leaping lizard cafe

heard they had a fire and are rebuilding. please go by and visit around back wherevthey are selling fresh produce. help them rebuild, please.


-----07 may, 2010-----

fresh! fresh! great value and unique delights! great cookies! wine! hang out! let's help these folks make lots of money so they can expand theirservicehours!

first,the ambiance is 2nd to none for this area, you just don't get this around here. its cozy and quaint. the energy even outside is amazing. this would be a very romantic date. the duck is out of this world for dinner. also get the brownie with ice cream.serviceis fantast.

we arrived for a late lunch with some 10 folks hanging out in front waiting and a packed parking lot. no matter. we were seated promptly and graciously after they cleared a party of 14. i loved my snapper salad on a bed of greens with raspberry vinaigrette and tossed with blueberries and cantaloupe -- surprisingly fresh and yummy. the crab cakes were moist and packed with crab (i 'borrowed ' a bite from a friend), but felt the burger (beef, lamb and something i cannot remember, ordered by a friend) was woefully over cooked-- i'd have sent it back. despite the bustling dining room foodservicewas fast and friendly. despite the hot day, temperatures on the back porch were fine.

food was fun and creative. but both times i went, theservicewas 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 goodservicewhen 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, butserviceis equally important. the leaping lizard has missed his mark, hope they can recover.

absolutely delish!!. a friend and i stopped here last friday for lunch. i had seen the ddd show and wanted to go but i live across the bay. anyway, a doctors trip brought me across the bay and as a trip to care-a-lot was in the plan, and i found out how close we were to the restaurant, so we decided to go.what a treat! it smelled like heaven! very busy but theservicewas good and very friendly. i had the quinoa chicken salad and my fried had the fish taco. everything was delightful, fresh, eye-appealing and plentiful. prices are reasonable, lunch for 2 and i had enough for lunch the next day, was $25.00. most lunch items were between 8-12 dollars. i have another appt this friday and will be going back!

i have to say the food was really good! but i didn't know they had outdoor seating which i would have liked to sit outside and theservicewasn't all that great.

awesome food,service& environment.

totally wonderful expirience!. my family and i came down to virginia beach for vacation this week and after seeing leaping lizard cafe on triple d, i knew we had to try it.
it is a little different cuisine, but still very, very good.servicewas 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.

great food - not so friendly. 5 stars on the food - 4 stars onservicefor our server - 1 star on friendliness

the food was excellent and our server attentive and friendly. unfortunately our first impression was not warm and welcoming at all. we had a party of 5. two of us showed up soon after opening for lunch. we browsed the gift shop for a few minutes then decided to secure a table since we had a larger than normal party. after being greeted we were pretty much "shoed" to an outside table because five of us at a table inside would be pretty cramped. however, it was pretty hot (90) and humid. i think we would've preferred a/c and cramped to outside under those circumstances. we didn't make a fuss though and said fine. the hostess said she'd get our table set and ready - which she promptly did. keep in mind we were pretty much the first ones there - period. the place was empty. the meeting time for our group was 11:30. our table was set and ready by 11:15. a few minutes later the third person showed up. by 11:20 4 out of 5 of us were there. what really ruffled our feathers was being told we would not be seated until our entire party arrived - policy dontchaknow. you know, i understand policies are made for a reason. and under other circumstances (rush hour, really busy) i would have been much more okay with having to wait to be seated. but really? we're standing out there trying to find some shade to wait in, and we can see the completely empty patio with our table all set and waiting for us and they refused to seat us. it made no sense. it felt rude and not welcoming or friendly at all. our checks would've been larger had they let us sit and wait - all of us would've ordered a drink. but by the time we finally got seated we were so irritated we just wanted to get the show on the road.

by the time we left around 1:00 the place was packed. so if you want to go just know ahead of time you should try and get there early and don't expect to be seated until your entire party is there - even if they're empty.

favorite lunch spot!. i have been to leaping lizard a 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...),serviceis 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.

not impressed. portion sizes were fine, cost was reasonable, andservicewas pleasent. but when your a resterant whose claim to fame is freshness using deli meat roast beef i could get a walmart doesn't cut it. worse, lying and swear it was just in the oven & fresh sliced really gets you no points. the potato salad was old tasting. very shocked overall, not what i expected. my husband said his ham sandwich was tasty, but agreed the potatoe salad was "off". c+

beautiful experience all around!! great food with good friends and awesomeservicein especially gorgeous surroundings. thanks for making my heart flutter and my belly full.

amazing place!. i dined at leaping lizard yesterday 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 dinnerservicein the spring or summer! this place is a true gem!