The Jewish Mother Backstage

Went for dinner and our server was great, but that’s it. We spent $ 65.00 on dinner for two… just 2 sandwiches, 2 house salads and two domestic beers each. Decided to hang around to check out the band, and the bartender (male) was incredibly rude, the bathrooms looked/​smelled like they hadn’t been cleaned since they opened, and when my husband stepped outside for a smoke and came back in, they wouldn’t let him back in without paying the cover and the band had not yet started. My husband plays in a band so we completely understand paying a cover, but the door and bar staff were so incredibly rude and didn’t want to let him in just to come find me so we could leave.

I’ve been to the Jewish Mother Backstage on several occasions – though never during a show. They’re located right off Granby – walking distance from the mall if you’re currently at the mall looking for somewhere to go. The overall feel once you walk in is that you’re in a small music venue. Their bar is kind-​of short. I can see it being difficult to get a drink when the place is packed.
The times that I have gone here was for food. Once or twice for breakfast and recently for dinner. Their breakfast was good. Nothing spectacular or extravagant, but by no means was it bad either. For dinner I had their «Dagwood», which was a huge freaking sandwich (photo uploaded). It tasted good. Again, nothing spectacular.
I was sitting at the bar and my service was good. The bartender was quick to get our drinks and quick to clean off our plates when we were done.
Overall, I wouldn’t rule out coming back to the Jewish Mother Backstage, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to eat there either.

Nothing special. Only reason I’d go there it to get into concerts early. I’ve been several times. Every time, there’s something wrong with our order. Avoid the mushroom omelet. Very little mushroom, overly priced. Good fries, at least…

There’s a lot in Norfolk to choose from and we think you should choose this place.
If you can only come for one meal, come for breakfast. While all food is served all day, their omelets are the simply incredible. Large and perfectly cooked. I had the meat lovers with loads of pastrami, sausage and bacon. The smoked turkey with hollandaise was delicious. The kicker, though, is they serve best restaurant coffee we had all 4 days in Norfolk. That was a pleasant surprise.
The atmosphere is fun, wait staff if friendly and talkative. If you are not into breakfast, the sandwiches are similar in size to the omelets, HUGE, well constructed and delicious! I also recommend the latkes (which come with sour cream AND applesauce — not one or the other).
They have a nice beer selection and some good specialty martinis. My wife recommends the Creamsicle.
We’ll make this a regular stop when we visit Norfolk.

Food was good. Good beer selection.
We stopped for lunch around 1pm on a Wed. The bartender Kim Meyers was incredibly rude. She said all the right things, but in an abrasive, barking manner.
«How are you today?» she asked, but walked away before we could answer.
She just made us so uncomfortable we were sorry we came in.
My hubs was interested in spending time inside drinking some local brews and Jewish Mother had a few on tap. But who wants to deal with that business? We had finished our sandwiches and were just lounging at the bar. We had been there only 35 minutes.
«You want anything else?» Kim shouts from down the bar.
I had no idea she was addressing me from so far away, but I should have since we were the only ones at the bar.
«YOU! Do you want ANYTHING ELSE?» she barks at me.
«No just the check,» I replied
Yeah, rude.
I did notice, however, that she was plenty nice to the male vendors who came in, and to the staff coming out from the kitchen. But the customers, all 2 of us, were a big pain in her butt.
So we left and drove to Ghent to spend our money and enjoy our time. Sad situation, really, because we liked all of the options Jewish Mother had on tap and the food was good.

Don’t waste your money unless…
This place can be described with one word… goofy, from the staff, the band, the clientele. If you’re goofy, this is the place for you. If thou have any strand of dignity, don’t waste your time here.
$ 10 entry with about 30 minutes until closing, kinda pricey, plus everyone was extremely… goofy. Not what you want on a Saturday night.
An additional star for the band.
Did I mention this place was goofy?

4 stars for the food, I had a pastrami sandwich and my boyfriend had the meatloaf, portions are huge, food tasted great gd flavor, plating the food could have been a little neater, we ate the bar even though it was a slow night. Beer selection small but hey the did have some different ones
Only thing I think could have been better was for such a slow night the bar and bathroom could have been much cleaner

For Review number 100, it only seems right to strap up the laces and skate on home ice. The JewMo feels like home, let’s see where this goes, shall we?
A bit of a history lesson first: The only true JewMo in the hearts and minds of men is the one that existed on the Virginia Beach Oceanfront for years, right there on Laskin. But time marches on and The Man decided that the area would be better served by building a Yuppie Magnet on the sacred ground that used to house the entirety of Virginia Beach Vibe (as it were). So NoMoJewMo. Instead, we have Jewish Mother Backstage and Jewish Mother Hilltop.
Both have tried to carry the torch so magnificently lit for them years ago, but have really decided that the only true way to carry on and carry forward is to extinguish the Old Flame and start something new. So, if you remember the good old days when that area of Laskin had more VW Vans than Lexus Sedans, then don’t for one minute expect to walk into any of the new Jewish Mother locations and expect that vibe machine from Laskin to smack you right in the palate, ’cause that ain’t gonna happen and will just lead to failed expectations and disappointment.
Umm…ok, but with all of that being said, how do we go from all of this to a 5 Star Review?
If the goal of the Jewish Mother Backstage was to extinguish the old and start up something new with different but lasting powers, then it worked. Although the menu is the same, everything else is different, and has to be because Old Laskin Road is nothing like New Granby Street. The NewJewMo embraces its new surroundings in perfect hipster perfection (they should paint a giant pair of sunglasses on the façade).
The food? Well, it can be all over the place for sure. Stick with something safe and you won’t be disappointed. But truth be told, I’ve had a few dishes that weren’t quite right (if I were you, I’d avoid anything with ‘seared’ in the title. You’ll thank me later).
The drinks? Surprisingly, not too much variety in what is on tap, but the bottled/​canned beer selection is rather extensive, so you should find something that works. Of course, the usual gallons of liquor exist in bottles neatly arranged on shelves behind the bar, I’m sure if you asked (and tipped) nicely, they will be more than happy to indulge that avenue of Brain Cell Massacre.
The Vibe? Are you kidding me? This is a Mecca for local bands, with anybody who is anybody in the local scene having to pass the Jewish Mother Backstage test to see if greater things are on the horizon. The intimate atmosphere gets you close to all of your local indie rock gawds… and on any given night, you’ll find a few lurking around at the bar being part of the audience instead of part of the entertainment.
If you are coming to visit me in Virginia Beach, you can be assured that we will spend some time over in Norfolk on Granby at my Home Away from Home.

waiting on my food smooth mellow music, and the waitress is nice and intuitive enough to know I need my alone time to reflect on some things… ordered a plain bagel w/​a schmear, lox, tomato, onions minus the capers this time, fries & a lemonade… now had the waitress not misunderstood my order, but to her credit a new york style is considered just the bagel and a schmear… they have two ny versions, I would have done a 5 star… not the best bagel I’ve ever had but not the worst either.
will be back and will remember to say w/​lox, onions & tomato…

OK OK, I see soo many ill reviews and it just doesnt make sense.
I too grabbed the groupon and decided to check it out on a sunday after church. The inside is very relaxing but rockerish (if thats a word), and is nice. I had an excellent waitress with short hair who greeted me and my date promptly and kindly went over the menu and the venue with us as first time guests.
She was very attentive and recomended the reuban. I chose the reuban and my date received a jalepeno burger. THE FOOD PORTIONS WERE HUGE. When I pay 10 bucks for a sandwich i feel it should dance and sing and everything. The reuban was soo good and fresh and well plated ! The burger was amazing as well ! Afterwords we shared a big A******** brownie lol with a cup of vanilla ice cream. The place was nice, the food was excellent, and i left happy !
I think some of the problems people may have is during rush hour or something with this spot on Granby. Lets be honest though… isnt the quality a little spotty at any restaurant under $ 30 a plate during heavy service? YES IT IS. I’d dare you to take a chance and try this place again. I hate seeing bad reviews for a place I absolutely loved. Go on an afternoon or for lunch, and have a great time !
I WILL BE GOING BACK !!! I suspect the majority of negative reviews are from pissed off people, and unfortunately usually people who have a great time keep going back and never write anything. COUNT THIS AS RECENT, and a fight back to a great restaurant !

Checked out this spot on a saturday night for a outing. Upstairs has a bar and open floor/​stage for small events. Lower level had a couple tables/​booths to dine in. I ordered the jewish mother club entrée and it was really good. Portion was plenty (leftovers) and service was quick. Only complaint is it can get noisy upstairs if your there for dining and only one way in … so you may have to «fight the mob» — (commissioner gordon reference) to get out lol. Location is right next to TCC campus and mall is around the corner. Parking downtown norfolk is as expected … sucks.

Fresh fridays is once a month. All old school hip hop all night. the atmosphere is amazing if youre a true lover of hip hop

This place stinks, literally. The food is typical Jewish mother. No surprises there, but the smell in the entire restaurant is putrid. It reeks of urine and stale beer, topped off with urinal cake. This is not a joke. I couldn’t enjoy my meal. I will never return there unless they do something about the stench.

I’d like to start my review by saying my family and I went to a nighttime backstage and band restaurant on Sunday afternoon… so it’s kinda like wearing a pair of jeans on a hot summer day, acceptable but exactly the best choice. That being said here’s what we ordered:
a. Veggie wrap with added chicken. It was overloaded with hummus and lacked seasoning — 1 Star.
b. The Dagwood sandwich (ordered the smallest option). It was very good except for the crumbling bread however the fries more than made up for it — 4 Stars.
c. The corn beef hash and eggs. It was fantastic especially if you like the corn beef well done, which I do! Unfortunately, the rye bread wasn’t toasted and was served cold — 4 Stars.
d. The mushroom, onion and swiss 3 egg omelette was pretty good — 3 Stars.
e. The bloody mary was Ok — 2 Stars.
The service was friendly but fair its on response time — 2 Stars. Cleanliness — 2 Star.
Again I think if I went there to enjoy the band, beers drinking and oversized sandwiches it’d be a hit but that wasn’t the case on this day.
Overall breakfast score for downtown Norfolk — 2 Stars.

This review is primarily for their food, not their music. We went here mid-​afternoon of a tuesday, and honestly it’s a great place for sandwiches. If you’re from the north and miss your typical jewish fanfare deli — pastrami, etc — this place will be what you’ve sorely missed.
It’s not spectacular, but then again, it’s a sandwich place. You can’t expect too many sandwiches to change your world. I had the Mother’s Uncle or something along those lines — roast beef, onion, and thousand island on rye. There were too many onions, but there was also a butt-​load of roast beef. One half of the sandwich could have definitely made a whole sandwich, maybe even 2. That said, come here hungry.
The crab, spinach, and artichoke dip was good, average. And the fries were cooked perfectly.
Again, if you’re looking for a decent sandwich with some friends, then don’t be afraid to stop by the Jewish Mother.

The food is nothing to brag about. Went here for dinner during last summer’s Restaurant Week with some friends spur of the moment, but I remember looking at the prix fixed menu and not being impressed. I opted for a sandwich and fries, which was something that I could have gotten anywhere else. The waiter wasn’t too good at refilling my water either.

Didnt eat so my review is only for the bar. Went there on a Saturday afternoon for some drinks prior to a show at the Norva. Bartenders are fun and friendly. Decent drink specials (happy hour 3 – 7) and decent selection of beers. Only a few on draft however. :-(

Was there for New Years Eve. The sound man was the only good thing about the place. Bartenders were terrible in speed, attentiveness, and attitude. Staffing being inadequate to service so many people on one of the busiest nights of the year, made it difficult to order from the Bartenders, to be seen, and properly tended to. They should install a ticket number system like the Post Office, so that those who approach the bar are seen in a first-​come, first-​serve fashion. Never going back again.

This place is only good for so called «Fan Plans» in which it might be somewhat bearable and even then, with all the young teens running around as if they’ve gone wild from confinement, it’s still a pretty crappy place to be. Unless there’s a show (live band) going on at their new location (originally Kelly’s Backstage Tavern), you will never find me in here.
The staffs are never friendly at the door and will sometimes even hold you back for any and every reason on earth. The middle bar is always packed and crowded, leaving you to venture off in either the left or right compartment areas which are always empty with only their «Jewish mother» paintings on the walls. A particular bartender seemed pushy and did not want to serve us a mere rum and coke, stating they’ve run out when I see a full bottle sitting right behind him. I’ve tried their food as well and they are tasteless and expensive for something so bland. Our waiter was okay, but nothing special there either. Oh and need I mention how unclean this place is… The table was sticky and there are bottle stains on almost every table.
Over all, this place is a crap hole. Seriously this place needs serious work in all and every aspect of the restaurant/​bar. Such a sad thing, this place has so much potential.

I have so many years of memories at this place! Dave Matthews played there many times before he became famous. You have to respect venues that give people like that their start. I will never forget when I was at The Jewish Mother watching Agents of Good Roots play and saw Dave Matthews in the audience (he was already very famous by then)! He was in town the night before his concert at the Virginia Beach Amphitheater. He got up on stage and performed a couple acoustic songs. Afterward, I ran into him in the parking lot and he was super cool and talked to me and my friend for a minute. Still have the signed menu (I know that’s cheesy, but I was a teenager).
More recently, I’ve seen some great national acts at The Jewish Mother: We Are Scientists, The Toasters and Groundation. These bands could have played and sold out at larger venues like the Norva, but it’s a special treat to see them up close in a more intimate setting. The lead singer from We Are Scientists was just sitting out with the crowd before the show started. I had seen the band two months before at the 9:30 Club in D.C., where you would never have a chance run-​in with the band. The Jewish Mother reminds me of the small, intimate live music venues you would find in downtown Nashville.
The Jewish Mother doubles as a fantastic restaurant. It’s a true NY-​style deli, with oversized sandwiches and slices of cheesecake. That’s not something you can experience often in Virginia Beach. Yes, the ambiance is a little scuzzy (at least during the day when the lights are on!) but that just comes with the territory. If you want to have a meal, go just before one of their open mic or blues nights gets started and stay after for some entertainment.