Simple Eats

Pleasant atmosphere. Seated immediately. Service was quite good. Food arrived in short order. Sandy, the owner, stopped by to check on everything. Food was excellent with salads and sandwiches prepared with all fresh ingredients. We have eaten here several times and will certainly be regulars.

I have been to Simple Eats three times. The first experience, the food was good and the ambience was tolerable. The second time we had horrible service. Polite, nice waiters– but completely MIA and we had to ask three and four times for silverware and water! The third time was for lunch on a work day. We sat for 40 minutes and sought out our waiter to finally ask for our food to be boxed to go once it was made. It was soggy by the time we got to eat it. The décor is overwhelming, the food is just OK but I like that it is locally sourced! I want to like this place, but it just misses the mark.

Awesome food and service. Had the lobster roll. It was awesome. Blood orange mimosa was refreshing. You must try the carrot cake. Highly recommended for any size group

Great place!!! Food is very good. Ambiance is wonderful. Glad we took a chance and stopped for breakfast on the way out of town.

I could have drove to all of the places that they get food from and cooked it myself before I received a water. Food was good once we received it, but the service was terrible.

This place has come a long way in almost a year! Menu, service & food have vastly improved! I love the brunch… Breakfast burrito is huge and very good!
Like the back deck as it’s dog friendly! Which is super cool

Fun, charming little place. The staff are very friendly and the food is outstanding. Everything was so overwhelming good. We went for breakfast and got biscuits and gravy, the shipwreck, and mimosas. I’d recommend the blood orange sorbet mimosa (let the sorbet melt a little, stir it up with the orange wedge that they garnish the drink with). The sausage that came with the shipwreck entrée was unbelievable… best I’ve ever had. They advertise that they only use fresh ingredients and it definitely shows in the food!

Driving into Simply Eats, I wasn’t sure what to expect. It looks like a house converted into restaurant and I found myself thinking — is this a good idea?
I was pleasantly surprised as soon as I entered. The décor is super kitschy. It has the whole farm-​to-​table/​southern living magazine charm. We decided to sit on the back patio, which over looks the parking lot, but can easily seat a party of six per picnic table.
It took quiet a while for our server to greet us, so I decided hunt her down. As soon as I entered the building, she told me she would be out as soon as she finished helping this table. She was taking orders for a large group of ladies who look like they belonged in a garden club. If you’ve ever worked in food service, you know how that goes. She was apologetic and sweet when served us. Overall, the service was good.
Now the food.
I ordered a sweet tea and the Squealers. Very Southern, I know.
The sweet tea came in a mason jar with a slice of orange. Once again, very Southern.
It was actually one of the best sweet teas I’ve had in recent memory. It wasn’t overly sweet, which is what I’m used to when ordering sweet tea.
The Squealers were definitely something to squeal about. There were three little piggies and all of them were delicious. There was a generous portion of savory and sweet bbq nestled into little buns. I could literally eat 20 of these.
Does that make me the big bad wolf? Probably.
Their houseslaw was phenomenal and not like the typical 80% mayo coleslaw you get everywhere else.
Whenever I’m back in town, I’ll just simply eat here again!

Simple Eats! Enjoyed a lovely brunch of raw oysters in Bloody Mary mix, omelette and roast beef sandwich… all with a blood orange sorbet mimosa (well 2)! Our server Jordan was cheerful and very welcoming. The ambiance was fun and eclectic. The food was excellent. We were introduced to another local delight, Speedy’s hot sauce. I will be ordering some more of their Citrus Jalapeño. What a wonderful place that unassuming from the street but magical inside. We will be back!!!

I’m literally at my table right now. My family and I have been waiting for our food for over an hour. It doesn’t matter how good the food is. (And I’ve been here before and it is decent food but the wait was incredibly long then, too). This place could be great if it wasn’t for the unbelievable wait times. It isn’t just my table either or a single mistake that has made our order take long… I’ve heard two different waitresses apologize to other tables for getting their order wrong or for the ridiculously long wait. We arrived at the restaurant an hour and a half ago. Still waiting. If I ever get my food and if I ever have the opportunity to come to this restaurant, I’ll go somewhere else. I won’t make this mistake three times.
Oh and I decided to wait to post this until after we got out food… Black hair on my toast… This experience could not have been worse.

This place is awesome! I love the concept of it, not only do you know your food is fresh but the idea of supporting small time farmers by purchasing local produce is fantastic. I can see this place rivaling bay local, only disadvantage is its further down shore drive and the outside is a bit unassuming. The inside décor is great though, very beach chic which is perfect for this neighborhood!
Now onto the food. They have their regular menu and then a specials menu. It’s a breakfast to lunch style place with a great selection of items really tailored to the local produce available. I got the garden omelet which comes with mushrooms, spinach, tomatoes and cheddar in it, homefries, and a biscuit (you have a choice between about 5 different breads). You can tell everything was very fresh. My boyfriend got the sailors breakfast or something like that. Both plates had ample amounts of food on it, I ended up taking some home because I couldn’t finish it. The servers were very pleasant, all looked happy to be there, and they were always checking in if we wanted our coffee topped off.
I really want to go for an early lunch and get one of their sandwiches because those looked so appetizing! They also have some very appealing looking smoothies and my boyfriend (who generally hates tomatoes) says the bloody Mary’s are very good. There is local art on the wall for sale and overall a very comfortable, relaxed setting to the place. I look forward to going again and, although I’d hate to have it packed, I really hope this place succeeds and becomes another local hot spot like bay local.

This place truly is a gem, unassuming on the outside and quite lovely on the inside. We headed there for breakfast one morning, nearly missed it, and are glad we didn’t.
First, the interior — it’s lovely in a beach-​y/​found items/​Pinterest-​y way, with lots of light gray and white painted wood, a large cable reel reused as a table top, festive but simple strings of light draped along the ceiling, mis-​matched chairs and so on.
The menu is interesting, featuring locally sourced items. We were really looking for Country (salt-​cured) ham, a favorite breakfast food never found up north, and at first were told they didn’t have it. We noticed though it was an ingredient of another dish, and, explaining our situation, were happily provided with a small plate of thinly sliced very good ham.
Everything got high ratings — from the breakfast burrito, which was so good the NMT took the extra with him and ate it in the car, to the eggs to the french toast and biscuits & gravy. Service was accommodating (see above request for country ham) and cheerful.
A definite breakfast treasure along a cluttered and unfocused stretch of Shore Drive. Highly recommend.

I have yet to have a bad meal here. The décor is eclectic and funky. Nothing matches and it’s fabulous.
B.E.L.T.=yes please! Bacon, poached egg, arugula, and tomato on a sourdough bread with mayo. Nothing about it is bad! The poached egg is runny and works so well with this dish. Accompanied by fried potatoes that have the most amazing spices. I cannot pick them out and we contemplated asking for the recipe!
The Frenchie ia another great choice. It starts with a french baguette slightly toasted with a sweet butter melted thru. Next comes the ham, a very generous portion! Sweet gerkins and a fried egg top this off. Such a great combo! This is a typical French sandwich with the pickels. A spicy English mustard might have just topped this off!
Mimosas are a bit pricey, but you must have a nice cocktail with brunch!
Look forward to trying more great dishes!

A charming place that feels like my family’s old cottage. Simple Eats is an adorable, friendly, cozy, lively and fun spot!!! The food is fresh, local and very creative. Nothing predictable here! They serve breakfast, lunch, early dinner, locally roasted coffee, Virginia wines and craft beers.
The service was outstanding, Cole, our server couldn’t of taken better care of us if we were her own family. Sandy, the owner, stopped at our table to say hello. The place was mobbed and busy at lunch but everyone kept their cool and actually looked as if they were having fun!!!
I had the grilled salad with blackened shrimp. I will return again and again for this salad! Loved it! We shared tacos — absolutely delicious. My husband loved the Cuban sandwich and black bean soup.
Don’t forget the homemade desserts! We had the chess pie and a mini pumpkin pie. Yummy.

I’ve been looking forward to go to Simple Eats all week after finding it on Unilocal.My brunch obsession was all too real this week. I convinced my friend to come down to VA Beach to watch the sunrise at the beach by telling him we could get some really awesome breakfast afterwards. And luckily, the sunrise and Simple Eats was worth the 5:30 AM wake up on a Saturday morning.
They have a small parking lot out front, the lines aren’t too clear, but we got there around 7:25 AM, and there was only one car out there. Parking wasn’t too much of a problem, but it looks like it could be difficult later on/​around peak summer season. There’s not too much side parking around either.
The moment we walked in, I knew I was going to like this place. The décor was beautiful. It was cozy with lights strung up around the ceilings, and the walls had plenty of art decorating it. I immediately felt relaxed and at home here. Looking from the outside, Simple Eats is bigger on the inside than I thought it’d be.
There was only one other table in there when we got here. There’s a sign that said the wait to be seated. We waited for a while, but nobody was around. The chef walked across the restaurant and said hi to us, but didn’t say anything about sitting down. I’m guessing she didn’t tell the waitress we were here either, because nobody ever came out. It was a little weird. Finally after waiting a little more, we decided to just seat ourselves. The waitress came out and greeted us.
My friend and I glanced over the menu while the waitress went to get our waters. The menu is one page, but it’s a farm to table restaurant, which in my opinion means fresher ingredients and higher quality (over quantity). I saw signs that they have Three Ships Coffee too! My friend decided on the BELT and I got the duck sandwich (duck breast, mixed greens, tomatoes, and pimento cheese on sourdough bread). We also got the Edward Sausage, grilled broccolini, and Parmesan flatbread.
After reading reviews, I wasn’t sure how fast the food was going to come out, but since we (at this point) were the only people left, it came out fairly quickly. The flatbread was pipping hot. It was also DELICIOUS. The sausage was tasty and went well with the broccolini. It flavors paired well together. The sauce on top was a perfect complement. Everything tasted fresh as well. Our sandwiches came out soon afterwards. My sandwich was good. I have high standards for duck, and honestly the duck breast was a little dry. The thick slice of tomatoes definitely helped a little. The pimento cheese was good, but I don’t know if it went too well with the duck. The sandwich came with some seasonal chopped up veggies. My friend and I agreed it would go well mixed into a pasta salad. This place was also one of the first places where the hot sauce on the table was actually kind of hot! It definitely had a kick to it that I actually really liked. It’s the type of hot sauce when you first have it, you’re just kind of like «eh, I don’t know if I like this, it kind of just tastes like hot» But it grows on you.
I love the décor and ambiance of this place. The flatbread was hands down the best thing there. I wish my duck sandwich wasn’t as dry, but I’m not complaining too much. They do give you a LOT of duck in the sandwich. They also have some delicious looking mimosas that I want to try the next time I’m here. They also have sake mojitos and sake bloody mary’s which sound super interesting. Get here early for a quiet and relaxing meal. And get the flatbread! But seriously, you won’t be disappointed.

my favorite places to eat on shore drive. If you have never been and don’t know what to try…
Chicken tacos
breakfast burrito
Burger
Last but not least the meatloaf is the best I’ve ever had in my life.
Thanks simple eats stay local

Really really really great food. Solid. Strong. Delicious. I’m definitely a fan. I ordered their burger special. It was juicy. Sooooo good. I loved the mushrooms on top. I loved the potatoes on the side. Get this. They have a Sriracha and ketchup mix. Hashtag bestthingever.
Service? It was a bit off. Way off. This would explain only three stars.
It took a little while for our server to get to us after being seated (no big deal) but what really made us shake our head was when someone in my group asked for mustard. Our waiter said he would return and a few minutes later another lady asked us if we needed anything, we said mustard, and shortly after, returned with mustard. About halfway through our meal, our waiter came back with the mustard that was requested when we received our food. Had he not mentioned anything, we wouldn’t have thought twice but knowing that my friend would have waited another seven or eight minutes for a condiment? Not good.
We ended lunch with a pumpkin cake. Surprisingly because I’m not a cake eater, this was good! (Think carrot cake but pumpkin flavor.)
Great spot. Service was slow but this can easily be worked out for the better.

We rode bikes and parked where Sandy’s (the owner) son made the bike rack :)
We had beer from the tap and a simple mimosa that was $ 4 and awesome! We had each of the 3 tacos that were phenomenal and the habanero melon potato salad that was light with a nice kick! The service from Chris was top notch. We purchased some local produce that was better priced and fresher than any grocery. Highly recommended Simple Eats and we will be back. The place is beautiful and cozy inside too. Go check it out!

For a first visit it was really a strong one. I have been anticipating trying out Simple Eats when I found out who the owner was. Sandy the long time manager of Taste on Shore was venturing out on her own and I was thrilled. I was also slightly skeptical about a new Shore drive restaurant’s viability.
I waited about a month and tonight seemed like a great time to try them out for the first time. Just recently they expanded into dinner on weekends. My wife and I arrived just before 6 PM and the rear lot was pretty much full. No issues with debris in the lot, or sidewalk in front of the business. There was a RV in the parking lot selling fruit and vegetables, but unsure if this has anything to do with Simple Eats. Parking could be an issue in the future when they are busier.
The location I thought walking in was good, but the building had been nighttime bar/​live music joint that never made it. I had never been inside, so I can say what the transformation was like. The outside presented nicely with fresh beige paint. The building seems like a fit for Shore Drive and I will leave it for you to make your own opinion. There is a patio in the rear with a half dozen picnic type tables.
A walk in the interior and it was without a doubt shocking. It was completely full of wonderful atmosphere and I immediately felt comfortable. A long counter is to your left, tables with eclectic seating. A long island is in the center and there are both lower tables and raised huge round tables that are made of recycled steel wire spools. A lot of the materials used are recycled woods and glass window frames etc. It makes for an extremely cozy experience and I appreciate the thought put into the décor. What I could not get excited about was the cookie cutter grey 12×12 tile floors. They work, but do not mesh with the folksy décor, but just my opinion.
I was happy to be greeted by Sandy and catch up a bit. It’s been a whirl wind few months opening the business. What Sandy and her husband have going for them is the experience necessary to make this work. I am very confident that they will succeed, no question about it. This does not mean that there will not be a learning curve with their first restaurant.
Our waitress took our drink order and I went over options for beer. They do have local craft from Smartmouth. However no Porters, or Stouts which I was hoping for. I surprised my wife and ordered a banana shake… why not. We went ahead and put in our entrée orders to get things going since we expected more of a crowd to come in. Currently there were around four tables occupied. This made me wonder why all the spaces in parking lot were full. We both elected on the dinner specials of Blackened Salmon and Flat Iron steak.
The banana shake took a lot longer that I expected, probably 15 minutes. It was good, but not completely mixed with some larger pieces of ice that would not come through the straw. However, yum flavors. The entrees came out at around the 35 min point which again thought it was longer than expected, but the waitress did warn us of a delay on the fish as they were just beginning to prepare. We both thought the dishes were strong and we really enjoyed and had no problem finishing them off. Our waitress checked in on us, as well as both owners at different times. Our plates were cleared and check delivered in a timely manner. Prices for portion size and quality fair.
There is a whole lot going on at Simple Eats that is fantastic for foodies and those that want more local farm to tables choices. Sandy and Eddie are attempting to pull off the difficult task of keeping it local, fresh and provide innovative menu choices. I think they are on the right track, but Fall and Winter offer challenges for this concept. One example of a smart move of keeping choices local is the partnership with Three Ships Coffee. This is an awesome success story in its self and offers delicious coffee.
The passion of the duo was incredible to witness and I could not be more happy for them to begin their dream of restaurant ownership. If I’m correct Simple Eats will be a big hit. I look forward to exploring the breakfast and lunch menus in the near future.

Quite possibly my new fav Sunday spot on Shore. Do not let the outside fool you, a rustic beach bistro awaits you inside.
We sat down and ordered some coffee. After tasting it and commenting on how delish it was, I realized it was Three Ships, a local coffee brewery here in VB. While checking out the menu I was torn between breakfast, lunch or their specials they have written on their chalkboard. I decided to go with the breakfast burrito and do a side of the tomato, watermelon basil salad. Our server was so sweet, she actually made a bigger plate so the 4 of us could split it. The watermelon was sweet and so fresh, and had a sprinkling of salt on top. That mixed with the basil and tomato was a great way to start your Sunday. Then came the breakfast burrito. So simple and easy, but so good. It was large enough to where I took the other half home. It came with a homemade salsa and pickled veggies.
I have to say, this is such a quaint little spot. Great for a pick me up, lazy sunday, or if you wanna try something different. It’s so laid back, and has that shore drive, chicks beach feel to it. Oh and for those who like to take their dogs out, they have a dog friendly patio in the back!
So many things looked so appetizing on their menu. I can’t wait to go back and check it out again.