I visited The General Public restaurant for the first time in September 2025, and I visited several times thereafter!
The food is scrumptiously delicious and well prepared. And they offer great weekly lunch specials. Go, see, taste and enjoy for yourself!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Haley Flores
I just DoorDashed, great food! 10/10 highly recommend.
The GP in Suffolk is great so I had pretty high expectations for the location in Norfolk. The service was pretty much not existent, the food was ok at best, and the food took quite a bit to come out. It has a very weird atmosphere and appears to be an “order at the counter” establishment, but you have to wait to be seated and are “waited on”…which was confusing, because for the layout and the service, they could definitely get away with a seat-yourself/at-the-counter-register system and seating/waiting on customers almost seemed to weigh down the small staff there. One of the servers was very kind, I could tell they were in the middle of their busiest hours and they only had two servers so I really didn’t mind not being waited on nor the food taking awhile to get to the table. However, I don’t know if the establishment is going under maintenance, but they had boxes of utensils and napkins stashed to the side within the seating area near the restrooms. Since the only other waitress who served us our food was busily occupied, I grabbed two utensils wrapped in napkins out of an open box on the table for myself and my colleague who were dining there and the waitress rudely snapped at me, “you don’t need to touch anything over there, don’t grab anything, just leave everything alone” then wouldn’t let me put them back, which was understandable since I touched them (even tho they were wrapped) and she was in the middle of bringing out a lovely single fork and napkin a few minutes after bringing out our food (but also I didn’t know that was happening and there’s a stash of them out in the open so I’m trynna be nice so you don’t have to get them). Regardless, not a big deal, but then it took 20 minutes to get our check…again, just have customers pay at the registers if the servers are too overworked. What really made me unhappy with this location, is after being absent for our entire meal they automated 20% gratuity for themselves? I’m all about tipping, but not for absent servers and a waitress who was rude (she was probably stressed out, but still). Overall, a disappointing experience.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 1
Spencer Mclennan
The website listed for the Norfolk location is not correct and lists items on the menu that are only available in the Suffolk location. The Granby location appears stripped down and has very little seating. Took about 15 minutes to get food. It was heavily seasoned but tasty just the same. Prices make this place a decent choice for the evening.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 4
Myah Olstad
The service was great, but the food took forever and didn’t taste good. Burgers too greasy and greasy fries. The shrimp was good but nothing in it was cooked yet it took the longest to get out of the kitchen. They’re were not busy so that wasn’t an excuse for the food being late, and I ordered 2things and it cost almost 30 dollars. Atmosphere was decent with art on the walls that was original, but I don’t know if the place is just bad or if we just ordered the wrong things. Would like to be proved wrong.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 5
Deidra Wilson
Great service. Great overall quality in food. Loved the wings and waffles fries.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Wilhelm Bekwinknoll
The food was fine, no questions. But after we paid we saw that the bill already included 20% gratuity which was not displayed on the menu or elsewhere. We Tipped 18% because we didnt know that So we almost paid 50% just in Tips without knowing. 35 usd food came to 53,65 Bill. Thats not okay
Daniel Sorge
What a great find-awesome people, service, and food. A jewel in downtown Norfolk’s crown. Looking forward to my next trip to enjoy the food and environment there.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Stephanie Waldon
Tried the GP burger for lunch today with chimichurri waffle fries. Was pretty quick, could barely fit the burger in my mouth. Quiet and clean! Will go back to try other things.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Davida Ryan
The service was amazing! My husband ordered the steak salad and I ordered the pig out waffle fries. They were both well presented and were as delicious as they looked. We are from NJ and were visiting the historical parts of Norfolk. I highly recommend this establishment. I promise you , it will not disappoint.
Amazing food and amazing service! Highly recommend the Pig Out Fries!!!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sloane Walters
Love the General Public. One of the best burgers around with great service every time.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Marquise Price
I place a to go order on at 3 pm when I called 20 minutes later the phone kept giving me a busy signal. I was staying at a hotel just 2 minutes walk away so I came thinking the lack of online update was a glitch since it said it’d be ready in 22 minutes. When I walked in at 3:30 I saw the phone sitting on the counter the busy signal loudly coming from it which to me suggested it was taken off the hook purposely. The lady behind the counter had the worst attitude and customers in the restaurant kept having to get up and walk to the counter to ask for their food, drink refills, napkins etc. At one point she went behind into the kitchen as spoke profanity about customers getting up. At 4:20 my food still wasn’t ready and I had to ask for an update only to be told that, an hour and a half after I ordered, the food still wasn’t close to being ready. The server placed a call to someone to complain about the lack of supplies and help at the store. That’s how bad it was! After sitting there for over an hour I finally received my food 2 hours after placing the order online!! I’m not sure if the incompetence is on the cook the server management or ownership but there was clearly a disconnect somewhere that has lost them a repeat customer in me and several customers cancelled their orders because of the wait. Had I not already paid online I would have left as well.
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 1
Nixie S.
I don’t review often but lemme tell you I was COMPELLED. The food was good. The service was fantastic. Come get yourself a juicy burger.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kori Dobbs
Omgggg the food is fresh and made to order I think there was only one person in the kitchen but when I tell you it was worth the wait. The lemon dill on the salmon was perfect it compliments the fish so well. The fish was cooked perfectly it wasn’t dry and seasoned well. The rice was fluffy and the green beans were well cooked. I also got the Caribbean bowl I’m saving for lunch tomorrow but I of course tried a piece of chicken for quality control and it’s juicy & well seasoned. The cashier was friendly and he ended up voiding my purchases and ringing it up again to include the deal of the day BOGO 50%. There is a sign on the door with the deals of the day so make sure to check them out.
I visited The General Public restaurant for the first time in September 2025, and I visited several times thereafter! The food is scrumptiously delicious and well prepared. And they offer great weekly lunch specials. Go, see, taste and enjoy for yourself!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I just DoorDashed, great food! 10/10 highly recommend.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Sandwich, Waffle Fries
The GP in Suffolk is great so I had pretty high expectations for the location in Norfolk. The service was pretty much not existent, the food was ok at best, and the food took quite a bit to come out. It has a very weird atmosphere and appears to be an “order at the counter” establishment, but you have to wait to be seated and are “waited on”…which was confusing, because for the layout and the service, they could definitely get away with a seat-yourself/at-the-counter-register system and seating/waiting on customers almost seemed to weigh down the small staff there. One of the servers was very kind, I could tell they were in the middle of their busiest hours and they only had two servers so I really didn’t mind not being waited on nor the food taking awhile to get to the table. However, I don’t know if the establishment is going under maintenance, but they had boxes of utensils and napkins stashed to the side within the seating area near the restrooms. Since the only other waitress who served us our food was busily occupied, I grabbed two utensils wrapped in napkins out of an open box on the table for myself and my colleague who were dining there and the waitress rudely snapped at me, “you don’t need to touch anything over there, don’t grab anything, just leave everything alone” then wouldn’t let me put them back, which was understandable since I touched them (even tho they were wrapped) and she was in the middle of bringing out a lovely single fork and napkin a few minutes after bringing out our food (but also I didn’t know that was happening and there’s a stash of them out in the open so I’m trynna be nice so you don’t have to get them). Regardless, not a big deal, but then it took 20 minutes to get our check…again, just have customers pay at the registers if the servers are too overworked. What really made me unhappy with this location, is after being absent for our entire meal they automated 20% gratuity for themselves? I’m all about tipping, but not for absent servers and a waitress who was rude (she was probably stressed out, but still). Overall, a disappointing experience.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 1
The website listed for the Norfolk location is not correct and lists items on the menu that are only available in the Suffolk location. The Granby location appears stripped down and has very little seating. Took about 15 minutes to get food. It was heavily seasoned but tasty just the same. Prices make this place a decent choice for the evening.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 4
The service was great, but the food took forever and didn’t taste good. Burgers too greasy and greasy fries. The shrimp was good but nothing in it was cooked yet it took the longest to get out of the kitchen. They’re were not busy so that wasn’t an excuse for the food being late, and I ordered 2things and it cost almost 30 dollars. Atmosphere was decent with art on the walls that was original, but I don’t know if the place is just bad or if we just ordered the wrong things. Would like to be proved wrong.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 5
Great service. Great overall quality in food. Loved the wings and waffles fries.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food was fine, no questions. But after we paid we saw that the bill already included 20% gratuity which was not displayed on the menu or elsewhere. We Tipped 18% because we didnt know that
So we almost paid 50% just in Tips without knowing. 35 usd food came to 53,65 Bill.
Thats not okay
What a great find-awesome people, service, and food. A jewel in downtown Norfolk’s crown. Looking forward to my next trip to enjoy the food and environment there.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Tried the GP burger for lunch today with chimichurri waffle fries. Was pretty quick, could barely fit the burger in my mouth. Quiet and clean! Will go back to try other things.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
The service was amazing! My husband ordered the steak salad and I ordered the pig out waffle fries. They were both well presented and were as delicious as they looked. We are from NJ and were visiting the historical parts of Norfolk. I highly recommend this establishment. I promise you , it will not disappoint.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pig Out Waffle Fries
Restaurantji Recommends
Amazing food and amazing service! Highly recommend the Pig Out Fries!!!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Love the General Public. One of the best burgers around with great service every time.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I place a to go order on at 3 pm when I called 20 minutes later the phone kept giving me a busy signal. I was staying at a hotel just 2 minutes walk away so I came thinking the lack of online update was a glitch since it said it’d be ready in 22 minutes. When I walked in at 3:30 I saw the phone sitting on the counter the busy signal loudly coming from it which to me suggested it was taken off the hook purposely. The lady behind the counter had the worst attitude and customers in the restaurant kept having to get up and walk to the counter to ask for their food, drink refills, napkins etc. At one point she went behind into the kitchen as spoke profanity about customers getting up. At 4:20 my food still wasn’t ready and I had to ask for an update only to be told that, an hour and a half after I ordered, the food still wasn’t close to being ready. The server placed a call to someone to complain about the lack of supplies and help at the store. That’s how bad it was! After sitting there for over an hour I finally received my food 2 hours after placing the order online!! I’m not sure if the incompetence is on the cook the server management or ownership but there was clearly a disconnect somewhere that has lost them a repeat customer in me and several customers cancelled their orders because of the wait. Had I not already paid online I would have left as well.
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 1
I don’t review often but lemme tell you I was COMPELLED. The food was good. The service was fantastic. Come get yourself a juicy burger.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Omgggg the food is fresh and made to order I think there was only one person in the kitchen but when I tell you it was worth the wait. The lemon dill on the salmon was perfect it compliments the fish so well. The fish was cooked perfectly it wasn’t dry and seasoned well. The rice was fluffy and the green beans were well cooked. I also got the Caribbean bowl I’m saving for lunch tomorrow but I of course tried a piece of chicken for quality control and it’s juicy & well seasoned. The cashier was friendly and he ended up voiding my purchases and ringing it up again to include the deal of the day BOGO 50%. There is a sign on the door with the deals of the day so make sure to check them out.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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