Bubba's Crabhouse & Seafood

Five girlfriends, including three serving in the military (I?ll spare you the number of duty tours around the world), had decided to have dinner at Bubba?s to celebrate one?s upcoming marriage. Three of them had arrived early and were waiting for the bride to be and her maid of honour when, suddenly, a man steps on one of the chairs around the table and reaches over the table towards the ceiling. The girl closest to that chair was quite startled by this. Her first reaction was to grab the hand bag she had set on that chair. The man immediately defended his action by saying he wasn?t going to step on the bag and that he was just switching the fan off in case the girls were cold. He then offered this statement : ?My name?s Bubba.? To which there was no reply apart from three blank looks, prompting him to add : ?I?m the owner?. As if that explained why he was jumping on chairs without asking anyone of his paying guests if that was alright. He then reluctantly offered an apology, while continuing to justify his behaviour, not unlike an average 2-3 year-old. He left. Without wiping the chair down . Someone was going to sit there at some point. One of the girls then called him back : ? I?m sorry, but would you mind wiping that chair down now that you?ve stood on it in your shoes ??.? Alright?, he replied, ?are we going to be happy eating here, or do we have to go somewhere else ? I can see we?re just going to have problems all night?. And so we left. I still cannot comprehend what happened. Is it normal to stand on customers? chairs if you own the restaurant ? Is it, more simply, normal to stand on a chair and not wipe it down, or at least offer to wipe it down ? Did we miss something ? Were we supposed to bow down when he told us who he was ? Ask for an autograph ? Be flattered for the attention ? I wish I could tell you about the food, and possibly how bad it is, but we didn?t even get as far as ordering? This was my first and, needless to say, will be my last, experience at Bubba?s. One thing I realise, though, is that I owe Mr Bubba many thanks. Indeed, we then headed off to a place where we knew we would get great food and great service, and had a wonderful evening at Sakura. more

We decided to try Bubba's for brunch on a beautiful Sunday morning and we didnt feel like waiting in line at Citrus. OMG, it was truly one of the worst breakfasts I've ever eaten out. Now I know why there were empty parking spaces and lots of tables available inside. There are few choices available on the menu; I ordered the seafood omelet, it was extremely overcooked to the point of a deep brown color, extremely dry and the accompanying potatoes were bland. What is the owner thinking serving crap like that? more

The view and the service was very good. The children's cheesy bread was overcooked to chewy like rubber. They children's hamburger was over cooked. I got the grilled Tuna and it was obliterated. Not burnt but cooked to the point where it was unpleasantly chewy. The shrimp salad was okay, but plain. Maybe we should have stuck with the crab cakes that other people mentioned more

Bubba's came highly recommended from friends who live at Chick's Beach about 4 years ago. Whenever there is a special occasion or friends/family/business associates are in town who enjoy good seafood I take them to Bubba's. People from as far away was New Orleans and as close as a few hours west on now ask to go there whenever they are in town. I highly recommend Bubba's and have never had a bad experience there. Eat there several times a year during different seasons. As far as the other review regarding an embarrassing smell, the rest rooms have always been extremely clean the times I've been there. Eat outside on the deck if it's warm and enjoy the Pelicans and Egret's and people waving as they pass by on their boats! more

This was our first visit to Bubba's and upon entering the restaurant, we were overcome by the smell of urine/urinal cake mint. We decided to give the place a chance after reading other positive reviews. After sitting down the smell never let up. We ordered stuffed mushrooms, 2 fried shrimp platters with fries, and draft beer. The waitress was nice and very attentive, but the food was awful. The mushrooms were ok but the crab didn't taste fresh. When the shrimp platters arrived they looked good. As we continued to battle the urine smell, we tried some of the fried shrimp. They tasted like they had been out of the water for quite some time and they also were not deveined! Keep in mind that they were battered and fried....with the nasty veins still in there! At that point our stomachs were turning. Our last hope was to wash it down with the beer. Unlucky for us the beer was virtually flat (draft beer) and tasted like the keg was tapped years ago. Cons: The ENTIRE restaurant smelled like urine more

The crab cakes were huge and delicious! Don't forget to get the Cole slaw on the side! Pros: Best Crab Cakes In town! Cons: some shells more

The last time I went to Bubbas was long before it ever became a restraunt. It was just a place to launch the boat. So whats the decor like inside now? And how about the prices? I'm sure the food is good or they wouldn't still be there. So some one give me a heads up. more

He was very rude and complained about being 90 degrees in April, not friendly, we didn't stay for lunch, great view!!! more

I am so picky when it comes to atmosphere, food, price, and service of a restaurant. I was blown away with the seating on the deck. We were as close to the water as possible, with just a breathtaking view! I am yet to find something like this anywhere else in VB. Boats would pull up alongside us and order off the menu. We were that close!!! The menu is totally reasonable. The Bubba's burger (9.95) and the chicken sandwich were amazing!!! The calamari was great too. I didn't like the soft shell crab sandwich b/c it didn't have much taste---we've been there twice now. I will take every visitor into town to this place----it is a must see and a must eat. The people we brought said over and over again, ""I can't believe how gorgeous this is---its perfect!!!' The wait was not bad at all and the service the first time was great. The second time we went we waited quite a while for our food---but with the view and conversation we didn't really notice. That was our only criticism. It is very casual and child friendly. It is also a great spot for a date. The deck is the place to be! Enjoy!!!! Pros: outdoor seating as close to the water as you can get, price is very reasonable, good food Cons: deck is not very big and the kitchen was slow the second time around more

Last week I visited Bubba's and talked with one of the responsible employees to arrange a luncheon we were planning to have with a group of friends. I chose the menu (green salad, grilled tuna or fried flounder, coke or soda, dessert, coffee or tea) and asked the price of the menu per person. The lady told me the total price was 29 $. I asked if tax was included and she replied: yes. Unfortunately I was not wise enough to ask if gratuity was included, neither did I make a contract to cover all details. I told her I liked the price, it was a deal 24 persons would attend the luncheon. Then we had the luncheon today. The main dish was good, salad was OK and dessert was poor. They somehow managed to make a dessert they call ""German chocolate cheese cake"" without using any chocolate or cheese. I liked the service, young and cheerful waitresses did a good job. The real surprise was at the end, when they handed out the bill. Unlike our deal, they had charged 20% gratuity and 5% tax. Now every attendee should pay 38.5 Dollars. I wanted to talk with the lady I made the deal but I was told she was on leave. I talked with another lady, who introduced herself as the manager. She had such a mechanical approach and she was not cooperative at all. She kept saying she was righteous, we should have known about gratuity and the tax and they were damn right charging for them. I am not a US citizen. I temporarily reside in Virginia Beach. In the country where I came from, when you ask a restaurant in advance, how much you are going to pay during the party you plan to make, they give you a price that includes everything. Apparently this is not the case for Bubba's. Either they are not professional enough to explain this important detail to costumers or they choose not to mention this on purpose. Today I felt cheated in Bubba's. They also made me pay for 5 persons who did not attend the luncheon. I could choose not to. There was no contract, but I paid, because my word ic contract. Pros: View, service Cons: Management, ambiance more

I went to Bubba's for lunch with a friend. Our waitress was very nice and came quickly to the table. She asked for our drink order and returned with them quickly. She started off by asking if we would care for an appetizer. We responded with yes, we would like the stuffed mushrooms to start off with. Then for lunch we ordered two side salads, a dozen raw oysters, and a bowl of she crab soup. She then asked if we would like the soup brought out with the oysters. We told her to bring it all out at once but to get the mushrooms to us as quickly as she could. We had been at the beach all day and were very hungry. Well in about 5 minutes our oysters, soup and salads came out and she said that the mushrooms should be out soon. We laughed after she left saying that that throws the hole meaning of appetizer out of the window. We started to eat and my oysters were warm. I mean warm and had many chips of shells in them. The soup was a great temperature. Pretty much the soup was the only enjoyable experience we had. The salads had the taste of dirt to them. Then about 10 minutes went by and we were about done and the mushrooms arrived. There was four on the plate and they were nothing but mushrooms with crab thrown on them and broiled. No butter, salt, pepper, or cheese. Just dried crab on a very soggy and watery mushroom. I will never go there again. I had a bad experience before but love the deck and decided to give it another try. Boy was that a mistake. Pros: deck Cons: food more

We come to Bubba's often by boat and by car. have never been disappointed. Pros: on the water, great staff, great food more

On a recent visit, we got 2 very simple meals, ""to go."" Not only did it take 30 minutes to prepare 2 salads, and one appitizer for pick up on a slow afternoon, but one entree had HAIR it; the other was supposed to be teriyaki style, but was blackend instead. I took the food back to the restaurant to just give the food back and ask for a refund for the food. Not only did they not refund my money but the female owner/manager argued with me and said I was wrong about my accusations ON CHRISTMAS EVE! I wouldnt go back to Bubba's if you paid me. Congratulations, Bubba's is offically the worst restaurant on Shore Drive. Pros: nothing, zero, nada Cons: food, service, management more

After eating lackluster food at the Duck-In, my fiance and I went to Bubba's for seafood, and boy were we pleased! The outdoor dining is absolutely perfect! Service is stellar (ask for Shelby!) and the sheepshead is divine! Moderately priced and incredible food, I couldn't ask for a better experience!! Pros: incredible seafood, outdoor dining, great service Cons: can get busy more

We asked our guide at the old coast guard station, he suggested Bubba's. We sat outside, watched the boats come and go, and the birds fly around. We even had a pelican to watch. The service was great, the food was better than other places we have eaten. I thought the portions a little small, but the taste was very good. The she crab soup was fantastic! Our waitress brought me chowder and I told her I meant to get the she crab, she replaced it super fast, and even removed it from the bill because she felt bad (I'm not 100% sure what I ordered, but she said it was no problem). Not much of a kids menu, but they brought my son 5 large chicken fingers, that was enough for him. Pros: she crab soup more

Best Steamed shrimp and Garlic Cheese Bread ever.....A full meal Pros: great food, moderate prices, best shrimp more

A truly great place. Excellent service, wonderful food (and they will modify the menu for you) and one of the most ""intimate"" water views in hampton roads. Long our favorite. Pros: Great Prices, Great Food, Terrific Wait staff Cons: Parking sometimes, Can ber noisy more