Virginia Beach sits where the Chesapeake Bay meets the Atlantic, and the bay defines its cooking. Blue crab is the signature — steamed and picked at the table, or made into crab cakes with as little filler as the kitchen can get away with.
Oysters are the other local specialty. Virginia’s bay and seaside oysters differ noticeably by growing region, and restaurants here often list them that way, which makes for a useful comparison in one sitting.
The oceanfront strip is aimed squarely at visitors. The better independent restaurants are inland, around the ViBe Creative District and Town Center, and in neighbouring Norfolk. Late summer and early autumn are peak crab season.