Desmond's Island Soul Grill

Love it here. Everything's good.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Vegan soul food is my favorite type of food so i didnt miss the opportunity to stop here as we were passing through. I really enjoyed the food and the sorrel drink is not to be missed! As other reviews have mentioned, its very hot inside so we sat outside. Food took 35 minutes, which i thought was reasonable for a small establishment like that. It was very busy with lots of orders coming and going and seemed like the place has a loyal local following. The woman behind the counter works very hard but was very friendly also

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

Gained a new regular today ❣️
The food was outstanding, flavorful, and fresh. I got the jerk mushrooms, and they were perfect.
I also got sea moss, and it was fantastic.
Great food and service with an ethical mission; I loved it.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Lentil Empanada, Roti

Service and food 10, I walked in 7:34pm they close at 8 but the service didn't waiver!!! Food is cooked to order - Rasta pasta omg the best I've had since being vegan. I also got banana pudding, peach pudding and 2 cookies - In my defense it's my birthday😊 I will be back soon can’t wait to try something else!! Thank you guys for making my experience memorable!!!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Waited for an hour in blistering hot conditions for food. In addition, we never got our appetizers and were charged for it.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 2

Service: 1

I really liked the concept of the restaurant. The vegan food and the menu was really appealing. However the service was horrible, extremely slow. Waited like an hour for food. The heat from the kitchen to my table made it horrible with no AC. At one point my eyes were burning from the kitchen spices. Never got our appetizers. Some of the veggies in my meal were half cooked. The food taste wasn’t that great compared to the price. The table also weirdly had no space, I could barely fit in the chair. Overall a very disappointing experience, would never go there again.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 2

Service: 1

Food took over an hour. Restaurant was 90 degrees. Never brought our appetizer

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 2

Service: 1

Delicious Rasta pasta with BBQ jackfruit. And the rice was nice. Definitely want to try some other dishes. Great variety of vegan food. Friendly and fast.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Rasta Pasta, Vegan, Jerk BBQ

So happy to find another all vegan restaurant while visiting family in VB. The menu selection is great. The hard part was narrowing down our choice! We got the lentil burger, arepas, lentil empanadas, a side plate with collard greens and fried plantains. All of it was delicious! We will definitely be back next time we visit VB and try out some more of the menu options.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I would like to start off by saying I’m only giving them two stars because the food is good. Other than that this service is not so great. You place an order over the phone just have to wait for Your food when you still get there ..what is the point Of placing a order if I still have to come in and wait like someone who walked in.. Not to mention, they never have everything on the menu. It’s like they never make Enough food… Overall, I would only come to this place if You have a lot of time on your hands. It’s very bunched up as soon as you walk in sometimes they wait forever to even come up to the cashier and place your order so you’re just standing around looking ridiculous.. Oh, and they’re very skimpy on the meat ordered a Rasta pasta with barbecue jackfruit before and they barely put any of it on there even the jackfruit stew. It was mostly potatoes and carrots. Hardly any jackfruit. The lady who runs the place you can tell it’s just a money scheme for her. She’s not doing this out of the kindness of her heart to introduce people into healthier eating.!!!!!

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 4

Service: 2

Absolutely phenomenal! Desmond’s is a true culinary gem in the Virginia Beach/Norfolk area—a rare find where flavor, creativity, and quality come together perfectly. While many local spots rely heavily on salt, Desmond’s takes a more refined approach, using bold, exotic spices that elevate every dish without overwhelming the palate.

I tried the guava lentil balls, pumpkin curry, roti, channa, and cabbage, and every single bite was packed with flavor and clearly made with care. If you’ve got a sweet tooth, do not skip the banana pudding—it’s the perfect finish to an unforgettable meal.

The customer service is also top-tier: warm, welcoming, and attentive. Just remember, this is high-quality food, not fast food—so I recommend calling ahead to place your order. This authentic place deserves all five stars, a must-try!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Poor costumer service.

Very good food Worth the wait.

Very good food💪🏾🙌🏽🔥🔥🔥

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Vegan, Sandwich, Banana Pudding, Mac\u0026Cheese, Krabcake, Jerk Mushrooms, Fries, Curry Eggplant

Man I was there today, I placed a to- go order and had to wait for 1hr 16mins for my food. After waiting for so long I couldn’t even get an apology, I was late for work, also I ordered the polourie and it was sooooo uncooked and salty. I had a horrible experience here.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 1

Service: 1