to get pizza. Twenty-six pizza places, the longest list here, spread from Colley Avenue and Ghent to Ocean View, East Little Creek Road, downtown and Military Highway.
Mexican and Tex-Mex restaurants. Twenty restaurants and taquerias, clustered on East Little Creek Road and near Janaf, with more in Ghent, Ocean View and downtown.
Where to get barbecue. Seven places: American barbecue at Doumar’s, Redwood Smoke Shack, Mission BBQ and Hank’s, and three Korean barbecue grills.
Breakfast and coffee. Nineteen diners, pancake houses and coffee shops, from Ghent and Colley Avenue to downtown, Granby Street and Military Highway.
Where to get burgers. Eight burger places, from West 21st Street in Ghent and Granby Street downtown to East Little Creek Road and Tidewater Drive.
Sushi and Asian restaurants. Thirty-nine sushi bars and Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Filipino, Vietnamese and poke restaurants across the city.
Ice cream and desserts. Eight ice cream, donut, cake and candy shops in Ghent, downtown, at Waterside and at the outlets.
Bakeries. Seven bakeries, most in and around Ghent, from French pastry and bagels to Bundt cakes, plus two downtown.
Patios and outdoor dining. Sixteen restaurants and bars with outdoor seating, almost all on Granby Street and at Waterside downtown.
More food guides
- Brunch in Norfolk: weekend brunch downtown and in Ghent, from rooftop buffets to a monthly Sunday brunch.
- Date night in Norfolk: dinner, theater, wine bars and late nights.
- Restaurant inspections in Norfolk: how Virginia inspects restaurants and where to read the reports.
- Search the Norfolk business directory: every listed place, with its own page.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I find a list of restaurants in Norfolk?
Norfolk Journal keeps 10 alphabetical lists of places to eat inside the city limits, one per category from wings and pizza to bakeries and patios, plus a searchable business directory.
Are these Norfolk restaurant lists rankings?
No. Every list is alphabetical, nobody pays to be on it, and each entry is checked against the place’s own website.
Where is there outdoor seating in Norfolk?
Most outdoor tables are downtown on Granby Street and at Waterside. Our patios list has 16 places with outdoor seating.
How do I check a Norfolk restaurant’s health inspection?
The Virginia Department of Health posts every inspection report online. Our restaurant inspections page explains how to read them.
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