Surf Rider

What if I told you they have the best crap dip in Chesapeake? Would that be something you’d be interested in?
Just don’t call to order it as take-​out. They don’t take to-​go orders over the phone. You must come in and wait, which completely defeats the purpose of it all to me. Therefore, just don’t even bother. Dine in. Service is fine.
Some of their food is really good and some is really problematic. I find that they drown a lot of their entrees in sauce, in the worst way. A piece of rockfish was nearly ruined this way. (I rescued it from the pool of whatever.)
You can’t go wrong with the green beans. Lots of flavor. You can with the broccoli. You are served one entire stalk. Kinda intimidating, and oftentimes under-​steamed. Then sometimes they have corn pudding and it is very sweet, airy and creamy. Really good but in small increments, otherwise the consistency is like bleh…
I wouldn’t really go to Surf Rider unless in Greenbrier because it’s one of the few non-​chains that’s pretty good.

Pros — Great food, fried shrimp, soft shell crab, and steamed seafood were all awesome, our server Sierra was terrific. Cons — the hostess (who had her hair in buns) was rude to say the least and walked around with such a bad mood look it was enough to make me think less of my experience. The staff seems very young, inexperienced, and walks around with what can only be likened to a high school teen age girls smug and intolerant attitude…

Ordered the «FRESH FLOUNDER» as seen on the board when you walk in amongst all the other daily specials and items. Couldn’t even puncture my broiled flounder filet with my fork. The manager came out and apologized and admitted it wasn’t good. Well thanks haha. The best thing we ate were the hush puppies.

I ate here two days ago with a colleague while traveling on business. The staff was very friendly and the food was ok while it was going down.
About 30 minutes after eating, the food didn’t agree with me and I ended up getting sick. I thought it was me until my colleague said the same thing happened to him when he got back to his hotel. The only common thread was the meal of which we both had the same thing (flounder and crab cake special). Needless to say, I would be very hesitant to go back.

The food was cold and was just blah. The service was good. I should’ve known better when I walked in and there was nobody there eating. But, by the time we left it was fairly busy. I have ate at other Surfrider restaurants and it has been a much better experience.

This is a decent atmosphere with decent food at a decent price and decent service. The sweet potato fries were excellent. The crab cake was really good if you like mayo (which I don’t so I wish I would have gotten the crab meat menu option instead — but for a crab cake it was good). The hush puppies were a little over cooked. The salad was bland, but what more can you expect from a side salad. The calamari was everything everyone says it is — really good. Good beer selection with local options included. This is overall a good restaurant but it just wasn’t as awesome as I thought it’d be.

Stop in for lunch on the Monday, pleasantly surprised.
The hot crab dip was outstanding, I have the broiled seafood platter and wow good size portion and very tasty.
My wife pasta Alfredo with seafood also very tasty and portion size was good plenty of leftovers.
Staff was friendly service was on point and the place was clean.
The only disappointment was the corn side dish that came with my platter was from a can, I guess that’s expected this time year.
I would recommend another stop at this place sometime.

This is the worst Surf Rider. The waitress argued with us over what we ordered. Did not offer to correct our order. Overpriced and over cooked seafood. We will not be back. The Surf Rider in Va Beach on Newtown rd. is much better.

Positive: good she crap soup, friendly waitress.
Negative: painfully slooowwww. Over cooked food that somehow arrived cold. I got fried oysters, more breading than oyster.

The best seafood in Chesapeake hands down! Service was awesome! I had the fried shrimp and my wife had lump crabmeat. We loved it!

Had a fish taco here and got very sick almost immediately after eating. It tasted great going down, but I spent the rest of my day with crippling stomach cramps :/

Delicious food! I think this place is underrated and that’s unfortunate because the food was better than we expected. Yummy crab cakes and fried shrimp! Only drawback is that you can’t call in phone orders for pick up which is unfortunate for tourists staying in the area that are drained of energy and are forced to wait on their order.

Great service with Haley. Nice atmosphere but not a fan of revolving door:)
The crab dip was awesome. The food was a little pricey to come with disposable ramekins but was good. The pasta wasn’t very good (overcooked and bland sauce) but seafood was great! Our server, Haley, replaced my pasta without question even though I felt horrible for not liking it.
I actually was most excited about the changing table in the bathroom… a real one and very creative (paper towel roll w disposable protection). Having a 6 month old, this was great!

This place is just ok. It wouldn’t be on my list of go-​to seafood places in Hampton roads or even Chesapeake to visit. I had steamed oysters and she-​crab soup. The oysters were small but decent, but I’ve honestly had better at Chinese buffet places. The she-​crab soup was lacking in the crab department and was too thick. It tasted more like basic cream soup than she crab soup. With the number of seafood places in this area I will probably not be back. They are going through some renovations at the moment so maybe if I see a huge spike in better reviews post renovation then I may consider revisiting this place. The good thing is that the service was great, with our group of 10 people the waitress was quick, efficient and friendly.

The calamari was ridiculously good, but my main entrée left much to be desired. I got pasta with tuna. The pasta and sauce were fine, but that tuna needs to be checked for quality. The dark parts of ANY fish should not be served. It tastes oily/​fishy and gross. I had to check each chunk of fish (to see if it was light or dark) before I put it in my mouth. So, 5 stars for the calamari and 2 stars for the meal!

I don’t know if I came in on one of their «good days» or what, but my entire experience here was fantastic. I almost did not make it in due to the lackluster reviews. I am so glad I made the effort… I just hope that subsequent trips to Surf Rider will be as fantastic.
I am picky about food… period. I grew up in Boston which, interestingly, is a major hub for excellent cuisine… from the most basic mom and pop locally owned restaurant in the neighborhood to the more upscale parts of Newbury Street, Copley Square, Cambridge, etc. I know decent quality and fresh food when I taste it … the fried fisherman’s platter that both my mother and I had, not to mention my child’s freshly battered (not from frozen) chicken strips-​fries-​broccoli plate were perfection.
You know something is good when you don’t need to smother it in sauce or seasonings… this seafood was the freshest and best prepared seafood I’ve tasted since leaving Massachusetts 8 yrs ago. It is Legal Seafood quality (if you are from Washington DC or further north then you know of what I speak).
The waitresses are kind and excellent at what they do without being snobby or stiff… they were all pleasant and had personality. They engaged in light conversation and even gave me personal tips on various things if I asked.
The low ratings here are interesting. It could be that perhaps depending on the day or night, there may be a different chef or something… or it could be that what people consider «quality and good tasting food» is very different. Since moving here, I am often surprised at the high ratings for various restaurants that I’ve been to when I know for a fact that the food is sub par. Taste is subjective to a point!
I will be back and will update my review if I find my second trip severally lacking in some way. Until then, Surf Rider in Chesapeake on Eden Way is top notch quality that even beat out the Aberdeen Barn’s seafood platter… and that is saying a lot!

We’ve ate here a few time since we moved to the area. They do have a kids’ menu, but it’s not really the best ambience for kids. The crab dip is amazing! They only offer one free refill per guest, which I think is kinda odd. Definitely a great place for date night. I’ve tried a few different items off the menu. Everything is always great!

Work nearby so it’s convenient for lunch during the week. Over the years I’ve maybe only tried 4 different things here. Nothing memorable. For me Surf Rider has been more of a great meeting place to eat while catching up with a friend while on my break.
Surf Rider also has a variety of delicious homemade pies which aren’t on the menu but I believe they list what’s available that day up on a chalkboard.

Surf Rider Chesapeake has taken a dive since my last visit. I was in Chesapeake for work and we all decided we wanted something convenient that was not a national chain so Surf Rider it was. We stopped in about 7:00 on a Wednesday — it was not overly crowded at all. Maybe this should have been our first clue.
First strike — the place has never been fancy, but it seemed really run down. Sticky table, servers somewhat sloppy — just not a good first impression.
Second strike — they were out of the basics and servers were not aware. We tried to order a specific beer, crab legs and some potato as a side. Each time the server returned to state they were not available.
Third strike — food was seriously lacking. Salads were merely iceberg with a slice of tomato and cucumber and not the freshest. Our table ordered fried shrimp, fish tacos and the special for the night — a mahi prepared with a spicy sauce of some type. I can’t speak to the shrimp or fish tacos, but the mahi was overcooked to the point of being tough and the sauce looked and tasted like bottled BBQ sauce.
Service was friendly, dishes were cleared and refills on drinks came timely. I thought it weird that I ordered two glasses of the same white wine and each time they were brought in a different type of glass, neither a traditional wine glass. Nitpicky I know, but it detracted from my experience.
My experience at this establishment was such that I will not be returning again unless absolutely forced by some work event. There are much better places to eat in the Chesapeake area.

Nice seafood spot in chesapeake…
My wife had the peeled shrimp and they were amazing! I had the rock fish tacos and they were a bit bland but still good/​fresh. The kids chicken strips were good but small. The she crab soup was fantastic!
The seating was nice and the light sound of islandish music was pleasant.
A major downfall was the small beer selection and lack of anything on draft. They do have a full bar but who doesn’t have draft beer? They had fat tire at least so not too bad.
Surf rider was clean, had fresh food, and was comfortable inside. The outside seating area looked great and I wish it was offered to us as a seating option… Maybe next time.