the point at phoebus

went in on a friday night around 6:30. dining room/bar area was less than half full with no one on the deck. we were promptly seated and server was attentive. nice selection of beers on tap. we ordered calamari as an appetizer. it was nicely cooked but bland, portion seemed a bit small. for the main course i ordered the frutti de mellen street. dish had two clamss and 2 shrimp, plus the fish and cod. neither of the clams had opened so it had to be sent back. strangely enough the fish and squid were overcooked and rubbery. the smoked tomato marinara was quite thin and watery and reminded me of chef boy ardee. the baggettes were soggy since they were immersed in the watery marinara. it's a shame, the menu here looks quite imaginative but the execution leaves a lot to be desrired.

i think this place is a true gem. i walked inside not knowing what to expect. i walked out planning my next visit. i enjoyed every moment from the minute i walked in the door. the staff, the atmosphere and oh man the food. i couldn’t decide on one entree so i ordered 3 just for myself. all 3 were seafood items. each one i was amazed. the chesapeake cioppino, southern fried shrimp & grits and lastly the blue sea mac n cheese. i already know what i’m ordering on my next visit but i can’t lie i may order the southern fried shrimp & grits again. i definitely was not expecting this before i walked inside. definitely not expecting a place this good in little ol phoebus. my new favorite place!!!!

when this place first opened i recommended it to everyone but man has it gone downhill. the portions have gotten smaller and the prices keep growing- maybe that would be tolerable if the food was delicious and the service was great but so far from the case. this place charges medium upscale prices but employs staff you'd expect to find at a dive bar. with so many new and delicious restaurants in hampton, do yourself a favor and go somewhere else. i wouldn't be surprised to see this place close its doors within a year.

i liked the decor and the feel of the place. liked the smells coming from the gas cooking stove right across from me. the menu here is not for fast food consumers. this is a "foodie" menu. the chef is giving you an experience on your plate. if you go out to eat, order your food and immediately reach for salt pepper or condiments- this is not the spot for you. it's pricey but not too expensive.
i did not love my appetizer- pork belly bites. it was a good texturally and i enjoyed the experience but the dish didn't do it for me. i think i wanted more of a sweet flavor and the "honey mustard" given was strong on the mustard and lacking any sweetness. the dish was attractive but and the meat was tasty but not "oh my this is awesome" flavor i expected. the pork belly was clean and tasty but not impressive.

the pork tenderloin though! that was intense! it had a barbecue sauce with just a hint of heat- but the pork flavor was intensely delicious! it was served on a bed of jasmine like rice with red beans cooked to perfection! not a traditional puréed beams and rice mixture- but beans done nicely to reveal all the right moves and textures to support that pork! not a traditional dish- very elevated and light! i wanted to not love it- but my tastebuds won the battle. portion seemed small at first- but what was lacking in volume was made up in flavor, texture and overall satisfaction. i loved that tenderloin- it could not have been prepared better!

i'll be back- cause i am a foodie. i will bring my wallet though and have the cash or credit card on swoll!

i will never ever come to this establishment again. this was the most unpleasant experience ever. i visited this restaurant in hopes of good service despite the current yelp reviews. i came around 1 with some ladies from church. first and foremost it took a hour to receive our food. then once we received it 2 out of 3 chicken waffle meals were over fried and hard. i chose to go with the shrimp and chips meal for $12.00. the plate arrived ill presented with 4 tempura styled small shrimp on a bed of wet fries. i asked the waitress was the meal missing shrimp? she said no that is all it is. i told her for $12 it should be a little more? then i told her that she could have the meal back. she asked me if i wanted anything else i kindly declined. i then asked to see the manager. because honestly i thought maybe the situation could be rectified. the manager comes over already with an attitude. i greeted her and asked about the shrimp. i said ma'am four shrimp? (jokingly in hopes to break the ice) immediately she was on the defense. she said yes that's right. that's what you get. i responded seriously? you can go to captain d's and get a shrimp meal with an entree, two sides, a roll and a drink for maybe 8.99. that is crazy. i still was calm with a smile. she said that is the way shrimp is priced out. it's fairly expensive ( lie. ) --- i could happily go into a spill about the market, how seafood is priced and local restaurants with more food and better hospitality for less money. but i didn't.--- i said okay...she said if i was you i'd go captain d's especially if you can't afford the $12.00 shrimp. i asked her to walk away from the table because i was with some very honorable ladies. 

i came to this place because it looked to be a cute niche restaurant like marker 20, taphouse, labodega, conch & bucket and mango mangeaux. the original plan was to go to brunch at mango mangeaux, because of the wait we came here. smh horrible experience. never will come here again. will most definitely share this review constantly. 

to be rudely serviced and told i couldn't afford something without a thought was the most mortifying experience in my life. i cant believe you all employ such an ill sprirted person. i do not and will not recommend this place to anyone. do not eat here.

this place has a great concept but poor execution. the menu is underwhelming and overpriced. despite being one of two 3
2person tables in the place during lunch, our service was slow and incorrect with no apologies. the manager was present in the restaurant and made no effort to greet or apologize for their mistakes. best part of the meal was the delicious homemade dessert however, i wouldn't return. prices are too high and service was too poor overall for mediocrity.

salad, seafood & a beer. we visited the point on 4/12/15 for a late sunday afternoon lunch. i was going to have the spinach & scallop soup w/a salad but they were out of scallops so i went w/the cobb salad. my friend had the moby's treasure entree - minus the scallops. they supposedly added extra fish, shrimp & claims. add an ice tea, a 12 oz belgian triple & it was a $56.75 lunch for two. the atmosphere - charmingly quaint. the service - nice enough. presentation & quality of the food - fair to midland. their concept of local farm-to-table, organic, antibiotic free foods is a good one. that along w/their location & patronage numbers probably has them in a place where they have to serve smaller portions at higher prices. not sure if i'd go back but certainly worth experiencing once or twice.

the point has lost it touch. this used to be my favorite restaurant in the area. i would be willing to wait an hour just to sit in the "chef seats". but today not so much. chef steve is no longer with the restaurant and the chef seats are no longer. the new staff is not friendly or engaging what so ever. the menu that they claim is new has not changed. but what has changed in the quality. the food is bland. recently i ordered the fresh catch. it was a tiny piece and over cooked. the veggies were soggy and extremely salty. the fried pickles used to be house made but ours came straight from a jar and overly fried. the couple next to us was less then satisfied with their meal as well. i think the point lost their heart when their chef left. they also lost a loyal costumer.

not a good value. the restaurant has a nice atmosphere and great service but for the price you pay for the food and what you get was very disappointing. my husband ordered a seafood plater for $21. his plate had 3 shrimp, 2 scallops and sliver of fish (2 bites) the rest of the plate was french fries, slaw and hushpuppies.

new years dinner disappointment. we arrived for the standard early menu, not the festive menu, and ordered from it. the fish though tasty was skimpy. the rockfish was not much bigger than a large shrimp, with two small scallops and 3 avg. shrimp. what made the meal a disappointment was that the restaurant made up for the skimpy portion of fish, for $21, with a huge portion of so-so fries and a fair amount of over creamed coleslaw. perhaps a baked potato option would have softened the blow. this was more a meal from a fast food restaurant. there were no extras included for the price, i.e. soup, salad, bread, even steamed veggie would have been nice. etc. oh i did forget there were two overdone hush puppies. the service was good but that did not make up for the cost of an avg. meal, besides i did not go there for the service. other reviews commented very favorably and this was what i based my decision on. would i go back, no. it would be very easy to spend $50-75 a person for a full meal: appetizer, salad, entree and dessert. i would not want to risk another disappointment.

has already gone downhill. it's a shame, because i would like to have nice places do well in this city for a change, but while the point started out strong, over time it has gotten worse and worse. the service was always bad, but i was willing to overlook that because it had the best food in hampton. as time went on, the food has become greasier and greasier, and the restaurant has begun smelling more and more like old grease. it has gotten to the point that if you go there for lunch, you will have to dry clean your suit afterward. they should also be more mindful of the fact that diners don't want to hear the employees yelling jokes to each other in the kitchen.


-----05 dec, 2013-----

so good it's out of place. finally, a place in hampton with good food. i don't mean food that is good compared to other places in hampton. i mean a place that actually has good food. i almost didn't write this because i didn't want it too get too crowded when more people find out how good it is, but i want to make sure it sticks around rather than risk losing it.

what a find. this is our first time here and it was wonderful. our server was pleasant and on the ball, but didn't hover.

the food. some of the best i've had in a long time. i had the lobster mac n' cheese and omg. ask for a spoon, you're going to want to get every. little. bit. and loaded with lobster!

two in our party had the sea mixer and enjoyed it. i tried one of their hush puppies; it was better than average and cooked to perfection. a bit of a crunch with every bite. the shrimp & grits was great. the grits had been fried and again, a little crunch with every bite.

of course with such a good meal we had to try dessert. we had chocolate cherry bread pudding. put it on the regular menu -- it's a keeper! it alone would bring me back.

from start to finish it was a great dining experience. we'll be back -- soon!

a new favorite!. i'm thankful that hampton (and especially the phoebus area) finally has a nice restaurant that serves up fresh food and does a great job with the service and the taste! went with 5 to celebrate a birthday and we were all very happy with what we ordered. everything was fresh and our server had the best personality. i will definitely recommend the point at phoebus to all of my friends! :) yum!!

hidden treasure. amazing! the service was awesome. food exceeded my expectations! it is small and probably not too kid friendly. great place for a date night! i loved the lobster mac & cheese

if you're going for okey doke.... it's ok.
unfortunately 'restauranting' is somewhat competitive, and there are places nearby, which range from slightly, to way better than the point.
having gone maybe 4-5 times, we've found the entrees ranging from outstanding to fair, and the service from excellent to one server working her ass off, while attending to too many parties.
the location for us is very good (we live in buckroe.), and the atmosphere is an 'engaging mom and pop'. the restaurant is affordable, and the menu ample, yet the overall ambience implies a level of culinary sophistication not experienced across the entire list of entrees.
all in all, we like phoebus quite a bit, and support, where we can, the local merchants on mellon and hope streets.
as a result, we recommend you give it a try, but not for a special occasion.