Vola’s Dockside Grill and Hi-Tide Lounge

Bar staff work very hard and do a great job. We always sit at the bar when we come.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

The crab cake sandwich and salad were good but the grilled oysters were quite lackluster, and I regret getting that. However, what truly made the meal bad was the abysmal performance of the kitchen. We put in our orders roughly 10 min to 12:00 on a Saturday. There were hardly any other patrons at that point. Yet somehow, the kitchen managed to forget our order until 12:30, a wait of 40 minutes.

Our waiter was great and kept passing by to tell us he's pushing the kitchen. But to no avail. And even when the main course did finally arrive, the salad was missing the crab! Holy smokes.

While the waiter did try to make things right by comping the salad, the overall experience was just bad, unfortunately.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 2

Everything was great, the service, food and the atmosphere. I had the bacon cheeseburger. I'm not a huge fan of seafood, and most of the menu is seafood, but there are several choices for the folks like me.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Stopped by Viola’s and had a great experience. I sat at the bar and the service was excellent Ana was super friendly and attentive. The atmosphere was lively and welcoming, and the drinks were great. Definitely a spot I’d come back to!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Great informal dining and great bar. We had excellent service and great food options. We plan on going back on our next visit!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Good service. Giving 3 stars because the lobster roll was $32 and did not feel high quality. It was a very finely shredded lobster salad, no recognizable chunks of lobster, and the predominant flavor was mayonnaise. Market catch grouper sandwich was good- both entrees felt small for the price.

Vola’s has always been one of my favorite restaurants in Old Town Alexandria. Food and drinks are always fabulous. But the team and leadership is excellent. One of the managers, Phil, ensured that the requested tv channel was on and continued to check in to make sure our meals and drinks were tasty. I made the mistake of forgetting my leftovers, and we went back and explained what happened. Phil made sure to take care of the situation and provided me the meal that i had. THANK YOU PHIL! there wee many restaurants who wouldn’t care about a customer mistake, but he went out of his way to set the standards high. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Oliver P. was an incredible server! Super friendly and attentive. I got the beef barbacoa tacos and they were delicious! I also got the Summer Rain which is a non-alcoholic refresher and I loved it. Great experience overall.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

First time trying out this restaurant, food was amazing and Taylor took such good care of us! I would come back again just for the amazing service alone!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Taylor was an amazing server that made us all feel at home!
We loved the conversation and service. We will be back ❤️❤️

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Great atmosphere! Our server Taylor was the best and very knowledgeable of the menu and so friendly!!!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

This was our first time patronizing Vola’s. It did not disappoint. We had a great experience. We were nicely greeted and shown to a table with a nice view. Our server Jennifer D was very sweet and paid particular attention to my lemon allergy. Our food came in a timely fashion and was delicious. We will definitely be returning and bringing the rest of my family.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

Had a great experience today. I ordered the crab hush puppies and the scallop and crab rigatoni. Both dishes were great and our server April was friendly and informative. I’ll definitely be back!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

We decided to celebrate Valentine’s Day at Vola’s with my mom, husband, and our kids. As expected, parking was nearly impossible—every garage was filled to capacity—and we were running late for our reservation. When we called the restaurant to let them know, the staff was incredibly pleasant and understanding. They reassured us that they would wait, which was such a relief as we made the 15-minute walk from our parking spot.

Derrick, our waiter, was enthusiastic, friendly, and extremely welcoming from the moment we arrived. The restaurant was clearly very busy, and although part of our order came out incorrectly, Derrick handled it with professionalism. He apologized sincerely and went above and beyond by treating us to a delicious dessert on the house.

Everyone thoroughly enjoyed their meals, and the blueberry cheesecake was superb. Despite the Valentine’s Day rush, the service—especially from Derrick—was top-notch. We will absolutely be returning!

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 5

Food was great 😃 and atmosphere was phenomenal and that area looks so beautiful at night