⭐️⭐️ James River Grill – Norfolk Airport (6/28/25 at 12:30 PM)
If you’re on a schedule, skip this place. We waited 37 minutes for a wedge salad, and only got it after asking. By then, we had to request it boxed up so we wouldn’t miss our flight.
The manager’s attitude was surprisingly rude — no apology for the delay, just a sour face and a curt “You want anything else?” when we asked for it to-go.I needed to board my flight.
The wedge salad itself was delicious, but the service and lack of professionalism left a bad taste. Not a place I’d recommend if you’re trying to catch a flight or expecting basic courtesy.
Peter Kubin
Grading on a curve, but I had a surprisingly good experience. The guy next to me shrugged when I asked about his burger, so I tried the bbq chicken flatbread. It was… surprisingly good. Modest portion size for the price, but topping was tasty. Service was friendly and attentive
Jalal Mansour
Avoid like the plague. Nonexistent service, only virtual menus that don’t load, and the food was so bad it left me in awe. Ordered a Reuben and a Philly cheese steak for $20 each and when I say it is literally one piece of meat and a slice of cheese between the bread, I mean it. Place was packed but only because there is no service to turn the tables. Lots of frustrated customers with empty tables. Only reason this place is in business is because it’s the airport and they have constant new unassuming customers. It’s so bad I had to leave a review… Go elsewhere.
Caitlin Francisco
If you want to be stressed, late to board, & overall frustrated before your flight eat here! It’s overly expensive and one of the only 2 restaurants in Concorse A/the entire airport. You have to QR code order and pay for everything (while the wifi/service does not work), but the only server working does not interact whatsoever besides delivering food and cleaning it up. If you want more refills, they never bring it. If you have any notes/requests, they will not happen. On top of it all, they ask for tips. Not blaming the waitstaff at all — she looked sooo stressed. But to management: shame, shame, shame. Treat customers AND employees better. Such a downside to my amazing trip but terrible way to leave Norfolk.
Scott Lucas
If I could give zero stars and a copy of Customer Service for Dummies, I would.
The sign said “Seat Yourself”, so I did — along with a few other hopeful souls. The online ordering system wasn’t working, so we waited for, oh I don’t know… a sign of life? A hello? A nod? An acknowledgment that actual humans were sitting there? Nope. Our existence, and that of everyone else waiting, was never acknowledged.
Instead, we got to eavesdrop on what I assume was a manager loudly dealing with an employee who wasn’t coming in. That same “manager” then continued talking at people in a tone that could curdle milk.
After 20 minutes of feeling invisible and watching others walk out like survivors fleeing a sinking ship, I followed suit. Several of us ended up at the bagel shop across the hall, where this staff had apparently mastered the ancient art of eye contact, a smile & happy greeting.
As I enjoyed my bagel, the same rude manager was wandering the hall looking for someone — maybe the missing employee, maybe a clue, hard to say.
I think I speak for at least four of us when I say: We won’t be back. Based on today, I’d bet good money that this staff couldn’t pass a basic customer service course if it were open-book.
So, if you find yourself at Norfolk Airport & you are hungry; find someplace else or ask for extra pretzels on the flight!
Noah Johnston
I got lunch here, and I got the fish n chips as is tradition when I go to restaurants. First, the ordering system is terrible. It barely works, and then it takes a long time for the wait staff to get to you. The table are also very close together, so you feel cramped most of the time, especially when/if the tables next to you fill up. Lastly, the fish n chips were just okay. I rate a 4.2/10
The fish n chips did come with a bottle of vinegar, so that was a positive in their favor. After that though, it went down hill. The tarter sauce to fish ratio was poor with too little sauce to properly dip your fish into throughout the meal. The lemon slice I was given was small, and it wasn't juicy enough to properly lemon the entire fish. The fish itself was tough, and the flesh did not break apart smoothly as I chewed it. The breading has multiple soft spots where it was not fully fried, and in a few spots, there was plain mushy batter. The redeeming qualities were that it was served hot, in adequate portions, and that it soaked up vinegar fairly well.
Evan Clanton
Didn’t even get to enter the restaurant. First, I walked past the restaurant (they had an open gate at this time 7:30pm) to catch my flight but it was delayed 1 hour so I decided to go back. Got back to the restaurant literally 30 seconds later and they had closed the gate. I asked if they were closed and they said “Yes”. I immediately went to Google, Yelp, TripAdvisor, and etc to look up their hours of operation and my research said that they close the next day at 8pm (meaning they should be open overnight).
Rob Glasgow
Everything was nasty, even for airport food. Dismissive servers. Forced QR code ordering. Would not return. Also, it was sweltering but I think the AC just happened to be broken - hopefully it'll be fixed soon.
Avi Elfersy
QR code system to order and pay is horrible. Staff has no interaction with guests, basically a vending machine.
Josh Romero
Food is good. Everything is done on your phone just a heads up..
Food was good overall. Service is terrible, when we asked for water due to having no beverages which we ordered. She gave us an attitude for asking for drinks. We sat for 30 plus minutes trying to pay for our food and they never came to help us. We had to go to the register ourselves to pay and our entire ticket was wrong. Never going again.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 1
syyn nyys
The server did not say a single word or even respond when we said good morning. She did not come back to check on our food or even say hello. Absolutely terrible and did not give a good impression of this restaurant. A simple hi, hello, good morning etc would have been nice. She seriously did not say a single word. We ordered on the table qr code and she simple put the food on our table. That was the total extent of her effort.
The food was tasteless and not good. The potatoes tasted like the oil was old. The bread had a wierd taste as well. It's a total miss and I cannot recommend this place to anyone. It will be my very last visit.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Desmond Lomax
After paying 20 dollars for chicken strips that were average! I paid via their soulless web system only to be accused of not paying my bills. The so-called manager came and found me and accused me of not paying. I scrambled to find my online receipt but I received no apology. This dude was so certain that he looked dumbfounded when I show him a receipt. I ask for my tip back didn't receive a thing. Don't waste your time here. There is a restaurant call locals just outside the gate that is delicious and kind!! Will go hungry before I am harrassed again! Working to follow up with ownership this is not okay!! And dare I say the real theft is paying 20 dollars for chicken strips that taste worse than the ones I buy at Costco!!!
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 1
Shawn Hansen
Average hotel restaurant. The Caesar salad was a regular salad with Caesar dressing.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 4
Bobby R
Not too bad for an airport restaurant. We were there 45 minutes prior to closing, so they didn’t have a ton of patience for us. Food was good, but it wasn’t what I ordered. Also, we never got refills on our drinks. This is the second time we’ve eaten here and the service has been the same both times. If you’re hungry, it’s worth eating here bc the options are minimal.
⭐️⭐️ James River Grill – Norfolk Airport (6/28/25 at 12:30 PM)
If you’re on a schedule, skip this place. We waited 37 minutes for a wedge salad, and only got it after asking. By then, we had to request it boxed up so we wouldn’t miss our flight.
The manager’s attitude was surprisingly rude — no apology for the delay, just a sour face and a curt “You want anything else?” when we asked for it to-go.I needed to board my flight.
The wedge salad itself was delicious, but the service and lack of professionalism left a bad taste. Not a place I’d recommend if you’re trying to catch a flight or expecting basic courtesy.
Grading on a curve, but I had a surprisingly good experience. The guy next to me shrugged when I asked about his burger, so I tried the bbq chicken flatbread. It was… surprisingly good. Modest portion size for the price, but topping was tasty. Service was friendly and attentive
Avoid like the plague. Nonexistent service, only virtual menus that don’t load, and the food was so bad it left me in awe. Ordered a Reuben and a Philly cheese steak for $20 each and when I say it is literally one piece of meat and a slice of cheese between the bread, I mean it. Place was packed but only because there is no service to turn the tables. Lots of frustrated customers with empty tables. Only reason this place is in business is because it’s the airport and they have constant new unassuming customers. It’s so bad I had to leave a review… Go elsewhere.
If you want to be stressed, late to board, & overall frustrated before your flight eat here! It’s overly expensive and one of the only 2 restaurants in Concorse A/the entire airport. You have to QR code order and pay for everything (while the wifi/service does not work), but the only server working does not interact whatsoever besides delivering food and cleaning it up. If you want more refills, they never bring it. If you have any notes/requests, they will not happen. On top of it all, they ask for tips. Not blaming the waitstaff at all — she looked sooo stressed. But to management: shame, shame, shame. Treat customers AND employees better. Such a downside to my amazing trip but terrible way to leave Norfolk.
If I could give zero stars and a copy of Customer Service for Dummies, I would.
The sign said “Seat Yourself”, so I did — along with a few other hopeful souls. The online ordering system wasn’t working, so we waited for, oh I don’t know… a sign of life? A hello? A nod? An acknowledgment that actual humans were sitting there? Nope. Our existence, and that of everyone else waiting, was never acknowledged.
Instead, we got to eavesdrop on what I assume was a manager loudly dealing with an employee who wasn’t coming in. That same “manager” then continued talking at people in a tone that could curdle milk.
After 20 minutes of feeling invisible and watching others walk out like survivors fleeing a sinking ship, I followed suit. Several of us ended up at the bagel shop across the hall, where this staff had apparently mastered the ancient art of eye contact, a smile & happy greeting.
As I enjoyed my bagel, the same rude manager was wandering the hall looking for someone — maybe the missing employee, maybe a clue, hard to say.
I think I speak for at least four of us when I say: We won’t be back. Based on today, I’d bet good money that this staff couldn’t pass a basic customer service course if it were open-book.
So, if you find yourself at Norfolk Airport & you are hungry; find someplace else or ask for extra pretzels on the flight!
I got lunch here, and I got the fish n chips as is tradition when I go to restaurants. First, the ordering system is terrible. It barely works, and then it takes a long time for the wait staff to get to you. The table are also very close together, so you feel cramped most of the time, especially when/if the tables next to you fill up. Lastly, the fish n chips were just okay. I rate a 4.2/10
The fish n chips did come with a bottle of vinegar, so that was a positive in their favor. After that though, it went down hill. The tarter sauce to fish ratio was poor with too little sauce to properly dip your fish into throughout the meal. The lemon slice I was given was small, and it wasn't juicy enough to properly lemon the entire fish. The fish itself was tough, and the flesh did not break apart smoothly as I chewed it. The breading has multiple soft spots where it was not fully fried, and in a few spots, there was plain mushy batter. The redeeming qualities were that it was served hot, in adequate portions, and that it soaked up vinegar fairly well.
Didn’t even get to enter the restaurant. First, I walked past the restaurant (they had an open gate at this time 7:30pm) to catch my flight but it was delayed 1 hour so I decided to go back. Got back to the restaurant literally 30 seconds later and they had closed the gate. I asked if they were closed and they said “Yes”. I immediately went to Google, Yelp, TripAdvisor, and etc to look up their hours of operation and my research said that they close the next day at 8pm (meaning they should be open overnight).
Everything was nasty, even for airport food. Dismissive servers. Forced QR code ordering. Would not return. Also, it was sweltering but I think the AC just happened to be broken - hopefully it'll be fixed soon.
QR code system to order and pay is horrible. Staff has no interaction with guests, basically a vending machine.
Food is good. Everything is done on your phone just a heads up..
Restaurantji Recommends
Food was good overall.
Service is terrible, when we asked for water due to having no beverages which we ordered. She gave us an attitude for asking for drinks. We sat for 30 plus minutes trying to pay for our food and they never came to help us. We had to go to the register ourselves to pay and our entire ticket was wrong.
Never going again.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 1
The server did not say a single word or even respond when we said good morning. She did not come back to check on our food or even say hello. Absolutely terrible and did not give a good impression of this restaurant. A simple hi, hello, good morning etc would have been nice. She seriously did not say a single word. We ordered on the table qr code and she simple put the food on our table. That was the total extent of her effort.
The food was tasteless and not good. The potatoes tasted like the oil was old. The bread had a wierd taste as well. It's a total miss and I cannot recommend this place to anyone. It will be my very last visit.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
After paying 20 dollars for chicken strips that were average! I paid via their soulless web system only to be accused of not paying my bills. The so-called manager came and found me and accused me of not paying. I scrambled to find my online receipt but I received no apology. This dude was so certain that he looked dumbfounded when I show him a receipt. I ask for my tip back didn't receive a thing. Don't waste your time here. There is a restaurant call locals just outside the gate that is delicious and kind!! Will go hungry before I am harrassed again! Working to follow up with ownership this is not okay!! And dare I say the real theft is paying 20 dollars for chicken strips that taste worse than the ones I buy at Costco!!!
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 1
Average hotel restaurant. The Caesar salad was a regular salad with Caesar dressing.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 4
Not too bad for an airport restaurant. We were there 45 minutes prior to closing, so they didn’t have a ton of patience for us. Food was good, but it wasn’t what I ordered. Also, we never got refills on our drinks. This is the second time we’ve eaten here and the service has been the same both times. If you’re hungry, it’s worth eating here bc the options are minimal.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 2
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