Terrapin Restaurant

Wow, somehow my first time here. Really great!Appetizers: oysters, crispy rice w/ tuna -Devine Main: pasta dish was outstanding . Dessert: chocolate pudding, insane. Lovely mock-tails also. Can't wait to come back!

Fancy....Had a reservation and got seated right away. The menu was interesting (duck and caviar to name a few), not many restaurant around have those options available. Everything was tasty and their drink selection (mainly wine) was good. The place is pretty quiet to be a restaurant but good vibe.

This Italian restaurant, about six blocks from the ocean is truly our best find in Virginia Beach.We were met at the door and seated promptly. We started with the Roasted Baby Red Beets in a Lemon Labneh with olive oil, honey, & toasted pistachios, served with grilled ciabattaThe "" Tuna Credo" served beautifully and very fresh & Tasty. Our server brought us fresh bread with a turtle butter. Really cute. "Turtles are a big thing in V.B." Terrapin makes their own pasta fresh daily. For our main course we had the Italian favorite "Linguine & Clam sauce". Little neck clams in a white wine sauce.with garlic and red peppers Shrimp Tagliatelle, North Carolina shrimp fresh herbs in a lemon butter sauce with cherry tomatoes. Our waitress did the finishing touch, my grading fresh Parmesan Reggiano at the table We couldn't pass on dessert and elect it to go with the gelato which was made there, and was excellent The service is top notch, the food is fantastic,The ambience is upscale pleasant. We found that the restaurants that are NOT on the beach and boardwalk had much better food, better service and more reasonable prices

I have been wanting to dine here for YEARS. Celebrating an anniversary felt like the right time to finally go.I had high hopes for this place and they exceeded them!The parking lot is tiny (and full), but the host was helpful in finding a place I could park.Our waitress is an aspiring chef herself. Her passion for food was so evident and made the whole experience that much better. The wait staff seemed to be attentive and friendly at other tables as well.We sat at a booth/tabletop. They have a beautiful bar. The atmosphere was elegant, but not pretentious or over the top. It's a place that doesn't demand a suit or dressing "to the 9's", but it was nice to dress up a little. It is fine dining after all.They had a current promotion where you could order an appetizer, entree, and dessert at a discount.We ordered a 1/2 dozen raw oysters, beets & labneh, shortrib rigatoni, valrhona chocolate pudding, and tiramisu. They also serve you fresh bread with a little terrapin butter. The promotion made our dining experience very affordable. There regular prices aren't outrageous though. The tasting menu is definitely the way to go if they don't have the promotion going (4 courses: starter, pasta, entree, and dessert and you'll probably have some food leftover). Plus, it's quality food that will be just as good the next day.If wine is your thing, they had a nice selection as well, not to mention a short list of mocktails that sounded good.The waitress told us about how the oysters all come from a single oyster farmer. They come from the Chesapeake Bay near the eastern shore. My girlfriend described them as the best oysters she has ever had. They seemed much thicker than I've seen.The beets and labneh tasted very fresh and flavorful. Even the toasted bread was seasoned. It seemed like a simple plate, but it was done right.The pasta here is made in house and it cooked perfectly Al dente. The shortrib rigatoni is slow cooked for a long time. It was tender. The sauce had a lot of flavor. The linguine and clams was clearly made with high quality ingredients. The wine sauce was complex and made with love. The red pepper was perfect on it.I'm always hesitant to order tiramisu because I don't thoroughly enjoy the taste of coffee. Let me tell you, this tiramisu was so good! I would come back just to have it again. The texture was perfect, the flavors were perfectly layered, and I can't say enough about it.The chocolate pudding was much better than it has any business being. It was rich, but not overtly so. The flakes of salt in it make it what it is. If you can't resist chocolate, you'll definitely want to try it.It's a shame I took so long to check this place out, but I'm so glad I finally did. Treat yourself and enjoy one of the best restaurants in all of Hampton Roads!

This is a wonderful choice for a nice dinner. It feels elegant but not stuffy. I of course was there for Happy Hour. And they have a good one. But it is literally 1 hour.....5 to 6 pm. They have $6 well drinks and $6 glasses of wine. 1/2 portions of pasta and other appetizers. We started with 1/2 dozen oysters for $7.50 and a Cheese and Charcuterie Board for $11. Everything was delicious. The board was a perfect size for an appetizer for 2. The bartender even gave us some sour dough bread which was so good and fresh and served with the cutest butter shaped like a turtle. It's those little things that make your experience better than the rest. We also got the Linguine and Crab pasta. They even put it in 2 bowls for us because they knew we were sharing. Once again....nice touch. The pasta was perfectly cooked and it was delicious. I definitely will go back. The rest of the menu looked good....it would be a tough choice on what to get.

My boyfriend surprised me with dinner at Terrapin for my birthday last month and I was very excited to try it out. Since we had reservations, we were quickly seated as soon as we arrived. The restaurant is very small and quaint so I highly recommend reservations. As soon as I sat down, the wonderful server provided us with menus and at the top of my menu it displayed "Happy Birthday Leah!". Talk about feeling special!!! I absolutely loved that they did that for me! For starters, I ordered a dozen of raw oysters. I love raw oysters and eat them every year for my birthday. I paired them with a glass of Riesling and they were very fresh and delicious. We then ordered the Short Rib Rigatoni, Shrimp Tagliatelle and the Truffle Mac & Cheese. The food came out in good timing and was absolutely delicious. I actually enjoyed his Shrimp pasta over my Short Rib pasta but both were great. The Truffle Mac & Cheese lacked a little flavor in my opinion but it wasn't bad. Terrapin is the perfect restaurant if you are craving pasta (which is house made) and good vibes. The server was beyond amazing and she even wrapped my special menu in a cute ribbon for me to take home. The food was delicious and I would highly recommend this place if you are looking for a wonderful night out.

Fantastic experience at Terrapin. Atmosphere and service were both impeccable and the tasting menu is a fantastic bang for your buck. I found the pricing to be more than fair for the high quality courses that we received.The duck was cooked perfectly. Zero complaints.

I am a sucker for a great happy hour, especially one that features a good selection of small bites to complement wine, beer or cocktail specials. While Terrapin is known for its elegant, eclectic and mostly Italian-inspired fare, what you may not know is that they have a killer happy hour, and it's a great way to get a taste of the Terrapin experience for a can't-beat-it price. Hey, while you're there, make a future dinner reservation!Theirs is a true happy hour, i.e. it only lasts an hour, 5-6 p.m. Tues.-Sat., but there is a lot of delishness to be packed into that hour at their lovely bar.I recently met a friend there after work and we shared a charcuterie board (50% off), crispy tuna crudo ($6), small pasta plate, bottle of bubbly (also 50% off) and a dessert and our whole bill was $55. Everything was delightful and the service was great.It took a few extra minutes to get fresh bread right out of the oven, which was worth the wait and charmingly served with butter in the shape of a turtle (AKA a terrapin).The 1/2 size pasta plates are an especially good deal at $10 per. We tried the Shrimp Tagliatelli and the pasta was super fresh, the shrimp cooked to perfection, the sauce light but flavorful.Also on happy hour are all beers ($5), select wines by the glass ($6), well drinks ($6) and specialty cocktails ($9).We finished things off with a boozy affogato that was the perfect ending to a truly happy hour.

Everything was spectacular here. I went with a large group and we were easily accomodated and our server didn't blink an eye at us and didn't miss a single placing of food. Everyone got the works: cocktails, wine, starters, entrees, and desserts, and every one of us cleaned our plates.I began with the simple salad which was elegant in its simplicity. For my main, I got the scallops and would have licked the plate if I was at home because it was so damn good. I even got dessert--the blueberry crostata, which was really more like a cookie with ice cream on top (not complaining-I love cookies).I will be returning to Virginia Beach, and will definitely come back to Terrapin. Everything was spectacular.

Upon entry, I knew this restaurant would match the amazing reviews! We were greeted by a spirited soul who led us to their amazing outdoor terrace. What was impressive, is that they didn't cram a bunch of tables in this space which curated a more intimate space for dining.We were so fortunate to have Alea as our server! Extremely knowledgeable about their menu, the wine and a bright personality! As a wine enthusiast, I had her pair a glass with each course. What was so special? She brought out 2 Sauvignon Blancs samples and we played the game where was their origin! Always fun to challenge the knowledge of your palate. Here choices were spot on!On to the food! My partner had the roasted beet salad which was on point! The Crispy Tuno Crudo was a fun take and rice crisp was a great texture compliment.My partner is Vegetarian and they were more than accommodating in creating a pasta dish for him. Full of seasonal vegetables amid a lemon butter sauce.The Halibut! What was so remarkable is it wasn't served with a traditional starch, but rather roasted asparagus and a light vegetable salad.Overall, I would highly recommend this restaurant as it hit all marks! Only wished I lived here as I would do their tasting menu for a special occasion!Kudos Terrapin!!!!