The unofficial online home for fans of the Old Dominion University Monarchs. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

Hey folks, Me and another guy are traveling to ODU for the basketball. Don't know anything about the area. Looking for some recommendations:

1. Dinner recommendations (good local places)
2. Good cocktail and beer recommendations
3. Where should I book a hotel? Looking for an area with some bars or restaurants walkable.
4. Any sight-seeing "must sees" ?

Thanks everyone!

(02-22-2017 08:05 AM)galojah Wrote:  Hey folks, Me and another guy are traveling to ODU for the basketball. Don't know anything about the area. Looking for some recommendations:

1. Dinner recommendations (good local places)
2. Good cocktail and beer recommendations
3. Where should I book a hotel? Looking for an area with some bars or restaurants walkable.
4. Any sight-seeing "must sees" ?

Thanks everyone!

1). No Frill Bar and Grill is probably my favorite restaurant and is located in Ghent, my favorite neighborhood in Norfolk. There are also some good bars in that area.
2). O'Connor Brewery is really big and is owned by an ODU alumni (Handsome Biscuit, another local eatery is right around the corner), Coelacanth Brewery is pretty close, and Smartmouth Brewery isn't too far from the area either.
3). Downtown Norfolk is cool if you're looking for tons of places within walking distance of your hotel. However there is also a Marriott Springhill Suites right beside our basketball arena on campus and there are bars and restaurants located in that area as well (University Village).
4). Check out Nauticus and the USS Wisconsin, MacArthur Mall, and the Chrysler Museum.

(02-22-2017 08:05 AM)galojah Wrote:  Hey folks, Me and another guy are traveling to ODU for the basketball. Don't know anything about the area. Looking for some recommendations:

1. Dinner recommendations (good local places)
2. Good cocktail and beer recommendations
3. Where should I book a hotel? Looking for an area with some bars or restaurants walkable.
4. Any sight-seeing "must sees" ?

Thanks everyone!

Norfolk is host to a bunch of great restaurants and beer. Unfortunately I don't think we have too big of a cocktail scene. I personally have to recommend as my absolute favorite Handsome Biscuit. That's a need to go place in my opinion, but do know it's a smaller joint and the line can get long sometimes. Coelacanth Brewing is my favorite brewery in the area, but again we've got some great options.

I'll break my other recommendations down into different regions of Norfolk. You can't go wrong with any of them in my opinion. Let me know if you want more info on anything specifically.

Downtown
Especially down Granby Street, there's a bunch of places and hotels that are nice. I would recommend a hotel in downtown personally, because that's where the action is but if you'd prefer to be on ODU's campus there's a Marriott there too.

Food:
Grilled Cheese Bistro
Nouvelle
Field Guide
Lamia's Crepe's (If you're thinking of something lighter)
Zeke's Beans and Bowls

Bars: (Some of these have good food too)
The Brick Anchor
Hell's Kitchen
The Barrel Room
Norfolk Tap Room

Activities/Events:
NEON Art District in general
Chrysler Museum of Art (one of my favorite museums I've been too, and it's FREE!)
Glass Wheel Studio
Push Comedy Theater (Shows at 8 & 10 every Friday/Saturday, sometimes some on Sunday as well).
Work Release (nightclub/art exhibition)
Generic Theatre
MacArthur Mall
MacArthur Memorial
Virginia Opera House


Ghent
This is the younger, more hipster-esque, area of Norfolk. Awesome part of town with a good food/bar scene down Colley and 21st St. No real hotels in this area though. Airbnb?

Food/Drinks:
Mr. Shawarma
Island Krave
Streats
No Frill Bar and Grill
Green Onions (good brunch)
Cogans (A bar, great pizza though!)
Peck and Pour (Wing joint/bar. Fun place w/ a good amount of TVs)
Public House (More of a drinks place, but has great food as well. Just a bit pricey)
Colley Cantina (Good taco specials)
Coelacanth Brewing Company (Great beer, Awesome interior, bad parking)
O'Connor's Brewing Company (Great beer, great space, good parking)
Smartmouth Brewing
Rip Rap Brewing Company
Tabletop Brewing Company


Miscellaneous Areas
Food/Drink:
The Handsome Biscuit
Toast
Dirty Buffalo
TASTE Unlimited
Bold Mariner Brewing Company

Activities:
Norfolk Botanical Garden
Virginia Zoo


This is not a comprehensive list, but it's what I can think of off the top of my head right now. If you have any questions or want me to elaborate more, please ask!

Hasn't been mentioned but if you want some oysters hit up AW Shucks. Good beer selection also.

I would suggest getting a room at spring hill suites if you can. They have free breakfast in the morning and since the game is your main event, it'll make things a lot easier. Plently of bars right there too as well as a sports bar right in the hotel. If you want to hit up the breweries or ghent (which I suggest) then just take an uber which will be cheap.

When I drive down I always hit one of the Surf Rider Restaurants for dinner. Excellent Seafood and good prices.

If I was you, I would stay at Springhill and uber to ghent. Mr. Schwarma is an awesome lunch spot, btw. Israeli

If you are staying at Courtyard, I do like 3 way cafe which is 2 blocks toward the water on the same side of the street.

I concur with everyone else that the easiest way to do it would be staying at the hotel close to the game. Having to pick up an uber or cab from the game would be mildly annoying.

There's also some restaurants on Colley near ODU including Cogans (lots of beer choices, great pizza), Dirty Buffalo for wings, and Mack's Barge is a pretty chill spot on the water.

If you plan on having some mixers in your room, you will need to stop at an ABC store which handles all the liquor sales in Virginia. You can pick up beer/wine from any grocery or convenience store.

(02-22-2017 09:25 AM)odu09 Wrote:  I concur with everyone else that the easiest way to do it would be staying at the hotel close to the game. Having to pick up an uber or cab from the game would be mildly annoying.

There's also some restaurants on Colley near ODU including Cogans (lots of beer choices, great pizza), Dirty Buffalo for wings, and Mack's Barge is a pretty chill spot on the water.

If you plan on having some mixers in your room, you will need to stop at an ABC store which handles all the liquor sales in Virginia. You can pick up beer/wine from any grocery or convenience store.

If he's coming from KY, he better bring his own! And plenty to share!

(02-22-2017 09:25 AM)odu09 Wrote:  I concur with everyone else that the easiest way to do it would be staying at the hotel close to the game. Having to pick up an uber or cab from the game would be mildly annoying.

There's also some restaurants on Colley near ODU including Cogans (lots of beer choices, great pizza), Dirty Buffalo for wings, and Mack's Barge is a pretty chill spot on the water.

If you plan on having some mixers in your room, you will need to stop at an ABC store which handles all the liquor sales in Virginia. You can pick up beer/wine from any grocery or convenience store.

Dirty Buffalo...All you need to know.

Stay in downtown. In the morning go to D'Egg for breakfast. Check out Slover Library, McCarthur Memorial or Nauticus. Walk around the Pagoda and then Freemason. Order uber, go to Dirty Buffalo (wings) or Cogans North (pizza and great bar, order pizza with spicy sauce) for food and to watch other bball games. Take uber to O'Connors or Smartmouth (BenchTop Brewing is in walking distance). Drink beer, enjoy the warm weather, eat food truck fare and play corn hole. Go to game. Order uber, go back downtown. Go to Saint Germain for cocktails. Go to Jack Browns for a great burger. Check out Hells Kitchen for dive atmosphere downtown. Go to Bennys for a late night slice (fair warning, its huge).

If you do some mixture of this, you should have a great time and see a lot.

Just hopping on the Handsome Biscuit (breakfast), Dirty Buffalo (wings - lunch/dinner), and O'Connors (brewery) recommendations.

The hotel by campus is over $220. Got a Courtyard downtown for $109.

(02-22-2017 10:29 AM)galojah Wrote:  The hotel by campus is over $220. Got a Courtyard downtown for $109.

good call. your uber rides won't be more than like $10-12.

(02-22-2017 10:29 AM)galojah Wrote:  The hotel by campus is over $220. Got a Courtyard downtown for $109.

Holy moly I did not realize it was that expensive

(02-22-2017 10:29 AM)galojah Wrote:  The hotel by campus is over $220. Got a Courtyard downtown for $109.

From the Courtyard, you are right next to the MacArthur Memorial, and just two blocks from the Slover Library. If you are at all into history/architecture, they both are worth walking through.

You then have only a half block further to hit the Granby St. scene.

Hope you enjoy it (except for the game part, of course).

Try not to make fun of our light rail while you are here, it's a sensitive topic.

(02-22-2017 08:05 AM)galojah Wrote:  Hey folks, Me and another guy are traveling to ODU for the basketball. Don't know anything about the area. Looking for some recommendations:

1. Dinner recommendations (good local places)
2. Good cocktail and beer recommendations
3. Where should I book a hotel? Looking for an area with some bars or restaurants walkable.
4. Any sight-seeing "must sees" ?

Thanks everyone!

If you need a good hotel spot at the oceanfront let me know

There are two threads that give more info.

One is from a UMass fan that was going to come down for the football game. The other is from an ODU Alum that planned to visit Norfolk after having been gone for a while.

Both should be in the last 4-5 pages I think. I'd look but I'm doing homework and just taking a quick break.

(02-22-2017 10:32 AM)odu09 Wrote:  

(02-22-2017 10:29 AM)galojah Wrote:  The hotel by campus is over $220. Got a Courtyard downtown for $109.

Holy moly I did not realize it was that expensive

Not sure where that amount came from. We've stayed several times during BB season for $99-110. Plus free parking.