Hampton restaurants offer residents and visitors many delicious types of cuisine to try. Many of the restaurants use fresh fish from local fishermen and produce meats and poultry from local farmers. There are many reasons for visitors and residents to explore the restaurants or the attractions when they visit Hampton, VA. They have historical museums, cruises, beaches, monuments, farms, air and space museums, golfing, and fishing. The farm-to-table restaurants, seafood, breweries, American cuisine, Italian, Mexican, Indian, Asian, Thai food, coffee houses, bakeries, ice cream shops, vegan and vegetarian restaurants make Hampton a destination with fresh food for all tastes. It has delicious food for adults, children and seniors.
Downtown Hampton Restaurants
Downtown Hampton restaurants have several seafood restaurants that serve a variety of fresh and fried seafood. They have fresh shrimp, oysters, and clams, seafood chowders, seafood sandwiches, fresh fish, and combination platters. Downtown has Italian restaurants with pizza and pasta, Caribbean, Cajun, and Chinese restaurants. Several restaurants are located on East and West Mercury Boulevard, and Kecoughtan Road. Downtown restaurants in Hampton are diverse with brewpubs coffee shops, bars, bakeries, cafes, food trucks, stands, and upscale restaurants. They serve brunch, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Many offer special takeout menus.
Mexican Restaurants
There are several Mexican restaurants in Hampton that serve traditional and street food. These restaurants serve nachos, taco salads, burritos, chile Rellenos with rice and beans, chicken dishes, beef dishes, fish tacos, seafood, fajitas, and combination dishes. Some restaurants have bars and serve beer, wine, margaritas, cocktails, tequila, and Palomas. Mexican desserts are fried ice cream or flan. A popular restaurant is a Mexican restaurant called Guy Fieri's Dive & Taco Joint. Mexican restaurants in Hampton have a variety of formats: sit down with a bar and entertainment, casual, stands, and food trucks. Some restaurants are located along Jefferson Street and Power Plant Parkway.
Authentic Mexican food served at these restaurants includes stuffed jalapeños, bean dip, nachos with shrimp, meat, cheese, chicken, or steak. Spicy taco salads with beef, cheese, salsa, beans, and fish are a popular item. Spicy grilled chicken dishes with vegetables, beans, and rice are on the menu or Chile Colorado, a steak covered with chili sauce. Mexican restaurants offer spicy seafood entrees, and casual fast food with tacos, fajitas, burritos, fries, tortilla soup, nachos, and street corn salad.
Seafood Restaurants
Seafood restaurants serve a variety of fresh fish broiled, steamed, and fried. They serve raw clams, oysters and shrimp cocktails, seafood chowders, crab cakes, seafood sandwiches, fish tacos, fried shrimp, and clams. Some serve fresh tuna, scallops, salmon, flounder, mussels, lobster tail, and crawfish. There are Cajun-style seafood restaurants the serve boiled shrimp, lobster tail, crab legs, clams, or mussels with corn potatoes and Cajun seasonings. Many have special seafood boil entrees. Some seafood restaurants have full bars with wine, beer, and mixed drinks to go with food. Many restaurants have designed special takeout menus for convenience.
Popular seafood items on the menu are traditional and lobster crab cakes, sea scallops, shrimp, fried fish, and fresh broiled or steamed fish. There is more than one restaurant on West Mercury Boulevard, Colesium Drive, and Town Center Way for fish lovers to try. The Hampton Coliseum is located on Coliseum Drive. On West Mercury Boulevard a very popular museum is located called Air Power Park that recently received a $700,000 grant.
Chinese Restaurants
There are several Chinese restaurants in Hampton that serve traditional Chinese and regional cuisine. They serve eggdrop soup, wonton soup, sizzling rice soup seafood, and noodle soups. These restaurants serve fried rice, combination platters, Hunan, Sichuan, pork, beef, fish, and chicken dishes. They serve curry dishes, sweet and sour, lo Mein, and Chow Mein dishes. Many offer takeout primarily and some offer to dine in with full-service bars. Most entrees come with meat, chicken or seafood, and vegetables white, brown, or fried rice, and special regional sauces. Hampton has special restaurants that serve Hibachi cooked beef, pork, chicken, and seafood. They offer takeout services and some delivery. Many restaurants offer luncheon specials with main entrees, fried or white rice, soup, and eggrolls. Several restaurants are located along Colesium Drive and Pembroke Avenue.
Italian Restaurants
There are many Italian restaurants that serve traditional and regional Italian dishes. They serve a wide variety of pasta with tomato, meat, basil, and cream sauces Their salads are antipasti, Italian salad, Caprese salads, and traditional varieties. They have baked lasagna, ravioli, chicken, veal, and fish dishes. Some restaurants serve thin-crust pizza, New York Style, and Silician with a variety of toppings. Try their subs, calzones, and strombolis. Many serve beer, wine, and soft drinks and have dine-in or take out. The menus offer broiled steaks and pork chops. They serve family-style and kids meals and special desserts cannolis, tiramisu, cheesecake, spumoni, and gelato. Another Guy Fieri restaurant in Hampton is called Guy Fieri's Pizza Parlor. It serves pizza and chicken wings.
Several restaurants are located along West Mercury Boulevard, and many of the Hampton Italian restaurants have special takeout menus and delivery in the local area. Many offer family dinner specials that feed a family of four or more with pasta and pizza entrees. Often they come with salad and bread, and some restaurants sell pizza dough and toppings to make pizza at home. Some have bars with alcoholic beverages for adults.
Thai Restaurants
Thai restaurants in Hampton serve traditional, Thai-pad, Southern, and Northern Thai dishes in their restaurants. They have special salads papaya, bean thread salad, and vegetable salad with beef, chicken, or pork with herbs. Popular soups are Tom Yum a hot and sour soup, coconut, and rice noodle soup. They serve green curry, yellow, and red curry with meat, fish, poultry and vegetables with different curry sauces. Their menus have fried rice dishes, fish dishes, duck, chicken, shrimp, and scallops. The restaurant serves soda, Thai coffee and tea, and soft drinks. These restaurants have takeout and some have dining rooms. Many menus offer lunch specials with main entree, rice, soup, or vegetable eggrolls. Some Asian restaurants serve a combination of fresh fish and sushi.
Greek Restaurants
There are Greek restaurants in Hampton that serve kebabs, vegetarian Greek salads or with meat or poultry, hummus, grape leaves stuffed with rice, chicken souvlaki, gyros, lamb dishes, Greek spaghetti, baked pasta dishes, chicken, fish, and special kids meals. Many restaurants have daily lunch specials for customers. Some Greek restaurants are casual sit down restaurants that offer lamb burgers, gyros and bowls, and takeout. Greek restaurants in Hampton have lamb sliders, shrimp and grits, and hush puppies. Many serve a combination of Mediterranean and Greek food. They have several fast food casual Greek restaurants for those that want a quick meal. Many have takeout menus for those on the go.
New Restaurants
New restaurants are opening regularly in Hampton serving brunch, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. During the year Hampton had a new food truck that sells fish sandwiches, and crab cakes that opened and eventually established a traditional restaurant. Local restaurants open every year serving burgers, pizza, barbecued platters, coffee, pastries, sandwiches, street food, and comfort food. There are healthy food options in many restaurants for vegans and vegetarians. Many restaurants are reopening with new menu items and special takeout menus for families. There are casual restaurants, food trucks, to upscale establishments in Hampton.