the birch bar

cool atmosphere that was ruined by the rudeness of the staff. this place has great beers tonoffer however when i went here with a group of 12 people they asked the 2 people who did not order drinks to stand bc they needed the chairs for another party who was about to arrive. when the 2 took a nearby seat at the bar they were again asked to get up... what type or establishment treats their customers like this? we stayed for 1 drink and got the checks bc of their awful and very rude attitudes. because of this we will never go back.

the birch: it's not a tree. this is a beer bar plain and simple, and in that regard you will be hard pressed to find a better beer bar in the city/state/region. it truly is a beer lover's paradise. the draft and bottle list are ever changing and there isn't a bad beer in the bunch. we are talking world class beers on a regular basis. that being said, if you have a problem paying more than $5 for a beer this is not the place for you. sorry.

not only will you find knowledgeable staff eager to guide you in your selection, the unconventional look and feel of the venue add to the distinct vibe you wil find only at the birch. be it fellow patrons commenting on your beer selection, invigorating conversations with complete strangers, helping a lost soul staring helplessly at the list of 21 unique drafts, or just frothing at the mouth for one of the vintage bottles newly added to the bottle list... the birch provides a truly unique experience. i drive from williamsburg on a regular basis just to get my fix. that's a helluva endorsement considering fuel prices at the moment.

for those miffed about being turned away at the door... that is to protect the integrity of what makes the birch so great: it's atmosphere. ben would rather provide a memorable evening of individual attention and comfortable seating then cram the space like a cattle cart and make you wade through a sea of bodies to grab your next brew. it's a tiny place with a massive regional footprint in terms of buzz. i implore you to give it another chance and you'll see why.

over the top.... i have a feeling my fellow reviewer's aren't going to like what i have to say about this place, but i have to call it like i see it.

first things first. do they have great beer here? yes. do they have great atmosphere? yes. is it all over the top. absolutely.

the birch bar is the latest hipster trendy place to arrive on the norfolk scene. i'm not sure if that was by design or not, but that's what it's turned into. the beer selection is awesome and it's also way over priced even for downtown norfolk. food here is sparse. you can get a grilled cheese sandwich for $9.00 (cough) or one their cheese boards. they also have some little finger snacks like popcorn and beer nuts for $3.00 each and that's it for the menu.

they play no music and i like this concept as it invokes conversation. however you wouldn't have been able to hear the music, or much less the person next to you, without screaming the night i visited.

the beers are many and varied and the assortment is always changing. no matter your poison, the pint or goblet you order is going to run you on average about $8.00 per beer. we were definitely having trouble getting a waitress to serve us so we ended up getting our beers from the bar.

i'm going to wait a bit and let the hype die down before my next visit. personally i wish they were open on sundays so you could experience the joint with a non nightlife environment. maybe they'll do that next year by the time football season has started.

great beer. the birch is one of my favorite places in hr. the beer selection is amazing and the policy of replacing an empty keg with a new beer is perfect! i try 3-4 new beers a week here. the cheese's they have on the menu are fantastic, i havent tried the sammy's but i hear they're decent. the servers are amazingly knowledgeable when it comes to beer and are always willing to help you make a decision. the only real complaint i have is that service at the bar can be painfully slow.

if you're thinking of trying the birch definitely try the "steal the pint night" on wednesday's, just make sure you get there early so the special keg of the night doesnt run out, or the glasses.

a beer bar. this is a cool place with great beers. i'd eat before you come (tortilla west next door?) and be prepared for enjoying the beer as the star of the show.

good beer, horrible staff. the owner of the birch bar is the most pretentious prick i have ever encountered. we called a week ahead of time to make a reservation for a party of 12 which they would not do. we arrived early to ensure we had seats and they would not let us move tables together unless everyone in the seat was drinking. they would not separate checks but did not warn us ahead of time. i believe our waiter was owner boy and he did not want to take any time to explain or recommend any of the beers on a rather extensive menu.

our intent was a night out at a new place. the staff sucked and none of us will ever return. if the place goes out of business, owner boy know it was you. you are a jerk.

a good start, but needs to get better. i have been a micro-brew fan for over two decades and the birch just opened up on my neighborhood. my first visit was disappointing. the beer selection is very good. they had a bit over 20 drafts and a bottle list of over 100 beers. the place is very small so if you go you may want to go right after it opens in mid-afternoon. the "movie popcorn" for three dollars appears to be microwave. the cheese plate is tiny. the beers are expensive but not extreme. my wife had a cola and i had two beers. we had a cheese plate with two cheeses and the crackers/olive/honey/salami side. with tip, we walked out 40 bucks lighter. my second beer came in a round glass and the head was super thick and well below the top of the glass. so when it settled, i had about half a beer. our waitress was friendly. they sell no wine or other alcohol so if you have friends who don't like to drink beer, they won't be able to get an alcoholic beverage other than a hard cider. they had no ice tea and no lemons. lemons are good in a side glass of water, but also good in some varieties of beer. i think this place is can get better and i hope it will. it needs to improve its food and make the inside more pub-like and comfortable. i black concrete floor with small rickety tables does not cut it. my guess is, the owner was on a budget and just wanted to open. let's hope profits go into the bar/pub and that the food and atmosphere improve. cheers, ayerdan

horrible service, poor management overshadow extensive beer selection. a craft beer bar is not simply defined by the beer selection. it's defined by the entire experience, which includes service, meeting expectations, and delivering on advertised or portrayed overall product. this place started to earn a buzz through facebook and twitter months before they opened. and they continue to portray one image through social media but deliver an entirely different experience.

my friends and i arrived at 830, not really the busiest time to visit a bar on a friday night. the "door guy" greeted us as we walked up and said "sorry, we're at capacity right now. i can't let you in until some people leave." i looked over his should and saw that while all the tables were full, it certainly wasn't "bar full." but then the guy tells us we can wait on the porch area and someone would come by to serve us out there while we wait. my friends and i thought we'd give it a try. after all, i had been waiting to go to this place for a while.

we stood in the porch area for 15-20 minutes before we saw a waitress. she handed us a food menu but no beer menu. "can we see a beer list. that's why we're here....it's a craft 'beer' bar," we told her and she said she'd try to find one for us. another 5-10 minutes go by and a waiter walks by. "can we get a beer list" we asked him. he replies "man they're all the over the place. i don't think we have any more." um, what? how are we supposed to order beer without a list? the guy finally comes back with a bottled craft beer list. awesome list, but one problem....it doesn't list the beers on tap! apparently that is on a board on the inside.

so i went to the doorman to ask if we could go inside to look at the board to see what crafts they have on tap. we were told no. at that same time, 6 people walk out and i ask if me and my friends can enter now. "no, we were actually over capacity so you'll have to wait out here longer." ok, but i'd really like to see what you have on tap. can you at least take my droid phone inside and take a picture of the board for me so me and my friends can order a beer after waiting out here for another 30 minutes? "i don't think so, let me ask my boss."

after waiting another 10 minutes we ended up leaving. given some of the other negative reviews, the birch really needs to start understanding that an impressive beer list is just a start. the other 75% of the experience is service. waiting 30+ minutes and not even getting the opportunity to see what specialty beers are on tap is insane. this place is run so poorly the beer list is overshadowed by horrible management, poor planning, and the inability to see that running a craft beer bar is more than saying you have a craft beer bar.

mostly like it. summary of what i would say this to people who have never been:

1. be prepared for amazing beers!
2. be prepared for higher prices. (you are paying for imports not pbr in a can)
3. be prepared to ask your server for recommendations and information on beers you are unfamiliar with or better yet check out the beer list online and do some research before you head out.
4. be prepared to wait for a seat. this place is small but they do have tables outside for warmer weather days.
5. know that this is not a "bar" where you go to get drunk. this is a place you go to actually enjoy the beer you are drinking.

my experience:
i was very excited to finally try the birch. (we were there last week) i am not a big drinker but i love local businesses and was intrigued by the idea of a craft beer bar. :-)

i do like it, but i do agree that the service is some what lacking. we did not encounter anyone rude...everyone was nice, but you had to grab a server while you could (no one checked in on us.)

we didn't have any real food so i can not comment on that but we did have a bowl of popcorn. it was good! :-)

on a side note, i was the dd so i only had one beer. i would have to refer to the menu again to see what options they have for the non drinkers (i mean someone has to drive home) but when i asked for a glass of water it was warm tap water...warm water is bleck (i didnt mind the fact that is was out f the tap)

a few comments and response to the trolls.. i really don't have enough good things to say about this place, and at this point i may just be an addict.

craft beer doesn't get any better. if you want to explore the seemingly endless world of beer with a staff that has the knowledge, experience, and personality to act as guide and mentor on your blissful quest then there really is no other place to go. there is no local comparison and you really are missing out if you haven't at least tried it.

a few of my favorite features:

- a draft list that constantly rotates so that each visit greets you with a different menu.

- you can sample the beer (draft only) before you buy a glass, so you know what you're paying for.

- can you say draft beer to-go? anything on the menu can be ordered to-go, and there's an excellent price incentive on the 1/2 gallon growlers.

- a staff (owners included) that are genuinely friendly people and have confidence, pride, and appreciation for their product.

- they open an hour before t-west, which for me means an opening act for taco night on monday and tuesday.

- the birch attracts people that are interesting and fun to talk to. go there and talk to someone random, they're probably very interesting.

finally, a couple of concerns about the grossly exaggerated negative reviews here. they're just that: grossly exaggerated and even flat-out wrong. whoever that was that said you get 4-oz glasses, for example, is off their rocker. you'll get smaller glasses for some of the more potent beers (like the 11% ones), but i'm pretty sure the smallest glass they have is 9oz. that doesn't mean you can't get a pint though, just pick a beer that's appropriate for that type of glass. if you don't know, ask. if you don't ask, learn by trial. the latter is my preference.

i'll attach a photo of what you can expect from their cheese boards.

the good, the bad and the ugly. the good, the bad and the ugly......

the good....great beer selection and the quality of the beer is good. good use of glassware. on the down side, beers are poured with way to much head!! you pay eight bucks for a beer and get 4 inches of beer and 4 inches of head.

the bad....now i understand that maybe they aren't making food a focus and just need to have food since it's va, but really the food sucks! for example, i payed $15 for a cheese tray and here is what i got: 4 slices of one cheese, a few crumbles of another, 4 small pieces of sausage, some stale crackers and some dipping honey. my friend got a $9 grilled cheese which was basically one piece of cheese and one piece of ham on two huge slices of bad bread. food is horrible and overpriced!! don't eat here!

the really, really ugly......worst service and rudest staff ever!!!
if you want to wait forever for your beer, go here. if you want to sit at a dirty table and wait an hour for it to be cleared, go here. if you want to sit at an empty table and then be told to move, go here. if you want a server to tell you they can't get you a beer because you're not in their area, go here. if you want to be yelled at to move because you're standing in front of the draft list, go here. i could give many more examples but what it basically comes down to is that the staff is rude and unfriendly and treats a lot of customers badly.

it is unfortunate that a place with such good beer is so lousy. i won"t be back to the birch!! fortunately there are other places to get good beer in the area. cogan's pizza has great food, better than average beer and a way nicer staff. taphouse ghent has decent food, good beer and a mostly nice staff. and if you just want to pick up really great beer to take home, go to grape & gourmet in va beach. they have an unbelievable selection and the nicest staff ever.

best bar in norfolk!. the birch is my new favorite bar in ghent. the selection is amazing, the staff is friendly and helpful. they have a good selection of cheeses that go well with the beer too (just ask for suggestions). not to mention they have growlers! you can't beat the birch.

explosive craft beer content.. as a true craft beer enthusiast every time i went out it was like pulling teeth to pick a place to go. no more am i plagued with indesicion and mediocre selection. no longer do i have to say the dreaded words, "well, where do you guys want to go tonight?" for there is finally beer nirvana right in my back yard!

the birch bar has twenty one taps of pure bliss. one of them is even on nitro which untill now was unheard of in this area. they kick and change out kegs so regularly that there is always something new to try. also, make sure you are sitting down cause your about to get weak in the knees, they have true cask beer. the beer gods are benevolent and have blessed us with the birch.

the atmosphere is focused, intimate and social. no horrendously huge tv's, slimy shtick or lackluster decore. you are surrounded by beer culture and its warm embrace. the staff is knowledgeable and quick to impart as much time as they can spare you so as to meet everyones brew needs. the food though limited is the perfect poetic complement to the massive selection of liquid meals that are served. concise and extremely complimentry.

do yourself a favor and go to the birch bar.

aweesssssooooommmmmeeeeeee..... seriously, a new favorite for ghent! it's fantastic that gordon is here too. he's been one of the best waiters in ghent for as long as i can remember hanging out in ghent, from cogans to the taphouse, and i'm sure others.

don't expect food. there isn't any. people who complain about that should go to tgif's or some other dumb thing since they didn't realize they were coming to a *bar*. some of the best beers on tap ever, reasonable prices, and the music is low enough to talk over.

great place for craft beer. went to the birch bar for the first time recently after hearing about from a couple different people. i wouldn't consider myself to be a true beer geek, but it was a great place to hang out with friends and get some real beer that you can't find anywhere else around hampton roads. it was a pretty relaxed place even with friday night crowds and i liked that the music playing in the background. the big draft selection is also updated online (including prices) which is pretty cool. so far the main focus is beer, but i would like to see a few more food items to snack on. the soft pretzel i had was good and i tasted some good cheese from one of the platters a friend ordered, but i dont think this is going to be a place to sit down for dinner.