Children playing on the beach, with an osprey foraging for food to feed its freshly fledged brood. As the sun sets over the gorgeous Chesapeake Bay, you make your way to one of your favorite Cape Charles, Virginia restaurants for another delicious supper before retiring for the evening.
This old town offers so many fantastic restaurant options that it would be difficult to sample them all in a regular three or four-day visit. Add two outstanding bakeries, a candy store, and an ice cream shop to the mix, and you have a really amazing tiny town of culinary delights.
I’ve selected the top nine Cape Charles eateries for your consideration. There are eateries on the waterfront, near the main drag, and on the outskirts of town to visit. Some options include informal fine dining, while others are vacation-casual.
Let’s begin our Cape Charles, Virginia restaurant tour with a sampling of the seaside dining choices. Some provide breakfast, lunch, and supper, while others just serve lunch and dinner.
Visiting other places in Virginia? Check out our other tasty guides:
- 14 Best Restaurants In Richmond, VA
- 7 Best Must-Try Stafford Restaurants
Contents
- 1 9 Cape Charles Virginia Restaurants You Must Try
- 1.1 The Oyster Farm Seafood Restaurant
- 1.2 The Shantyman
- 1.3 Sunset Resort’s Jackspot
- 1.4 Hook Up With Harvey
- 1.5 Coastal Bakery Co.
- 1.6 The Bakery on Mason Street
- 1.7 Cape Charles Brewing Company is a brewery in Cape Charles, Virginia.
- 1.8 Coffee Shop in Cape Charles
- 1.9 Ice cream in the shape of a brown dog
- 2 Which of these Cape Charles restaurants do you wish to try the most? Please share your thoughts in the comments box below!
9 Cape Charles Virginia Restaurants You Must Try
The Oyster Farm Seafood Restaurant
500 Marina Village Circle, Building 900, 757-331-8660
One of the list’s newest eateries is not only delicious, but it also overlooks an oyster farm and the Chesapeake Bay. They offer tons of oysters and more in their raw bar and cocktail lounge, which is open Wednesday through Sunday.
Try the she-crab soup as an appetizer, followed by a seafood or land-based entree. A crab cake sandwich with coleslaw or a green salad is the ideal meal. Follow the entree with a scoop of Brown Dog ice cream, which will melt in the heat of a summer day on the Bay.
The flounder Francaise, cedar-planked honey glazed fish, steaks, and chicken pot pie are also noteworthy dinner meals. Eat indoors or outside (pet-friendly) while admiring the 180-degree views of the Chesapeake Bay. If you want more than just a dinner, the Oyster Farm also features lodging and unique event rooms. This is without a doubt one of the nicest restaurants in Cape Charles.
The Shantyman
Marina Rd., 757-695-385333.
Don’t be fooled by the simple moniker. This seaside winner delivers an excellent lunch and supper close to town, making it one of the greatest places to dine in Cape Charles. The Shanty is readily accessible by foot, or, if you’re like the residents, you have a unique golf cart to travel about in.
The Shanty, like the Oyster Farm, invites well-behaved dogs on their outside deck. Pull up a picnic table seat and get a speciality salad with fried oysters or their delectable shrimp and grits.
Tokyo nachos with ahi tuna on tortilla chips and a wasabi cream drizzle are among the appetizers. For a complete lunch, try a fresh catch of the day, mid-Atlantic scallops, steak tips, or Shanty mac n cheese.
Hand-held meals such as a lobster roll, chicken salad club, PoBoys, or shanty burgers are available on the street.
The setting may be casual, but the culinary quality at this great Cape Charles restaurant is anything but.
Sunset Resort’s Jackspot
Phone: 757-331-177632246 Lankford Highway.
One of the nicest resorts in Cape Charles, Virginia is located south of town. In the summer, this RV-friendly, pet-friendly, kid-friendly, family-pleasing spread is completely booked. The Jackspot Restaurant is located on on the beach and serves casual fare, drinks, beer, and wine to a loving clientele.
The Jackspot is a great site to eat and watch the sunset over the Chesapeake Bay. To get the beach party started, try fish tacos, crab dip, onion ring towers, grouper nibbles, and fried calamari.
Choose the crab cake basket, classic cheeseburger, campers chicken sandwich, or roast beef bacon & cheddar for a more serious lunch; all come with buttered corn and island fries. Wash it all down with a drink of draft beer, local Buskey cider, a cocktail, or a glass or bottle of house wine.
The Jackspot, like the Oyster Farm, offers lodging in the form of a hotel, campsite, or RV town. There is a decent length of beach for sunbathing, wading, and swimming, part of which is dog-friendly. They are only open during the summer; it is advisable to verify their schedule before going. The cuisine at this Cape Charles popular place is delicious.
Hook Up With Harvey
Phone: 757-331-22751011 Bayshore Rd.
Hook At Harvey, with one of the most amusing titles of all the Cape Charles, Virginia restaurants, delivers genuinely excellent cuisine. If you like casual fine dining, don’t miss this new location in the Cape Charles Yacht Center.
Begin your lunch with their Crab Chesapeake en Bouche, a delectable portion of giant lump crab, shiitake mushrooms, ham, and butter served over a puff pastry shell with a hint of sherry. Starters include poached littleneck clams, spicy tuna sashimi, jumbo lump crab cocktail, and smoked poblano pepper.
Try the lemon caper chicken breast, pan-seared beef tenderloin, or wild game mixed grill as entrees.
A good wine list includes options from France, Italy, Argentina, California, and other countries. I tried Chatham Vineyards’ unoaked chardonnay and was pleasantly pleased by how nice it was.
Hook At Harvey is only available for supper Tuesday through Saturday and is open all year. One of the advantages of the new site is a larger wine selection and cuisine. This is the place to go for exquisite dining in Cape Charles.
Coastal Bakery Co.
Mason Ave., 757-331-2482555 Mason Ave.
One of my favorite eateries in Cape Charles, Virginia is this local bakery. This restaurant is run by Bobby and Cassie Patel, a husband and wife combination. Cassie bakes some of the greatest cookies, pies, cakes, and other treats in Virginia.
Bobby, her husband, demonstrates his love of Cajun cuisine by stocking the daily lunch board with sandwiches such blackened chicken panini, muffuletta, and Andouille. For those who like Indian food, he also provides Chana Masala and the occasional Indian dish.
The inside eating space has a few tables, as does the outside dining area. They are open most of the year, but close in January. Take-out accounts for a large portion of their company, and you should plan on bringing some of Cassie’s baked goodies home with you. This is one of the greatest locations to go in Cape Charles for wonderful baked products and a relaxed supper.
The Bakery on Mason Street
Mason Ave., 757-331-47772.
Most communities are fortunate to have one wonderful from-scratch bakery, but Cape Charles, Virginia is doubly privileged with the addition of the Bakery On Mason. Before launching their new business on Mason Street, owners Louise Orlando and Andrew Barbour sold baked goods at local farmers markets.
Breads are among their most popular goods. Locals like the whole grain loaf, baguettes, and oatmeal bread. To rise and shine, these rustic loaves depend on wild Eastern Shore yeast. A sandwich board advertises the day’s hand-held lunch options.
Don’t miss out on the scones, croissants, and particularly the turnovers, which tend to sell out quickly. To be safe, contact ahead to reserve your purchase, since it would be disappointing to arrive and discover that your preferred option has sold out.
One of Cape Charles’ top eateries, The Bakery On Mason, shuts in late December and reopens in the spring.
Cape Charles Brewing Company is a brewery in Cape Charles, Virginia.
Stone Rd., +1 757-695-39092198 Stone Rd.
When Cape Charles, Virginia started its renaissance in the early 2000s, it became evident that there was place for a brewpub. In 2018, brothers Chris and Mark Marshall founded Cape Charles Brewing Company, filling a need in the area’s drinking facilities.
The water tower shaped like a lighthouse and the Cape Charles Brewing Company are two of the first things a tourist observes as they drive into town. The Marshall brothers have created a beer and food sanctuary that is quickly becoming a local and tourist favorite.
The beer selection is divided into four categories. There are Hop Forward, Light and Easy, Tart and Fruity, and Dark and Malty categories. On any given day, up to 15 beers will be available.
Interesting titles like Assateague Island New England IPA, Fisherman Island IPA, Smith Island IPA, Puddle Pirate Porter, and Capetober Fest all make you feel like you’re aboard a beer ship off the coast of Cape Charles. In the drink menu, the brothers feature both local (Cape Chatham) and foreign wines (Finca Antigua, for example).
They provide both indoor and outdoor dining, as do many other Cape Charles, Virginia restaurants. There’s also a fire pit for folks who like sitting around a crackling fire, sipping beer and trading daytime stories.
The restaurant prepares a variety of tasty dishes to mix with beer. To begin, try the drunken clams, drunken shrimp, steamed oysters, or steamed giant shrimp.
A big three-meat burger called the Two Brothers Burger comes with sautéed onions, mushrooms, peppers, and pepper-jack cheese.
Beer mixes well with seafood, and the menu includes beer-battered fish and chips, a tuna burger, fish tacos, a Cobb Island crab sandwich, and a rockfish sandwich. The Cape Charles Brewing Company is open all year and is one of the greatest eateries in Cape Charles for kicking back and relaxing with a drink.
Coffee Shop in Cape Charles
Mason Ave., 757-331-18802.
Every community needs a coffee shop where residents and tourists can congregate and get their caffeine fix. Not only does the Cape Charles Coffee House meet that demand, but they also provide a great breakfast and lunch all year.
The owners have transformed the historic Cape Charles Bank, around 1910, into a beautiful hangout. Come for coffee and free Internet, and locate a great spot to hide away in until the day’s duties beckon you out.
The upstairs is an excellent location for a conference, function, or party. The tin ceilings, art deco chandeliers, and mahogany paneling give a sophisticated area for rent amid the splendor of the affluent days when this was a bank.
Come for the coffee, stay for the meal, but don’t miss out on this Cape Charles establishment.
Ice cream in the shape of a brown dog
757-695-3868 203 Mason Ave.
I’m always perplexed when ice cream shops are included among a town’s greatest restaurants. Brown dog ice cream, on the other hand, merits a position on the top nine Cape Charles eateries list. The brown dog, which is only open during the summer, is famous among those who have experienced its frozen confection delight.
With over 140 varieties of house-made ice cream, it’s the quality, not the number, that sets them apart. On any given day, only around 8-10 of the options are available.
In the summer, expect to wait 10-20 minutes since the queue might extend out the door. Once inside, take your time looking through the day’s offerings so you’re ready to taste and pick your delight.
They feature a variety of unique tastes, like strawberry basil, apricot pistachio, strawberry-cherry-goat cheese, cookies and cream, and much too many to list. Enjoy it in a cup, cone, milkshake, or Belgian waffle ice cream sandwich!
If Brown Dog Ice Cream is closed, consider Gull Hammock, which sells ice cream by the pint. Their ice cream is also available in local restaurants such as The Shanty, The Coach House Tavern, and The Seafood Restaurant.
There are several fantastic restaurants in Cape Charles, Virginia, but don’t forget to take in the natural beauty of the region as well. There is a lot of history here, and the wayside is littered with historical markers that explain a portion of the narrative.
Cape Charles was built in the 1880s as an extension of the New York, Philadelphia, and Norfolk Railroad. To make the most of your stay, stop by the Cape Charles Museum and Welcome Center to learn more about the area.
Cape Charles, Virginia, was a friendly town with some of my favorite eateries on the whole Delmarva Peninsula. You’ll probably agree with me.
Other travelers and residents may have their own thoughts about must-try eateries, and they are invited to share them.