Esoteric

I just moved back to the beach after 15 years of living up north. Esoteric is hands down the best place around for overall cool atmosphere, drinks and food. Im not a beer fan, so can’t comment on that… however, the drink menu was great. There were a variety of liquors tailored to Esoteric’s image. My appetizer alone could’ve been my meal. Called Poutine (basically a fancy name for loaded fries) was smothered in gravy, cheese curds, tomato and ham. Yum! Main course delicious! I love all types of foods and very down to earth! who doesn’t like wearing flip flops to dinner!?? But when you live in the 757 and hit over the head w/​chains and dive bars, it’s nice to go somewhere a tad more modern and forward. I felt like I was back in Philly or NYC but the staff is way nicer! It’s new to town, so show it some love so we can keep it around!

I have been wanting to check this place out for the longest time, but never got around to it. I saw that it was restaurant week and saw their menu, and decided that was the perfect time to go.
After looking at their RW menu online, walking in I already knew what I wanted to order. Their beer menu is extensive and can be a little overwhelming but the server we had was very knowledgeable and asked what I kind of beer I liked, and made recommendations from there. I don’t remember what she brought out, but it was very good, and very spot on for my taste.
Now for the food, I started with the BLT poutine, which was the perfect way to start a meal. The fries were so crispy but perfectly sopped up all the gravy and cheesy goodness, and the arugula and tomatoes added a nice fresh touch to an otherwise heavy dish.
Then for the main course, this was a bit of a harder decision for me, everything sounded so good, but I decided on the Hot Chicken. When the server brought it out, I kid you not, I was in shock! This dish is HUGE, it’s literally half a chicken, which it says on the menu, but I just wasn’t really expecting it. The dish was half a fried chicken on top of a slice of potato bread, with a side of honey mustard potato salad. I was obsessed with my meal. The chicken was so moist and flavorful I had to make myself stop eating it because I knew I had to save room for dessert.
For dessert I opted for the Pots Du Crème, which was delicious but I was so full, I couldn’t really enjoy it without feeling guilt in every bite. I ended up giving it to my friend and she seemed to really like it a lot.
Overall, I really enjoyed this place and really loved the ambiance. I would definitely come back and try other items off their menu.

I was really excited to try Esoteric and really wanted to love it! Locally sourced, husband and wife team, virginia beach art district… all things I want to support! Industrial style, open and fun. It was packed and we were seated immediately (had reservations). Beer list is extensive! I started off with a Duval and it was crisp, clean, delicious and stronger that it tasted. Cocktails amazing. Wine list was small, but I understand the focus is on beer here, so no biggie. The pinot noir I had with dinner was tasty.
It was restaurant week so we decided to try that menu. Started off with mussels, which were plump, seasoned perfectly and delicious. Smaller portion than you would get elsewhere. This is where it started to be disappointing… Four of us ordered the rockfish and one got the Hot Chicken. When the food was delivered, the chicken dish was massive, and our fish dishes were sad in comparison. They were tapa sized. Literally about, maybe, 4oz of fish with vegetables that were sized comparable to a garnish. The dish was good – light, flavorful, spicy – it was just the smallest rockfish entrée I’ve ever eaten from a restaurant. We were enviously staring at our friend’s huge chicken dish. She definitely chose well and she loved it! We all agreed that if they simply added a starch,(quinoa, rice, potatoes…) it would have filled us more. And we are 5 small ladies with normal appetites. We also didn’t understand how the kitchen can send out two entrees that were sized so differently to the same table. One so massive she had leftovers and the other so small it was devoured in four (delicious) bites. OK, on to dessert. I had the pots de crème which was sooooo good. Rich chocolate with salted pistachios on top. Heaven. I don’t expect, or want, desserts to be huge so very happy with that.
STILL hungry after 3 courses we ordered some fries. We devoured the tasty fries, not one left!
Service was GREAT, really friendly and sweet.
Ok, onto the acoustics and noise level. The music was too loud for us. And it reminded us of being at a club. We couldn’t hear each other well and joked that we were going to lose our voices by the time we left. I ended up mainly chatting with my friends on either side of me and apologized later to the two friends across from me for not talking with them much, because, I really couldn’t hear them and, frankly, got over yelling «what?». We all agreed probably not a good date night spot for this reason.
After spending $ 70 something dollars on 2 drinks and dinner (and it was Restaurant Week, would have been almost $ 100 if not), I went home and ate cheese and crackers.
Summary: the drinks, food quality, service and aesthetics are 5 stars. The value, food quantity (specifically entrée) and noise level took away from my experience. I will come back and give it another shot, perhaps just for drinks and maybe an appetizer. I’d love to try the octopus. I know this place is fairly new, so am rooting for it.

Three stars on account of the location, atmosphere and beer menu. Great beer, great prices. Wine is pricey, so don’t expect a good selection or cheap glasses. I went with a group during restaurant week. First, let me say that many of the items on the menu appeal to niche tastes– this is not a place for the picky eaters. A meat and potatoes man will hate it, an epicurious friend will love it. Be prepared for pickled everything and plenty of fire. The portions are very small, except for this one random plate that was half of a fried chicken, that was huge. Not at all suitable for sharing anything else. My $ 32 restaurant week selections included a dozen of the plump eat PEi mussels I’ve ever had, not too heavy on the cream or garlic. My dinner was a sad 3 ounces of rockfish, smothered in spicy pickled relish and no sides. After I removed the skin and relish it was pretty good. Dessert was insane. Chocolate chile pot de crème that was so good our table bought one for our server (had they let all their servers try this, they would have sold out and had a line through the door). A friend at another table ordered the plate of pickles app and all he could say is WTH? It was carrots, okra and big piece of cauliflower. I’m sure it was amazing, but just not what he expected. This is a very mixed review when I am usually all in or all out. Bottom line, I’ll only go back for beer.

Great selection of beers, food and atmosphere. Can’t wait for it to get warmer, so we can enjoy the patio.

Would definitely suggest for the scene and beer menu… not impressed with food. food was average, not awesome (we tried raw oysters, charred octopus and rockfish) .staff were friendly

HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
When you park in their private parking lot, you can’t help but notice the massive garden behind the little wall. This garden is shared by Commune, the restaurant next door. It really makes you take notice that your food is locally grown! Next you cannot miss the amazing bike rack — ESOTERIC in cursive. As you walk in, the lighting is not too bright and it’s actually really cozy feeling!
When you walk into the door, you will notice the bar off to your left, the kitchen to the right (which would be my only complaint that the pass is right near a table for 2, I’d hate to be seated there with all of the wait staff standing right beside your table running food the entire night) and a straight shot view of the back deck near the garden.
We chose to sit at the bar. There are over 20 beers on tap at any given time. Their system is a European system, which means each keg has its own tap for the freshest tasting brew! I opted for the Soothsayer and let me tell you, this was an amazing Belgian strong ale. Brian was our bartender and he was so full of knowledge about each beer. He has really honed his talent of craft beer, who he credits the owner!
Since it was restaurant week, we definitely were going to take advantage of the great deal!
To start off — BLT poutine, a spin on a French classic. The fries were perfectly cooked, with this amazing gravy, topped with BACON (yes, a food group), cheese curds (the real deal) arugula, and cherry tomatoes (totally fresh and you could tell). When it arrived, all I can say is holy huge portion! This was a bowl of yumminess, yes, that is a real word!
Next — Short Rib Pappardelle, house made pasta with braised short ribs and a poached egg (break it open and watch how creamy the sauce becomes!). This was so super tasty and such a fabulous choice. Hot chicken — Now when I ordered this, I was thinking of a roasted chicken, no, this is a half of a fried chicken! I’m not much on fried chicken, but I am so glad I gave this a whirl! The mix of sweet and spicy made your taste buds do a dance in your mouth. You can pick out the smoked paprika, cayenne, and maple syrup. Yes there are about 1,000 more spices, but these are the ones that say YES! This is served on top of potato bread, which soaks up all of the chicken juices and melts in your mouth and potato salad, not the mayo kind, the mustard (which I found out is pretty much on everything here, yum) and vinegar kind. It really reminded me of a German style salad. I cannot forget to mention the homemade pickles on top! Such a happy girl. This portion was so large that I had to take half home, which I guiltily ate the same night…
Dessert — come to me Pots de Crème, fancy chocolate pudding mixed with a mousse and just wanted to be devoured. It was topped with chopped pistachios and sea salt. Such a great combination, love salty and sweet! Ultimately it was so rich that I had to take that home as well. No worries, I did wait until the next day to finish that one!
I am so looking forward to my return!

Upscale & casual rustic chic environment of reclaimed wood, industrial ceilings & fixtures. Low lighting and open windows create a romantic feel that will sure to be one of our new favorite places. They have a garden & grow much of their own produce! The menu has many unique items & items for those who are gluten free or try to eat more of a whole/​real food diet. We started with BLT poutine which is bacon, lettuce, tomato, on top of string fries with white cheddar! OMG! And potao leek soup which is a thin very flavorful & buttery soup. The rock fish which is seasonally on the menu was delicious & flaky seared & topped with a vinegar jalepeno mango slaw. The short ribs are also tender & delicious. Crème brûlée’ was so yummy with a perfectly crisp candied topping & very smooth creamy custard. The cocktail the bees knees contains honey syrup & lavender bitters… need I say more? Staff were great. Our meal was a bit of a wait but it seemed to be an isolated event & the staff were very attentive, took responsibility & provided complimentary cocktails for our wait. The professionalism of our server, (I think her name was Lauren), the taste of the food & drinks, and ambience was so great, the food wait was insignificant. Strongly recommend. Will be a regular.

This may be one of my favorite places in VA Beach ever. I loved almost everything about this place and cannot wait to come back. Esoteric is what I think of when someone asks me what’s the best restaurant in Virginia Beach/​Hampton Roads area.
I’ve been meaning to go to Esoteric ever since seeing it while checking out Commune right next door. My good friend and I decided to come here on a Saturday night. They do take reservations, which I highly recommend you do. We got here around 6:45 PM, they either have valet parking or street parking. We were lucky enough to find some street parking right around the corner. You might have to walk a little further to find some street parking, but valet makes parking easy enough as well.
I had made reservations, and we got seated right away. The restaurant wasn’t packed at around 7 pm, but a most of the empty tables had reserved signs on them. The bar was packed too. The décor is trendy and hipster-​esq, which gave the place a really chill, relaxed vibe to it. They have an outdoor patio that wasn’t open at the time, but looks like it would be awesome during the summer time. Our waiter came over fairly quickly and was super friendly. They have a great beer menu and 30 beers on tap, their cocktail menu is pretty decent too. He got a beer while I ordered a Paloma. The paloma was done really well, just the right amount of tequila.
For some reason, our other friend had told us the portions were small, and being the foodies we are, my friend and I both ordered 2 appetizers and an entrée each. The appetizers didn’t take too long to come out, but we both immediately knew we ordered way too much food. I had ordered the pimento cheese with crackers and duck tacos. He ordered the bacon sliders and poutine. The poutine came in a fairly big bowl, and the bacon sliders and duck tacos each had 2 on the plate. The pimento cheese is house made and delicious. It had a nice kick to it. I wasn’t a huge fan of the crackers, they didn’t go well with the pimento cheese at all. The poutine was really good, but there’s so much of it, it looked like we barely made a dent in it. The bacon sliders came with bacon and I think pork belly. It was huge, I could only eat half of it. But I enjoyed it. We loved the duck taco, it was probably the best out of all 4 dishes. The tortilla was homemade and so good. The duck flavor was incredibleeee. I immediately regretted not ordering duck as my entrée was well.
By the time we got through the appetizers, we were about done. The entrees were HUGE. I had ordered the Hot Chicken. It came with huge fried pieces of chicken on top of potato bread, with house pickles, mustard seed, and honey mustard potato salad. My friend got the NY Strip Steak that came with E1 sauce and Potato Pave. The potato pave looked like a block of potato sliced, which was pretty cool. The steak was a decent size too. Pro tip: Don’t order two appetizers each and then think you can eat an entrée too. I took a bite of the chicken, and it was heaven. The chicken was crispy and cooked so perfectly. The other flavors mixed well together, I didn’t think I would like that it was on top of a piece of bread, but it really complemented the chicken and mustard. The steak looked like it was cooked to my friend’s preferred temperature and looked delicious. We ended up having to get boxes for our entrees and some of the appetizers.
The service here is INCREDIBLE. Shout out to our waiter, Andrew C. My friend and I are probably the most awkward people ever, and he was super friendly and cool. He never judged us for being idiots and ordering entirely too much food. He was around enough to check up on us but not hovering over us. He knew when to come around and ask if we wanted another drink. He joked around with us and didn’t make it awkward when we asked him to bring an extra box out but ended up not using it at all. Thanks Andrew for making us comfortable enough to laugh at our awkwardness with you.
It is fairly pricey here, but I think it’s worth it. This place has a great atmosphere to it too. It doesn’t close till 1 AM on the weekends, and it was getting more crowded as we left around 8:30. It does get a little loud, but I honestly didn’t mind it. The drinks were good, food was amazing, service is fantastic. They have brunch on some Sunday’s, check their Facebook to see when they have some special brunch going on. It’s a great place for a date or just to catch up with friends. I can’t wait to come back here. I can’t recommend this place enough, seriously, just go and thank me later.

Interesting place. I liked their atmosphere and service. But the food was a bit hit or miss. The beer selection was terrific. The service informal atmosphere-​loved it. We had the poutine and it was just like you find in Canada. Loved it. The charcuterie plate was a miss for me. The chorizo spread was wierd and the texture was off putting Only one selection of meat. The pickling of the vegetables was just ok. More flavor would be better. The fried chicken and duck and sides were great for our main courses. Chicken was tender and delicious. Duck was
Perfectly cooked.

What a spot! Esoteric is one of those rare locations where atmosphere, cuisine and service combine to create something out of the ordinary. We’ve enjoyed three visits — trying something different each time. The standouts have been the small plates: poutine and oysters. Their beer selection is well curated and the vintage bottle list will exceed expectations. A trio of pour sizes also means you can try as much as you like. Most small pours are $ 3 and $ 4, which is a steal for the quality of beer they’re tapping.
It would also serve as the perfect nook to grab a drink and dessert after a show, post-​dinner, or on a night when the weather is sublime (they have an outdoor garden for summer/​warmer days). Nothing feels overly expensive here, the presentation is superb, and I’ve always found the portions filling.
So glad this little gem at the oceanfront. I will certainly be back soon!

This new-​kid-​on-​the-​block better stick around! Super stoked to finally try Esoteric out. We arrived around 7pm and by 7:30 it was standing room only! Took a seat at the bar and fell in love with their extensive beer list. Great beer prices, cocktails were pretty steep. The bartenders had excellent recommendations and were very friendly. I appreciate a bar that allows you to sample the different drafts. We ordered a number of different menu options and definitely recommend the Truffle Cauliflower Soup and the Duck Breast! We are so happy to support locally sourced food and fellow Johnson and Wales Alum! Definitely call ahead for a reservation or arrive by 7 on a Saturday night.

If I could give this restaurant 10 stars, I would. Fantastic service, amazing food and great drinks. Recommend the jalapeño Moscow mule if you want a refreshing drink with a little kick. The special of the night — fish and chips was incredible. The ham sammie… Delicious. And to finish off the night, we had the homemade candy bar. I’ve never had anything like it! Fun night and tasty food.

Really enjoyed our dinner here after an unfortunate incident at Hearth across the way.
Here, the atmosphere was genuine and friendly and the culinary creativity and talent were clear with each dish we ordered, particularly the Hot Chicken, Noodles and Pork Belly Ravioli and Sliders.
Esoteric is not cutting edge cuisine but if you value local product sourcing, extensive sustainability practices (both that begin in the garden out back) and a relaxed at-​home atmosphere that doesn’t have any of the pretentious attitude that does not fit or belong in VBVA, then this is the place for you.
Well done!
And, next door… Commune is the place for breakfast in VBVA!

Just had dessert. Pretty good but not cheap. Kind of place you don’t leave full. Think I’d do Hearth again for dinner before this place.

We were six people and had one of the most underwhelming food and expensive meals in Virginia beach of my life.
The duck tacos were tiny pieces that had little flavor and served on a greasy bad tortilla. The roast beef sandwich had 2 small pieces of overcooked roast beef and no horseradish sauce. The cauliflower salad was with out flavor and had no dressing almost. The scallop and steak dishes were small and just ok.
The beer selection is good but at $ 9 for 14oz, not even a pint, you better bring your piggy bank.
The acoustics of the dining area made it impossible to hear anybody without straining.

There isn’t anything at all bad to say about this place given my experience tonight. Friendly staff, nice décor, «Woodberry Kitchen» worthy sandwich. I was really impressed. This spot is poised to be the place to be off of the oceanfront. I’ll be returning here pretty frequently.

Let’s start with parking. Valet? For a parking lot 10 feet away from the restaurant. I’m not against valet parking but only if a parking lot is a significant distance from the building. In this situation, my car was closer than the actual valet station to tell the valet guy to get my car. It felt like an exaggerated way for the restaurant to look fancy while simultaneously trying to shake a extra few dollars from my pocket but, whatever. I was there to enjoy the food…
The drink menu was impressive, and overall the menu was creative and simple. I’ve heard great things about the food, however… I was totally disappointed. For the portions and overall flavors, the prices were really not worth it. I went with a group of four, we each got different dishes. I chose a special with house made noodles that were very dry, and a spoonful of beef on top along with a poached egg. $ 23 dollars for a bowl of dry noodles with hardly any meat or flavor. My boyfriend got a fish special that tasted bland and under seasoned. We ordered several appetizers, the tacos once again had hardly any meat and did not impress any four of us. The pork belly appetizer and poutine were both okay. I am more than willing to spend money. We spend a lot of money dining out but all four of us ended up leaving angry and unsatisfied. It isn’t even about the portion sizes here that bothered me as much as the lack of flavor in the several dishes we ordered. I’m sorry but Esoteric is no comparison to Hearth restaurant next door.

Esoteric is a breath of fresh air for Virginia Beach. They had over 20 beers on tap, and a nice selection of craft cocktails. The service was amazing, our bartender Anthony made sure we were well taken care of. We all agreed we’d come back to see him regardless! Food was good, drinks were good, service was good, atmosphere was good, but the food was a little overpriced in my opinion and that’s probably the only complaint I have. I’ll be back!

What a great addition to the oceanfront dining scene! The pork tacos, oysters, pimento cheese were all awesome.
The music and vibe of entire restaurant made for a cool and inviting atmosphere.
The huge garden out back was also very impressive.
I am a local Restauranteur, and can be pretty picky, but Esoteric was impressive. Can’t wait to go back!