The Chesapeake Bay is the defining culinary geography of coastal Virginia, and its influence reaches deep into the Virginia Beach dining scene even though the ocean gets most of the attention. Blue crabs from the bay are the regional obsession — steamed in Old Bay seasoning, picked at a newspaper-covered table with a mallet and a cold beer alongside. This is less a restaurant and more a tradition, though the Blue Pete's area off Indian River Road and the waterfront spots near the western parts of the city do it better than the tourist strip.
Chesapeake Bay oysters have experienced a remarkable revival after decades of decline; Virginia oysters are now among the most celebrated on the East Coast, with a clean, briny flavor that reflects the bay's particular water chemistry. Many restaurants on both sides of the city offer them raw on the half shell or roasted. Look for local designations like Chincoteague or seaside varieties, which have slightly different flavor profiles from the bay oysters.
Soft-shell crabs — blue crabs caught just after molting, when the new shell hasn't yet hardened — are a spring and early summer specialty that appears on menus across the region. Flounder, croaker, and spot are the local finfish staples; rockfish (striped bass) is the prized catch. For the best versions of all of these, the restaurants in the Lynnhaven Inlet area on the bay side of the city, about fifteen minutes from the boardwalk, tend to have shorter lines and more local clientele than the oceanfront spots.