Torch Bistro

Got kicked out after pointing out that no one in kitchen was wearing gloves while preparing salads. Yuck!

Tried this place out in the Chelsea area in Norfolk. They have indoor dining and outdoor dining and one of their entrances is a garage door. Very rustic/​industrial place from their Sign to their lighting.
Our waitress, Stephanie, was very knowledgeable about their menu and offered suggestions that I couldn’t refuse. Ordered the Torch Burger with a side of their Sweet Potato Waffle fries, my waitress was right, I think I would of slapped myself if I didn’t order those fries, bc those were bangin’! Also tried their, «Not a Kabob» entrée with potatoes and grilled eggplant and squash. That was delicious! Of course I ordered alcohol, you should know me. I ordered the White Sangria, it was served in a Mason jar.
Everything was delicious, customer service was awesome, the atmosphere was great! I’m definitely coming back for their happy hour!

Food is always on point when I go there. I always get a burger and my husband has tried a variety of sandwiches. Fries and waffle fries are good. The cake they have for dessert is ok. Staff is always friendly and attentive. Used a Groupon on first visit and I have been back about six times since then. Hidden gem in Ghent!

I came to the Torch on a week night and it happened to be a night they were doing Trivia night. Needless to say it was pretty loud in there. The décor was awesome, I love steampunk, the mural outside is awe inspiring to say the least. The waitress was with us right away and got our drinks. I went with the Steampunk Sangria. When our food arrived it looked pretty good, there was a ton of bacon my BLT, however the sweet potato fries were pretty cold. The sandwich was lukewarm also. After we got our food the waitress never came and checked back on us. We had to flag her down to get the check. Over all the décor was nice, the food was alright and the service was mediocre. I may come back here, just to give it another try just because I like to give places a second chance.

A must try for sure. I experienced the Torch Burger, Mac & Cheese and Fried Pimento Cheese Balls. All interesting creations. Worth a drive from East Va. Beach. My Wife had the Greek Salad which she’s critical of being her favorite Salad. The Salad was top notch.

Only got 2 stars because of its drink menu and patio. Poor service, mediocre food. With so many options popping up in that neighborhood, just save your time and skip this one.
1. Inside was very very very loud, couldn’t hear the person across from me during a 7:00 PM dinner on a Thursday due to a kickball league drinking at the bar.
2. Server never bothered to introduce herself and seemed pissed to be there. Drink went dry most of the night and her overall attitude was just not inviting.
3. Burgers were overcooked and had no flavor (I had the Torch burger… No heat, at all. Disappointing)
4. Seating was crammed and uncomfortable.
5. Their house made ranch was good and food came out quick.
Disappointed as I really loved the theme and wanted to like it… But after the bad experience and stomach turning food… We won’t be returning.

Absolutely LOVE this place. Great food and atmosphere. Best sweet potato fries around!!!

We tried to go to a trendy place across the street, but so many things are closed on Sundays in VA. So, we were happy this place was open. The weather was nice, but too many people were smoking cigarettes on the patio, so we passed and sat inside. They were out of most of their draft beers and some food items, too. The food and drinks we ended up with were okay. Nothing to get excited about. Our server was super nice and we don’t blame him for the clientele or poor management. Overall, though… meh.

Went there tonight with a friend. Our waitress Stephanie was great. Very personable and attentive. Started with the smokey egg rolls app. The homemade duck sauce was delish. Then I had the blackened Tuna that was seared perfectly. All in all I would highly recommend this place.

Let me start by saying I hate giving an OK review on a place. But my expectations of Torch were high and my experiences thus far really have been, meh.
The place is beautiful. I love what you did with the space (and, believe me, I KNEW that space #Cruzers4Life). The bar is long, the décor is cool and who doesn’t love a fire pit? It’s loud af in there tho… consider some softer materials on the walls or ceiling to dampen the noise– natural wood or canvas artwork might help significantly!
So I spent my birthday at Torch in February. I intentionally waited a while to post any review because I didn’t want any of my friends thinking I didn’t have a good time. We ordered the Hummus, the Tapenade and the Fried Pimento Cheese Balls for starters. The Hummus is good — the pita is also good — but neither would stand out against a store brand. The Tapenade was not so good — I recommend tasting this every time — it was very salty and saturated with vinegar flavor. The Pimento Cheese Balls were excellent! Great idea and they taste delicious — love the sauce they come with too. Our server was VERY good and we had a lot of fun with her (I can’t remember her name, sadly) — great job keeping up with 12 social drinkers!
For my entrée I ordered the Phở Phi Phở. If you can pull this off like they would at a typical Phở joint, do it. The broth was lacking flavor and the chicken was burnt — so it just tasted like charred chicken soup. I should have sent it back but, birthday. I also tried the Mac n Cheese — it was OK but there really is no reason to not have killer mac these days.
We went back for a going away thing and my experience was again, pretty OK. Another cool waiter (sorry, forgot her name too, ugh) who did an excellent job. I had the Pimento Cheese Balls again — still yummy. I’m pretty sure they brought a heftier portion because it was taking a while to get food to come out (we always appreciate that ish). For my entrée this time I went with the Bird Wrap. Oooh. I seriously recommend taking this right off the menu. The wrap itself huge and overbearing, the craisins and pecans are too sweet and the dressing was bland — I just took the filling out of the wrap and ate it like a side salad. I should have gone with my gut and had a burger!
So I realize this place is pretty new and maybe needs to settle in a bit. I would say keep that staff happy because they are great. Taste everything more often to ensure you’re putting out awesome food. I’m cool with you giving me food truck — it fits the space and can be done really, really well. I’m looking forward to cocktails and Pimento Balls next time — maybe a burger ;)

9 for atmosphere. 10 for cleanliness. 10 for service. Devon, our server was wonderful. 10 for food quality and taste and presentation. Unfortunately, on this day, the kitchen had a problem with planning. It took an extremely long time for them to complete our order and bring it to us, like 45 minutes of waiting. The owner came by eventually and apologized profusely and comped us, which was appreciated. I understand that things happen and it was handled properly. We will return as everything else was great. Thanks again Devon for taking such good care of me and my family. Thanks to the owner as well. That was the only reason for the 4 stars an d not 5.

I came to Torch on Wednesday afternoon around 2pm with some friends for lunch. I found out about Torch by browsing Groupon which had a sweet deal (which I never got around to purchasing). Upon coming in to Torch I was greeted by by the bartender who let me know I can sit anywhere so we sat at bar. I really liked the industrial look of the bar from the light bulbs down to the bar stools. The outside has a very nice fire pit which wasn’t on at the time of day I was there but I will certainly revisit when it is on. Corn hole is available outside to play as well which is a game I thouroghly enjoy.
The bartender for the afternoon was great! He engaged in conversation with us and recommended The O’Reilly burger for my meal since that was one of his personal favorites. The Drinks he prepared were on point as well! My friends told him it was my birthday (which it was) and then the bartender was on a mission to get me drunk after that lol. He even experimented and freestyled some drinks which all came out perfect. I only went there for lunch and found out that happy hour was from 4 – 8 so I ended up spending almost four hours there! I must say I really enjoyed my time here. I will def come back again. #NoGrouponNeeded

If you’re in your twenties, you’re on say a third date and you’re looking for a place to chill and have some drinks with your girl. This would be the place you would go. Torch has a cool atmosphere that matches the rest of the neighborhood. I really dig the Steampunk theme. My husband ordered the beef stew over mashed potatoes and I had the Torch burger. Warning. It’s spicy. I once won a habanero eating contest. If I think it’s spicy, you might work up a sweat. I didn’t find the fire sauce or ghost pepper jack cheese to be overwhelming. I could still taste my burger and the flavors weren’t too shabby. My husband enjoyed his beef stew but it wasn’t anything special. In short, I like the concept, the service was good, and I think the food is worth what you pay for it. I love the fire pit and corn hole boards set up outside. Parking can be a pain on the weekends so be prepared for a bit of a walk.

Visited the Torch for the first time on Monday. Entered the bistro and was instantly greeted and given a table. Service was great and the meal was delicious. I had the Bird Wrap with the Sweet Potato fries. Both very tasty.
The bistro was preparing for a paint night which kinda made me wish I had to opportunity to participate in the painting night as well. It was a beautiful day and everyone was taking advantage of the warm weather. Nice facility outside to chat with friends and play corn hole.
Very nice establishment.

Love their food! This is my 3^nd time here. Their mac & cheese, truffle fries, and the Hey Meatball are all so yummy! They have a good amount of beer options. I also like the atmosphere of this place. I definitely recommend this place. Five stars for this place!

Went for dinner and drinks on St. Patty’s Day and was pleasantly surprised on how good the food was (steak was cooked perfectly). They also had a large beer selection with local beers from down the street, which is nice. The music was good and there was a decent crowd, although service was lacking. The outside fire pit was a warm feature on a cool night and there were enough boxes to accommodate everyone’s bag playing needs. Would definitely return.

I was really wanting this place to be a 5 star place for brunch, but sadly, I am being generous with giving it two stars, based on brunch alone. I will start with saying that the atmosphere was fun and the staff was super friendly, which is always appreciated. Now onto the meal… sad brunch all around. After a 30 minute wait for the food, the potatoes were not cooked all they way, the biscuit was so dry (I think probably frozen) the eggs tasted like they were cooked on the same grill as other food and the pancakes didn’t taste like pancakes. They were smaller than a coffee saucer too. OHHHHH. and they have no butter for your pancakes or biscuit, except for melted butter, YUCK. They also have no jam or anything to put on your biscuit. It was 11.00 for a terrible meal. The iced tea was good though and it was fresh brewed. Perhaps they have a better lunch and dinner menu?

One of the benefits of having 3 days off in a row is that I can usually find the time on a Monday or Tuesday afternoon and stop and have lunch somewhere. Recently that location was Torch Bistro over in what us locals call West Ghent, however these days I’m hearing the term Chelsey District more and more.
Torch Bistro is located down near the far end of Orapax street, diagonally across the street from T-​West, Birch Bar and the Bake House. The building has been extensively overhauled. There’s now an outside area with fire pits, benches and corn hole games. The outside element is nice. I like it and I think it will help get customers there no matter the season.
Inside it’s basically one big dining room. As you come in the door the bar is immediately on your left against the wall the door is on. On the far left wall is the kitchen and the rest is the dining room. There’s a lot of cool iron wrought lighting fixtures and whatnot around the room. The place looks cool.
After looking over the menu I opted for a burger. (When don’t I?). The object of my affection today was the ‘Torch Burger’. The menu lists it as «The Torch** — On a bed of arugula, topped
with tomato, red onions, jalapeños, bacon and ghost pepper jack cheese with a fire sauce spread. It also comes with fries.
They forgot the bacon, however that was fixed by bringing me some on a side plate which I added to the burger. Was the burger good, yes it was. The spices added to the flavor. Was it hot? Unfortunately no, it wasn’t hot at all. As I said the spicing added to the flavor some and that was cool, but I found the burger had zero heat to it which really surprised me after reading what was on the menu. The fries were also very good and thick. Not quite a steak fry but definitely a good solid cut.
One more thing I wanted to put out was that the prices on the website vs the menu were out of date. The menu prices were slightly higher on some items.
All in all a good visit and very delicious burger even if there was no heat. I’ll be checking them out again soon.

Located in the Chelsea Business District, this new joint hit all the right places. The outdoor seating, with a huge, open garage door, fire pit, and vibrant art really sets an almost a Southwestern and industrial atmosphere.
The interior was very spacious and had a really impressive pipe artwork on the wall. They had a huge bar with an equally big drinks selection. Josh, our server, was extremely personable and seemed to really enjoyed to take the time to talk to his guests which always adds to the experience.
My younger brother ordered a burger, which was cooked really well. I ordered truffle fries (steak fries sized) with chorizo chili on the side. Overall, the food was fantastic and I will surely come again to try the rest of the menu. The chili, however, was extremely strong. You couldn’t just eat that chili by itself, because it was more of a sauce than your traditional chili. We’ll definitely be back.

LOVE!
That’s how I feel about this place. I love it.
The other day, my boyfriend and I wanted to switch it up, and eat somewhere in Norfolk, versus our usual Va Beach spots.
As always, Unilocal brought us here!
This place is, if you will, «in the cut!» We were on Hampton Blvd, then turned into a neighborhood, then turned again, and there was Orapax St! We parked, and right away, the first thing I thought was, «Oooh, this set up is pretty!!! And cool.» Yeah, I still use the word «cool» a lot. The mural on the outside wall, the plants, the corn hole, the benches, the fire pit, man! It’s just different, which automatically makes it cool. [See my pictures. They’re definitely Instagram worthy. I sure did put them on the ‘gram! lol]
Inside, we were snapping pics galore as well — the bar stools are so neat — they were made of pipes welded together. Reminded me of robots for some reason. On the walls, the décor is more of the industrial/​mechanical type. You’d have to see it to appreciate it. It’s awesome. Plenty of seating and tables, and there’s a garage door that opens to the outdoor patio (where more benches and corn hole is located.)
Our waitress was Sydney & she was awesome — very knowledgable, nice, & efficient. She answered all our questions & made great recommendations.
We decided on sandwiches — he got the «Corn Hole» — homemade corned beef topped with a fried egg, melted Swiss & homemade Thousand Island dressing on toasted sourdough; WHAT!!! Loved it. Mine was delicious as well! I went with the «Tuna Salad» — Seared Tuna sliced, on a bed of arugula (I asked if they could use spinach instead because I don’t like arugula,) blackened tomatoes, and the spread was «Truffle Aioli» and also served on toasted sourdough. AMAZING. Both sandwiches were served with thick cut (fresh) french fries. So delicious, especially with some salt, ketchup, or ranch. OMG.
I also wanted to try their (alcoholic) slushie, which has Redbull & vodka, and comes in Blueberry or Citrus flavor. I just thought that $ 8 was too steep for me, for the price of a drink for lunch. If it was later in the afternoon, or evening, I probably would have ordered it.
Anyway, altogether, I give Torch Bistro 4.5 stars. You should definitely check this place out. We already know we’ll return, and already scoped the menu for items we will order the next time we come! :)