leaping lizard cafe

great place to eat!. my husband and i recently visited va beach, one thing i really wanted to do was go to the leapinglizardfor lunch. i watched the episode with guy on triple d. the lunch was super good. my husband had the tuna salad and i had the quinoa salad. they were both delicious. the server and everyone there was so friendly and made you feel very welcome. i can't wait to go back.

food was fun and creative. but both times i went, the service was sluggish at best. i enjoyed the surry ham in the local baked ciabatta, but it took forever to arrive. also they have limited alcohol drinks and the selection i requested was "out" it was called a grapefruit margarita. also they did not offer salt rims even though i asked.
i also tried the pork and lamb patty on a squash cake. not my favorite. the patty was a bit underdone. the squash was soggy and not crisp enough as a under layer for the patty. a bit more blueberry glaze would have been nice also.
would have enjoyed the bakery, but it was closed on mondays.
had to ask for the check, never good service when one has to request their own check.
really need to amp up the service. not only do we go to restaurants for food and presentation, but service is equally important. the leapinglizardhas missed his mark, hope they can recover.

too good for words!. my boyfriend and i are new to the hampton roads area and have been scouting for amazing places to eat since before we moved here. we just so happen to be in the leapinglizardcafe area so we decided to check it out.

-my boyfriend was told by people at work that it was amazing. i am a food network junkie and try to go to all the places on diners, dive-ins, and dives so of course after seeing the leapinglizardon it, i had to go!

it was amazing. we started out with their hummus. it is not a traditional hummus but it was so good! a girl to the table next to us ordered a mojito, it looked so good we ordered two of them. i strongly suggest ordering one when you are there. although the entrees sounded amazing, we decided to go with sandwiches since everyone else in the cafe had one. i ordered a half sandwich with soup. the soup of the day was fish chowder and the sandwich and soup was to die for!!! i only wish we had room for dessert!

totally wonderful expirience!. my family and i came down to virginia beach for vacation this week and after seeing leapinglizardcafe on triple d, i knew we had to try it.
it is a little different cuisine, but still very, very good. service was very nice. we had a lady named laura as our waitress and she was awesome! very personable. (haha she started calling me and my sister "honey" and "sweetheart") she also gave us names of several other resturants that are very good. laura even gave us a free cookie dessert thing at the end of the meal.
thanks laura for making it amazing. guys, ask for laura- she's awesome.
p.s. the chicken salad was really great.

lives up to the hype. my wife and i went here on our honeymoon trip to virginia beach. we are big fans of diners, drive-in's and dives, and the episode featuring the leapinglizardis actually the one that made us want to spend our honeymoon in the area. us being from kentucky, we hadn't actually eaten at any of the restaurants featured on triple d, so we were very excited to get to eat here. we went around 2 o'clock during the week. the place was a little crowded, but most of the patrons were sitting outside. we elected to go inside, due to the heat. i had the turkey blt, and it was absolutely phenomenal. my wife had the turkey wrap, and it was also great. my wife normally never eats potato salad, but the leaping lizard's take on the side item made her rave, even two weeks later. we shared a piece of the cappuccino fudge for dessert, and i'm normally not a big fan of fudge, but it was good. you could easily tell that the food was made with the fresh, local ingredients they claim. this was the best meal we had during our 4-night stay in virginia beach, as well as the cheapest, and we ate at several different places that are highly regarded on urban spoon. if i were visiting virginia beach again and could only pick one restaurant, it would be the leapinglizard100% of the time. go check it out, you won't regret it!

favorite lunch spot!. i have been to leapinglizarda number of times since discovering it earlier this year. both my friend and i had been lamenting finding a local, artsy eatery nearby, and were excited when we found leaping lizard. the atmosphere reminds me of many of the small restaurants along the gulf coast of florida that i loved (and miss...), service is always good and the place is almost always packed. so be ready for a wait (or get there early). parking is also limited, and in our experience if you're carpooling with others, be sure to take the compact car!

what about the food? i have yet to try anything that isn't excellent. the hummas wrap and quinoa salad are favorites, but so were the (lightly) fried green tomatoes i had off the seasonal menu last time i was there. the summer gazpacho was delightful as well. my friend swears their roast beef sandwich is one of the better ones she's ever ordered out (i tend towards the more vegetarian options). portions are a good size for lunch--not too much so as to overwhelm or that i feel stuffed (or have to skip dessert!).. most come with a small salad and fresh (in season) fruit.. don't forget to try one of their desserts too--my favorite is always the chocolate cake! prices are good for a sit-down lunch at a place like this; with splitting a check with a friend (and we usually get dessert) plus a tip, i rarely spend over $17. which to me is well worth it for the quality of food and the prompt service.

amazing place!. i dined at leapinglizardyesterday with some of my girlfriends. i cannot believe it was my first time! i have lived in va beach all of my life and have truly been missing out! i had the rockfish which was served over parsnip puree! it was to die for. the fish was perfectly cook and the puree was decadent. it also came with a side salad and potatoes, both of which were delicious. the salad had a wonderful and light vinegarette. my sister got the chicken salad sandwhich and she was in love with it! the potato salad that was served with the sandwhich was also excellent. my friend tried the duck salad! the duck was perfectly cooked and the ingredients in the salad were perfectly balanced, and complimentend one another. i almost forgot....we started with fried green tomatoes. they were served over gazpacho and drizzeled with basil mayo! the tomatoes were perfectly fried and seasoned. this is one of the few places i have dined where i have not reached for the salt or pepper shaker! everything was perfect! i only wish they were open for dinner, but we were informed that they may be bringing back dinner service in the spring or summer! this place is a true gem!

leapinglizardcafe. i have always enjoyed leapinglizardbut was very disappointed yesterday, when i brought a friend to try the place. we got there around noon and it was crowded like always but there was a table top for 2 which we took. we both order the autumn sandwich. a table behind us and on the side of us became empty and naturally they got taken. those people came in around 15 minutes after us and those 6 people got their sandwiches before us. i ask the waitress if they had forgotten about us and she replied nope and walked away. we were hungry and eveyone's sandwiches around us were so beautiful and golden with grill marks. about 15 minutes later our's came out and you could tell they made it as fast as they could. it wasn't toasted golden, 2 bite size of butternut squash on it and no mushrooms at all. i was very disappointed and it will take me sometime to get over this and return. i've always bragged about this place. i would rather someone be honest and let me know they were out of the items to make the sandwich, the chef goof and burn it, or they forgot to turn the order in, whatever. we were there for almost an hour and when there was no mushrooms on the sandwich we were upset, we got up and ask for the check. of course we didn't have to pay. we left and i took my friend to my other favorite place lubo's on pleasure house road and had the veggie wrap which is never a disappointment and portabello pizza with a glass of wine. yum, yum!

quickly becoming a weekly stop. we've lived here just over 3 months and i've been here 5 times. each time trying something new and each time loving it. i had started my monday by attempting to geocache but when the app wouldn't load on my phone i figured i'd just have lunch instead. i was all the way on the other side of va beach but knew where to head. leapinglizardof course!
this time around i had the sweet potato & ham biscuit that was unbelievably moist and tasty. i can't remember what the dressing on the biscuit is but it mixes well with the ham and sweet potato. it came with so much food that i didn't think i'd be able to eat everything but it all was so delicious i didn't leave anything untouched. and that chicken soup? oh my gosh! i'm not a soup person (i've had soup probably 3 times in 5 years) but this is soup i would go out of my way to have. i don't know what that spice or extraordinary taste was but it was really yummy. i'll just have to keep going back 'til i've tried everything on the menu!


-----22 apr, 2011-----

i don't think there are enough adjectives in the dictionary to say just how much i loved the dinner here. everyone needs to step out of their food comfort zones and try something different. probably the best food i've had.

love it!!!. being a loyal patron and regular customer, i consistently have had delicious meals and love the weekly specials. i have been going to the leapinglizardsince it opened and feel that i am able to write a very favorable review for anyone wanting a yummy lunch place with a lot of character!!!

local favorite / casual wonder. outdoor dining under towering trees... it does not get much more relaxing than this local favorite. the leapinglizardcafe serves fresh, local, healthy fare including daily local seafood specials, crisp salads, sandwiches made on fresh, homemade bread (baked daily), and delicious grilled flatbread. the food is kept so fresh that they do not even have a freezer!