Leaping Lizard Cafe

Visiting from Maryland, I stumbled upon this hidden gem. It’s pet-friendly, serves amazing food, and has a cozy, inviting atmosphere. The staff is incredibly friendly and sweet. There’s a quiet, scenic trail leading to the waterfront, where you can watch a variety of chickens and sassy geese.

We almost missed this amazing experience. Reservations are highly recommended, and you won't be disappointed! We stopped in on a Saturday morning for the brunch and left with a promise to return. From the parking shepherd to the welcoming hostess, we were warmly greeted and seated. Our server, Betsy, was incredible! She checked in with us consistently in such a pleasant manner. This was appreciated, especially given that it was pretty busy. All of the menu looks delicious! We opted for the shrimp and grits, the breakfast burrito, and the chocolate chip pancakes for our son. Everything was delicious, with great flavor! Try them out. Hopefully, you'll become a fan as well!

We were so happy to visit a café with such a wonderful atmosphere. The staff were incredibly friendly, and the beautifully presented dishes were absolutely delicious. We especially loved being able to sit by the lake, and it was great that the back area offered a space where children could socialize and enjoy themselves. Overall, it was an amazing experience, and we’re looking forward to going back soon!

Absolutely amazing food, we got the sweet potato biscuit, crab quiche and the salmon salad, every bite was delicious 10/10. Everyone is super friendly and the vibe of the whole place is just so cute!!!!! We would 100% come back to try more dishes!

Everything about this place was the best. Our waitress was so friendly and had amazing recommendations. I tried the duck hash at her recommendation and my friend got the crab cake Benedict. Both were amazing. The entire venue is beautiful and I am grateful they have a parking shepherd because the parking lot can get packed. The bakery on site is not cheap, but it is so good. I loved this place and cannot wait to come back. Make sure to visit the chickens and geese and walk down to the lake.

Great eclectic restaurant. They don't try like some places. It just is. Is the food good? Oh yeah. It was Fracking great. We'll be back when it's warmer. Nice back area with free roaming cobra chickens and caged nugget factories.

My wife and I had a fantastic lunch here. The food was truly outstanding. We loved the Hunter Burger and the Local Fish. We were both pleasantly surprised by the Butternut Squash soup – it was delicious! I usually don't like anything with butternut squash so this was a very pleasant surprise. The atmosphere was very nice, lively yet relaxed. We'll definitely be back to try more from the menu.

First impression feom out side is a road side ramshackle shack vibe, especially with the name. The inside however is chiq, modest and delightful. The seating with no reservation was instant, window seat, great views, and spacious. The coffee choice is limited and straight forward. Decaf, Normal, creamer or none. Very refreshing with no faff. The menu is plentiful, and varied. Choice for all from land, sea and air variety. The tacos were reccomened so that's what we hit, and my word they hit back. The flavours were intense, instant and hit the palette beautifully. They didn't last long. With time against us we then hit 2x puddings to go, and we're not disappointed. Great portions and even better taste. Carrot cake and Apple tart. Highly recommended. 1 to go back to time and again. 5*

Classic VB locals vibe. Casual dining but delightful menu with a few unique brunch options. Lovely bakery with delectable dessert and pastry options.

Officially one of my favorite places in Virginia. Extremely welcoming and just a cheery place to relax and have a nice meal. I haven’t tried anything here that has been anything but above and beyond in flavor and presentation. I love everything from how everything is decorated to the freshness of the food. Best key lime pie I have EVER had. Fresh squeezed juices available and lovely drink choices. Will always recommend and always want to come here! We usually go for breakfast on the weekends and get there just early enough to be parked and seated easily. Whenever it is busier or more crowded they do an excellent job of having someone out to direct parking and they are so accommodating and friendly

Amazing food, service, and desserts! Definitely will be coming back and recommending this place to others. I loved their fresh juices, side salad , and cantaloupe! You can’t go wrong with anything on the menu.

Delightful cafe with delicious fresh made items. We had the tuna melt and chicken pesto wrap. The sides were excellent, especially the apple slaw. We are looking forward to trying the heath brownie and giant peanut butter cookie both made in house that we took for later. Atmosphere was nice and service was good. There is outside seating available in nice weather.

One of the best dinners I’ve had in this city. The salmon tacos were cooked perfectly and the toppings were fresh and delicious. The seafood pasta was filled with shrimp, scallops and salmon, and the sauce was a lightly smoky cream. I happily ate it all.

The temperature in here is PERFECT. No jacket needed! Made such a big difference. Best brunch I’ve ever had. I recommend the duck hash. Worth every cent! Atmosphere was so cute and everyone was so nice. My favorite bakery is the one next door. I don’t generally like cake, but I adored their hummingbird cake! So moist and delicious:)

Don’t sleep on the Leaping Lizard Cafe! I’ve driven by many times and I have to say that I’m sad it’s taken me this long to actually stop in. Don’t let the small front fool you. I thought it was going to be this tiny little cafe and when I walked through the door, the world opened up. Such a cute space, the back opens up and lets nature in. I had about four or five meals that I couldn’t choose between because the menu has such a variety. After a delicious meal (pesto chicken sandwich) and top notch service, we strolled out back to enjoy the company of the four Canadian Geese on property as well as Bentley the dog. They were all such friendly creatures. We took a drink down by the water and enjoyed our company and the views for quite a while.

We had been recommended this place after moving to Norfolk but it took us awhile to make our way over since it’s not super close to our place; huge mistake, I wish I had come the day I moved here. We came for Sunday brunch and a reservation is definitely a must but even a day or two in advance is pretty doable. Parking is super challenging so if you’ve got a big group, try to carpool and minimize your cars. We ate inside but both indoors and outdoors were cute and cozy. I ordered a blackberry basil mojito which was delicious and so well balanced. We ordered the sweet potato biscuit with ham and jam (a must) and then 5 dishes between the two of us to try at the table/take home. The service was incredibly fast and everyone was welcoming and kind. Everything we ate was fantastic; the cantaloupe was perfectly sweet, all the meats were so flavorful and well cooked. We will absolutely be back many times and bringing all of our guests.

My first visit and it will not be my last. They are busy! Reservations are suggested but not necessary. Food is great. I had the soup and sandwich. It was a durry ham sandwich with apple cold slaw, salad, potatoe salad and a corn crab chowder. Delicious!

Outstanding food, service, and value! All ingredients very obviously fresh and high quality, lots of care clearly put into every menu item being fantastic both in taste and presentation, and generous serving sizes all around. Sangria and blueberry basil mojito were both perfect - excellent balance of taste and strength. Fried green tomatoes and hummus appetizers are both great options - especially love the basil aioli, sundried tomato pesto, and house bread! Both duck tacos and butternut squash lasagna are unique must-tries, amazingly savory and delicious. Reese brownie was an exquisite way to punctuate the meal. First visit, can't wait to come back for brunch sometime! Update 11/2023 - made it in for brunch, another great experience! Top notch service, sweet potato and ham biscuit excellent, duck hash a must-try. French toast pretty good, maybe a little mushy being made from bread pudding, but hard to complain too much. Apple slaw unique and absolutely fantastic! Key lime pie a must-try as well.

Leaping Lizard is a fun place to eat and meet friends. The food and drinks are very good. Service is exceptionally good, and the wait staff is very pleasant. I loved sitting in the back porch area where we can sit in nature and fresh air. Love Leaping Lizard 🦎 ❤️

Top 5 breakfast spot for sure! This place is so cute and the food is top tier. We had the steak and eggs, and shrimp and grits. My steak was cooked to perfection, nice sear on the outside, and the inside was tender and juicy. Shrimp and grits were scrumptious. Everything is so fresh it's such a wonderful change from the processed mess you get at other places. We took a walk in the back and saw the chickens, ducks, and the fresh garden. I fell in love with this restaurant. Definitely will be back. ARRIVE EARLY!

On a busy Saturday during brunch we were greeted in the parking lot by the hostess pointing out a space for us. A short wait in the bakery gave time to speculate the layout of the original house. The unique seating areas are charming and hold so much for the eye to see. The service is exceptional and the food! Oh yes, people come for the extensive and varied menu. Whatever you choose include a sweet potato biscuit. You will be disappointed if you don’t! A favorite place whenever we’re in the area!

This was our first time visiting Leaping Lizard Cafe. The food was amazing and decent priced. The waitress was very attentive, and the atmosphere had a nice home ambiance. I got the duck hash. It was outstanding! My parents both ordered the bread pudding dipped french toast, which I sampled a piece, and it was also very delicious. Will definitely return.

Fresh, quality ingredients. Friendly and attentive service. The beet salad with salmon was amazing. Salmon was cooked to perfection. The apple slaw is reminiscent of Waldorf salad and so good! My friend and I both loved the chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. Highly recommend and can’t wait to return.

What an adorable little place! The garden area is so cute, shaded and comfortable. The chicken salad sandwich was very good - I loved the subtle curry flavor. The key lime pie is a MUST TRY! Very dog friendly, our dog was brought water and even a tennis ball :)

Why aren’t you eating here already? Seriously, every word of this review is just delaying your day from getting better. Cozy and charming, chotskies and cookies, nothing about Leaping Lizard is off except the fact that you’re still reading this review and not driving there now. Oh, you’re in the passenger seat? Fine. But no side quests. Go to Leaping Lizard. Order whatever fits your fancy. Enjoy. Your stomach, your soul, and your significant other will thank you.

Had a wonderful lunch with my wife after a 3-hour morning workout. Menu items have Mediterranean taste and appearance. The serving size is just perfect for us. Staff was friendly and accommodating. The only negative I can say is the parking. They addressed this by hiring a parking attendant who is very helpful. Although we went there during lunch, I strongly recommend going there to check their brunch. 11/2/2025 update.., the best keeps on getting better. They opened a separate bakery which has the look and feel of a northern European bakery. Veronique made us feel welcome and we could see her pride in her work. My granddaughter love her passion and “sweetness” while explaining what she puts in her creations. We also got to talk to the owner whose down to earth demeanor impressed me. The quality of food has remained outstanding with their pricing remarkably low compared to other restaurants we visited.

We were in town for a weekend for a wedding and had brunch here twice because we enjoyed dining here so much. The staff here are all so welcoming and personable, it felt like you were in no rush despite how busy it was and that they really wanted to make sure you enjoyed your meal. We chatted with the chef briefly as well and it was so nice to hear how passionate he was in creating new dishes and ideas he's thinking of for the future. The duck with eggs over a sweet potato biscuit was so rich and filling. The apple and zucchini slaw was so fresh and lightly sweet, I wanted to buy a jar of these to take home with us. We also had the butternut squash lasagna, and I can see why it is a favorite! All of the desserts were so decadent, the bread pudding in particular was really very nice, something you can split with someone else. Anytime we find ourselves back in Virginia, we'll be coming here for a bite!

Update to my review from 3 years ago: shrimp and grits are phenomenal! (Pic included). Service was amazing, very happy! Love this place. Very nice with great patio, but sometimes they are so busy that 3 different servers might serve your table. Here and there, you might have miscommunication, be ready. My two times before food was great, amazing drinks, server was great and food was delicious, but my last time experience was not like that. Shrimp and grits I ordered looked like a kids meal. Need to work on that guys, slices of apple on the side and 4 small lonely shrimps with some grits for 13.99. Unfortunately don’t have a picture, but it was sad looking meal. But here’s some pics from my previous visits!

First time and it was awesome, very friendly staff and it was super packed because everyone must already know to be here between 11-3! We sat outdoors by the chicken coup in back the weather was so nice 😊 had crab quiche it was phenomenal. Glad I finally got the experience and will recommend this to the Virginia business review and be back! Oh and the carrot cake 🍰 was really good too!

Very fun quaint restaurant. Plenty of seating and well staffed. Friendly and helpful wait staff. Shrimp and cheesy grits, salad, sweet potato biscuit,peanut butter cookie and orange marmalade cookie exceptionally great. The flavors were blended perfectly. A real jewel of a place. Lovely path to the bay with leaves turning

What a great find! The farm to table vibe was just to our liking. Casual, but not shabby dress expectations and interesting interior made for a refreshing, away from the city feel. The food was fresh and delicious; portions just right. I tried the butternut squash lasagna and found it to be innovative and satisfying. A nice white wine flight was a perfect accomplishment. Kudos to the server’s flexibility for letting me substitute for one of the set. We ended with the oatmeal chocolate chip ice cream sandwich which was HUGE and plenty for 2. We had ordered a lemon lavender Empowered plant based cake which we ended up taking home. We may have had it for breakfast, though we’re not fully admitting to that indulgence. We have added this restaurant to our list of regular repeats.

Very cool spot with a huge rotating menu. Great atmosphere and everything I’ve had from here has been fantastic. The attached bakery has a large selection of desserts and the chickens and geese in the back are fun to watch. Only downside is that parking can sometimes be challenging, but it is well worth it.

Food was fantastic. My wife and our mom's all loved what the ordered. Entertaining geese walking around. The out door seating was quite enjoyable. I recommend bringing a cushion as the chairs are all metal and if you have a bony butt like I do it's a hard sit. And the bakery attached to it was out of this world.

my friends held a rehearsal brunch here a couple months ago. The ambience was awesome, and the people were incredibly attentive. My only note is that the food seems to be a little underseasoned and a little dry. I am still happy to come back and eat here, but definitely recommend having a pepper shaker nearby!

The parking lot is a bit small and we had to wait in order to park, but I appreciated it very much that they have someone out in the parking lot managing things by having the waiting cars for an organized line. The young lady at the entry point is wonderful and makes everyone feel welcome as she assures them that their table is being prepared as soon as possible. The menu was nicely rounded out between breakfast items and lunch items, plus healthy items as well as big meals for hungry people. It was hard to choose what to order because there were really good options there. If things had stopped there this would have been a five-star place, but the food just didn't deliver for all of us at the table. Meaning, some of us were disappointed with our meals. They were lacking flavor in some cases. As an example, my beet salad had very little dressing on it and the dressing that was on it tasted mostly of just oil. It seemed like a lot of oily lettuce, and I was a bit disappointed. Only two out of 5 of us said they enjoyed their meal. There's a bakery next door, but we didn't order anything from it. Looked good though.

Our first time, the service was wonderful. We tried their blueberry dessert which was delicious. Have to be honest now but the potatoes was better seasoned than the steak (the steak was tender but missing favor/ salt and pepper) which surprised me but I will Def try the spot again.The desserts and coffee was amazing.

This was an experience that you should not leave Virginia Beach without experiencing. The quality of the food along with the very friendly atmosphere is what gives this place its charm. It felt like I was at home while dining here. I got the Sesame Tuna cooked rare, and let me tell you, this was by far one of the best lunches Ive had in the area since being here. The quality of the fish was amazing as well as the salad it was served atop of was an excellent pairing. The only complaint I have about this dish was that I didn't get a second one togo. My Wife got the Hunter Burger, and she had no complaints about it at all, she finished it so quickly that I almost couldn't grab a photo for this review. We both got a cup of their soup of the day, Gazpacho, and it was delicious. I enjoy when my soups have things I am able to chew while enjoying the liquid and this soup had plenty of that! This soup was the perfect thing to have with how hot it has been recently. The only complaint that I could have is that the drinks were served in cans, but thats personal preference, not an issue of the food. Overall this spot should be on your bucket list ANY time you are visiting Virginia Beach and you have the time to enjoy a fresh meal.

This review is strictly for their baked goods (dessert menu). I came here to pick up some pastries from the bakery but am told it’s closed today. I can order the same from the desserts menu served in the main dining area. I ordered the praline cake and butterscotch toasted pecan cake. Service wasn’t as great. I stood there at the entrance for a solid 2 minutes without anyone greeting me or asking if I need to be seated. Then after I ordered, one would think that cutting slices of cake would be quick - not!!! Am hoping the cake slices would make up for the dismal wait.

Food was flavorful and waitresses were nice but it took 40 minutes for our food and to be served and the vegetables were cold. Slightly overpriced for the quantity of the food but the presentation was nice. Atmosphere is great with decorations and and a chill vibe.

We usually love Leaping Lizard Cafe, and probably have been there 6 times since the summer. Most of our experiences have been very positive. However, yesterday we went to Leaping Lizard to celebrate 2 birthdays, we made a reservation and told them such when we made the reservation. We were seated promptly upon arrival, our waiter brought water. In a nominal time, our order was taken (we are a party of four), but he did not write abything down. We were talking amongst ourselves when we realized people who had been seated after us had there good. Tables turned over and wrre getting food. We finally tracked down our waiter (it's been over an hour since we arrived). He told us the kitchen was "backed up". That didn't make sense since other tables were getting food. Then it was 2 tickets were dropped behind a counter and the just found them. 2 minutes later our waiter was asking us for our order again. So, mistakes happen. However own up to it! No one offered us a drink while we waited, an appetizer, no comps, no one apologized. There was no manager on duty to speak with. We spoke with another waitress who said she would have someone contact us today. That didnt happen. The whole thing just bless a bad taste about Leaping Lizard. I eill say the food was good once it arrived